Reporter

Inside

SHOWCASE goes from

strength to strength:

our talented postgraduate

researchers share their work. Page 4

Celebrating the Games

lectures: this month sees the

launch of the fourth series of public

lectures about the Olympic and
Paralympic Movement. Page 9

A new route to
biodiversity: the University

publishes its first Biodiversity Action

Plan. Page 10

Next issue: February 2012

Deadline: 8 February 2012

Issue 563
January 2012

Recruiting the
leaders of the future
The search is on for more than 40 exceptional new
chairs who will take academic leadership roles across
the University and make a major contribution to helping
us achieve our world-class ambitions for the future.
The strategic mission of the University has been highlighted
by changes to higher education policy, the new fees regime in
2012 and Research Excellence Framework (REF) in 2014,
says Professor Dawn Freshwater, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for
Staff and Organisational Effectiveness. These drivers have
accelerated our strategy, and we now need to demonstrate how
much the University values the links between research and
teaching. The way we see these two areas coming together
is through leadership. In order to make a substantial change
it is important to invest, and invest quite significantly. Having
created a fertile ground over the last 10 years and implemented
our strategy, this is about sowing new seeds and making sure
we can accurately and effectively focus on our values and
aspirations for 2015 and beyond. [continued on page 2]

Reporter / Issue 563

Recruiting the leaders of the future [continued from front page]

THE REPORTER
is the University of Leeds staff magazine
and produced eight times a year. Over
8,500 copies are distributed to staff
across campus.
The Reporter is produced by Sarah Ward
in the Communications and Press Office.
http://reporter.leeds.ac.uk

STORIES AND LETTERS

Story ideas and letters are welcomed as
hard copy or in email. The deadline for the
next issue is Wednesday 8 February.
EVENTS
Please submit events online at
www.leeds.ac.uk/events W
DISTRIBUTION AND INSERT ENQUIRIES
Phone Lisa Englefield on 0113 343 2451
or email l.englefield@leeds.ac.uk
EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES
The Reporter
Communications and Press Office
Level 14
Ziff Building
Leeds LS2 9JT
Tel: 0113 343 6699
Email: the.reporter@leeds.ac.uk

The new posts have all been identified

by schools and faculties and the whole
process has been very much driven from the
ground upwards. During the last integrated
planning exercise, schools analysed their
activities to pinpoint areas where they are
really strong in terms of both international
research and teaching and also areas
where activity could be diversified to avoid
risk, continues Professor Freshwater.
We created additional funding through
the strategic development fund and asked
schools to put in their bids. The faculties
shortlisted these, and the bids were put
forward to Faculty Management Group to
mark against the overall university strategy.
Several of the new chairs will be in post in
time to make a contribution to the 2014 REF,
but Professor Freshwater is keen to point out
that the investment is not simply a response
to the REF: These appointments are more
likely to affect the next REF, rather than this
one. Of course, theyll have some impact
but theyre about much more than research,
theyre also about excellent teaching and
leadership. With a potential shortage of
future leaders, its really important that we

invest for the future and think about longerterm succession planning now.
We want leaders who will work with and
develop teams of teachers and practitioners
who, in turn, can help us achieve our
strategic aims. Theyll help people in schools
and teams working across disciplines to
push the boundaries of what theyre doing
and develop the confidence to shout about
their progress.
The new leaders will inject energy into
key areas of the University. We need to be
clear about where our strengths are and
this requires visionary leadership to help
define that. Ensuring we act on the strategy
and have strong leaders who can act as role
models will help us to achieve our vision of
being in the worlds top 50 universities. The
investment for these chairs was specifically
earmarked for this purpose.
Recruitment for the new posts has already
started and the first appointments are
expected to be in place by September this
year. Its likely that the recruitment process
will take up to 18 months. All posts are open
to internal candidates.

If you would like information in

alternative formats (eg, large print
or audio) please contact us.
Professor Freshwater.

Open meetings review

In-depth analysis of the questions put to the Universitys leadership
team at the recent open meetings has revealed further information
about the key themes that are concerning colleagues.
As teaching and support staff alike look ahead to the 2012/13
academic year, there is concern about how to respond to students
who might think of themselves as education consumers. The panel
highlighted the value of the Partnership in managing expectations
by setting out the core values on which an education at Leeds is
based and emphasising that it is not a one-way process. The NSS
survey, whilst not an objective measure of quality, has a part to play in
measuring how well student expectations have been met.
Staff also asked about the effect of the student finance changes
on 2012/13 application numbers. When the meetings were held
application numbers were on track to meet planned numbers
but, at the time of going to press, the final figures had not yet
been confirmed.
2

The panel acknowledged that there is concern about the possible

impact of the higher undergraduate fees on the number of students
who go on to postgraduate study. In light of this, fees for postgraduate
courses across the University are being reviewed, taking into
account the reasons why different subjects might be studied at
postgraduate level.
The changes proposed by UCAS to the undergraduate admissions
system focused on post-results application were also discussed.
Read more about the UCAS consultation and the Universitys draft
response to it on For Staff and in the Reporter November 562
Leader Column. UCAS is expected to announce the outcome of the
consultation in March 2012.
The panel outlined the Universitys approach to the Research
Excellence Framework (REF), which is focused on submission
quality. You can read more about this in the REF 2014 in-depth
section of For Staff. www.leeds.ac.uk/forstaff/homepage/331/
ref_2014 W

January 2012

A top 10
task
A place in the UKs top 10
faculties for life sciences
is where Professor Nigel
Hooper, the new Dean of
the Faculty of Biological
Sciences (FBS), has set
his sights.
Ideally, Id like to achieve this within five
years, says Professor Hooper. Theres
lots of work to do, but in some areas were
already there, we just need to look at how
to extend best practice throughout the
faculty. FBS is a very broad faculty running
from ecology to zoology, and biomolecular
sciences to sports and exercise science so
we have to examine whats important, what
the challenges are and what actions and
activities are appropriate for the students,
academics and support staff in each area.
There are four strategic areas that were
concentrating on, which all dovetail with the
Universitys overall strategy. Firstly, building
on existing good practice and working in
partnership with students, well deliver an
excellent student experience. We have
dedicated staff who champion innovative
teaching methods, so well see how to use
their ideas in other areas. We also want to
address some student measures where our
results are patchy, for example, feedback.

We want to listen to students and engage

them with our programme meetings; for
example, in this technology-driven age, there
are different ways of learning that are valued
by our students.
Secondly, we want to establish an
international reputation for our research,
building on areas of strength and investing in
their development. The Research Excellence
Framework (REF) will show our strengths and
where weve got things right and, of course,
well do our best in it but our overall strategy
goes beyond 2014. The REF is just one stage
in the process of us achieving the research
excellence that I believe we can attain.
Thirdly, were seeking to identify our
academic leaders of the future, working with
colleagues to identify potential, mentor them
and help develop their skills. Were looking
at where we can invest to develop more
strategically, especially around some of our
research areas. We have some key strengths
such as tissue engineering, plant sciences,

structural biology and neurosciences and

we need to build on these.
The fourth area will see more responsibility
and accountability being devolved to the
academic staff and management teams in
the three institutes within FBS. This will have
to be in the context of the overall University
and faculty strategy, but engaging people
in decision-making processes will improve
communication and enable them to address
specific problems.
A Leeds alumnus, Professor Hooper
graduated in Biochemistry and completed
his PhD in the then Department of
Biochemistry. After gaining a fellowship from
the Royal Society he became a lecturer,
and went on to be Head of the Institute of
Molecular and Cellular Biology and ProDean for Research and Innovation. His
main research area is Alzheimers and
related neurodegenerative diseases, trying
to understand the disease processes at the
molecular and cellular level.

