ISSUE 9
SOUTHAMPTON SOLENT UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE
AUTUMN 2012
The power of sport Paralympian Aaron Phipps stars in our special sport edition
CONTENTS
3. Vision for 2020 4. Degree shows 5. Re:So opens Solent Sport Extra 6. Aaron Phipps 8. Rod Bransgrove 9. Lawrie McMenemy 10. Football at Solent 12. Sport in numbers 13. Solent Creatives 14. B&Q briefs students 16. Superyacht academy 18. Lighten Up 19. Campus changes
GREAT EXPECTATIONS! Southampton Solent University has just welcomed the ‘class of 2012’ – the first cohort of students to enter higher education under the coalition government’s new fees and funding arrangements. I am pleased to report to the readers of ISSUE 9 that we have recruited very well this year, both from these shores and abroad. Nevertheless, to improve higher education opportunities in very challenging times, the government needs to give further consideration to how students pay postgraduate fees, and whether overseas students should be taken out of immigration controls. Our students rightly have ‘great expectations’ of their time with us, and while it can justifiably be argued that a ‘university isn’t just a business – and the student isn’t always right’, they will ask: ‘What am I getting for my money?’ It is our duty to provide the very best outcomes we can for our students, even if on occasion we have to remind them that the rise in fees is largely to cover the funding gap left by central government.
HOW TO CONTACT US: Send your news, views, queries and comments to: Press and PR Officer, Southampton Solent University, East Park Terrace, Southampton SO14 0RB Tel: 023 8031 9040 Email: press.office@solent.ac.uk Cover photograph © Wayne Johns Contact Wayne at wayne@waynejohns.com Tel: 07530 600419 Designed and produced by: MCS, Southampton Solent University. PUBD2012-04-1820 Printed by: Cedar Press
However, we will be on our mettle to ensure that all of our students, whether on ‘old’ or ‘new’ funding arrangements, receive a consistently high-quality experience from our faculties and support services. Solent has managed its finances well over the past decade. Surpluses continue to allow investment in new facilities, with an exciting new £35m campus development planned for East Park Terrace. I am always impressed by the ability of our Estates and Facilities staff to imaginatively re-purpose and refresh older buildings and spaces. They have recently converted a vacated snooker hall near Bargate into a new home for much of our School of Art and Design (see page 4), turned an empty bookstore into Solent Showcase, our
new gallery space, and transformed a basement into our new Creative Industries Academy. Partnership working seems to come naturally to Solent and this allows students to work on ‘live briefs’ with the likes of B&Q (see page 14), the Ageas Bowl and others, to improve employment prospects for graduates. We are also building some effective relationships in niche industries, and ISSUE 9, which has a strong focus on sport, details how we now have graduates employed at nearly 20 professional football clubs. Encouraging students to develop their entrepreneurial skills through initiatives such as Solent Creatives and Re:So (see page 5), our brand new fashion outlet where students can sell their creations on the high street, will have the longer-term benefit of growing the size and importance of the creative industries within the local economy. The challenges of the external environment sometimes make it feel that universities are having to run to stand still. However, I see a lot of energy and enthusiasm around our university and, hopefully, you will be left with the same impression after reading ISSUE 9.
Professor Van J Gore Vice-Chancellor
NEWS | ISSUE | ISSUE 99
Business and education experts gathered at Solent’s second annual conference to discuss the region’s economic future and celebrate the launch of our new Career Coach. As the University’s new Career Coach attracted admiring glances in neighbouring Guildhall Square, speakers at our second annual Vision for 2020 conference discussed the role graduates can play in the development of the south. The annual conference is a key part of Solent’s ongoing Vision for 2020 campaign to encourage more graduates to stay local. This year’s event coincided with the launch of our new Career Coach. This visionary vehicle is kitted out with specially-commissioned Career Coach software which helps young people to plan their futures. Users simply search for a particular job or career area. The software then displays local salary averages, regional prospects by sector and job, related career options and relevant courses offered by the University.
