ALUMNI NEWS Summer 2020 Edition
Contents
ONTENT
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Contents
5 Welcome 6
Our response to COVID-19
8 #WeAreTogether 9
We Are Together With Business
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Postgraduate opportunities
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Students’ Union
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As the newly appointed Pro Vice-Chancellor for Business and Entrepreneurship, I am delighted to be introducing this edition of Alumni News to you. With responsibility for both the Suffolk Business School and driving business and entrepreneurship engagement across the institution and region, I am keen to connect and explore with you how we can work together to ensure we all benefit from strengthened links and collaboration between the University and our wider community. COVID-19 has already, and will certainly continue to reshape our behaviours as citizens, business owners and policy makers. As a higher education provider, I want to use this issue to highlight the importance of our alumni community in supporting our entrepreneurial ambitions and future success of our staff, students and business community as we recover from this global pandemic.
offering you the ability to engage with us in a variety of ways.
The University is committed to an outstanding learning and teaching experience, and over the last few months we’ve engaged in a significant move to online delivery for all our programmes. As part of this we are looking at how we can extend the wide range of opportunities for alumni to reconnect or engage with the University. We have been looking at how we can improve our online offer for alumni, how we reach out and provide resources to focus on wellbeing and recovery but also how we make this applicable for the long term so that we can provide you with opportunities to engage online, enabling us to reach a much wider audience, and
Professor Gurpreet Jagpal PVC Business and Entrepreneurship
Welcome
WELCOME As a member of our alumni community, you are a rich source of talent, skills and expertise and I would like us to work together to expose more of our students to ‘real-life’ experiences that equip them with the skills and knowledge to make a positive impact on society. Opportunities to mentor current students, provide case study material, delivery of career talks and guest lecturing, alongside the more traditional methods of internships and placements are just some of the ways that we can help bridge the gap between and ease the transition from university to work. I hope you enjoy this issue and I look forward to connecting with you over the coming months.
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OUR RESP TO COVID Our response to COVID-19
The University, like many other institutions across the UK is responding to the coronavirus outbreak. Our priority has always been the health and safety of our students, staff and our community and we are following the advice through regular updates from the UK Government, Public Health England and Universities UK. We are extremely proud that we have been able to support all of our students online. Lectures have continued and increased support, advice and guidance is being delivered virtually. The University will offer a combination of face to face and online learning for the new academic year, promising to deliver high-quality learning and teaching for all new and returning students.
Staff, students and alumni have responded with creative and valuable services which directly impact our wider community, see some our articles below on some of the innovative projects which have taken place and continue to support our communities: Students and staff within the school of Health and Wellbeing Repurposing of our 3D printers to produce visors School of EAST collaborating on the TRIBE Community app. Criminology students create distraction packs for prisoners We Are Together With Business programme
Our response to COVID-19
PONSE D-19
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#WEARE TOGETHER We are supporting the Universities UK campaign #WeAreTogether, which is highlighting the role universities are playing in the national effort against COVID-19. Below are two videos, the first created by some of our Alumni with messages of support to our communities at this time and the second created by our staff to show our community adapting to a new way of working and pulling together. Alumni ‘We Are Together’ Film
#WeAreTogether
University ‘We Are Together’Film A huge thank you to everyone who was involved. If you would like to be involved in future communications and marketing projects, please send us your details to alumni@uos.ac.uk
We are together with business
WE ARE TOGETHER WITH BUSINESS
#TogetherWithBusiness The University has launched the ‘We Are Together With Business’ programme. This programme offers a suite of resources for local and regional businesses to aid the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
and CPD sessions to provide you with an opportunity to engage and improve your skills, providing an excellent opportunity to access the skills and expertise of our academics and friends of the University.
Through our continued effort to improve the online offer to our graduates, our Alumni are able to access this support online and free of charge in order to respond, recover and build resilience through a knowledge exchange offer. We aim to continue this offer throughout the pandemic and beyond to enable graduates to access virtual support wherever you may be.
The sessions are delivered as Bitesize, Quaysized and Webinized, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Skills Development and i-teams, ensuring a range of topics are covered. Taster sessions can be found on our webpages. All sessions vary in length, some are pre-recorded and some held live to ensure we are able to meet a range of needs.
The University is a source of talent and are here to be of value to you. This programme will bring together colleagues from across the University with local businesses to support you by providing free sessions under the key themes of health and wellbeing, leadership and management and recovery and resilience. We offer virtual business breakfasts, webinars, networking
Jenni Carberry, Business Development Manager said “The Business Engagement and Entrepreneurship team wanted to do something to support businesses virtually and so came up with the idea of ‘We Are Together With Business’. We asked our academic colleagues to volunteer to present on topics related to resilience, recovery, wellbeing, leadership and entrepreneurship
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We Are Together With Business
academic expertise, student and graduate talent to enable your development”. Games Hub Manager, Heidi Love, is delivering a six week virtual enterprise and entrepreneurship skills programme for all budding entrepreneurs, starting on the 30 June with a Q&A session to help you explore whether this would be of benefit to you. Contact Heidi to register your place h.love@uos.ac.uk
We are together with business
and each week will be adding future online events. There are a choice of different types to suit: Bitesize, pre-recorded nuggets of wisdom, Quaysized, our online version of our Quay to Growth Business Breakfasts and Webinized, run at different times of day. These are suitable for anyone to attend; we are also offering funding towards 17 online University of Suffolk student/graduate internships to Small to Medium Enterprises in the local area and these can be full-time or part-time. We would love it if a business an Alumni works at or owns would be interested in having an intern. Please do get in touch, email engage@uos.ac.uk”
The University’s first I-Teams will be running from 1 October 2020. First implemented by the University of Cambridge, the I-Teams programme is a great way for you to bring fresh thinking and new ideas to your organisation by combing a team of interdisciplinary students with industry mentors. Participants work together to develop a product solution for issues affecting your business. If you are a business within the East of England then please contact iteams@uos.ac.uk.