New Years Honours for Leeds

University of Leeds staff and Alumni have been
recognised in the New Years Honours list.
Peter Buckley, Professor of International
Business, receives an OBE and Dr Kath
Hodgson, Director of Learning and Teaching
Support, receives an MBE.
Professor Buckley is Director of the Centre
for International Business (CIBUL) and
is recognised as a world-authority on
international business. He has written 22
books, and has held visiting Professorships
in universities around the world.
Professor Peter Buckley.

Dr Hodgson is a graduate of Leeds three

times over, having completed all her highereducation qualifications (Cert Ed, MEd,

PhD) at the University. After teaching middle

school children for 20 years, she began
working in the Universitys Planning Office
in 1992 before moving into a learning and
teaching role and going on to become head
of the Teaching Quality Assurance Unit in
1998. (Read Dr Hodgsons answers to FAQs
on page 16.)
Acclaimed poet and former member of staff
Geoffrey Hill receives a knighthood, as does
alumnus and former staff member Professor
Christopher Snowden, now Vice-Chancellor
of the University of Surrey.
3

Reporter / Issue 563

SHOWCASE goes from strength to strength

Our talented postgraduate researchers took the chance to share their
work with an audience of academics and professionals from across the
University at the second annual SHOWCASE conference.

Lizzie Glennon receives her award as winner

of the Three-minute Thesis competition.
PGR of the year Dr Nick West (r) receives his
award from Professor Paul Harrison.

The Awards celebrate the quality and impact

of the work of postgraduate researchers
(PGRs) at Leeds. Each faculty put forward
a nominee for the Postgraduate Researcher
of the Year 2011 award, based upon the
impact or potential impact of their research
projects in the academic world and their
wider societal and economic benefits.
The title went to Dr Nick West (Faculty of
Medicine and Health) for his presentation on
Saving lives from bowel cancer.
It is a great honour to receive this award,
particularly in light of the very high standard
of competitors, said Dr West, who worked
under the supervision of Professor Phil
Quirke in the Leeds Institute of Molecular
Medicine. Bowel cancer is a common
disease and over the last few years we have
developed a strong international collaborative
research group led by Leeds.

Second place went to Aisling Dolan (Faculty

of Environment) for her research into ice
sheet stability to predict future climate and
environmental change, whilst joint third place
was awarded to Kevin Macnish (Faculty of
Arts) for his work on ethics and the use of
surveillance, and Nicole Timms (Faculty of
Biological Sciences) for her research into the
modification of enzymes which could lead to
new pharmaceutical applications.
Professor Paul Harrison, Dean of
Postgraduate Research Studies and one
of the judges, commented: The quality of
submissions for the awards has been very
impressive. It is a pleasure to see the work
of our top postgraduate research students
being showcased. They are the life-blood
of the research community here at Leeds,
and they make an invaluable contribution to
international academic communities, and
provide economic and societal benefits in a
huge variety of ways. Congratulations to all
nominees and award winners.

The winning image from Alexander Wright.

More than 40 entrants also presented their

research findings in the image, poster
and three-minute thesis competitions,
on topics including clean air, the science
behind hair styling, inter-ethnic romance,
politeness and cements. The winners
were, respectively, Alexander Wright (Leeds
Institute of Molecular Medicine in the School
of Medicine) for his image Is technology
the missing piece of the puzzle for cancer?,
Michael Finn (School of Philosophy) for
his poster on Brain research in a Victorian
Asylum, and Lizzie Glennon (Faculty of
Biological Sciences) for her three-minute talk
Is Alzheimers disease in my genes?

News round-up
Step forward in foot-and-mouth disease
understanding

Hajj a survey of British Muslim

experiences

A team from the Faculty of Biological Sciences have discovered a

mechanism they believe may play a key role in the spread of footand-mouth disease in animals. Researchers have been studying an
enzyme called 3D which plays a vital role in the replication of the
virus behind the disease. They have found that this enzyme forms
fibrous structures (or fibrils) during the replication process, and also
found a molecule which can prevent these fibrils forming.

Every year around 25,000 British Muslims visit Makkah, the

birthplace of Islam, to complete their Hajj, which is one of the five
pillars (arkan) of Islam. From 26 January until 15 April, the British
Museum will be holding a large exhibition about the Hajj (www.
britishmuseum.org/hajj). W

Its too much of a jump to say that weve found a potential drug
target for treatment of foot-and-mouth disease because theres still
such a lot we dont know, says Dr Nicola Stonehouse. However,
we do think these findings are significant and provide us with a new
avenue for exploration.
The project was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences
Research Council and its findings published by the Journal of Virology.
4

Following an award to the museum from the Arts and Humanities

Research Council, the Universitys School of Theology & Religious
Studies is contributing to the exhibition and its legacy by conducting
an online survey and other research into British Muslim experiences
of the Hajj. The data gathered may feed into the exhibition and will be
used for academic and non-academic writing. The survey is open to
British Muslims who have been for Hajj.
www.survey.leeds.ac.uk/hajj

January 2012

Residences are
something to
shout about
Storm Jameson Court, the Universitys newest student accommodation, together with
the Dobree and Whetton buildings at Charles Morris Residence, has been awarded
a Green Tourism Gold award, with the awarding body encouraging the University to
shout about its achievements and commitment to sustainability.
Highlights from the report by the Green
Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) include
positive comments on the residences
insulation and its energy use which is
provided by a combined heat and power
station. Other areas singled out for praise
were excellent communication of green
issues to students, staff and visitors, a strong
Fairtrade and local food commitment and
excellent procedures for dealing with waste.
Storm Jameson Court has also been rated
as offering four star accommodation
by the VisitEngland Quality Assessment
Scheme. The residence is deemed to offer
guests a very comfortable standard of
accommodation, particularly suitable for
large groups, conference delegates and
individual visitors as well as cyclists.
The VisitEngland assessment also
rated Storm Jameson Court as offering
exceptional access for both independent
and assisted wheelchair users, a unique
achievement for a university in England and
Wales. The residence is also deemed to offer

Storm Jameson Court was of the highest standard

that I have personally seen in university halls.
Ian Draper, European Work Hazards Network

suitable accommodation for older and less

mobile guests, and for visually impaired and
hearing impaired visitors.
Were absolutely delighted with the ratings
we have been awarded, they confirm
that these residences are amongst the
best and most accessible in the country,
says Ian Robertson, the Universitys Head
of Residential Accommodation. Storm
Jameson Court is extremely popular with our
students, and is also proving very attractive
to conference delegates. Weve already
hosted the first of three training visits by the
Canadian Paralympic wheelchair rugby team
and, of course, next summer members of
the Chinese Olympic team will be based here
prior to heading to London for the Games.