The Career Coach software uses statistics compiled by US-based organisation EMSI. Dr Kjell Kristophersen, Senior Economist and President of EMSI, was one of the keynote speakers at Vision for 2020. He noted that the majority of potential growth sectors identified by Career Coach – including marketing and IT – require a higher education qualification. This linked with the findings of Paul Swinney, Centre for Cities Economist, who argued that Southampton is reasonably well placed to weather the current economic storm, as 30% of adult residents have degrees, and industries that require highly-skilled staff are seeing lower levels of unemployment. Gavin Hall, Director at Savills, spoke passionately about the need for Southampton to take greater pride in what it has to offer as a city, while Rod Jackson, CEO of aap3, encouraged local companies to recognise the passion
and imagination graduates can bring to business. The University’s own Head of Parternships, Dr Steve Lake, in tandem with Chris Kellaway, Manager of the Southampton 14-19 Consortium, then described the ambition and achievements of the newly-launched Junior University. The speakers, chaired by Georgina Andrews, Director of Southampton Solent Business School, repeatedly emphasised the need for ambition and enterprise within the city, and this theme was at the heart of the presentation given by Solent Vice-Chancellor Professor Van Gore. He outlined a strategy for the creative industries in the city, arguing that: “Southampton needs to focus on offering added-value services to companies in the areas of film, media production, digital technologies, photography, advertising, marketing and design.”
Autumn 2012 | 3
ISSUE ISSUE 99 || NEWS
A Revolution
IN ART This summer’s final year degree shows took place in our brand new School of Art and Design. Here’s a glimpse of what visitors were treated to.
Final year students from Solent’s Graphics, Illustration, Fine Art and Product Design degrees showcased their work at the University’s new School of Art and Design this summer, and Sir Peter Blake was among the first people to see their work.
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The iconic pop artist - who famously illustrated The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s album cover - officially opened the new venue, saying: “I’m full of admiration for what I saw at the School of Art and Design. The students’ work is amazing and Solent University’s concept of an art school is wonderful.”
Vice-Chancellor Professor Van Gore said: “Sir Peter exemplifies so much that we can admire about the art school of the 1960s and the explosion of energy that it created, and we chose to reinvent that energy by encouraging the creativity and subversiveness that was prominent in the 1960s through this new facility.”
A former snooker hall and department store near the Bargate area of Southampton, the School of Art and Design was created in just 16 weeks. It will now act as the University’s city centre tutorial, study and exhibition space.
The £1.4 million facility complements Southampton’s emerging cultural and art plans, including the creation of the Guildhall Square, where the University’s Solent Showcase professional gallery is situated.
NEWS | ISSUE 9
LONDON 2012
Students open
Re:So
boutique store
Solent students achieved a UK first this autumn – opening what is thought to be the first student-run store in a UK shopping centre. The store – named Re:So, a shortened version of Retail Solent – is the result of an innovative collaboration between the University and Southampton’s Marlands Shopping Centre. Stocked with an eclectic mix of student-created fashion, accessories, publications, furniture, photography and art, the boutique store occupies a prime location in the busy shopping precinct. The brainchild of the Fashion Management programme team, Re:So has given students the chance to gain valuable experience of business management, store design and visual merchandising. Lisa Mann, Programme Group Leader for Fashion Management, explained: “Our emphasis has always been on developing the real, industry-led skills that students need to combine artistic credibility with commercial vigour, and this project is
perfectly placed to develop these skills in tandem.” Katie Friedlander, an MA Fashion Merchandise Management student, created the design for the shop utilising the building’s bare brickwork and high ceilings. The store includes space for an art gallery and an area that can be used for educational projects, seminars and guest lecturers. “We have worked closely with students, tutors and administrators at Solent to create a retail proposition that is uncompromising in working to a sustainable business plan,” said Tim Keeping, General Manager at The Marlands. “There is a real wealth of creative talent and entrepreneurial flair at the University It is our intention to prove that this talent can thrive in the correct environment.”
