Philanthropy / Development Office
PHILANTHROPY/ IMPACT REPORT
www.kent.ac.uk/giving
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INTRODUCTION Since joining the University of Kent I have had the privilege of meeting many of you, our wonderful supporters. A highlight of mine in the academic calendar is the Benefactors’ Garden Party when we host our volunteers and donors at the Canterbury campus and thank them for their generous support. It is uplifting to hear your passion for the institution, and see you spending time with our scholars and hearing first-hand the difference you make, not only to their lives but to so many others. This is an important opportunity for us to say thank you – and for those of you I am yet to meet I very much hope to do so in the near future. At Kent, not only do we generate, disseminate and exchange knowledge – we transform lives. We are focused on enhancing the student experience – bringing students here who otherwise may not have the opportunity, and setting them on a course so they can fulfil their potential. Our research has a positive global impact – helping to improve adult social care; leading medical breakthroughs; making the world a safer place and transforming conservation work around the world. We are committed to our region – offering a vital creative outlet for young people across Kent at the Gulbenkian; a free public service to people in Kent who need legal advice/representation and who cannot afford to pay for it, and now, establishing the Kent and Medway Medical School to inspire the next generation of medical professionals. I am proud of what we do. I am especially proud that we do it together with you. We can and should do more, building on the achievements in these pages. Your passion and activism help us to do this. A heartfelt thank you.
Professor Karen Cox Vice-Chancellor and President
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EXPLAINING THE SCIENCE OF CANCER RESEARCH
Dr Sam Godfrey joined the University of Kent in 2002, studying for his undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science. After graduating, he went into industry, working at pharmaceutical companies. He discovered he wanted to do more in the research space, to tackle the questions that no-one knows the answers to. This meant studying for a PhD, so Sam applied for the Alumni Postgraduate Research Scholarship – funded through the Kent Opportunity Fund by donors.
“When I went for my interview for the alumni scholarship, I hadn’t been back since finishing my undergraduate degree at Kent. I walked across campus and thought ‘this is where I want to be’. The fact that the University has so many committed supporters shows that it finds its way into everyone – I don’t think you ever truly leave Kent behind.” Successful in his application for the scholarship, Sam studied for his PhD at Kent from 2008-2011, looking to develop a new treatment for cancer. The experience set him on his path to where he is today, in the science world, working at Cancer Research UK. “I couldn’t have afforded to pay for a PhD. The Alumni Postgraduate Research Scholarship funded by alumni was so important for me. It gave me the opportunity to focus 100% on my studies and to take on an issue I was passionate about – cancer research.” He joined Cancer Research UK in 2013, initially as a science translator, making the science behind the research appeal to the charity’s supporters. His science background from Kent, as well as his experiences of postdoctoral work at Imperial College London played a significant role in that job. Today, he finds and establishes partnerships outside of Cancer Research UK, with organisations and people who can help them achieve more when it comes to beating cancer. “Without the support of Kent alumni, I wouldn’t have got my PhD and I wouldn’t be where I am today. To all the people who donate to Kent, thank you so much.”
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University of Kent / Philanthropy Impact Report
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE FIRST 500 The First 500 were the first undergraduate students to enrol at the University of Kent in October 1965; they have paved the way for generations of students since. They chose Kent over more established institutions because they were excited by the opportunity to shape a new university and create a new student community, defining Kent’s unique student experience and culture. The First 500 Scholarship helps today’s students to have the same opportunities enjoyed by the First 500 – a university experience free of financial worry – and will provide a lasting record of the contribution of Kent’s founding students. Prudence Chikaka is the 2018/19 First 500 Scholar. She is studying for a BSc in Multimedia Technology and Design with a Year in Industry:
“Being the First 500 scholar has been such an honour and privilege. I was able to fully experience university and not have to worry about my financial life as much as other students. It was such a reassurance and a great relief for me and my parents to know that each term I had financial support I could rely on. My time at Kent has been filled with rainy days and sunny skies – metaphorically and literally. There have been some amazing highs, like joining the women’s hockey society, and later becoming the club secretary. Playing hockey changed my life so drastically, because it gave me something other than my academics to focus on. Academically it was a lot of rainy days when I first began as I didn’t like my course very much. But after speaking to my academic advisor I decided to continue and I am so glad I did. I really enjoy it now and I look forward to studying it for the next two years.
Looking further ahead, I would like to be an animator in the film industry and also do CGI (computer-generated imagery) for films. It has been my dream since I was 13. Then in the more distant future I would like to open my own animation company; one that makes films too. I’m not a small dreamer, which means I work harder and smarter to ensure those dreams can become a reality. To the First 500 who established and support this scholarship: thank you. A great, big thank you! I wish I could properly convey my gratitude because this scholarship has helped me so much. I am so grateful that even after graduating from Kent and living your own lives, you did not forget the University and its students. Because of your generosity, I get to experience Kent in ways I never thought I could, free from most financial concerns.” Below: Members of the First 500 at the celebratory Golden Graduation ceremony in 2018, 50 years on from their graduation.
