ANNUAL REVIEW 2017/18
A university for a changing world
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WELCOME Welcome to the annual review for 2017-18, a year of growth as well as change. It is a privilege to write the review for a
Looking forward, we have a number
year that has seen the biggest change for the University – that of the change
of exciting challenges and events ahead of us. The announcement of our
of Vice-Chancellor. In the previous review Richard Lister noted the
new Chancellor, Dr Helen Pankhurst, with her forthcoming installation in
distance travelled since 2003 and the ethos of community that is important
December 2018 has been met with excitement, recognising her resonance
inside and outside the University. As the incoming Vice-Chancellor I have been
with our values around widening participation and social mobility
privileged to take up the challenge of bridging the gap from the success of becoming a university, to developing and maturing into a sustainable university for the future. The support within the University community and the wider town, county and regional communities in which we are located is palpable and hugely important if we are to both succeed and to make a difference.
and in her book Deeds not Words a recognition of the changes that we still need to make for the future of our society and the roles that our diverse community can play in this regard.
2017-18 has seen us grow in numbers and develop a series of new curricula to take our growth further, and these are in areas where the skills and knowledge are vital to our economy as well as our culture and society. Read more about this on page 2. We are increasingly being recognised nationally, and internationally, for our expertise and for the research we are producing, some of which is included in this Review. Professor Emma Bond’s team have directed their attention to the areas of virtual violence, access to justice and highlighting the area of child sexual abuse; all of which are having an impact and being referenced by key influencers in the sector. Dr Paul Andell’s research into county lines is continuing to gain momentum and he is increasingly being asked to represent the University as an expert in this issue.
Being a University that offers a comprehensive portfolio of courses alongside developing our areas of distinctiveness within this portfolio will be one of our challenges. However, undertaking this will enable us to be clear on where our community impact will be, resulting in the ability to develop our research for impact, our business engagement and our deployment of our resources to best effect. Despite the challenges to higher education such as the ongoing reducing demographic of 18 year olds, the impact of Brexit and the government review of post 18 education, the coming year looks to be an exciting year and one that will see the University continue to make significant progress as we establish more fully our place in the higher education landscape of the UK. I look forward to sharing our successes again next year.
Professor Helen Langton Vice-Chancellor
CONTENTS 2
Highlights of the Year
17 Students’ Union
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A Year of Success
18 Alumni Association and Alumni News
5 Outreach 8
The Atrium
10 Foundation Board 12 Developing Research Partnerships
19 Be Part of Our Community 20 Graduation Celebrations 22 Honorary Awards 24 Facts and Figures
16 International
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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR
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Interprofessional Learning Conference One of the country’s leading Chief Crown Prosecutors delivered the keynote speech at the University’s Interprofessional Learning conference earlier this year. Nazir Afzal OBE, the man at the centre of prosecuting the so-called ‘Rochdale grooming gang’, was Chief Crown Prosecutor for NW England and formerly Director in London. Most recently, he was Chief Executive of the country’s Police & Crime Commissioners. During a 24 year career, he has prosecuted some of the most high profile cases in the country and advised on many others and led nationally on several legal topics including violence against women & girls, child sexual abuse, and honour based violence. His work has been credited for being ground breaking and for changing the landscape of child protection. The story of the so-called ‘Rochdale grooming gang’ was recently at the centre of the BBC drama Three Girls.
The conference, ‘Can you hear me? The Voice of the Service User’, which has been running for three years was held at Trinity Park. Its aim is to put the service user at the heart of issues. The conference viewed scenarios from the service user’s perspective in an attempt to encourage best practice and inter-professional working. The conference involved 350 students from the School of Health Sciences and the School of Law and Social Sciences and was sponsored by Gotelee Solicitors and supported by Iceni, Suffolk County Council and Suffolk Police.
Regularly consulted for his views on current cases, Nazir Afzal addressed an audience of students and those currently working in health, social care, education and the police at the conference.
New Degrees
Highlights of the Year
The University expanded its course offering this year with over twenty new degrees on offer including BA (Hons) Architecture, BSc (Hons) Cybersecurity, BA (Hons) Politics and BA (Hons) Economics. One of the most popular additions was BSc (Hons) Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation Science, giving students the opportunity to work across the county’s many wildlife habitats as well as the private UmPhafa nature reserve in South Africa.
The BA (Hons) Dance degree was reinstated in partnership with the internationally acclaimed DanceEast on the Ipswich Waterfront. The degree is the first two-year work-based dance degree in the UK.
Highlights of the Year
The Hold
Work has begun on building The Hold, offering a bespoke home for the majority of Suffolk’s unique archival collections, as well as stateof-the-art public facilities and teaching spaces for the University. More than just a building, The Hold, located on the University’s campus, will drive a countywide programme of archives-inspired activities and events, and will transform the way the Archives Service reaches communities around Suffolk with its outreach work. The Hold is a partnership project between Suffolk County Council and the University and has received funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. It is supported by two charities the Suffolk Archives Foundation and Friends of Suffolk Record Office. The Hold will open in spring 2020.
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A YEAR OF SUCCESS
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Student Views Students gave twelve courses 90% or above for Overall Satisfaction in the National Student Survey (NSS) for 2018. The survey asks final year students to score their university experience.
Graduate Jobs The Destination of Leavers from Higher Education survey reported that 95% of our students were in full-time employment or further study six months after graduation, maintaining the University’s position in the league table from last year. Several courses scored 100% including Event Management and Tourism Management, Social Work, Counselling, Sport and Exercise Science, Fine Art, English and many of our health courses.