Helena strikes gold Solent University graduate Helena Lucas became Britain’s first-ever Paralympic sailing gold medallist in September, outmanoeuvering and outwitting the competition to win in the 2.4mR class in Weymouth. The only woman in the class, Helena finished the penultimate day of competition in first place and was guaranteed at least a silver medal. But after light winds forced all racing on the final day to be abandoned, she was confirmed as the gold medal winner. The 37-year-old, who graduated in Yacht and Powerboat Design in 2008, said: “This is the dream, this is definitely the dream! We’ve had a great week on the water and it’s been a great team effort out there.” Born with no thumbs and limited extension in her arms, Helena was introduced to sailing by her parents at the age of eight and controls her boat with a tiller and foot pedals. She finished seventh in the same class at the Beijing Games, and has previously won three world championship bronze medals. Goodison and MacGregor miss out London 2012 ended in disappointment for current Solent Business student Kate MacGregor and Maritime Studies graduate Paul Goodison, as both finished outside of the medals at the Weymouth regatta. Kate and her teammates – sister Lucy and Annie Lush – lost out to Russia in the quarter-final race of the 6m keelboat class, while Paul, who won gold in the Laser class in Beijing 2008, finished seventh after courageously sailing with a back injury he suffered early in the competition. Congratulations to all of our Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
Autumn 2012 | 5
ISSUE 9 | SPORT EXTRA
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“Playing brings out a dark side of me.” It’s been an unforgettable year in the sporting world – from the London Olympic and Paralympic Games to the Tour de France, the Ryder Cup and, of course, the Saints’ promotion to the Premier League. Here at Solent, meanwhile, our commitment to sport at every level continues to grow. In this special edition of Issue, we examine the University’s sporting ambitions and successes, kicking off with Team GB Paralympian Aaron Phipps, who prepared for the biggest competition of his career right here at the University. 6 | Autumn 2012
ISSUE99 SPORT EXTRA | |ISSUE you’re beaten and broken and ruined it’s horrible, but ultimately it’s worth it.” Team GB missed out on a podium place in London, failing to progress from their group after a single victory over France. But for Aaron, the tournament remains a positive learning experience. “We really wanted to get a medal, but I think we played our absolute best,” he says. “We’re a new team and experience got the better of us. So we’re gutted, but I can still reflect and feel that we did well. And I know that if we did it again we’d do better.” Aaron lost his legs, along with all of his fingers and one thumb, after contracting Meningococcal Septicaemia aged 15. He went to bed one night complaining of flu symptoms, collapsed the next morning and ended up on a life support machine, eventually spending a year in hospital.
To the millions of people who spent two weeks this summer following the Paralympic Games, Aaron Phipps became a very familiar face. As the player on Team GB’s wheelchair rugby team with the highest level of physical ability, he played a talismanic role on court, dominating the point scoring and the TV coverage with performances of controlled but consistent aggression. “I’m an easy-going guy,” he says, “but when I play, it’s like I flick a switch.”
“
My wheelchair gets most of the injuries
”
Wheelchair rugby was one of the hits of the Games, a brutal cross between a waltz and a war, on wheels. Invented by Canadian quadriplegic athletes in 1977, it requires speed, strength and – being the only full-contact sport in the Paralympics – a willingness to smash into opponents and occasionally end up face-down on the court. The only sport of any kind that requires a courtside welder – “My wheelchair gets most of the injuries,” Aaron smiles – it drew sell-
out 12,000-strong crowds to the Olympic Park for every match of the tournament. “The whole experience was unbelievable,” he says, two weeks after returning to Hampshire following the Games. “It was so humbling – you’d leave the Olympic village and get swamped by people wanting your autograph. Everyone knew who we were. At some events in the past we’ve played in front of a few thousand people, but there were more than 10,000 people in London. It was unforgettable.” Much of Aaron’s training building up to the Games took place at Solent, with Dr Stewart Bruce-Low and his Sports Science students supporting Aaron – and other members of the GB team – with a comprehensive programme of nutrition and game practice, as a well as a pitiless regime of strength and conditioning work. “We’ve pushed him to the limit,” Bruce-Low says matter-of-factly. “He’s chucked up quite a few times.” For Solent’s students, working with Aaron provided a valuable opportunity to monitor an elite athlete preparing for the biggest event of his career – one of many ways in which the Solent sports courses enable students to develop industry insight and knowledge. “I felt in the condition of my life going into the Games, because I’d pushed myself to the max,” Aaron says. “I felt incredibly fit. When