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The dedicated Kennedy Wong Moot Court was officially opened in March 2019. Four Kent Law School alumni returned for the special ‘show moot’ to act as the advocates for the appellant and for the Crown in a case that involved a threat to the Prime Minister at a party conference.
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SPACES TO INSPIRE OUR STUDENTS The Wigoder Law Building on our Canterbury campus shows in bricks and mortar the ambition of our supporters. The state-of-the-art space is home to the awardwinning Kent Law Clinic, staffed by law students working under the guidance of qualified lawyers and gives the local community free access to legal advice and representation. Students take responsibility for real cases, and act as advocates for clients in court or at a tribunal. The building’s design complements the friendly and professional approach taken by staff and students and to ensure the Clinic retains its leading role in clinical legal education. The upper floor features a dedicated Moot Court built in the style of a courtroom with features drawn from the UK Supreme Court. Named in honour of Hong Kong Supreme Court solicitor Kennedy Wong, a major benefactor of the Kent Law Campaign, this space allows students to hone their advocacy skills in an ultra-realistic setting.
Mooting is one of the most important extracurricular activities with employers in the field looking for more than just a good law degree; students with mooting experience have considerable advantage over those without. The Kent Law School has a longstanding reputation for high-quality legal research and education with real life impact on its students through its mooting programme. Our students get to: practice their craft in research, writing and advocacy; learn to work in teams; learn to be a successful advocate; handle legal materials and put them to effective use and work under considerable pressure and deliver within tight time frames. Kent was the first university in England and Wales to hold a paperless moot after being given to access to CaseLines, a computerised evidence and courtroom presentation system. Court systems and processes have not kept pace with the world around us – the systems and processes are labour-intensive, counter-intuitive and heavily reliant on paper and legacy systems that need a lot of re-keying, maintenance and workarounds, which produce error, duplication,
inefficiency and overstretch. We are at the forefront of the HM Courts and Tribunal Services’ programme of court reform, which aims to bring new technology and modern ways of working to what is, and will remain, the best justice system in the world.
Law student, and aspiring barrister, Mark Nagy-Miticzky says his mooting experiences at Kent were “critical” in helping him secure scholarships from Inner Temple and BPP.
“I think my mooting experiences were critical in my interview. Really the three things scholarship providers and chambers look for the most (I think) are good grades, and involvement in mini-pupillages and mooting.”
During his four-year International Legal Studies degree, Mark took part in a Landmark Property Moot and reached the quarter-final of an Inner Temple Moot. He was also awarded ‘Best Mooter’ for his performance in a Kent Law School Evidence Moot. Mark said: “Having these competitions on my CV makes it easy to check the box for mooting experiences, but the public speaking skills also meant I was somewhat more comfortable selling myself in my answers.”
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HARDSHIP
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Students facing exceptional circumstances of hardship stay in education because of your generosity. Your financial contribution makes a tremendous difference to individual lives and means we can do more to support people facing the toughest of times and challenges.
We cannot tell you who they are; but their words can tell you how much your support means to them.
“Yet again, we would like to pass on our gratitude to the alumni for making these awards possible. The impact they have on the students experience here at Kent is huge.” Judi Law, Student Adviser in Kent Union
The Bursary will be a great help to me, not just financially. It gives me a sense of autonomy and independence from the friends and family who are going out of their way to support me during this period. Student 1
The future is never certain, and I found myself in a dire financial situation out of the blue due to unforeseen circumstances. Your finances are a vital part of your life, so when I found myself in the deep end, I was out of my depth and it was seriously affecting my studies as I had a lot of sleepless nights. This bursary will help give me peace of mind helping me pay my bills allowing me to once again be able to really focus on my studies and achieve the best I can. Student 2
It has alleviated the stress that I was consumed by to be able to complete my studies as well as maintain my family life, where I am the sole provider. Student 3
I can confirm that the rumours are true and life in second year becomes extremely difficult, not just for me but for everyone. The pressure to do well is even higher, the assignments are harder and when unexpected events happen they can make everything seem hopeless – and me being someone who finds it difficult to seek support when they need it did not help. I never expected to be nominated for the bursary, let alone be successful. I receive the minimum amount of student finance and becoming estranged from my parents meant that I was left to provide for myself, with a loan that did not even cover my rent. I managed to find a job but working almost every moment I didn’t have to be at university for minimum wage began to take a toll on my grades. In addition to all the stress that was being caused by my financial and academic situation, I was also extremely emotionally unstable. Being completely cut off from my family was very difficult and is something that still affects me today.