Widening Participation The University has been recognised for its work on social mobility by being ranked third in the country by the Higher Education Statics Agency (HESA) 2016-17– the highest ranked university in the south. HESA looked at the data for full-time students under 21 years old entering university for the first time from traditionally low participation areas. The University of Suffolk is committed to supporting and encouraging students in aspiring to higher education, successfully completing their course, and progressing into employment or postgraduate study.
Workplace Wellbeing Charter
A Year of Success
In December 2017, we attained accreditation of the Workplace Wellbeing Charter National Award. The Wellbeing Charter provides employers with an easy and clear guide on how to make workplaces a supportive and productive environment in which employees can flourish. Its standards reflect best practice and are endorsed nationally by Public Health England.
OUTREACH
Our Access Agreement for 2017-18 set out the institutional priorities in increasing access for students from the following target groups:
Young people from low income
backgrounds Students with physical or specific learning
disabilities Mature students
Students who are first in their family to go to University
The University also delivers specific activities for other under-represented groups, including students from military families, young carers, care leavers, and refugees/asylum-seekers. Working with Schools The team delivers a range of workshops in schools and colleges across Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire, which aim to raise aspirations for higher education while also promoting the University of Suffolk as a destination of choice. We have developed our own versions of popular games such as Jenga and Taboo to cover topics such as Student Finance and University Choices. Academic Engagement with Schools We work closely with academic colleagues to provide opportunities for them to engage directly with young people both in schools/ colleges and on-campus. Academics have visited schools and colleges across Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire in 2017-18 and requests from further afield have come in for 2018-19. The University has also welcomed students to the campus for large events, including our popular Access Conference, aimed at mature students studying Access to Higher Education Diplomas in Colleges across the region; and the Health and Social Care Conference. We have also had groups of students visit the campus for taster days and events aimed at specific course areas, and full year groups of students attending a range of academic tasters across one day.
Summer Schools The UniCamp Summer School has grown in popularity each year, and we have continued to receive a high number of applications from Year 12 students across the region. In July 2017, we had 56 students attend our residential event, living in Athena Hall for a week and attending a range of academic workshops. Feedback was excellent on all aspects of the event, and we expect many will apply to the University for entry in September 2019.
Outreach
The University’s Student Recruitment and Outreach team have had a busy year delivering a range of outreach activities for target groups of students.
The Splendid event provides a two-day on-campus taster event for students in Years 10-13 who have a Physical or Specific Learning Difficulty or Disability. In January 2018, 24 young people attended, with 8 parents also visiting to find out about the support we can offer. Students participated in a range of academic workshops and social activities to increase their confidence about progressing to higher education. We deliver a Looked After Children Residential Event in partnership with the University of East Anglia and Norwich University of the Arts, where young people who are under the care of Suffolk or Norfolk Local Authorities can have a positive university experience at both the Suffolk and UEA campuses. Family Awareness Days Our Family Awareness Days have become a key part of our Outreach calendar, taking place two or three times each academic year. The events are aimed at students in Years 7-9 and their parents/guardians. The students participate in fun and interactive academic activities and workshops, while parents learn about the benefits of higher education and student finance. We have found some parents are interested in studying as mature students. In April 2018, over 150 people attended. Young Age Activity In 2017-18 we introduced a new Primary School University Workbook, aimed at Year 5 and 6, with a range of activities that were created by the Outreach team. Younger age activity is an essential part of raising aspirations for higher education.
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OUTREACH
6 Outreach
The Network for East Anglian Collaborative Outreach (neaco) The University of Suffolk is one of five partners forming The Network for East Anglian Collaborative Outreach (neaco). It aims to help young people from East Anglia with little or no experience of university to explore the world of higher education. neaco works with students in years 9-13 who live in areas identified by the Government with low rates of progression to higher education. At the centre of our approach is our Take Your Place programme of activities. Take Your Place is delivered to students by our Higher Education Champions (HECs) who are based in schools and colleges across the region, with 11 working in Suffolk.
This programme includes several strands, each addressing our students’ identified needs and aims to increase progression to higher education. These identified needs include improving their understanding and preparedness towards applying for higher education and improving their passion and ambition towards the idea of higher education. Our partners include all of the higher education providers in East Anglia, working closely with schools, Local Enterprise Partnerships, local authorities and other stakeholders. Within Suffolk, we have engaged 3,867 target pupils in over 600 different activities. The activities range from small scale, personalised 1:1 mentoring, through to large conferences, residentials and visits to a range of higher education Institutions as well as organisations such as the Houses of Parliament and the Aviation Academy.
Outreach
Some of the activities this academic year have included:
and progression routes into these. This included
anything from Air Hostess training, routes into becoming a pilot and degrees in aviation engineering.
Over September and October 2017 Cameron Parker started his 2-week roadshow speaking to year 9-13 students across all parts of Suffolk addressing issues such as mental health, anxiety, confidence building and much more. Cameron told his story of how he struggled at school and what barriers he faced and how he overcame them, which students could relate to. A student at Ipswich Academy said he was ‘an inspiration to all’ and a teacher at Benjamin Britten High School in Lowestoft said that Cameron was ‘by far the best motivational speaker they had heard at school’.
Students were inspired by the day, realising a whole new area they could head into as well as realising there is a big world out there.
‘Take Your Place, Get Set, Go’ (pictured) took place in July 2018 with 160 Year 9 GCSE Sport students from six different high schools from across Suffolk. The interschool sports competition was held at Inspire Suffolk and the aim of the day was to bring schools together to compete in a range of different sports and to find out more about post 16 and post 18 sports career pathways. As well as competing against each other in each sporting activity, every group received a talk from Higher Education Champions around post 16 and post 18 sport courses which were available to them in the area and where taking those courses could lead.