Students Kate and Sarah took advantage of the accessible

accommodation provided in Storm Jameson Court and both
reported that living there was a very positive experience.

Vice-Chancellor in the Top 20

New American partner

The Universitys Vice-Chancellor Michael Arthur was included in The

Big Issue in the Norths annual 50 Most Influential People in the
North list.

The University of Rochester (USA) has joined the Worldwide

Universities Network, bringing the number of partners to 18.
Founded in 1850, the University is one of the smallest of the USAs
top-tier research universities, with 2,000 staff and 9,300 students.
It offers more than 180 degree programmes. The university is home
to the Eastman School of Music, one of the worlds leading music
programmes. It is also noted for its Institute of Optics, the first to be
established in the US, and the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, which
has two of the worlds most powerful high-energy, high-intensity
lasers. The University of Rochester Medical Center is one of the
leading academic medical centres in the USA, with more than $291
million in federal research funding.

His position at number 20 put him ahead of Labour leader Ed

Miliband (34), comedian Peter Kay (31) and poet Carol Ann Duffy
(29). Im not taking the list too seriously, commented Professor
Arthur. Though as a Spurs supporter, Im particularly delighted to be
deemed more influential than Sir Alex Ferguson.
The list was drawn up through research into economic clout, political
power or cultural impact, and judged by a panel which included
Mohammed Ali OBE, founder and chief executive of QED-UK, and
the Institute of Public Policy Researchs Ed Cox.

Reporter / Issue 563

Clockwise from front: Lisa Mitchell, John Grant, Tony Squires, Janet Ratcliffe and Alex Santos.

Back row (l-r): Karen Jameson, Neal Gummerson, Chris Askew.

Front row (l-r): Deborah Fraites, Katie Harrington and Peter Rous.

Print and Copy Bureau

When was PCB established?

What are your busiest times

of year?

Has the team got any special

projects or initiatives coming up?

Level 6 of the Roger Stevens Building

opposite the caf.

August and September are when were busy

getting things printed ready for the new
academic year, March is when we have a lot
of work from our students, and in May we
print lots of information for Open Days.

What does the team do on a dayto-day basis?

What are the most rewarding

things about your work?

Were now totally computerised with a new

print management system and order tracking
system. Our newest development is an
online ordering system. The first phase is
for ordering stationery, including business
cards, letterheads and compliment slips from
our online store, will be followed by standard
printed products, including campus maps,
travel and subsistence forms and other
publications. Well eventually offer online
ordering for academic posters, so people can
place orders, proof their work and send orders
directly to our printing presses. The final
phase will be to work closer with academic
departments/service areas to customise
specific documents.

The current team of 16 people was

established in 2009.

Where are you based?

We provide University staff and students

with high quality colour printing, high volume
copying, poster printing, thesis binding,
fulfilment services, artwork preparation and
photography. We also manage the University
Print Supplier Framework contract.

How has your work changed in

recent years?
We now process everything online which
has made our order processing much more
efficient and quicker and of course has
reduced the amount of paperwork. We can
now process orders within 24 to 48 hours
and the acquisition of a new colour printing
machine has enabled us to offer higher
quality standards.

Are you part of a great team?

6

Satisfied and happy customers especially

on complex projects which might involve a
number of different components, all being
pulled together to meet a tight deadline.

Who do you work with in the

University?
We work with every School and Faculty
throughout the University as well as offering
a complete printing service to students.

Tell us something about the

teams work that would surprise
people.
During the months of August and September
2010 we delivered 1,346 orders to 190
different locations within the University and
we processed 2,212 orders from students
through our counter services.

Online services will allow staff and students

to place orders any time, from any location
and get delivery to a specified department or
location.
In addition, we are shortly to introduce a
high volume book and document scanning
service for archiving purposes. Details are to
be published in the near future.

If you and your colleagues would like to feature in the Team Talk feature in the Reporter,
then get in touch. Call Sarah on 36699 or email the.reporter@leeds.ac.uk

January 2012

talk
Team

The Reporter takes a look at some

of the important teams that make
the University tick.

What particular skills do team

members have?
Excellent customer service skills with an
extensive knowledge of design and print
production.

What are some of the strangest

requests the team has had?
To photocopy a dead squashed frog.

Whats the teams top tip for

getting the best out of PCBs
service?
Provide clear instructions and well-prepared
artwork.

Whos in the team?

Christopher Askew, Colin Brewster,
Christine Furness, Deborah Fraites, Tony
Glossop (photographer), John Grant, Neal
Gummerson, Katie Harrington, Trevor
Hayward, Karen Jameson, Lee McHugh,
Lisa Mitchell (copying manager), Mark
Phillips, Janet Ratcliffe, Peter Rous (service
manager), Alex Santos (art worker) and
Tony Squires.

Paralypmic swimmer and alumna Claire Cashmore gave a keynote speech at the conference.

Excellence takes centre

stage at conference
A host of subjects covering different aspects of learning and teaching and student
support, were discussed at the inaugural Student Education Conference (SEC1).
An audience of more than 400 people heard Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael
Arthur open the conference which, fittingly in this Olympic year, was on the theme of
Excellence.
Delivering the Ed Wood Memorial Lecture at the conference was Jim Parry, former
head of Philosophy at Leeds and now Professor of Philosophy at FTVS, Charles
University in Prague. As the country gears up for the 2012 Olympics, Jim will be
Visiting Professor of Olympic Studies at Gresham College, London. He explained the
aims of Olympism as a philosophy of sport and education, expressed in terms of ethics
and politics towards personal and social development and the relevance of these
aims to students in higher education.
Recent Leeds graduate Claire Cashmore, who is representing Great Britain in the 2012
Paralympic Games, gave the afternoon keynote speech. Her presentation covered how
the various forms of support she received at Leeds helped her achieve excellence in
both her sporting career and academically.
Delegates had a choice of nearly 40 sessions to attend on subjects, including
employability, engagement, creating exciting research experiences, feeding research
into teaching, and using technology to help students learn.

New look for Michael

Sadler foyer
Delegates to the Student Education conference were also amongst the first to take
advantage of the refurbished foyer of the Michael Sadler building.
Under the Space to Learn initiative, the area has been transformed into a pleasant,
informal learning and social space. Its hoped that better access, new furniture,
improved wireless provision and fixed PCs, together with vending machines and piped
water, will attract more people into the previously under-used foyer.
7

Reporter / Issue 563

How can finance

serve society?
New ways to make the financial system
better meet Europes economic, social and
environmental needs are to be investigated by a
10m international research project led by a team
from the Leeds University Business School.
Financialisation, Economy, Society and
Sustainable Development (FESSUD) involves
13 other leading universities from across
Europe and South Africa, and one nongovernment organisation. The project is
largely funded by a near-8m grant from the
European Commission under its Framework
Programme 7.
The five-year project brings together
economists and other social scientists to
look at how financialisation the increasing
dominance of the financial system over
other parts of the economy has affected
the performances of national economies
and the global economy in the last 30 years.
The project combines different methods
and perspectives and seeks to address
how finance can be reformed in a way that
achieves the key objectives of economic,
social, and environmental sustainability.
Malcolm Sawyer, Professor of Economics
at LUBS, who is leading the project, says:
FESSUD brings together expertise from
many leading universities to look afresh at
how the financial system affects the world

around us. We need to know what can be

done to make the financial system work for
society, the economy and the environment
and not as has sometimes been the case
the other way round.
The key questions we will be looking at
include how has financialisation affected
the achievement of economic, social,
and environmental objectives? What is
the nature of the relationship between
financialisation and the sustainability of the
financial system, economic development
and the environment? What lessons are to be
drawn from the crisis about the nature and
evolution of finance?
In the bid call, the European Commission
said: The role of private finance in the
economy has increased enormously since
the early 1970s, both in terms of its share of
the economy and especially its influence on
the real economy and society. Financial deregulation has led to the emergence of new
kinds of finance activities and of new kinds
of finance actors.