The financial, emotional and academic support that I received from the University had been immeasurable. Their Access to Learning Fund, my department’s student support and the Kent Opportunity Bursary have helped me in ways that I never expected. They alleviated the pressure that I was feeling and gave me some of my life back. Without them, I do not think that I would have been able to complete my second year. Student 4
The award will give me the breathing space to take time to study for upcoming exams. Student 5
I would like to extend my sincerest and
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deepest thanks to all alumni who have given towards this opportunity fund … To receive such generosity is humbling, and especially helpful to me in my final year of study… just days from the beginning of my exams – this bursary will help me buy food, bus tickets to campus, electricity for the meter – quite literally surviving exam season! Student 6
I have had great difficulty juggling being a student and also a full-time carer for my mum, who suffers from mental health issues. Having so many responsibilities has prevented me from being able to find work that has left me short of money while studying. This generous donation means I can stay at university and work towards my business degree without needing to consider dropping out to get a job. Student 7
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The Medway Student Support Fund provides bursaries to home students from Canterbury Christ Church University, the University of Greenwich and the University of Kent each year.
“The Medway Student Support Fund makes a difference to the lives of the recipients, many of whom are from the region, and it enables them to complete their studies and give back to the community.” Professor Karen Cox, Vice-Chancellor and President, University of Kent
For the past two years I have managed to survive on my student loan, supplemented at first by my husband’s redundancy payment. Now this money has all gone, I realised I was going to have to look for employment in order to supplement the cost of my artwork, particularly as I am working towards the degree show in May. However, my course requires a high level of commitment with many hours given over to producing a piece of art, leaving me with little spare time available. Your kind offer of support means I can concentrate on my practice for this last year, hopefully maintaining the Distinction grades I have previously achieved. Student 8
As an estranged student, the funds you donated will enable me to fully focus on my education without the added concerns of my summer living situation. Student 9
I have a young family to support and I have been working almost a full time job alongside a full time degree. This bursary will allow me to reduce my hours at work and concentrate on my studies. Once I have received the first instalment this will allow me to purchase the academic books that will enable me to read around my subject area. I cannot tell you how excited and honoured this makes me feel.
During times of financial and emotional difficulty you often feel alone – as I did. I sat there one night counting the long list of things that needed to get paid and saw that amount go far beyond what I personally had. I began to calculate how long I could last before I ran out and the realisation that I didn’t have much time left was one that I can only describe as bleak. After hearing about the Medway Student Bursary I knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
Student 11
Medway student 2
Student 10
Without givers like you, I would struggle to complete and attain a degree and thrive in life. Student 12
University was always going to be a financial worry, this combined with the fact that I have two children with autism meant I have the odds stacked against me. This bursary will be life changing. Medway student 1
I would like to show my deepest appreciation for the generous donation that I was selected to receive. The bursary helped me to pay for my day to day expenses and bills and most importantly a roof over my head. I was able to purchase notebooks, folders, printer paper, study books, printer cartridges and other stationery which all helped me a great deal to sit the required examinations. I am very grateful to the panel and feel blessed to be given that opportunity. Medway student 3
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VOLUNTEERING KENT GIVES BACK
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Kent (Bunny) Gives Back!
rewarding to support and meet people living under the poverty line and know that in some small way they have helped make their lives easier. One of the volunteers commented: ‘What a rewarding afternoon on this Veterans’ Day/Remembrance Day. We learned that over 16,000 veterans in Cook County live below the poverty line and 18% of households who receive assistance from the Food Depository include someone who served in the US Armed Forces.’
We have alumni all over the world who get together and give back to their local communities, not just in Kent but further afield. We would like to thank all of those Kent alumni participating in this series of recent Kent Gives Back projects. Contact us at alumni@kent.ac.uk to offer suggestions or find out more about this fantastic initiative.
University of Kent mascot, Kent Bunny, delivered chocolate eggs generously donated by alumni, students and staff to Medway Maritime Hospital children’s ward.
Ronald McDonald House, Washington DC Alumni volunteers cooked a meal for the parents staying at the Ronald McDonald house, creating a home-away-from-home for the parents who stay there while their child receives expert care. Eliot Williamson, chair of the UKA Washington, DC chapter, commented on the event: ‘The event was a huge success. The group enjoyed the activity tremendously. Also, many of the parents thanked us. They were very happy we cooked such a good meal.’
Greater Chicago Food Depository, Chicago Alumni volunteers spent the day making individual and family-sized food packages to be distributed across Chicago. They found it
Catching Lives Day Centre Alumni and student volunteers spent a day at the local day centre supporting rough sleepers, homeless and vulnerably housed individuals. Volunteers spent time running social activities with individuals who often feel socially isolated.
The Community Servings Kitchen, Boston Three of our Boston-based alumni cooked delicious meals for those who due to ill health are unable to cook or shop for themselves.