Becky Baker
Bitesize examples: How to schedule social media posts to multiple platforms How to create your first online shop and sell products on the web Leadership in uncertain times Is your LinkedIn profile good enough?
Lecturer in Midwifery
Quaysized examples: Lockdown Friendly Marketing Sessions Performance Psychology Marketing: Rethink, Refresh, Refocus Webinized examples: Eat to Enhance your Productivity Writing the Outdoors, Indoors Enterprise Skills Sessions Mentoring Apprentices
The Business Engagement Team are working remotely and available for virtual consultation as to how you can work with the University to support recovery and development of your business. Please email engage@uos.ac.uk to schedule a call. We are working with our partners across the region to signpost and support you towards appropriate funding opportunities.
Full events listings and details of how to register your places, can be found here. For any other enquiries regarding these sessions please email engage@uos.ac.uk
We are creating and delivering bespoke training programmes to help you learn, achieve and grow. You can find out more about our CPD offer here.
Stef Thorne, Director of Business Engagement and Entrepreneurship said, “The Ipswich Waterfront Innovation Centre (IWIC) and the business engagement team are working remotely to develop a responsive, effective and valuable set of resources to make sure our university is connected to our business communities. Training, funding, research and innovation are key to economic recovery and we have
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Our Universities play an important role in helping local businesses and their staff through these challenging timesô€Œ˘ It is great to see this programme of training and support being made availableô€Œ˘ Chris Starkie
Chief Executive of New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership
#TogetherWithBusiness
MA Creative and Critical Writing We are delighted to announce our brand new MA in Creative and Critical Writing is here! Building on the success of our undergraduate programme ranked first in the UK for student satisfaction in the Complete University Guide 2020, the MA in Creative and Critical Writing brings together the study of English literature, critical theory and creative writing in a holistic and engaging postgraduate curriculum. The MA is designed to support students in a number of professional contexts such as teaching, publishing, editing and professional writing, as well as enhancing life skills and providing access to doctorallevel study. Students will develop skills as a creative writer, reader and researcher, through an integrated approach to creative writing and contemporary development in critical and cultural theories. This involved exploring a range of established and evolving literary genres, such as historical fiction, memoir, and children’s literature. We also offer our ‘Writers in Residence’ module, which invites students to build fruitful relationships within a chosen residency, community or environment, encouraging them to think and act autonomously in planning and engaging with the role of the writer in the community. Taught modules connect with and reflect on each other, fostering intellectual curiosity, inviting students to enhance your creative and critical writing skills both separately
Postgraduate opportunities
POSTGRADUATE OPPORTUNITIES and as a blended form. In seminars and intensive writing workshops, students will develop your ideas, voice, listening skills, writing techniques and craft, honing writing practice through sharing and critiquing work in progress. Students will learn from visits by guest speakers and workshops delivered by publishers, editors and literary agents. The course is underpinned by our shared ethos that all writing is critically reflective and creative, opening up new possibilities for creative fusion, innovative fiction and original insights in academic writing. Our approach enables students to make scholarly and imaginative connections between writing and theory within a vibrant multidisciplinary environment dedicated to excellence in teaching, learning and research. The MA in Creative and Critical Writing is delivered as a flexible programme, accommodating full or part-time study routes. For all information on how to apply, details of course modules, career opportunities, fees and finance, entry requirements and facilities and resources please visit our website. For further information on postgraduate opportunities please visit our uos.ac.uk/postgraduate Don’t forget, as a graduate of the University of Suffolk you are entitled to reduced fees on postgraduate study, find our more about the Alumni Postgraduate Loyalty Scheme.
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STUDENTS’ UNION
Students’ Union
New representatives
In June we said goodbye to two of our alumni community who have been working within the Student’s Union for the last two years. Elected by the student body in 2018, Georgia Downs, President and Amy Grant, Vice-president have been working tirelessly to continue to build the best Students’ Union possible run by students for students. After a long and successful tenure, both Georgia and Amy now move on to new things and we wish them all the best for their futures. Thank you for your commitment and all of your hard work.
Georgia said “After a two year sprint as President, I am now approaching the end of my tender and thus reflecting a lot on my successes over the years. Shop Students’ Union, the introduction of SOFIA (Suffolk Online Feedback In Action) and three week turnaround of feedback compared to four, to name but a few. Most recently I have worked with the University to make changes to our assessment regulations in light of COVID-19 which has brought some amazing
Amy said “It seems so surreal that our time at the Students’ Union is coming to an end. I have had the best experience being Vice President for the last two years and I wouldn’t change a thing. My election campaigns have been successful and I feel accomplished with everything I have achieved. I can now leave a legacy of a 24/7 library trial, Wednesday afternoon free from lectures, significant investment into a mental health platform for student services and a stunning brand new social
space for all future students. It’s easy to say it’s been a busy and fulfilling adventure, and there’s plenty more where that came from. I’m confident Mauro will excel as the new VP and make the role his own, just like I did. There is always room for innovation and I believe Mauro is ready to take on the challenge.”
Students’ Union
temporary and permanent changes. I am both saddened to leave but delighted to pass the role over to Dan Goulbon.
The University now welcomes our new President and Vice-President, Dan Goulborn and Mauro Cardoso respectively. We are looking forward to them continuing to build the Student’s Union. Welcome to you both!
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