Also in the summer, neaco ran its first summer camp for nearly 40 year 10/11 students at the University. The residential included a variety of academic taster sessions, campus tours and talks with student ambassadors to give students an idea of what university life is really like.
In March 2018, neaco ran some TED- style talks using ‘inspirational local women’ for International Women’s Day within schools. We also collaborated with schools during Sport Relief to highlight the importance of physical wellbeing.
‘Take Your Place with Confidence’ was a 10-week programme in Lowestoft, which aimed to help empower young people. Two local theatres used actors to facilitate the programme. The students from Pakefield High School, East Point Academy, Benjamin Britten High School and Ormiston Denes Academy worked in small groups to use drama to enhance skills they already possess and work to unlock their confidence and potential.
neaco were part of the Mental Health Awareness weeks in schools/colleges and ran activities to encourage positive mental wellbeing. We have also worked with BLESMA a military charity for limbless veterans who come into schools to discuss positive physical differences and resilience.
In May 2018, 35 Year 10 students from Ormiston Denes and Benjamin Britten High school in Lowestoft (along with 10 students from UTC Norwich) attended a day at the international aviation academy in Norwich
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in March. The students got to take part in some engineering tasks, explore the six areas of aviation
Across the academic year, we have worked with a range of academic teams at the University of Suffolk to increase relationships with local schools. We have either brought students on campus for an opportunity to try a range of courses, or academics have been going into local schools to discuss the range of content of their courses. These opportunities are valued by teachers and students and aim to cement sustainable relationships with the local schools moving forward.
THE ATRIUM
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Ipswich Waterfront Innovation Centre (IWIC) The community of entrepreneurs and innovators has continued to grow during the second year of operation. This has driven a pipeline of businesses looking to work with us through research and knowledge exchange projects, student recruitment, curriculum contribution and incubation. The support of female entrepreneurship has featured throughout the year with the IWIC team engaging in a number of presentations and events supporting women in business across the region and running a ‘Woman in Enterprise Speaker Series’ that has attracted many entrepreneurs within Ipswich and Suffolk to the Atrium. The work of the team has carved out a distinctive place amongst UK Science Parks and Innovation Centres for the IWIC where diversity in innovation and entrepreneurship is nurtured and celebrated. The IWIC has more recently been recently working with a group of students to produce the IWIC app for members and the wider community to be launched in 2019. This project has provided a live
The Atrium
brief for students and engaged some budding student entrepreneurs with the team.
Events have brought over
2,600 people into the Atrium
Over
100
business facing events
The Atrium
Department of Business Engagement and Entrepreneurship June 2018 saw the launch of the new Department of Business Engagement & Entrepreneurship, which is based within the IWIC. It has been formed to provide a one-stop shop for businesses wishing to engage with the University across a range of activities including knowledge exchange, degree apprenticeships, incubation, alumni and skills development. This development is part of the implementation of the new Strategy for Business
strategy to position the University for a strengthened Partnership with our business communities, maximising the value of our strengths in teaching, learning and research and catalysing our economic impact. The University of Suffolk will collaborate with businesses and stakeholders to transform local productivity and workforce development through education, knowledge exchange, innovation and entrepreneurship. Graduates of the University will be entrepreneurial and innovative, equipped with the skills and experience to create their own futures.
Engagement, 2018–2023, which presents a five-year
Innovation Bridge Case Study Safetyboss Safetyboss is a health and safety consultancy and training provider with a difference, helping organisations to meet legal requirements, lower costs and make work a safer place. Their approach is a simple one – to operate in the best interests of their clients. As a result they have earned the trust of some of the largest organisations in the UK, who now use Safetyboss as a valued extension of their health and safety team. Safetyboss provides a wide range of health and safety consultancy services and training courses to some of the largest organisations in the UK. What challenges did your business face before accessing the funding? We wanted to improve the interactivity of our online health and safety training to give our end-users a more immersive visual experience, and to create real-life examples of health and safety in the workplace that they could then use in their everyday working life. 360 video was an ideal avenue to implement into our training courses, and we needed professional advice and assistance to create suitable content to use. What funding did you access as part of Innovation Bridge? 20 hours of Academic Expertise. How has the funding benefited your business and would you recommend it to other businesses? The University of Suffolk provided fantastic, professional guidance and support to enable us to create in-house, practical 360 videos to improve the interactivity of our health and safety courses. They went above and beyond to provide us with tailored advice, dedicated time to focus on our project and even access to equipment to create the content ourselves.
Knowledge Exchange Team Jenni Carberry, Ruth Paton and Tanya Fennell have been tirelessly working to connect the University offer with SMEs across the region through knowledge exchange projects aimed at driving innovation and productivity. With funding from the ERDF programme through Innovation Bridge and KEEP+, they have worked in partnership with other Universities to really connect the University of Suffolk with regional businesses.
Games Hub The Games Hub has moved from the Eastern Enterprise Hub into the IWIC and is currently working with third year computer game design and programming students. Launched in 2016 to address a skills shortage in the county, the Hub has gone on to help students and graduates showcase their games through the Transfuzor scheme – a project which helps people get their games to market through exposure in industry professionals and funding opportunities. The programme provides an innovative and creative environment for students to learn more about business skills with industry engagement.