“I describe it as the best and worst thing that ever happened to me,” he says today. “It’s the best thing because I’ve been able to do all of these things. I do a lot of school visits, which I love, and often get asked if I wish I had legs. And the answer to that is no, because of all of the amazing opportunities I’ve been able to have.” He came to Solent as a novice wheelchair racer, “wanting to get advice from people who knew what they were talking about”. But after a wheelchair rugby taster session – “I realised all of the players were unhinged, just like me!” – he changed sports and began a training programme that now involves everything from treadmill training on a racing wheelchair to sit-ups clutching 5kg weights. “I wouldn’t be where I am without the support I’ve received at Solent,” he says. “I approached the University as an amateur saying ‘I need help to get fit enough to compete in the Paralympics’. The support has been second to none. I’m fitter, stronger and leaner – 100%.” He pauses. “Well, I was anyway. I’ve eaten my bodyweight in pizza since the Paralympics, but I’ll be back to the training soon…”
Above: Dr Stewart Bruce-Low puts Aaron through his paces in the Solent high-performance gym All photos © Wayne Johns. Autumn 2012 | 7
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ISSUE 9 | SPORT EXTRA
From the
Ageas Bowl… The University’s links with local sporting organisations and sporting stars bring a wide range of benefits. Here, Rod Bransgrove, outgoing Chief Executive of the Ageas Bowl, describes Solent’s burgeoning relationship with the Test cricket venue. While on the next page… The links go well beyond sports and sports science – opportunities have also been identified for students to get involved in events management, journalism and outside broadcasts at the Bowl.
Rod Bransgrove describes the recent partnership accord between the Ageas Bowl and Southampton Solent University as “a trial marriage”. Speaking to Issue shortly before announcing that he will end his 12year tenure as Chief Executive in December this year, he explains that the accord was designed to ensure that Solent’s students and Hampshire’s cricketers can both benefit from the burgeoning relationship. “I think we’re enjoying the honeymoon period,” he says. “As with any relationship, we’ve spent the early period getting to know each other and ensuring we’re in a good position to work well together. “Because we’re working in the sports industry and at a high level, we can offer real-life experience and real-life access for students who are interested in careers in areas like sports management and physiotherapy. And staff from Solent have also visited the coach and physio here to see how we can integrate the facilities at Solent into our player-management system. Our staff were impressed by what they saw.”
8 | Autumn 2012
“One very good example was what happened at the recent naming of the Shane Warne stand,” Rod says. “Shane was unable to attend, so the Solent students came along beforehand and filmed a video message from him. That’s a very practical example of the benefits of our relationship.” Since taking charge in 2000, Rod has developed the Ageas Bowl not only into an international-standard cricket venue but also into a regional hub for concerts and conferences. He hopes the involvement of Solent students will benefit all aspects of the business, in a city he clearly remains passionate about. “Southampton is a fantastic and buoyant place,” he says, “and I really do think that sport is a huge morale booster for the city when sports clubs do well. Saints being in the Premier League makes people feel better, it makes the city feel important. When you’ve got teams like Manchester United and Chelsea and Arsenal playing here week in, week out, you feel that you’ve got an important team in an important city. “It’s important than cricket does well too, because the pursuit of success is a valuable thing. We all take ownership in these activities and have emotional investment in them, which is why success feels so satisfying.”
“
We can offer real-life experience and real-life access for students
”
SPORT EXTRA | ISSUE 9
…to the
Lawrie McMenemy
Centre for Football Research … Saints Legend Lawrie McMenemy explains the value of preparing the next generation of football professionals for life in the beautiful game.