Alongside this there has been a major shift

in the activities carried out by banks and
various types of funds. Financial innovation
allowed by deregulation, including the huge
development of derivatives and securitisation,
has exploded. However, with the deepening
of the financial and economic crisis from
2007 2008, these developments have
increasingly been questioned, in terms of
their impact and effectiveness in serving
economic, social and environmental
objectives over the longer term.
This challenge concerns both the existing
role of finance in the economy and what
should be its appropriate roles in relation to
the public interest.
Other institutions involved include the
University of Sienna, the School of Oriental
and African Studies in the UK, the Berlin
School of Economics and Law and the
University of Lund.
http://business.leeds.ac.uk

Building a career in higher education

administration - development event
The Association of University Administrators (AUA) at Leeds is
holding a lunchtime seminar for its members at the University on
Wednesday, 29 February, 12.00-1.00pm.
University Secretary Roger Gair will speak about his career path
so far, and the choices that brought him to his current position.
This will be followed by a question and answer session with Linda
Mortimer Pine (Deputy Director of Human Resources) and a senior
member of the Staff and Departmental Development Unit, who will
answer questions about administrative staff development and career
progression more generally.
The event will be a rare opportunity for an informal discussion
8

(outside the Staff Review and Development Scheme [SRDS] process)

with a member of the Universitys senior team on how a career
in higher education can be built. It will also interest members of
professional, managerial and support staff seeking guidance on their
potential next steps.
For further details and to confirm an intention to attend, members
please email aua@leeds.ac.uk
Staff who are not yet members of the AUA and who would like more
information about joining, or who would like to request an application
form, should contact Oliver Mansell at o.j.mansell@adm.leeds.ac.uk

January 2012

The Olympics
and Leeds
The University has a strong
tradition of engagement
with the Olympics and
the Olympic Movement.
Numerous University
alumnus and staff have
competed, coached or
officiated at Olympic
Games, before, during and
after their time here.

Celebrating
the Games
lectures
With less than 200 days to go until the opening
ceremony of the London Olympics, this month
sees the University launch the fourth and
last series of exciting and inspirational public
lectures about London 2012 and the Olympic
and Paralympic Movement.

Jonny (l) and Alistair Brownlee.

This will be followed by a lecture from multiple

Olympic and World Championship medallist
Kriss Akabusi on 2 February. The 400m
hurdler will give his unique perspectives on
elite sport and the Games.

Present student and alumni athletes hoping

to compete at London 2012 include:
Claire Cashmore (Paralympic swimming),
Alistair Brownlee (triathlon), Jon Hammond
(rifle), Rebecca Gallantree (diving), Paul
Mattick (rowing), Ashleigh Ball (hockey),
Jonny Brownlee (triathlon) Ed Scott and
Matt Holland (water polo), Siroos Saeed
(swimming), Jack Oliver (weightlifting) and
Kim Daybell (Paralympic table tennis)
Members of our staff community are also
involved in the Games, including Hamish
Jamson (Institute for Transport Studies) who
has been selected as one of the hockey
officials, and Jeff Peakall (School of Earth
and Environment) who has supported
researchers at Speedo in development of
cutting-edge swimsuits for the Games.
The Universitys Olympic Programme
includes giving support to our potential
Olympians as well as providing lots of
different opportunities for our staff and
students to get involved both locally and
nationally. For example over 50 students have
received offers to be Gamesmaker Volunteers
during the Olympics and Paralympics with
some financial assistance being provided by
the LeedsforLife Foundation.

Respected author and Olympic historian Matt

Rogan will open the series on 26 January with
a talk on how London will deliver the 2012
Games in times of austerity, with comparison
to the last time we held the Olympics in 1948.

Other speakers in the series include

inspirational alumna Karen Darke, London
2012 Torch Relay producer Deborah Hale
and Tom Waller, Head of Speedos Aqualab
research team.
Some key dates for your diary in the next
month are as follows:
26 January
Olympic historian Matt Rogan
Kriss Akabusi in the 4x400 metre relay at the 1991
World Championships, when Britain won Gold.

Memorandums of Understanding have

been agreed to host the Chinese Olympic
Committee and the Canada Wheelchair
Rugby team immediately prior to the
Olympic and Paralympic Games. Our
accommodation, catering and sports facilities
will be used by these and other international
athletes in the build-up to London 2012.
Keep up to date with whats happening and
where, at www.leeds.ac.uk/olympics W

Student entrepreneurs rewarded with

expanded scheme
The range and quality of student entrepreneurship at the University
is growing year on year, according to SPARK, the Universitys
business start-up support service, following the award of the latest
undergraduate Enterprise Scholarships.
Now in its third year, the Universitys Enterprise Scholarships
programme offers financial and professional support to the best
undergraduate entrepreneurs. Thirteen Scholarships have been
awarded this year, including two group awards four more than the
previous year. Each Scholarship offers a package worth 4,000, with
the programme funded through generous financial support from Leeds
alumni Martin Penny and other successful alumni entrepreneurs.

2 February
Olympic athlete Kriss Akabusi
13 February
Tom Waller, Head of Speedos Aqualab
22 February
Tom Williams & Martin Yelling, Marathon
Talk Live!
All lectures are free to attend and open to
everyone. Full details of these and other
lectures in the series are available at www.
leeds.ac.uk/olympics or enquiries via
celebratingthegames@leeds.ac.uk W

Kairen Skelley, SPARK business adviser, said: Applications this year

came from right across the University and all faculties. The standard
of applications is definitely getting higher and competition for these
highly valuable Scholarships is tough.
The 2011/12 Scholarship winners are involved in a wide variety of
business ventures, several of which are already trading successfully.
Businesses include an orthopaedic sports consultancy, language
summer camps for schoolchildren, a vintage clothing e-commerce
venture, as well as the development of inventions.
All 20 scholars attended a two-day residential Boot Camp in
December, run by SPARK and giving the students a grounding in key
business areas such as planning, finance, IP protection, marketing
and PR, tax and legal matters.
9