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Kent (Bunny) Gives Back! Ronald McDonald House, Washington DC Catching Lives Day Centre The Community Servings Kitchen, Boston “Pathways of life” (Dromoi Zois), Athens Adopt-A-Beach, Chicago The Chase care home, Canterbury Medway Paper Hearts Project Success Accelerator Project Cloisters to Oysters, Canterbury Moonwalk, London bOing! Festival, Canterbury
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“Pathways of life” (Dromoi Zois), Athens
Medway Paper Hearts Project
Cloisters to Oysters, Canterbury
Staff and students contributed towards a Guinness World Record attempt to create 60,000 origami hearts. The heart represents the research into health and sport the University completes and we were delighted to be able to do this with our local community who are such a crucial part of our university.
Alumni and students teamed up to support Cloisters to Oysters, a local sponsored cycle that aimed to raise awareness for national charity Rethink Mental Illness. They acted as stewards ensuring that no one got lost and an enjoyable day was had by all.
Alumni donated food, which was then made into food parcels for the charity ‘Pathways of life’. The charity supports socially excluded children, women and families ensuring they have a safe place where they feel accepted and providing them with the necessities for day-to-day life.
Adopt-A-Beach (Alliance for the Great Lakes), Chicago Alumni ‘adopted a beach’ and spent the day cleaning it, conserving it for both the people who visit and the wildlife it is home to.
The Chase care home, Canterbury Student and Alumni volunteers enjoyed bringing Christmas cheer to a local care home. They helped staff, engaged with residents and ran a Christmas quiz.
Success Accelerator Project On Wednesday 20 March, the Success Accelerator scheme brought 17 students to London to experience a little bit of the world of the business by taking part in a mini hackathon. The Success Accelerator Scheme, which is sponsored by the Kent Opportunity Fund, aims to inspire students at Kent to achieve a career in the City. The scheme currently has 12 alumni mentors, all professionals dedicated to improving outcomes for those students looking to achieve their own version of success by gaining employment in London.
Moonwalk, London University of Kent alumni provided crucial logistical support for cancer charity Moonwalk’s walkthewalk. They acted as stewards on the day ensuring that walkers had a fun and safe day while they raised money for this worthwhile cause.
bOing! Festival, Canterbury bOing! has become a highlight of the University calendar and this family festival would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of our amazing staff, students and alumni. Each year they help with various roles ensuring the success of the project.
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CRAIG READER – MEMORIES OF KENT AND WHY I DONATE Where to start? How about in Autumn 1974, and at Rutherford College. I had arrived at my landlady’s house in Hillside Avenue the previous day and on my first morning at university, walked along University Road to UKC (and ended up chatting to another debutante with whom I’m still in contact).
1974-1977 It follows that these three years must have been a magnificent experience in my life given that, 45 years on, I am delighted to donate funds for the benefit of the University and its students. The difficulty is to try to encapsulate this into one or two short paragraphs. I decided that I would try to summarise by highlighting some key memories. 1 I remember my first term because it was probably the loneliest period of my life. It took some time to make the transition from being a typical product of an all male private school to something closer to a normal member of society. Even now, some would say I have not been totally successful. Probably, though, this personal development was the most important part of the whole of the 3 year period at Kent, and why any memories of the University and Canterbury are very warm ones. 2 In February 1975 I asked a red haired girl called Janet out for a drink (to the Beverly, now Ye Olde Beverlie) just past Darwin College. A fatal mistake. We married in 1982 and are approaching our Ruby Anniversary. 3 On the work front, there were roughly 10 hours of lectures and seminars each week. I recall, in my final year, having only 2 days (including weekends) on which I did not undertake some studying. Time was in plentiful supply and mixing study and recreation was a wonderful way of life. It was greatly assisted by the weather in 1976 (a minister for drought was appointed – a most successful appointment because it started raining the next day); happily the summer of 1977 was just as good.
4 We discovered eating out in Canterbury’s hamburger restaurants (Quines, Browns, Radigunds) and at Sweeny Todd’s pizza parlour was both cheap and good fun, usually in groups of half a dozen or more. We would watch the New Avengers (starring a very young Joanna Lumley) at 7pm in the television room, then walk down to Canterbury to eat. And we would still be up at the crack of noon the next day to continue our studies. 5 Given the good weather Janet and I became frequent visitors to Joss Bay and Margate, using the slowest car on the road – a Hillman Imp. It had its engine at the back and at speeds over 45mph it overheated and ceased all operations. 6 I played in the tennis team for UKC for 3 years (usually at weekends). This meant frequent trips to local Kent tennis clubs meeting, generally, the English middle classes at play. Also, in a very weak year, I won the 1977 UKC tennis championship (I would have a small wager that there is no record of this).
7 Finally, the summer of 1977, finals, and Janet and I each achieved a 2.1 in Accounting. We had the same tutor, John Freear (who later moved to Vermont) and he was kind enough to break down our marks over our 8 subjects which showed that I was a close runner up in a two horse race. I think I took this dreadful news quite well, which means that I must have then been better at turning the other cheek.