and pulled the community together. I remember being out on the veranda outside the Guildhall on the Sunday after the final. I was conducting the singing, and commented about the fantastic turn-out, and then I said that everyone should have street parties. I actually came to regret that slightly because I spent the next few months having to show my face at street parties!” When Lawrie McMenemy watched Southampton fans race onto the St Mary’s pitch after the club won promotion to the Premier League earlier this year, his mind was taken back to his own considerable success with the club, almost 40 years earlier. “The game has changed enormously,” he says, “but it can still be the same today. You couldn’t see a blade of grass on that pitch. That outpouring of pure pleasure will never change.” Lawrie’s time in charge of Southampton was a highpoint in Saints’ history. In 1976, he steered the club to its only FA Cup Final victory, an unexpected triumph that triggered an extraordinary response. “The reaction was phenomenal,” he says. “The postman was bringing in sacks of mail from all over the world. We had a Maori spear arrive from New Zealand, a traditional American headdress from the US, we were getting all sorts. “It was terrific because the win really focused attention on Southampton
Many aspects of the game have since changed beyond recognition, of course, and Lawrie speaks fondly of the days when top players would take time to visit local schools, and when the Southampton management board was made up of local community figures, including one “Charles Chaplin – who wore a monocle and a fresh carnation in his pocket every day”. But clubs today, he acknowledges, are run “completely as a business”, and his decision to put his name to the Lawrie McMenemy Centre for Football Research was inspired by his desire to help people succeed in the increasingly professional – and increasingly pressured – football business. “The structure used to be ‘board, manager, team’, but there are so many more staff now,” he says. “You have numerous specialist trainers and specialist analysts. The commercial side has grown enormously, as has the fitness side and the psychology side. It’s a different game, and young people need to be prepared for that.”
To help Solent students get ready for a career in the game, Lawrie regularly speaks at the University, as well as using his extensive contacts to arrange other guest speakers. He’s determined that the Centre should help students to receive a comprehensive football education – one that enables them to create an impact at both club and community level. “Football clubs are an integral part of a community,” he says. “Those highs and lows bring people together in a way that little else can. I’d like to think the work that is being done at Solent can help to contribute to that, even as the game continues to change.”
“
The game has changed enormously
”
Autumn 2012 | 9
ISSUE 9 | SPORT EXTRA
Solent’s
football footprint
Graduates from Solent’s football courses are now using their skills at clubs across the UK. For Dr Richard Elliott, Director of the Lawrie McMenemy Centre for Football Research, there is no doubt that the work being done at Solent is having an impact on many aspects of the sport. He describes the centre as “the mechanism by which the University manages all football-related activity”, and that can mean anything from the recent research project into pitchside technical areas – a project that resulted in a change to Premier League rules – to offering training to footballers who have failed to make it in the professional game.
United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal are also sending their staff to Solent to gain qualifications. “If I was a prospective student,” Richard says, “I’d look at the Lawrie McMenemy Centre for Football Research on our website, I’d look at the news page, I’d see just how active we are in the football community and I’d apply. Simple as that.”
“Research is only one part of what we do here,” he says. “Through our courses, we also give people an insight and understanding of the industry, and help students to push their careers forward. The football industry is very tough. You need to be very resilient to succeed within it, you need to be thick-skinned, and you need to be excellent day-in, day-out. So we don’t deal with fans, we deal with people who are serious about working in the game.”
West Bromwich Albion
Birmingham City
It’s an important distinction, he says, and one that echoes the University’s approach to football – “teaching from the insideout, rather than from the outside-in”. The centre has strong links with a wide range of clubs, which might help to explain why its degree courses – Football Studies and Football and Business – are gaining increasing recognition within the game. “I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I was the sort of lecturer who sat in an office and theorised about what things will be like, and then after three years gave my students a pat on the back and said ‘good luck”, Richard says. “My job is to prepare students for what they are getting into, and then to provide as many opportunities as possible for them to do that, in terms of the units we teach, the experiences we can give them and the people that we are able to introduce them to.” In recent years, an increasing number of graduates have gone on to find work in the industry, as the adjacent map illustrates. And as relationships develop, top clubs including Manchester
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Northampton Town
Reading
Aldershot Town
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“ Newcastle United
… we don’t deal with fans, we deal with people who are serious about working in the game
”
Fulham
West Ham United
Millwall
Tottenham Hotspur
Crystal Palace
Brentford
London London Chelsea
Watford
Bournemouth
Southampton
Portsmouth
Brighton & Hove Albion
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ISSUE 9 | RESEARCH
Solent sport in numbers
E XLENT S T R PORT A
Here’s just a taste of our comprehensive sport offering, which brings together students and the local community to support sport at every level.