Reporter / Issue 563

A new route to
biodiversity
The University has published its first Biodiversity Action Plan
(BAP), setting out how we can increase the variety of flora and
fauna on campus.
Prepared by academic staff in the faculties of Biological Sciences
and Earth and Environment, the BAP provides a detailed study
of the current habitats and species already on campus and gives
clear direction on how we can encourage them to flourish.
The Estates grounds and gardens team will play a vital part in
the success of the BAP, as they will be implementing many of its
recommendations. Were starting by planting wildflower meadows,
changing our grass mowing regimes and introducing bat and bird
boxes, says Steve Ainsworth, who manages the team.
The programme is a part of a holistic sustainability programme
which will seek to address all the Universitys environmental
impacts and widen our approach, covering areas from energy use
to biodiversity and everything in between!
If youd like to know more about biodiversity on campus, visit
www.leeds.ac.uk/greenimpact/climatewk/biodiversity W

Letters

Campus
Bird Watch 2012
Whether youre a twitcher, a birder or youre just interested in
watching wildlife, were again looking for volunteers to get involved in
a campus Bird Watch on Friday 27 January.
This is the second event weve had and will build on last years
survey, says the sustainability teams Mike Howroyd. We need more
people to sign up to take part, so we can start to build a clear picture
of all the birds we have.
Helping to organise the survey and analyse the results will be Dr
Claire Quinn (School of Earth and Environment). She says Last
years Bird Watch together with other similar surveys really
showed the enthusiasm that our staff and students have for wildlife
on campus. The results show that we have an amazing range of birds
here, from finches and sparrows to a peregrine falcon!
I hope that the Bird Watch will be bigger and better this year, so
more people record the birds that they see. Using their records, well
be able to track which birds are regularly visiting campus and work
towards managing the environment so its an attractive place for them
to use.
To register on the Campus Bird watch, contact the sustainability team
at sustainability@leeds.ac.uk
If youd like to know more about biodiversity on campus,
visit bit.ly/uM0Pr9 W

Were keen to receive your letters on a wide variety of topics, from campus life to political and social issues
in the wider world. Please note that all letters will be published at the editors discretion, and may be edited
for brevity. The letters policy is available online at http://reporter.leeds.ac.uk/531/letters.htm W

Email: the.reporter@leeds.ac.uk or post to: Reporter, Communications and Press Office, Level 14, Ziff Building.

MUSIC AND TV IS A TURN OFF

After our usual heavy five-a-side defeat, and as a background to
our changing room post-match analysis, why are my teammates
and myself constantly subjected to the likes of Tina Turner, the QVC
channel, or, even worse, both at the same time? This is crazy!
As part of the Carbon Management Plan, I call for all piped music
and pointless TV screens to be switched off across the University.
The latter, especially, would save energy, and both measures would
contribute to the glorious struggle against endless, pointless noise
and screen pollution.
You know it makes sense.
Thanks.
Matt Homer
Research Fellow
Schools of Education and Medicine
Reply: During the development process of The Edge, the project
team conducted a lengthy market research phase to understand
how the facility would be best positioned within the competitive
health and fitness market in higher education and locally in Leeds.
This process highlighted a number of factors that would elevate The
10

Edge experience to be able to compete with the leading private

sector provider. These included a high-quality finish, market-leading
gym equipment, online booking functionality and audio and visual
entertainment within the facility.
The numerous customer focus groups that were held during the
design stages showed that there was a clear demand for both music
in the communal areas and TVs in changing facilities. This has been
provided and although music choice is clearly an individual taste,
we attempt to play a range of genres that will appeal to a wide range
of our customers. We recognise that the QVC TV channel is not the
most relevant and we will be ensuring appropriate channels are
chosen for the communal areas.
Regarding the Carbon Management Plan (CMP), Sport & Physical
Activity (SPA) is working towards the Green Initiative and is
committed to supporting the It All Adds Up campaign. SPA have
appointed a working group that reviews existing practices and
implements changes, such as ensuring plasmas are turned off when
not in use, that will positively impact on the Services short and longterm contribution to the Universitys CMP.
Rob Wadsworth
Head of Sport

Leader
column
Professor Michael J P Arthur
University Vice-Chancellor

Achieving our potential in 2012

The much heralded 2012 has at last arrived
and Im delighted that it has started so well
for us with a superb Student Education
Conference that focused on Excellence, that
made me feel very proud of everything that
we are doing for our students. That is exactly
the spirit in which we need to approach the
considerable challenges and opportunities
for higher education over the next year.
We start with sound finances despite the
tough economic climate. Our annual report
and accounts have now been published, and
they show a rise in income of 5% to 543m
and the transfer of a surplus to reserves
of 37.8m. Assuming the coalition has
no further surprises in store for us and we
recruit our students to plan, we have a very
solid platform from which to invest in further
enhancing our student experience and in
achieving our strategic ambitions.
While the most recent application figures for
home/EU students show that we are in the
order of 5% down compared to last year,
they have certainly not collapsed completely,
as some forecast. We deliberately factored
in a 5% overall reduction in student
recruitment as part of the Integrated
Planning Exercise (IPE), with some of our
schools opting strategically for an even
greater reduction. This was good planning
as it is amongst these schools that we
have seen some of the larger decreases
in applications. All things considered, we
remain confident that we will recruit to
planned student numbers this summer.
A key factor for the next phase of student
recruitment for 2012 is for all schools to
focus carefully on conversion activities.
The scrapping of government quotas on
recruiting students with AAB (at A level)
means that the top applicants might be
holding as many as four or five offers. Weve
got to work even harder to convince them to
choose Leeds by making sure that they feel
connected to us, and that through visits and
other mechanisms that they are aware of all
that we have to offer.
Another factor from which we may draw
some comfort is the continuing strong

demand for places from international

students, despite the recent visa changes.
This presumably reflects the ongoing growth
in the economies of India, China and other
parts of South East Asia and signals that
the desire for a high quality international
student experience in a leading international
university remains strong.
The Research Excellence Framework (REF)
2014 will also come into sharper focus
this year as it is vitally important that we
take plenty of time to carefully prepare a
top class competitive submission that will
help to secure our reputation as a leading
research intensive university as well as our
core government quality-rated (QR) funding.
By starting now, colleagues will have enough
time to complete 3* and 4* outputs ready for
submission and we can all make careful and
accurate decisions about which to submit.
The shift in the funding landscape, with 2*
outputs no longer rewarded, is a complete
game-changer. It has major implications
for our future research strategy and for the
careers of all our researchers. Although
difficult to achieve, our future emphasis must
be on an adequate volume of high quality
(3* and 4*) research outputs, rather than a
large volume of lower-rated work.
In the Research Assessment Exercise
(RAE) 2008, we opted for a grade point
average (GPA) of 2.5 and achieved 2.72.
We were rewarded with a position of 14th in
GPA league tables and the 8th highest QR
funding in the country. Allowing for grade
inflation, we are now aiming for a GPA of
3.0 to propel us into the top ten. The REF
is a snapshot of research excellence taken
on a defined census date and whilst we
expect the majority of our academic staff to
be included, it is evident that some may not.
We have clearly stated that, in and of itself,
this will not adversely affect future career
prospects. We intend to support those not
submitted to develop their research profile
for submission to the next REF after 2014.
The impact case studies are an important
new element of REF 2014 with a big impact
on reputation, GPA and finances. As a rough