Later life – work It will surely not come as a great surprise that, armed with an accounting degree, the next step was to become a chartered accountant. I had no great desire to remain in practice and, having qualified in 1980, set off into industry. It was a roller coaster of three insolvencies in double quick time (for example, does anyone remember Augustus Barnett and Son – an off-licence chain) until 1986 when I entered financial services where I would spend the rest of my career, retiring from full time employment in 2006 at the age of 50. At that time I had planned it as a gap year, but it has gone on a bit longer than originally envisaged.
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KATRINE LYNN SOLVAAG Leisure Since retiring, I have undertaken some consulting work (one main role continues) but the majority of my time is now focused on travel, domestic duties (cooking and gardening) and, principally, continuing to take part in several sporting pursuits as well as being a regular and keen spectator at Lord’s, the Oval, Wimbledon, Twickenham and Wembley with the recent addition of Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium. I am lucky enough consequently to have a little time to prattle to the students who are kind enough to call and enliven my evenings.
Donating So why am I a donor? Several reasons. First, it would be rude to speak to these brave students (cold calling is not easy) and then do nothing. It makes this a very effective way to raise funds. Although these sums may be small, they may well establish a regular donating pattern which in the end will mount up. Secondly, my wife and I are regular donors to several charities and I found that I wanted to add UKC to the list because it was a more personal cause. Finally, I was very pleased to be contacted by the University and thus to have some continuing connection with it. Being a donor makes this connection somewhat closer.
Katrine Lynn Solvaag is an Alumni Postgraduate Research Scholar (just like Sam was: see pages 4-5) studying for a PhD in Poetry: Text Practice as Research. Her work entails transforming the entirety of Herman Melville’s classical novel Moby-Dick into a sequence of prose poetry, while simultaneously researching similar literary transformations among fellow contemporary female writers. The accompanying poem (overleaf), created through a blend of found poetry and confessional poetry, utilises the language found in the fourteenth chapter of Moby-Dick to express her emotions while reminiscing on Dungeness, a location she once used to visit with a former partner. When asked what inspired her to undertake this project, she highlights how throughout the majority of literary history women have predominately been excluded from the act of storytelling. As a result, recently there’s been a trend of female writers taking it upon themselves to rewrite canonical texts, in particular ancient Greek classics, in order to infuse a female voice within a narrative where it has previously been missing. She continues by explaining that her poetry is jointly inspired by the concept of translation within a single language from one literary format and into another, alongside the found poetry tradition of using the words of another to tell a story about oneself. What she hopes to achieve with the poetry collection is primarily to highlight the poetics already present in Melville’s language, potentially inspiring more people to read and enjoy the novel she has personally fallen in love with, and secondly to establish literary transformation as an accepted technique within the academic world. However, she also is aspiring for the collection to take on a similar emotional journey to the one experienced in the original, tackling parallel themes of grief, loneliness, companionship and adventure in order to showcase that regardless of how much our exterior world might change across time, we will always continue to tell the same stories.
“I just want to extend my most heartfelt thank you to all of you who donate to the Kent Opportunity Fund. Without your support I wouldn’t have been able to embark upon this degree, and more importantly, to receive the time and support needed to undertake this poetic journey. I look forward to the day I can share the finished collection with each and every one of you.”
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Chapter 14 Nantucket An ode to Dungeness I turn the pebbles over in my hand, each stone clinking against another, and release them in time to greet the racing tide.
I always thought of this as our place. Didn’t you? Like Nantucket, it occupies a strange corner of the world. Take out your map and look at it. Nothing happens here anymore. It’s a lonely place occupied only by thistles, wrecks of ships with faded names, a fenced-up electrical plant blocking the sunset, and a solitary lighthouse waiting for no one. Yet here I am. Waiting for you. But not even the haunting memory of you bothers to show up. All I find is sea, gulls and pebbles. Why am I here again?
I listen to the call of the gulls crying out their own oral Iliad. They say one blade of grass makes an oasis and I have spotted three, ready to be rocked to sleep by the crashing billows.
I turn a pebble over in my hand, feel its smooth surface against my fingertips, and throw it back into the sea. An offering, perhaps. A token of peace. A plea for the ghosts to leave.
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LEGACY GIVING
Maxwell Tyler 28 August 1933 – 5 January 2018 For many years Max Tyler was the historian and archivist of the British Music Hall Society. He wrote regularly for ‘The Stage’ and ‘The Call Boy’ (the magazine of the British Music Hall Society) and was co-editor of ‘Music Hall Studies’. Max looked after the British Music Hall Society’s own large archive of theatrical memorabilia but also built up his own substantial personal collection of books, ephemera, research notes, and audiovisual recordings relating to the British Music Hall tradition. The Max Tyler collection contains material spanning from the late 19th century to the early 21st century.
Maxwell Tyler Legacy During his lifetime, Max was in touch with the University and made arrangements to gift his Music Hall collection to the University of Kent’s Special Collections and Archives through his will. The collection contains material spanning from the late 19th century to the early 21st century. In June 2018 the University accepted the gift along with a planned financial legacy to support the work needed to make the collection accessible to a wide range of audiences, including researchers. Dr Helen Brooks from the School of Arts was delighted to hear we had received the collection
and we are now in discussions about how we can use the collections to support the University’s Education and Research programmes as well as finding ways to engage non-academic communities with the riches that survive within the collection.