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FOUNDATION BOARD
10 Foundation Board
The Foundation Board was established to help develop and grow our philanthropic activity, enabling us to make transformational financial contributions to our students, staff and facilities.
our current means and engage our communities in different and interesting ways. The Foundation
In 2016 the Foundation Board launched the
changing. Richard Lister OBE succeeded Celia Edey OBE as Chair of the Foundation Board from 1
Founding Supporters Campaign to raise the profile of our philanthropic efforts, to embed a culture of giving at the University and to attract donors and supporters at all levels. Since this time over ÂŁ100,000 has been raised through generous donations from our alumni, friends and staff. These funds are successfully disbursed each year to a number of innovative, exciting and important staff and student projects. Now in its third year the Founding supporters fund is currently making its disbursement to a wide range of applications from staff and students. Philanthropy serves to form a major part of our future, allowing us to expand our activity beyond
Board will continue to support projects across the whole institution by advising on and nurturing strong and lasting relationships with a range of partners in order to support the strategic objectives of the institution. The Foundation Board membership itself is
October 2018. Celia will remain a member of both the University of Suffolk Board and the Foundation Board until July 2019. We also welcome Charles Rowett, CEO at Gotelee Solicitors, who has recently joined as a member of the Foundation Board. If you would like to receive further information on how to donate to the University and the impact of giving, please email giving@uos.ac.uk
Combining textile and 3D printed
Student Boost (Placement
Research Blog – Facilitating
elements to create couture fashion items
Survival Bags)
Reflective and Passionate Encounters with Research
Providing helpful items to increase
Foundation Board
In 2017 the Foundation Board distributed £50,000 to 18 projects across the institution. The projects supported were:
wellbeing of students.
Practical Obstetric MultiProfessional Training (PROMPT) Equipment Supported Student Placement Scheme PROMPT Train the Trainer 3D Printing Recycling and Sustainability Initiative
Accommodation Reps to Promote Student Union Activites
Suffolk Bike Pump
Neurofeedback for Supporting Students with Specific Learning
Work Experience Bursary Scheme
Difficulties
Internships to enhance skills and employability.
Subsidising regenerative medicine research,
SU Societies (Membership Accelerator)
Offering 2 Free Memberships to the IWIC
Film Society
Growing, Progressing, and Raising the Bar: the University of Suffolk as the regional Regenerative Medicine Spotlight
Suffolk Frontrunners
Supporting our Future Entrepreneurs and Innovators
Renovation of area outside Arts Building Sport Scholarships
increasing community engagement and boost female participation in this subject area.
To inspire students to get involved.
PROMPT Training and Equipment Becky Baker and Jo Butler from the Midwifery department explain how the funding has helped. Within the midwifery department, we were delighted to receive funding towards receiving a new PROMPT simulation mannequin as well as the opportunity for four of the lecturers to go on ‘PROMPT Train the Trainer’ training. Within the midwifery course the students have a High Risk and Complex Midwifery module. It is fundamental that the students are able to learn and understand the management of cases outside of the scope of normal midwifery prior to going out into practice. The mannequin we have received is versatile and able to be used for various simulation of skills for the students. There is the realistic simulation of performing vaginal examinations, which is a skill students are often nervous about and may find challenging, therefore it is great they can practice it in a safe environment. Additionally it can be used to simulate a postpartum haemorrhage with a ‘realistic uterus’ and blood simulation. The students found this really useful to practice their management as realistically as possible.
By facilitating the lecturers going on the training course, it has meant that four of our staff have been able to learn effective ways to set up and simulate realistic emergency scenarios. The course taught them to include ‘patient actors’ to allow the students to take turns in playing the patient to gain insight into how the woman is feeling and promote woman centred care. As well as this, it looked at effective ways of providing feedback to help the students learning. There were invaluable tools gained from this training that have allowed us to have scenarios all throughout the module as well as run a couple of our very own ‘PROMPT skills and drills’ days. We have received a lot of positive feedback from the students that the teaching is enjoyable and helps them to reinforce their theory sessions. As well as this, it is a safe environment for them to practice the emergencies where it does not seem so scary. The lecturers have really enjoyed their learning and found that it has really helped develop their confidence in offering these sessions for the students.
We are very grateful for the support given to us by our Founding Benefactors, Founding Supporters and the Vice-Chancellor’s Circle during this academic year.
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DEVELOPING RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS
12 Developing Research Partnerships
Access to Justice In March 2017, following significant public interest in the recent court closures in Suffolk, the University of Suffolk was commissioned to investigate the impact of the magistrates’ court closures on those most affected, particularly on those having to travel long distances. The research, undertaken by Dr Olumide Adisa, was conducted between March 2017 and May 2017, the research period was extended to November 2017 to allow additional time to include court data from Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). Suffolk’s Public Sector Leaders publicly launched the report in July 2018. The study used a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to answer a set of broad research questions. Verified quantitative local court data drawn locally and centrally from HMCTS was used to provide information on the impact of the court closures. The research conducted interviews and focus groups with key stakeholders who represent the interests of various court users including members of the judiciary, Suffolk Constabulary, Probation and Suffolk County Council. The wider research impact has been significant among legal professionals and access to justice campaigners in the county and elsewhere. It has garnered a lot of media interest, particularly in light of continuing court closures in rural locations in East Anglia and further field. It has also been featured by the BBC Radio Suffolk, and The Law Society during Justice Week in 2018. The report has also inspired a film on the human costs of the cost closures commissioned by the Suffolk Law Centre.
The University has pledged to become a ‘dementia-friendly organisation’ as recognised by the Alzheimer’s Society.
Developing Research Partnerships
Being a Dementia Friendly University
It will involve an institutional commitment to developing a Dementia Action Plan and becoming a member of the Dementia Action Alliance. The University will focus on several key areas that seek to raise awareness, support staff and students and promote excellence in teaching and research. Paul Driscoll-Evans, Dean of Health Sciences at the University said, “Health and social care services are struggling to meet the challenge of unprecedented numbers of older people living with memory loss. In recognition of the impact dementia is having on communities across the East of England, the University aims to be a role-model organisation, actively playing a role in ensuring those living with the condition feel understood and valued.” A launch event was held in May coinciding with Dementia Action Week and led to the University hosting Movement and Memories - Exploring Perceptions of Dementia as part of the Economic and Social Research Council festival which brought together 180 carers, practitioners, researchers and those living with dementia to explore dementia through arts and social science research.