#
1 28
75 8 10 year
ranked university Sport Science courses in the UK for student satisfaction.* watersports courses
open to the public at the University’s centre in Warsash.
sport degrees
13{ 7 30 200+
agreements
with Southampton schools to deliver sport and fitness activities. More than 100 Solent students run these sessions.
facilities managed by Solent
Outdoor facilities at Test Park and Hardmoor, indoor sports centres at Warsash and St Marys, a sports hall at EPT, the Performance Fitness Centre, Warsash Watersports Centre and an indoor cricket school.
Adventure and Extreme Sports Management; Applied Sport Science; Fitness and Personal Training; Fitness Management and Personal Training; Football Studies; Football Studies and Business; Health, Exercise and Physical Activity; Outdoor Learning and Watersports Management; Sport Coaching; Sport Coaching and Development; Sports Studies; Sports Studies and Business; Young People and Physical Activity.
teams
in national and local leagues under the Team Solent banner.
students who take sports coaching courses at Solent each year. Courses are offered in 28 sports, and it’s the largest coach education programme in English Higher Education.
* 2012 National Student Survey 12 | Autumn 2012
partnership between Southampton City Council and Solent for the University to provide city sport development – the first of its kind in the UK.
students supported by the
Solent high-performance sport programme.
4 24
world-class
sport science laboratories for learning, research and consultancy.
potential local stars coached at Solent as part of the
Hampshire Talented Athletes scheme.
BUSINESS | ISSUE 9
Student agency’s
BUSINESS START-UPS
The region’s commercial and community organisations are continuing to benefit from the creative talent of students, as the Solent Creatives student agency expands into business start-ups. The agency – which matches businesses with Solent students skilled in areas ranging from web and graphic design to video production and event management – has launched business pods to help students start their own businesses. The pods provide an area from which students can run their businesses, and students who successfully apply for a pod also benefit from support and expert advice. Suzanne Dixon, Professor of Creative Entrepreneurship, explained: “We help and support students with creative business ideas from a range of disciplines. A team of staff and Nicky Curtis, a specialist in business start-ups, support the students and bring their ideas to fruition. In five years’ time, we hope those students will be trading successfully and will keep in touch to support future students and their employability initiatives. “We’re keen to continue working with local businesses and to expand the skills our students can offer.” It’s a characteristically progressive step for the University, which prides itself on its industry links and on being the largest provider, outside London, of creative student talent. Solent Creatives provides a unique opportunity for businesses to benefit from the enthusiastic talent pool of students, while providing students with the chance to build their creative portfolios. Autumn 2012 | 13
ISSUE 9 | BUSINESS LINKS
Students’ iconic images for DIY chain Solent’s BA (Hons) Fashion with Photography students are a notoriously creative bunch – but styling models in wallpaper and paint was one of their more unusual challenges. More than 50 students were invited to create a collection of iconic images for DIY giant B&Q – using some of the chain’s latest products.
The students then worked with B&Q’s in-house designers to produce four different ‘style stories’ to promote the autumn range.
The images – which are being rolled out in stores across the UK – are the result of an ongoing collaboration between B&Q and the University.
B&Q chose four designs which displayed a real understanding of the project and an innovative approach to the brief. B&Q’s in-house designers and photographers made a style board and the chosen students spent two days creating outfits out of furnishings, wallpaper and paint.
The project began at B&Q head office, where students were given a brief outline of the creative studio’s vision for the chain’s autumn decor range.