guide, one 4* impact case study is worth

about ten 4* papers in terms of funding.
David Hogg and his team have already put
tremendous effort into the impact case
studies, but we would like to encourage all
to actively seek out and bring forward our
very best Impact for consideration,
constructive iteration and eventual
submission. There are enormous gains to be
made by getting this right please contribute
in any way that you can.
The start of a new year is also a great
time to initiate our campaign to recruit
more than 40 brilliant academics, able to
integrate world-class learning and teaching
with their international quality research.
The Leadership Chairs are an integral part
of improving the student experience for
2012 onwards, for REF 2014 and for our
overall strategic ambition. The Deans and
others have been working to identify the top
two or three people in the world for each
position in their faculty. We want only the
best and we will leave no stone unturned
in finding individuals of the right calibre
to come to Leeds. It is our intention to
emphasise the momentum and trajectory
of the University, our research environment,
facilities and ability to collaborate and work
across disciplines coupled with our desire to
succeed. We want appointed applicants to
feel that they will be coming to a university
where they can be highly successful and
where their contribution will help to make a
real difference. Watch this space.
Finally, I want to take this opportunity to
congratulate two members of staff who have
been recognised in the New Years Honours
list, Dr Kath Hodgson, MBE, our Director of
Learning and Teaching Support and Peter
Buckley, OBE, Professor of International
Business. Both have given everything
and more to the concept of academic
excellence at the very highest level, as well
as impressive dedication and commitment
to this university. For that to be recognised
externally leads me to conclude that 2012
has started very well indeed.

11

Reporter / Issue 563

Professor Derek Scott (School of Music)
helped David Owen Norris to hypothesise
about what songs and music would
have been on an iPod belonging to
author Thomas Hardy. The BBC Radio
4 programme Thomas Hardys iPod was
recorded in Hardys house, Max Gate, and
included excerpts from reels, opera and
romantic songs.

In the
news

Professor Clive Jones (School of Politics

and International Studies) took part in an
extensive interview on Inside Story, the lead
investigative programme on Al Jazeera. The
programme dealt with the current crisis in
Yemen and the resignation of President Ali
Abdullah Saleh.
Dr Dan Coffey (Leeds University Business
School) was on Radio 4s Today programme
discussing a revolutionary model for
ownership in the UKs car industry,
whereby vehicles would be leased from car
manufacturers. This would enable them to
massively increase the amount of recycling
and manage resources more efficiently.
It would also allow them to bring in new
models more quickly, keeping inefficient
older vehicles off the streets and helping to
create jobs.
Dr Kate Hardy (School of Sociology and Social
Policy) appeared on Radio 4 Womans Hour
discussing her research into young women
working in lap dancing clubs, including the
financial motivation behind their decisions to
take such employment and whether it is now
viewed as a mainstream occupation.

12

The Sunday Telegraph and BBC Radio

Leeds interviewed, respectively, Professor
John Maule and Professor Malcolm Sawyer
(both Leeds University Business School)
about Prime Minister David Camerons
negotiating tactics and the possible
economic implications of his vetoing of the
EU treaty deal.
Professor Sue Yeandle was the author
of a featured Guardian blog about the
importance of providing support for people
who act as carers for friends or relatives.
Professor Yeandle quotes research carried
out at the University by CIRCLE (Centre for
International Research on Care, Labour and
Equalities) which offers insights and new
ideas about how some of the UKs 6.4 million
carers could be helped to stay well and
healthy. Suggestions include giving carers
the ability to meet their own needs through
gym membership, laptops or short holidays,
which can make a real difference to their
own health and wellbeing, yet cost only a
fraction of what needs to be spent if their
care breaks down or cannot be sustained.

Professor S Barry Coopers (School of

Mathematics) campaign for a petition to
secure a posthumous pardon for Alan
Turing has attracted media interest from,
amongst others, BBC Radio Leeds and
Guardian journalist Martin Wainwright. A
mathematician and logician, Turing played
a vital role as a code-breaker during the
Second World War and is now acknowledged
as helping to create the modern computer.
In 1952, Turing was convicted of being
a homosexual (this was still illegal in the
UK). He died in 1954, just over two weeks
before his 42nd birthday, from cyanide
poisoning (possibly self-administered). In
2009, following an internet campaign, Prime
Minister Gordon Brown made an official
public apology on behalf of the British
government for the way in which Turing was
treated after the war.
The author Julia Blackburn talked to writers
whose private papers, like her own, have
been acquired by the University of Leeds
Library in the BBC Radio 4 programme
The Brotherton Archive and Me. University
Chancellor Lord Bragg and our Head of
Special Collections Chris Sheppard were
interviewed, as well as poets Simon Armitage
and Sophie Hannah.

Research carried out by a team at the

University showing that Magnetic Resonance
Imaging (MRI) scans are better for heart
checks than standard procedures, was
published online by The Lancet and covered
by the BBC, ITVs Calendar and Yorkshire
Post. Dr John Greenwood (School of
Medicine) led the study, which was funded
by a 1.3 million grant from the British Heart
Foundation.

Dr Steve Compton (Faculty of Biological

Sciences) was interviewed about his
research into the behaviour of fig wasps
for the Radio Canada programme,
Quirks and Quarks. He explained his
new research has found that the male
pollinator fig wasps, which develop inside
the fig of the fig tree, engage in unique
cooperative behaviour to help each other
and the female wasps by chewing an
escape tunnel out of the fig.

Further details of press coverage can

be found at http://mediacuttings.leeds.
ac.uk/index.aspx W

January 2012

Our people
Honours

Send your honours to the.reporter@leeds.ac.uk

Barry Clarke, Professor of Civil Engineering
Geotechnics has been elected to be the 148th
President of the Institution of Civil Engineers
(ICE), a professional body created in 1818.
In this role he will visit members in the UK
and overseas, and meet with governments,
employers, non-government organisations,
universities and civil engineering projects.

It is a great honour to be elected President

of the Institution of Civil Engineers and very
humbling to follow in the footsteps of such eminent engineers as
Robert Stephenson and Thomas Telford, says Professor Clarke.
The position of the President has changed over the years and
it is now very much about the Presidential team focusing on the
benefits civil engineers provide to society through the development
of the infrastructure that underpins the economy and contributes
to our health and wellbeing. The Institution, a learned society, is
internationally recognised for qualifying its members and advancing
the knowledge of civil engineering. It is these themes that I will
develop in the Presidential year with a particular focus on education
and research.
ICE is a charity that strives to promote and progress civil engineering.
It believes that civil engineers are: at the heart of society, delivering
sustainable development through knowledge, skills and professional
expertise. A qualifying body, it also acts as a centre for the exchange
of specialist knowledge, and a provider of resources to encourage
innovation and excellence in the profession worldwide. ICE
represents nearly 80,000 members. Professor Clarke will deliver his
inaugural lecture in November 2012.
Professor Ian Robertson, Head of the School of Electrical and
Electronic Engineering, was elected as a Fellow of the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers. This is the highest grade of
membership and is recognised by the technical community as a
prestigious honour and important career achievement. The citation
states that Professor Robertson was elected for his: contributions
to monolithic microwave integrated circuits and millimetre-wave
system-in-package technology semiconductor technology that has
revolutionised the communications industry, allowing optical fibre and
wireless devices to be deployed worldwide.
Professor Piers Forster (School of Earth and Environment) was
awarded a Wolfson Research Merit Award by the Royal Society.
The scheme provides five years worth of funds for Professor Forster
to continue working on climate change-related issues. Jointly funded
by the Wolfson Foundation and the Department for Business,
Innovation and Skills, the scheme aims to provide universities with
additional support to enable them to retain respected scientists of
outstanding achievement.
The UTravelActive project received a highly commended award in
the Promoting Positive Behaviour category at the Environmental
Association for Universities and Colleges Green Gown Award
Ceremony. UTravelActive encourages students and staff from the
three HE institutions in Leeds to change their travel behaviours and
switch to walking and cycling.