The Max Tyler collection includes: • original and copies of Music Hall song sheets • song sheets and scripts for musical comedies • music hall programmes • playbills • 20th century music hall and vaudeville magazines and periodicals • music hall audio recordings on cassette, CD, shellac discs, and reel-to-reel tapes • published books on music hall, and music hall performers • research notes
Leaving a legacy In recent years, the University has been honoured to receive legacy gifts and pledges from a variety of alumni, friends and former staff. For example, the late Professor Molly Mahood, a former member of staff in the School of English and Honorary Graduate, remembered the
University of Kent through her will. The gift from Molly is available to help students in hardship at Rutherford College. We are extremely grateful to Molly for planning this gift as it provides a safety net for those students who might otherwise feel unable to continue with education. No matter how small or large, legacies are transforming lives at Kent; their impact is not only life-enhancing, but can be life-changing. From supporting scholarships and hardship bursaries through the Kent Opportunity Fund or establishing their own award to funding research or specialist equipment, legacies can make a real difference. If you would like to consider remembering the University of Kent through your will please do let us know so that we can help you consider the fulfillment of your wishes. Our Planned Giving Officer, Jenny Richardson, would be delighted to hear from you either to notify her of your intention to remember the University or to discuss your thoughts in confidence. Jenny can be contacted on 01227 823588 or J.Richardson@kent.ac.uk. More information can be can be found on our website: www.kent.ac.uk/legacies.
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“Simply put – without this scholarship I would not have been able to spend the last few years continuing my studies here at Kent, in a topic area in which I feel I can really give back to the community.” Rowena Bicknell
Laura
Rowena
“I feel honoured to have the freedom to study both something I love, and that will save animals all over the world. I honestly can’t thank you enough.”
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Laura Thomas-Walters
Diane “I am grateful every day that someone believed in my dreams and abilities.” Diane Abdallah
Megan “Through my scholarship I have been supported in more ways than I could have hoped. Without your extremely generous donations I would not be here. Thank you!” Megan Daniel
Brenda “I have enjoyed every single minute I have been at the University and the invaluable support I have received.” Brenda Rodriguez Maza
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“Many thanks from my heart to all of the people who donated for my scholarship. Without your invaluable help I would not be able to fulfil my dreams.” Kostas Gravanis
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“My time at Kent gives me a unique opportunity to explore an area of research, find my limits, and meet amazing people. I am so grateful to be part of this university.”
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Rafaella Siagkri
David “I would like to thank all of the donors for giving me the freedom to create music and still pursue a career in astrophysics.” David Curtiss
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Jak
“I am the first person to go to university in my family. Without your kind donations, I would not be here. Coming from a low-income background the scholarship has made a massive difference to my life.”
“Your help is invaluable to me and others at this university. The money you have provided may be quantifiable, but ultimately, the effect it will have on individuals and the public, is beyond anything you can quantify.”
Fathima Zainab Riyaldeen
Jak Allen
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THE BUSINESS START-UP JOURNEY Business Management student, Vasu Sarin, held a long-term dream to develop game-changing technology to support the elderly. He was inspired by a radio report about a lady who unfortunately experienced a stroke while driving and was not found for several days. Around this same time his own grandmother had experienced a bad fall while she was alone. Vasu’s vision was for a mobile healthcare platform capable of monitoring people’s health and location remotely, giving the elderly, carers and relatives peace of mind that any emergencies would be instantly picked up. His idea was given shape, focus and brought into reality as Tab Care Limited over two years of support in the ASPIRE. Vasu founded the company while taking part in the Business Start-Up Journey 2016-17 where he reached the pitching finals and was awarded £500. The following year he joined the Self-Employed Placement programme. Tab Care provides family health monitoring, offering peace of mind and quicker response times if an emergency occurs, keeping an eye on the people you care about most. The platform is app based and works on iPhones, Google Home devices and on Apple Watches. Tab Care is able to provide the most affordable monitoring solutions for children, older adults and vulnerable individuals.
As CEO, Vasu, who graduated in 2019, leads a team of five developers and has three marketing and sales staff working in their office in Epsom. He worked with local authorities to trial the software with their clients, and has trailed with hospitals and schools to build the business further. The company was placed in the top 10 by a group of investors in an international start-up competition run by the London chapter of TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs). TiE, was founded in 1992 in Silicon Valley by a group successful entrepreneurs, executives, and professionals with roots in the Indus region. Tab Care was placed in the top 10 from some 70 companies. Vasu said: “It was a great experience and tops an insane year for the development of my business. “There have been a lot of ups and downs, and sometimes the downs break you down – but then you’ve got to reboot yourself that same day. As a start-up, you don’t have the luxury of time to be down for long. You have got to keep things moving. “The support from ASPIRE has been great. Without Kent Business School and without the Business Start-Up Journey I wouldn’t be where I am now, perhaps I wouldn’t have even begun.” ASPIRE is able to continue working with Vasu after graduation, through funding to support recent alumni establishing startups. Vasu added: “I know I can always call on the ASPIRE team for advice. The future is looking really nice.”