Focus on Survivor Conference Since the Focus on Survivors’ conference and launch of the research in July 2018, the report has had significant national and regional impact. On a national level, the research was shared at NHS England’s consultation and is being used to inform practice in a number of NHS Foundation Trusts across the UK. It was additionally presented at the National SARC strategic forum to clinicians and commissioners. The report has been showcased by the Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) Centre for Excellence at the launch of the CSA Connect Community and on their blog at csacentre.org.uk/knowledge-practice/blog/ The study has also had considerable regional impact, being very well received locally. The Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust; Suffolk County Council and the Clinical Commissioning Group have all acknowledged that they have not got the response to Child Sexual Abuse/trauma right and they agreed to create a specific workstream under the Mental Health Transformation Plan. The report was also featured in Suffolk’s recent ‘A very different conversation’ series of workshops redesigning mental health services and further presentations are planned in January for clinicians and training for GPs.
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Update on County Lines Research
Since undertaking research into gang and youth violence in Ipswich last year both the actions of youth gangs and the responses to them has developed significantly. Unfortunately serious youth violence appears to be increasing nationally and the Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner, Tim Passmore, has said that drug and gang violence is the biggest threat facing Suffolk. As reported by the University’s research some local young and vulnerable people are becoming exploited
Andell has Chaired a national conference on Missing Young People in central London, was the keynote
by Metropolitan street gangs who are expanding their markets in Class A drugs into the County in a
speaker at a national housing conference on gangs and has briefed Ann Coffey MP, the Chair of the All Party
phenomenon that has become known as ‘County lines’. With this arrangement, a telephone line is used to order
Group on Missing Children, at Westminister on the Suffolk research.
drugs directly to a supplier in a larger city and then a separate line is used to direct a locally based “runner” to deliver the drugs. Reports in the media have suggested that County lines is a new form of modern slavery (The Times November 27th 2017) and a national co-ordination centre has been set up to disrupt these practices as it is estimated by the National Crime Agency that more than 80% of the country is covered by these types of drug dealing networks. The University of Suffolk has been involved in the national debate on the County lines issue. Dr Paul
Dr Andell has given papers at international conferences on the issue of gangs and exploitation in Bosnia and Slovinia and utilises his research in teaching undergraduate and post graduate criminology students. There is high media interest in the topic and subsequently Dr Andell has appeared in local and national media reports regarding the exploitation of vulnerable children. The University of Suffolk is currently bidding for Economic and Social Research Council funding with the University of Liverpool for a national study on County lines.
Storytelling Conference The first conference exploring the diverse nature of storytelling was held in July attracting delegates from across the world including a large contingency from Canada and as far away as Australia.
Developing Research Partnerships
The Conference was organised by the School of Psychology and Education and Suffolk Business School and followed last year’s Children and Childhoods Conference, which attracted delegates from over twenty countries. Senior Lecturer Dr Sarah Richards was one of the organisers. She said of the conference, “Our aspiration for this conference was to immerse ourselves and our
delegates in the diversity of storytelling and to embrace its application across disparate academic disciplines. The presentations, posters and installations that we have experienced at the conference have allowed this aspiration to be realised and we are grateful to all who came and shared their stories.” Some of the Canadian delegates at the Storytelling Conference
Virtual Violence was held at the University of Suffolk in May 2018. The conference brought together multi-agency practitioners, academics and students in order to raise awareness of technology-facilitated abuse, advance understanding around the digitalisation of abusive relationships and to discuss approaches moving forward. The event was part of a yearlong Office for Students Catalyst funded project on Digital Civility awarded to the University in October last year. 130 delegates registered to attend – including local statutory and non- statutory organisations, public services – police, psychotherapists, third sector charities (particularly within remit of safeguarding, domestic abuse), youth support workers, academics, staff at the University and students. The potential impact of the event is considerable, with hundreds of students, school children, adults and vulnerable groups now more likely to receive information and support informed by national experts about image based sexual abuse, coercion and control online. Laura Higgins (Founder of the Revenge Porn Helpline and Professionals Online Safety Hotline) commented “I am honoured to have partnered with University of Suffolk on several projects relating to harmful behaviours, most recently being a keynote speaker at their event on “virtual violence”. They have been extremely effective in bringing together some of the UK’s most influential experts in the field and used this to huge impact, challenging some of the mistruths about this challenging topic. The event drew a broad audience from different sectors, significant media interest and led to several new areas of research and ongoing partnerships, benefitting everyone involved.”
Kemp, the law firm in London who commissioned the training materials are dedicated to helping survivors of abuse, and it is hoped that these resources will contribute meaningfully to the wider discussion, raise awareness of the issue amongst the legal profession and better protect victims.
Developing Research Partnerships
Virtual Violence
In terms of wider impact, the project team were invited to the Office for Students in London to share good practice from the Digital Civility project and the Virtual Violence event and to contribute to the guidelines for Higher Education Institutions currently being compiled by Universities UK, which is due for publication early in 2019. The project has also has significant policy impact in that three of the recent research studies undertaken as part of the project are cited in the Law Commission’s Review of Abusive and Offensive Online Communications Report published in October 2018. Professor Andy Phippen from the University of Plymouth said “I was delighted to be involved in the Virtual Violence conference and in the Digital Civility project. I have long admired the University of Suffolk (and its previous incarnations) for being community focussed and making a real impact in the region and beyond, and this was a great example of this in practice. The conference provided me with an opportunity to reach community groups and other members of the professional workforce in the east of the country, and the level of attendance and engagement is testament to the links the University has within the region and how appreciated this engagement is. Furthermore, the national impact of the excellent work the University of Suffolk has done to raise awareness and promote digital wellbeing amongst students and across Higher Education community should not be underestimated and it is thanks to this work that the some of the assumptions related to student safeguarding are finally being challenged and addressed.”