Members of the Bright Beginnings team receive the award.

Angela Foley is on the far right.

The Universitys Bright Beginnings Childcare Centre won an award

for Nursery Design 2011 from Nursery Management Today Nursery
Awards. General Manager Angela Foley said that she was delighted
that the centre had been recognised for all the: hard work that took
place, and the creativity and thought that was used to develop such
an amazing and fantastic space for children. The 3.65m centre
opened in April 2010.
At a Royal Investiture, Colonel Alan Roberts, former Pro-Chancellor
of the University, was invested as a Knight Commander of Merit, the
Military Constantinian Order of St George (KCMCO). The investiture
took place in Westminster Cathedral in October, in the presence of
His Royal Highness Prince Carlo of Bourbon Duke of Castro, Grand
Master of the Order and celebrated by the Grand Prior, His Eminence
Cardinal Martino. The distinction of KCMCO is in recognition of
Colonel Roberts services to global health.
A team involving Highview Power Storage, Scottish and Southern
Energy, BOC/Linde and the University was declared the Engineers
2011 Energy & Environment Winner for its cryogenic energy storage
(CES) pilot plant. The worlds first liquid air energy-storage system
uses established technology to create a modular, scalable and
relatively cheap energy-dense system that can be located easily
next to existing infrastructure. It could capture as much energy as
a small pumped-hydro system, but without the need for reservoirs
and mountains. The Leeds team was led by Professor Yulong Ding
(School of Process, Environmental and Materials Engineering).
A Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)
between Leeds University Business
School (LUBS) and Clydesdale Bank
was awarded the ESRC award for Best
Application of Social Science in a KTP
2011. The Customer Lifetime Value
(CLV) modelling project was undertaken
as a KTP by Alena Audzeyeva with
Professor Schenk-Hopp (l)
Professor Klaus Schenk-Hopp and
and Dr Summers.
Dr Barbara Summers (LUBS) and
Lucy Marshall from Clydesdale Bank plc. The project allowed novel
mathematical approaches to be applied to a real-world problem using
live business data.
Realising Opportunities, a scheme to widen access to higher
education involving Leeds and 11 other research-intensive
universities, received a Times Higher Award for Widening
Participation Initiative of the Year. The collaborative programme
seeks to increase the recruitment of bright students from
disadvantaged backgrounds, and provides summer schools,
academic tutors, online study skills classes and e-mentoring by
undergraduate students to encourage teenagers who are most able,
least likely to apply to university.
PhD student Chris Rogers (School of Music) won the first NCEM
Instrumental Composers Award in the 19 to 25 years category,
presented in partnership with BBC Radio 3 and the internationally
acclaimed viol consort Fretwork. Musicology student Chriss
composition My oerflowing teares was performed by Fretwork
and broadcast on BBC Radio 3s Early Music Show.

13

Reporter / Issue 563

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Small ads can be submitted online at

http://smallads.leeds.ac.uk W

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The charge is 7 for 10 words or part

thereof (University members)
or 10 (general public).
The deadline for the next issue is
Wednesday, 15 February 2012 at 4pm.
For enquiries please contact
Lisa Englefield on 0113 343 2451 or
email l.englefield@leeds.ac.uk

Advertisers are independent from the

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accuracy of ads or (b) the quality of
goods or services advertised. To the full
extent allowed by the law the University
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STAR treatment
A major new national clinical trial for patients
with kidney cancer is being led by a team at
Leeds, and the first patients are soon to start
receiving treatment.
The 2.8 million project known as STAR*
could be a landmark trial because, if
successful, it may have potential applications
for other drugs used in treating other tumour
types.
Chief Investigator Dr Janet Brown (School
of Medicine, Leeds Institute of Molecular
Medicine) is leading a multi-disciplinary team
from Leeds and other UK centres to run the
trial, which is funded by the National Institute
of Health Research Health Technology
Assessment Programme.
Kidney cancer is now the sixth leading
cause of cancer-related death, says Dr
Brown. Until recently, the options for
treatment of advanced disease were very
limited, but a new generation of drugs
which can target the blood supply for kidney
tumours has been developed. The most
widely used of these drugs sunitinib or
Sutent give a significant survival benefit
but cause side-effects which impact on a
patients quality of life. In many cases the
14

dose has to be reduced or the patient may

even have to stop taking the drug.
STAR will determine if giving sunitinib
with planned treatment breaks gives the
same benefits as the standard continuous
treatment, but with improved quality of life
for the patient and with cost benefits to the
NHS. The trial will be in two parts; the first
will involve 210 patients in 13 UK centres
and will check the approach is working and
that the trial is recruiting patients in a timely
manner. The second part will involve 1,000
patients in 38 UK NHS centres and the
whole study will run for over seven years.
Dr Brown says: If the trial is successful,
treatment break strategies could also be
more generally applicable to a range of other
drugs in other cancers.
The trial is being run by the Leeds Clinical
Trials Research Unit, which includes Co-Chief
Investigator Dr Fiona Collinson, Professor
Julia Brown and Professor Walter Gregory.
Other support includes a qualitative research
team led by Professor Jenny Hewison
(School of Medicine, Leeds Institute of Health
Sciences), health economic experts, renal
clinicians and patient representatives.

STAR players: back row (l-r): Dr Pat Hanlon, Professor

Walter Gregory, Dr Barbara Potrata, Dr Janet Brown, Dr
Sandy Tubeuf. Front row (l-r): Catherine Olivier, Dr Tze
Wah, Ines Rombach, Kate Hayward.

STAR will also enable three sub-studies: one

using a specialised form of MRI scanning
which could lead to very early prediction of
patient response to sunitinib; the second
pursuing the same aim but using Contrast
Enhanced CT; and the third, looking at
validation of renal cancer biomarkers
(molecules which can be easily measured in
tissue), which will help in future diagnosis of
the disease.

*A randomised multi-stage phase ii/iii study of Sunitinib comparing Temporary cessation with Allowing continuation, at
the time of maximal radiological response, in the first-line treatment of locally advanced/metastatic Renal cancer.