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OLDER WOMEN CENTRE STAGE A society where older people live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives because they participate in artistic, creative and physical activities. This is the vision of Moving Memory Dance Theatre Company and its Creative Director, Sian Stevenson of the University’s School of Arts. The company’s high quality performance making projects emphasise collaboration, co-authorship, exploring and animating autobiographical stories of the everyday through movement, music and digital forms. Evaluation has confirmed that the Moving Well approach helps older people to take more regular physical exercise, find personal satisfaction and fulfilment, increases their selfconfidence and become more engaged with their community , and, consequently, it makes a
significant contribution to improving older peoples’ health and wellbeing. This distinctive artistic approach is now extending into care home settings. A unique feature of Moving Memory’s work is the use of digital technology. Generous funding from the Nominet Trust and The Baring Foundation enabled the creation of Doris – a new digital tool of Resolume (real-time, improvised digital video and effects) which projects images, some preplanned, some abstract, some directional and some added in response to the specific context to transforms spaces, especially changing familiar environments such as care settings. This bespoke kit, supported by an accompanying online and offline training programme for people who want to run their own, means more people can access Moving Well workshops. Further iterations of the project are ongoing in mixed gender intergenerational workshops and also groups with mental health problems.
“Participants in the project have benefited with improved health. Learning something new, increased physical activity, social contact, peer support, being able to express their emotions in a creative way are all evidence-based ways to improve mental and physical wellbeing.” Rathini Mills, Partnership Commissioner, Medway Partnership Commissioning Team
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“You’re putting your ideas in, then other people are going with it and it just feels different to standing behind someone and copying them – which is what most dance classes are now.” Participant
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FUNDRAISING NEWS
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A new national archive
FlyDAR
The three ‘E’s’
We are indebted to Dame Stephanie Shirley who has become the founding donor of the new UK Philanthropy Archive based at the University of Kent Templeman Library. The Archive will become a pre-eminent source of primary data on the lived experience of philanthropists, which will enable a better understanding of this vital source of funding for the crucial and lifeenhancing work carried out by charities. The existence of this Archive will also signal the importance of philanthropy in UK society, and help to celebrate and encourage further philanthropy.
Paul Dyer has been a long-standing supporter of many innovative and entrepreneurial Kent projects. His recent funding has enabled a cross-disciplinary group of student electronic engineers, archaeologists and entrepreneurs to work on constructing a versatile, drone-borne LiDAR system with potential applications in archaeology, land-surveying and agriculture. LiDAR sends rapid pulses of laser light at a surface; which a sensor then measures the amount of time it takes for each pulse to bounce back.
Santander have been supporting Education, Employability and Entrepreneurship for Kent students for over ten years. In that time they have enabled many international students to come to Kent, who not have been able to without a scholarship, funded internships that got graduates jobs and supported many new businesses. We are not only proud to be part of the Santander Universities network, but also look forward to a new agreement that includes money to support diversity and inclusivity in Kent Union societies and bursaries that will be integral to disadvantaged local students succeeding in our new Medical School.
Wild Camels The Wild Camel Protection Foundation has funded a PhD student to support research into wild camel ecology, conservation genetics, and their re-introduction into the wild. The wild camel is the eighth most endangered large mammal on the planet. It is critically endangered. There are approximately 600 in the Gobi desert in northwest China and approximately 450 in the desert in Mongolia.
Gene expression in poultry It is through the support of Professor Surai that the School of Biosciences has been able to continue to research gene expression in poultry. The research takes place within a multidisciplinary group studying genome organisation with a focus on evolution, reproduction and cancer. Practical applications include improving fertility in humans and domestic animals, novel diagnostics and reconstructing genome assemblies from a range of living and extinct species.
Cuba With thanks to John Washington, this year four students from Hispanic Studies had the opportunity to venture to Cuba to take part in internships for three weeks. Two students went to Universidad de la Habana, to teach English whilst the remaining two students worked with a magazine company – La Jiribilla. John has been donating to this fund since 2014 and we continue to see the difference it makes in enhancing the student experience.
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A new national archive Wild Camels FlyDAR Gene expression in poultry The three ‘E’s’ Cuba “A good German Double Bass of the Dreselum School, c. 1870” 8 The Medway Student Support Fund 9 Neurostimulation 10 English Hub for Refugees 11 David Humprheys: A Legacy 12 In support of KMMS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
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“A good German Double Bass of the Dreselum School, c. 1870”
Neurostimulation
David Humprheys: A Legacy
Professor David Wilkinson’s research group at Kent’s School of Psychology has shown that gentle stimulation of the inner ear can also improve neurological symptoms associated with stroke and traumatic brain injury. A gift from Charlie Walker has kick-started a fundraising campaign to continue this life-changing research and to establish a research service for people with a brain injury.