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The students – Abi Denton, Natasha Matthews, Katie Walton and Leah Whitty
– then styled the models before getting behind the camera to shoot the creations. BA (Hons) Make Up and Hair Design for Music, Film and Photography student Katy Brewis created the make-up for the shoots, and BA (Hons) Film students Matthew Waterer and Greg Michael produced accompanying video footage. Andy Tose, B&Q’s Creative Studio Manager, said: “We bring the colours into our range straight from the catwalk so we’re on trend. The idea became about how we meet fashion and product, so the idea was
BUSINESS LINKS | ISSUE 9
NEWS IN BRIEF Junior University Solent University and the University of Southampton have joined forces with the city’s colleges and secondary schools and the Southampton 14-19 Consortium to launch the Junior University. More than 80 current university students are acting as role models, giving Year 10 students a taste of university life through workshops and lectures, and, ultimately, helping to raise the aspirations of young people in the region. Cenotaph website Solent students have helped bring to life the stories of servicemen and women who lost their lives during the two world wars by creating an interactive website based on the city’s Cenotaph. Find out more at: www.southamptoncenotaph.com Olympic Torch broadcast In June, BBC South invited Solent students to help deliver their coverage of the Olympic Torch relay in the region. Seven Entertainment Technology students got involved in what was the most complex outside broadcast the local BBC team had ever undertaken.
born to create these roomsets. And then we were trying to think who to work with who would really know and understand fashion, so that’s people on the cuttingedge of the industry, which is fashion students and fashion photographers. We approached Solent University and it went from there. “I’d definitely work with students again,” he added. “Working with young students with fresh minds and fresh ideas is fantastic. It’s a really good way of pushing the boundaries and creating new ideas to work with.”
Programme Group Leader for Fashion Design and Communication, Philip Clarke, added: “This was one of our more unusual challenges and the students did an amazing job.”
Universities Minister visit Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Minister for Universities and Science, visited Solent earlier this year, touring our groundbreaking Solent Creatives student agency, business start-up pods and media production facilities. Remix success A remix by music student Mike Carroll was featured on the Ting Ting’s album ‘Sounds from Nowheresville,’ after he won a competition run by Sony under his alias, Inertia.
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ISSUE 9 | SUPERYACHT ACADEMY
“It’s true.
It is unbelievably glamorous.” LARS LIPPUNER, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER AT WARSASH MARITIME ACADEMY, REVEALS THE THINKING – AND THE LUXURIOUS LIFESTYLES – BEHIND SOLENT’S NEW SUPERYACHT ACADEMY. 16 | Autumn 2012
SUPERYACHT ACADEMY | ISSUE 9
Roman Abramovich isn’t only known for the billions he has poured into Chelsea football club. In the world’s most glamorous sailing destinations, he is also famous as the owner of Eclipse – the biggest superyacht ever built, and a vessel which places him at the forefront of one of the maritime industry’s fastest growing – and most extravagant – specialist sectors. “Superyachts do offer the ultimate luxury experience,” smiles Lars Lippuner, who has led the development of Solent’s newly-launched Superyacht Academy. “We’re talking about a seven-star experience. The big charter yachts cost £0.5 million for a week. For that sort of money, people expect to be treated to a completely different world.” Solent’s new Superyacht Academy, based at the world-class Warsash Academy, trains interior, deck and engineering personnel to meet these elevated expectations. Its aim is to ensure that superyacht owners and management
companies can be confident of offering the highest possible level of service. “The superyacht market has doubled in the past ten years,” says Lars, “and with the growth of the industry has come a huge need for more professionalism. Initially, it was fairly unregulated, but now it is a sector within the maritime industry that stands on its own two feet, and needs to develop accordingly.” So what turns a yacht into a superyacht? “It’s the name given to any yacht that is longer than 24 meters,” Lars says. “A superyacht also needs to be privately operated or commercially chartered for pleasure use, rather than transporting cargo or ferrying people. The biggest – the Eclipse – is 164 metres long and has a crew of around 70 people. And there is a larger one being built.” If this conjures up images of crystal clear seas, Champagne flutes and sun-baked
desert islands in your mind, then you’re probably not far from the truth. But for this picture of paradise to become a reality, a lot of hard work needs to happen behind the scenes. And that’s where the Superyacht Academy comes in. “With our resources, facilities, knowledge and experience, we can offer any possible deckside, engineering or interior maritime course, from junior to captain-level,” Lars says. “We can also offer a lot of value by making it easier for crew members to understand their routes through maritime qualifications. And we can collaborate with training partners and business partners to offer quality services to the industry – including training, research and consultancy.” “We want to be the world leader in yacht education and training,” Lars adds. “We want to be the first institution people look at if they want to do any kind of yacht-specific education and training.”