Since the conference, the safeguarding team have been made aware of student reports with an element of online abuse and sought advice on the most effective response mechanisms. Further awareness raising campaigns on and off campus have also taken place, with students receiving information around indecent images and revenge pornography in their induction wellbeing packs, and across the Students’ Union, University of Suffolk and the Research Teams social media platforms – reaching our new and current student populations, and also prospective students and local organisations.
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Professor Emma Bond and Katie Tyrrell were asked to take part in video based training resources for lawyers about Revenge Pornography and other image basedonline abuse since the event took place. Bolt Burdon
INTERNATIONAL
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Our International Team work to maintain and develop our relationships with our EU and international partners as well as looking to explore new market possibilities within the EU and internationally. As well as growing our numbers in well-established EU markets like Romania and Bulgaria, the number of Czech and Slovak students studying with us has also increased. We have recruited students from a number of countries for the first time including Spain and Belgium. Internationally we have diversified our student body-enrolling students from a wide range of countries including Egypt, South Africa, Malaysia and the USA. Our EU and international students are now an established presence on campus with some taking on roles within the Students’ Union adding a new vibrancy and diversity to our student body. International Partnerships
International
We continue to build the University’s brand in international markets through partnership work. Through our new relatonship with London School of Commerce (LSC), we have established partnership arrangements in Malta (LSC Malta) and Sri Lanka (British School of Commerce). We are also in the process of extending the partnership to include LSC centres in Malaysia (Westminster International College) and potentially Bangladesh (LSC Dhaka). The University of Suffolk and LSC
share a commitment to developing a long-term global alliance to change the lives of individuals and communities for the better through access to high quality, affordable higher education. The University is also working to build on existing links with higher education institutions in Indonesia and Malaysia to develop mutually beneficial academic partnerships. Erasmus/Study Abroad The Student Services and Partnerships Team manage all aspects of international exchanges for students and staff at the University and across partner colleges, looking after existing exchange partnerships and developing new links. This year the team celebrates the success of securing additional funding under Erasmus for collaboration with the University of New Brunswick in Canada, joining an exclusive group of 43 successful universities in the UK. We have hosted delegations from Ghana, Botswana, Vietnam, Thailand, Morocco, Israel, Peru and had our first exchange with Australia. For all the latest updates on all things international, check out our Twitter and Instagram pages @UniSuffolkInt
STUDENTS’ UNION
Social Sports
We were thrilled to see so many passionate students put themselves
Sports England funding has now concluded and so the Most Active Students project has come to an end. We know that social sports at the University has gained in popularity year on year and has benefits for student retention and wellbeing so we’ve committed to keeping a programme running despite the end of our external funding. Our new programme features 14 sessions per week for just £1 per session of which Yoga (pictured), Boxfit and HIIT are our most popular.
forward for Officer roles this year, resulting in the most contested election to date. Since their election, the Officer team have been working on many exciting projects as a collective; but also independently, for example our LGBT Officer is planning an Ipswich Pride event for both students and members of the public and our President, Vice-President and Women’s Officer are key figures in the Ipswich ‘Reclaim the Night’ campaign. It’s great to see our students really taking action to effect change.
Competitive Sport We had a great year in sport. Last year we had three successful competitive sports teams including Women’s Futsal, Women’s Netball and Men’s Football competing in BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport). Our Men’s 1st team were promoted into 5D after winning the league. They have won every game so far this year this season and are going for back-to-back promotions. Due to the popularity of football at the University, we now have a second Men’s Football team also competing in BUCS and aiming to rival the Men’s Firsts. Women’s Football grew out of the Futsal and social sport sessions last year and due to the dedication of our student leaders we now have a thriving Women’s team competing in a local league. Students involved in SU Societies have grown in numbers this year, with Film and the Christian Union (our two largest societies) being recognised for their success at the Staff and Student Awards.
Students’ Union
New Exec Officers
Freshers’ and Events Freshers’ fortnight has seen a shift in culture with ‘sober socials’ taking their place alongside a range of other traditional Freshers’ events. This year we have offered a range of networking events including free tea and toast at a nearby restaurant, comedy night, games night and events co-hosted with our Film society. We also hosted a foam night, ball pit, mechanical bull and Barcoda bar crawl which had around 400 students attend. Our Freshers’ Fair, run in conjunction with the National Union of Students was another success with local companies showcasing their venues and services, including new up and coming businesses that are keen to attract our students. Alongside the stalls offering free food, mocktails and other goodies we introduced other attractions – a ball-nado competition, an ice cream van and of course the Giant SU Deckchair selfie opportunity!
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ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AND ALUMNI NEWS
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The Alumni Association is a growing community of many generations of graduates. Whether completing higher education with Suffolk College, UCS or University of Suffolk, our students have the opportunity to have a lifelong connection with our institution. Each and every individual who has studied with us has contributed to our success in becoming the University of Suffolk, we want to celebrate this and provide opportunities to continue to engage with us. As we mature as an independent University we want to provide an offer to all of our graduates, including a package of benefits and services that are useful and meaningful to those they support. How do we support our Alumni?