In 2018 the University dedicated a memorial bench to the late David Humphreys, a wonderful supporter of music at the University, having come to read History after retiring from a career as a lawyer. The bench which overlooks the historic cathedral city from the University between Eliot and Rutherford Colleges, commands perhaps the finest view of Canterbury which was a favourite location of David’s.
We were delighted to receive a call from Martin Hill, who wished to donate his father’s double bass. John Hill had been one of Kent’s earliest lecturers and continued to play in the University orchestra long after he retired. Since being accepted by the Music Department the instrument has helped several students with their music making.
The Medway Student Support Fund The Medway Student Support Fund provides bursaries to students in need of financial support. It has been vital for students from the three universities based at the Medway campus since it was established in 2014. The fund has been supported by the founding donor, JG Student Lets, the Lawson Trust, the Halpern Charitable Trust and Medway Council. This will help those Medway students most in need of financial assistance.
English Hub for Refugees The Amity Fund supported The English Hub for Refugees with a grant of £5,033, which will allow the project to continue helping unaccompanied refugee minors to gain the English language skills they need in order to integrate into their new communities and access mainstream education and jobs whilst also allowing University of Kent students to gain teaching experience. The refugees, who are between 16 and 18 years old, come from a range of backgrounds, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea, Syria and Sudan, and they have recently arrived in the country unaccompanied by adults.
In support of KMMS SARD, a medical technology company based at the Innovation Centre, has chosen to support our fundraising for the Kent and Medway Medical School by choosing us as their Charity of the Year. They have pledged to raise £5,000 through a programme of charity events such as bake sales, quizzes, challenge events and much more and we are very much looking forward to working with them. SARD is a family run business which supplies workforce management software to the healthcare sector.
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YOUR GUIDE TO MAKING A DIFFERENCE If the stories that you have read have inspired you to join the wonderful Kent donor community – or indeed to make a further gift to the University – you will find all of the information you need below. If you would like to speak with one of the team about making your gift to the University, or have something very specific in mind, we would be delighted to hear from you on A.J.Pollard@kent.ac.uk
Support Kent students The Kent Opportunity Fund supports a broad range of scholarships, student projects to enhance extra-curricular activities at Kent, and bursaries to support students experiencing financial hardship.
“I am so grateful to all those who have supported the Kent Opportunity Fund; receiving the Alumni Postgraduate Research Scholarship has enabled me to continue my studies and has opened up avenues for me to continue my education and study very ‘current’ areas of psychology.” Rowena Bicknell, Applied Psychology You can make your gift – one off or a regular donation by direct debit – online, at www.kent.ac.uk/giving. You can also send a cheque to us (to the address on the back cover of this report), or call 01227 827830 with your credit or debit card details.
Footsteps A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step… Make your mark, say thank you, remember friends and loved ones, or just share a memory or a message for future generations at Kent with a brick on the Footsteps path: www.kent.ac.uk/footsteps
Leave a gift in your will A legacy gift to Kent will support the University and its students long into the future and can inspire the next generation – knowing people believe in them. You may wish to remember a special passion such as music, or academic research, or you may wish to support access to education for all, enabling students from all walks of life to reach their highest potential. In supporting Kent, you are supporting the future of education as well as the local, national and even international community.
“The creation of Patricia’s legacy to the Tizard Centre has meant a great deal to those she has left behind. Keeping in touch with researchers and the faculty it supports, and learning about the results this gift has helped to realise provides a wonderful opportunity to see the impact she continues to have.” Anthony Shillingford, Trustee of the estate of Patricia Collen A legacy bequest is one of the most personal gifts you can make; after you have remembered your loved ones, making a bequest enables the gift of education to be passed on to others. If you would like to talk to us about leaving a legacy to the University, please contact Jenny Richardson on 01227 823588 or email giving@kent.ac.uk
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Since 1965 our students have benefited from a transformative experience in a diverse and supportive environment, our academics and researchers have made a difference to people’s lives, and we have invested in the locations we call home. We are proud that we have done this with our supporters and friends. But we believe we can, and should, do more.
At the annual celebration of our Foundation we set out how we can do this together: we will create new ways to support students to find and shape their place in the world, collaborate with researchers on world-changing projects, and strengthen our shared communities through key initiatives such as the Kent and Medway Medical School. You can read more about the campaign at giving.kent.ac.uk
www.kent.ac.uk
MEDWAY TONBRIDGE
CANTERBURY BRUSSELS
PARIS ROME ATHENS
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Design & Print Centre 128773 06/19
Development Office, The Registry, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NZ T: +44 (0)1227 823729 www.kent.ac.uk