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ISSUE 9 | ART
Let there be LIGHT ‘Lighten UP’, a new exhibition at Solent University’s Showcase gallery, looks set to provide the perfect antidote to shorter days and darker evenings this autumn. Featuring urban light graffiti, light sculptures, light installations and largescale projection events in the heart of Southampton, the exhibition will celebrate the beauty of light in all its forms. The main exhibition runs from 24 October until 8 December at the Solent Showcase gallery, right next to the Guildhall. And on 22 and 23 November, special events featuring live light drawing, music and light projections are planned for Guildhall Square. Artists and musicians performing on the night include Phil Durrant, Matthias Fritz, Jonny Hannah, Natalia Kulabuchova, Latchkeykid, Miss Led, Peter Lloyd, Duncan Newland, Louise Weir, Solent students and VIVID Partners. Members of the public will also have the opportunity to create light drawings and animations. Contributors to the permanent exhibition include Heinrich and Palmer, who are creating a new work of art for the Solent Showcase gallery, which will be displayed in the window day and night. Lightmark will also show their stunning light art photography taken in wild, remote landscapes. And light bombing artist Sola will work with local young people to create new urban light graffiti for the gallery. In addition, artist Jo Berry will show light boxes that link science and art. And sculptor Ben Yates will display his intricate and detailed light cities made from salvaged computer circuit boards. To find out more about Lighten UP and about the special events on 22 and 23 November, contact Kate Maple and Les Buckingham by emailing showcase@solent.ac.uk
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DEVELOPMENTS | ISSUE 9
Summer of change After the University’s students headed home for the summer, the builders moved in, transforming various facilities around the campus in time for the new academic year. The Media Academy in the John Millais building (shown in the top two photos below) was completely remodelled. The work included building a new 3D design lab, an upgraded TV studio and a refurnished games studio. A new shop (shown in the third photo below) was also constructed, in the area that previously housed the staff room, with a new staff area and reading room added to the lower refectory area. And the reception area (shown in the bottom photo below) was also revamped and rebranded, with new comfy chairs added to the adjacent Costa Coffee.
NEWS IN BRIEF Warsash simulator launch Warsash Maritime Academy (WMA) recently launched its new Full Mission Engine Room Simulator. It features cutting-edge facilities that mimic real shipboard environments. The first of its kind in the world, the simulator enables engineering officers to improve their safety, emergency and crisis management skills. It was opened by Milhar Fuazudeen from the International Maritime Organisation.
Award for PR students The Love Your Bin campaign, created by the University’s Community Relations Office with help from a team of PR master’s students, recently won two awards at the 2012 Wessex Chartered Institute of Public Relations PRide Awards. The campaign addresses issues around waste management and encourages students to recycle. Amber Wilson, Community Relations Officer at Solent, said: “I’m thrilled with this achievement and acknowledgement. These awards are testament to Solent’s ongoing commitment to community relations and engagement.”
Entrepreneur funding Solent has been awarded funding to support and develop budding social entrepreneurs across the University. We are one of 56 higher education institutions across England to be awarded funding by UnLtd, a charity which supports social entrepreneurs. Louise Drake, a Solent student and Graduate Enterprise Adviser who previously received UnLtd funding for her Eco Ernie project, said: “This opportunity has highlighted Solent as one of the leading universities in this area.”
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ISSUE 9 |
T N E L ED O V S T L T A O RE R V O IN G P S T EL GE FE D N A Sport Solent provides highquality services, facilities and qualifications to local businesses and the whole community. Get in touch to experience: • Test Park Sports Ground with all-weather multi-purpose 3G pitch. Venue hire includes licensed bar facilities, Sky TV and FREE car parking. • Gym memberships at very competitive rates. • Watersports, corporate events, personal watercraft (Jetskis), powerboats and keelboats all available for taster sessions and courses throughout the year. • Physiotherapy service. • Coaching qualifications including football, tennis, boxing and many more.
For more information Tel: 02380 319 277 Email: sport.solent@solent.ac.uk www.solent.ac.uk/sport
@sportsolent /sportsolent
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