Alumni Postgraduate Loyalty Scheme
Discounted membership rates for the IWIC providing support for the development of
enterprise and entrepreneurship skills Continued access to the Library Continued access to Careers and Employability Service for up to 3 years post-graduation Ongoing access to the FutureMe platform Access to Discounts through Alumni Union Access to events, lectures and workshops Opportunities to network Access to the Suffolk Business School Consultancy Access to volunteering and mentoring opportunities
Alumni Association Introduction from and Alumni News the Vice-Chancellor
How can our Alumni engage with the university in a way which is meaningful and beneficial to all?
Mentoring a student Giving career talks Organising Alumni events or starting groups Guest lecturing Completing an Alumni profile to be used in marketing material and online Providing placements and opportunities for students Providing a venue for events
Providing access to volunteering opportunities
Engage with us on Social Media Writing an article for the newsletter
Fundraising Donating to the University
Leaving a gift in your will
The Future of the Alumni Association Following our alumni survey, which took place in July and August 2018, and through developing positive relationships with other Universities and Development professionals, we have improved and built upon our offer to ensure it is meeting our Alumni’s needs. Our offer is flexible and will be continually updated based on the ideas, suggestions and feedback we receive. Our team is working across the institution to ensure alumni engagement is embedded across both academic and support services, providing input into institutional strategies to ensure we incorporate the experience and knowledge of our graduates in everything we do. We will also continue to work closely with the Foundation Board in the disbursement of the Founding Supporters Fund, ensuring our gifts from alumni, staff and friends are disbursed to projects which can have the most impact on the student experience, community and facilities. We are extremely excited by the potential of the Alumni Association and would like to invite all graduates to get in touch and engage with us in any way possible. Link with us on social media to keep up to date with a number of opportunities and invitations to engage with the University.
If you would like to get in touch, email alumni@uos.as.uk
BE PART OF OUR COMMUNITY
We are pleased to offer a series of high quality lectures as part of our Open Lecture Series that take place on a monthly basis over the academic year featuring world-renowned speakers from inside and outside of the University.
Be Part of Our Community
Open Lecture Series
In 2017-18, the series included speakers such as Roger Hermiston, the author of ‘All Behind You, Winston – Churchill’s Great Coalition 1940-45’. Roger talked about the myths and reality in World War II, to a maximum audience. Dr Gavin Schwartz-Leeper also talked to a maximum audience, on The Literary Lives of Cardinal Wolsey. In total 12 lectures took place with over 1,200 people attending. Lectures are open to the public and are free of charge. Booking is essential due to limited places being available. To make sure you secure your place please visit uos.ac.uk/openlectures
We welcome suggestions on speakers or topics you would like to see covered in the Open Lecture Series, please contact eventsandconferencing@uos.ac.uk
Waterfront Gallery
Located on the stunning Waterfront, our Gallery is an innovative exhibition space that offers a diverse arts programme, with a reputation as a significant venue for contemporary arts in Suffolk. This year the Gallery presented a diverse range of exhibitions including Mark Power’s documentary photography on the Shipping Forecast for PhotoEast, works by Suffolk students in the annual Anna Airy Open Exhibition, contemporary banners celebrating 100 years of women’s right to vote as part of Spill Festival, and, as ever, exhibiting the work of our students from
the School of Art, Design and Humanities. Our Gallery is a public facing space which continues to offer an innovative programme supporting the vibrant arts culture in the eastern region. The 2018-2019 programme will consist of a varied and diverse range of shows. The gallery continues to invite conversation through a programme of free public lectures to support the exhibitions.
For further details on the forthcoming exhibitions and the lectures please visit uos.ac.uk/waterfrontgallery
Venue Hire The University of Suffolk offers a superb location on the Ipswich Waterfront and boasts brand new facilities in the state-of-the-art Waterfront Building and The Atrium. We can cater for conferences of up to 180 delegates, with smaller rooms available for hire. The team are able to organise catering if required. Details of the rooms are available on our website at uos.ac.uk/venuehire
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To discuss an event with a member of the team, please email eventsandconferencing@uos.ac.uk or call 01473 338653
GRADUATION CELEBRATIONS
20 Graduation Celebrations
Over 1,800 students graduated from the University at ceremonies across the county in 2018 including for the first time on the Ipswich Waterfront.
Lee Marshall
Lee was amongst the first cohort of Paramedic Science students to graduate. The Dad of two from Great Yarmouth changed careers from a Social Worker to become a Paramedic. He said of his time at the University, “My graduation marks the end of an era and the start of a new one. It is a great course, with great leadership within the course. I am very proud to be one of the first students to complete the degree. There has been a range of experiences from attending on the front line as part of an emergency ambulance to being in different settings in hospitals, theatres- it is difficult to pick one highlight. The whole three years have been thoroughly enjoyable.” “Now I am working with the East of England Ambulance Service on the front line as a graduate paramedic. We have gone through our blue light training, our blue light driving and our clinical induction. Unfortunately there isn’t enough paramedics out there and in Suffolk and Norfolk there has been a shortage so this course has helped to boost the number out on the front line. We are very proud to represent the University of Suffolk.”
Karen Henry
Mum of five Karen graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Midwifery. Karen was diagnosed with autism in 2009 and now works at Ipswich Hospital as a Midwife. She is currently supporting research into women’s maternity experiences with researchers from Cambridge University and hopes in the future to be able to implement the pregnancy communication passport to support women with autism. Karen said, “I am passionate about enhancing care for women with autism and during my third year I chose this as the subject for my Interprofessional Learning report. This report was subsequently published by the Association of Midwives and I presented my ideas at the Royal College of Midwives.” “Whilst at the University of Suffolk I wanted to share my passion for learning and wanted to enhance other students’ experiences so I set up the University of Suffolk Midwifery Society. My journey has been a tough one but support from my tutors enabled me to shine and become the person I wanted to be. I never truly believed I would finish the course and become a Midwife and I still need to remind myself most days that I did it!”
Graduation Celebrations
Georgia Downs and Amy Grant
The Students’ Union President, Georgia Downs, and VicePresident, Amy Grant, both graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Psychology and Early Childhood Studies. Georgia said “The University will always have a special place in my heart; I have made some amazing friends. I can’t pick one thing that will be a lasting memory.” Amy added “I’d summarise my experience at Uni as life changing. It was amazing to see all the plans for graduation come to life and it looked really grand and beautiful on the Waterfront.”
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HONORARY AWARDS
22 Honorary Awards
Annie Clements
Scott Russell
Tim Rowan-Robinson DL
Gina Long MBE
Richard Carter MBE
Madeleine Jackaman
Honorary Awards
Rob Brooks
Ian Twinley DL
Hugh Sturzaker MBE
Patricia Godbold
Each year we confer Honorary Awards at our annual graduation ceremonies, with nominations sought from staff and students across the institution. Honorary Fellowships are approved by the Honorary Degree Committee at the University of Suffolk. Honorary Degrees are approved by the Honorary Degree Committee, the University of East Anglia and University of Essex. Honorary Degree recipients may use the title of ‘Doctor’, although they have not completed a doctoral programme. Both awards recognise notable contributions to the educational or cultural well-being of society. This can be in business, industry, commerce or enterprise, for academic distinction, for public or community service or an exceptional involvement in University life. As a community-impact higher education institution we strive to recognise recipients’ contribution to Suffolk, their connection with the region, or both. Those awarded Honorary Fellowships or Degrees become members of the Alumni Association in they hope they continue to be supportive to the University, its staff, students and alumni for many years after the formalities of the graduation ceremonies.
uos.ac.uk/honoraryawards
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For more information about this year’s award recipients (pictured) please visit
Awards Diploma
Certificates
Foundation Degrees
Arts, Design and Humanities
1st
2.1
2.2
3rd
Health Sciences Law and Social Sciences
3, 4 UD 5 EN 7 T
Psychology and Education
S
Science and Technology
ST
Suffolk Business School
Suffolk New College
East Coast College (Great Yarmouth)
Awards
Awards
Diploma
Certificates
Diploma
Foundation Degrees
1st
2.1
2.2
Engineering
3rd
1st
Health and Social Care
School of Creative Arts, Digital Industries and Foundation Learning
2.2
21 EN 8
Professional Development
TS
NT
S
99 E
Performing Arts and Media Technology
ST
ST
UD
2.1
3rd
UD
Construction and Engineering Education
Certificates
Foundation Degrees
West Suffolk College
East Coast College (Lowestoft) Awards
Awards Diploma
1st
2.1
2.2
3rd
Mode of Attendance
2.1
2.2
3rd
Art and Design
TS
15 EN 9
Education Holistics
UD
Operations Engineering
ST
UD
Technology
1st
TS
Humanities and Health
Certificates
Foundation Degrees
60 EN 3
Business, Service Industries and Arts
Diploma
Certificates
Foundation Degrees
ST
FACTS AND FIGURES
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University of Suffolk
Awards
Postgraduate - Full-time
2015/16
Postgraduate - Part-time
2016/17
Undergraduate - Full-time
2017/18
Undergraduate - Part-time
Diploma
Certificates
Foundation Degrees
2015/16 2016/17 2.2
3rd
Ungraded
S
2.1
4, 5 UD 3 EN 6 T
Overall
1st
ST
Facts and Figures
2017/18
Facts and Figures
The University spends its money on costs that support academic provision and the student experience. Although the University is a private limited company, it has no shareholders; any surpluses generated by the University are re-invested directly back into academic provision and the student experience.
HEADLINE FIGURES FOR 2017/18
INCOME: £40.2m
EXPENDITURE: £39.0m*
Where does the University’s income come from?
What does the University spend its money on?
Student tuition fees account for 67% of the University’s income. The rest of the income comes from government grants, NHS contracts, donations, research grants and other income generating projects and contracts.
The University employs over 450 staff and teaches more than 6,000 students each year. To support our teaching activities and the student experience, the University must invest in a number of activities including support services and maintaining our campus estate.
All sources of income help support the provision of teaching and research and the cost of providing the student experience, including a range of bursaries, new building projects and support staff.
We spent over £630,000 on bursaries and fee waivers for students, supporting students through their academic journey.
Other Income 2%
Grants and Contracts 7%
Other 1% Bursaries 2%
Funding Body Grants 7%
Premises 17% Education Contracts 17%
Academic Depts and Services 65%
Admin and central services 15%
Tuition Fees 67%
*Including transition costs
How does the University support ACCESS to Higher Education? Every effort is made by the University to safeguard and promote fair access to all of its full-time and part-time undergraduate programmes, recognising the need to support students throughout their whole student lifecycle.
1,128
As part of the annual agreement with the Office for Fair Access (OFFA), the University spent over £600,000 on financial support for 1,128 students.
FAIR ACCESS IN NUMBERS
£633,000
NUMBER OF STUDENTS receiving financial support How does the University INVEST in improving the student experience? The University has invested £11.3 million on campus improvements and new teaching equipment over the past five years and plans to continue investing funds into improving facilities.
SPENT ON ACCESS BURSARIES and fee-waivers Capital spend by academic year (£’000s) 2013/14
2014/15
2015/16
2016/17
2017/18
212
1,252
5,431
2,201
2,195
In addition to this, each year the University sets aside in its budget £1 million for investment in its estate, IT infrastructure and for portfolio development.
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