January 2012

www.leeds.ac.uk/events

Noticeboard
Pip Dickens: New Work

Kashmiri shawls have long been coveted for their elegance and beauty and the new
exhibition at the Universitys Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery Pip Dickens: New Work
explores these shawls as fine art.
Contemporary artist Pip Dickens has been invited to create new paintings that explore the
aesthetic, thematic and literary connections of the collection of Kashmir shawls held at the
University of Leeds International Textiles Archive (ULITA),
The exhibition will include new paintings
and works on paper. In particular, they
explore the iconic boteh or paisley motif
from these exotic fabrics. The boteh in the
works are placed in dramatic and colourful
environments, and act almost like human
characters, interacting with one another, and
moving across the surfaces of the paintings.
The works are heavily layered with colours
and textures, referencing the woven texture
of the source materials; she also plays with
shadow, translucency and relief, a reflection
of the delicate and shimmering nature of
the shawls. In her work, the environments
become theatrical and fantastic, where
histories and stories about the shawl weavers
and wearers come to life.
DETAIL: The world within us

The exhibition runs from 17 January until 14

April, and the Gallery is open from Mon-Sat,
10-5pm. Admission is free. An exhibition
catalogue is available from the Gallery shop.
The exhibition is accompanied by a full
programme of events; details can be found
at www.leeds.ac.uk/gallery/events.htm W

Economics, Empire, and

Ethnicity: old perspectives
on China and globalisation

The Annual Jay Blumler

Lecture

Maraca2s percussion party

In the third in the highly popular Family
Concert series, the Maraca2 (otherwise
known as Maraca-Dos!) will be showcasing
their skills and playing a huge array of
percussion instruments, ranging from
marimbas to tuned bottles. Visiting all kinds
of musical styles, the duo will be encouraging
audience participation and there will
also be lots of opportunities for budding
percussionists to perform on stage.
The concert will be in the Clothworkers Hall,
and tickets are 6 or 4 for children under
16. Visit http://store.leeds.ac.uk/ W

The guest speaker at this years lecture is

Professor John Keane from the University of
Sydney, who will speak on Power, Silence,
Catastrophe: Why Media and Democracy
Matter in the Early Years of the Twenty-First
Century. He will talk about how we are living
in a new era of large-scale catastrophes,
whose causes, ruinous effects and remedies
demand bold new thinking about the way
manufactured public silence operate as the
currency of power. These calamities force
us to reconsider the meaning of democracy
and the inherited reasons why the old
European ideal of freedom of communication
is desirable far more precious than our
ancestors could possibly have imagined.
The lecture is organised by the Institute of
Communications Studies and will be held in
the Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall on
Thursday 26 January at 5.30pm.
All are welcome to attend and the event is
free. Please email e.v.pollard@leeds.ac.uk to
reserve a place.

David S G Goodman, Professor of Chinese

Politics, University of Sydney, will give
the inaugural lecture from the Worldwide
Universities Network (WUN) Contemporary
China Center at the University on 1 February.
The lecture will examine three current
dominant public beliefs about China: that
it has been rising during the last three
decades; that China as a state has a long
history; and that there is a high degree of
social and cultural homogeneity amongst
the Chinese. Each of these beliefs helps
the understanding of Chinas development
and place in the world. However, there are
alternative interpretations that result from
taking a longer-term historical perspective
on these same issues, which suggest a
more complex role for China in the future of
globalisation, as well as for the development
of the Chinese state.
The WUN Contemporary China Center
brings together scholars from WUN partner
universities through seminars and workshops,
with the aim of fostering and supporting
interdisciplinary research on China.
Professor Goodman is one of the most
prolific researchers on China, and is
Academic Director of the Chinese Studies
Centre at the University of Sydney.
The lecture is in the Yorkshire Bank Lecture
Theatre, Leeds University Business School,
at 18.00 for an 18.30 start. Please register
at http://d7eypgp3.fikket.com/event/wunccc-annual-lecture-economics-empire-andethnicity-old-perspectives-on-china-andglobalisation W
15

FAQs
Dr Kath Hodgson
Director of Learning and
Teaching Support
Congratulations on your award of an MBE,
announced in the New Years Honours list.
How do you feel about being honoured in
this way?
After the surprise, I was delighted that people
had regarded my professional achievements
as appropriate for such an honour.
When will you actually get to meet the
Queen and receive your MBE?
I dont know yet Ill be informed over the
next week or two.
Any thoughts about the outfit yet?
Not really. When I went to a garden party at
the Palace for supporters of the armed forces
I spent at least two months and lots of shoe
leather before finding an outfit I was happy
with, especially a hat. Unfortunately, it was
a summer hat so I suppose I cant wear it
again even though it has been sitting in a hat
box ever since!
Youve been a Leeds graduate three times!
How did that come about?
Actually its four, as I already had a Cert Ed.
When I decided on a career change, I needed
to study part-time and Dr Gordon Whalley,
the husband of a teaching colleague, advised
me to apply to the University. After gaining
an Advanced Diploma in Organisation and
Management in the School of Education I
was hooked. So I went on to do an MEd by
Research and a PhD.
If you were to study again, what subject
would you choose and why?
Although Ive never done any, I would be
interested to do archaeology. I also want to
learn more about painting with watercolours.
Id love to paint pictures of historical scenes
like the artist on Time Team.

16

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Tell us about your career.

I was a classroom teacher in Leeds for 20
years, during which time I specialised in
teaching children with special needs. I was
particularly keen on developing lifeskills. I
taught children between 7 and 13 years of
age. I then became a policy officer in Leeds
Education Department where I wrote the
handbook for schools and supported the
development of the strategy plan.
I got a fixed term contract in the Planning
Office at the University working with Sally
Macgill on the 1992 Research Assessment
Exercise. After several years in different roles
in the planning area, I was appointed to a
permanent role heading up the Quality Unit
and my current role has developed from
that. I have worked with the Universitys
partner colleges such as Leeds Trinity
University College as they developed into
independent institutions and have worked for
the QAA as an Audit Secretary for 10 years.
What does your job as Director of Learning
and Teaching Support involve?
Im very fortunate in my job as it is extremely
varied and involves me working closely with
academic and professional staff as well as
students. The main areas of activity Im
involved in relate to the quality assurance of
learning and teaching across the University
and supporting strategic developments. I am
involved in lots of committees and working
groups, drafting policy papers, and helping
at degree ceremonies.
What are the big challenges coming up for
you in 2012?
Making the Partnership even more effective
and continuing to support the development of
a single education service for the University.

What are the best and worst things about

your job?
The best thing is the people I work with.
I have been fortunate to work with an
excellent team of people with a positive, can
do attitude.
The worst thing is small furry creatures
which weve had in our building recently!
Whats your most frequently asked
question?
Would you like a coffee? People know I cant
resist a cup!
What achievements professional and
personal have made you most proud?
Professionally, Im most proud of the
development of LeedsforLife and the way
in which a group of people came together
determined to make it work. Personally, Im
proud to be the first person in my family to
get a degree (and now an MBE!).
Which book, film and piece of music would
you choose to take to a desert island?
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, the
film Mamma Mia to cheer me up and sing
along to, Shania Twain would be my choice
of music.
Describe your perfect day.
My perfect day would be spent walking in
the mountains in the morning and watching
Barcelona football team with Messi scoring
the winning goal in the afternoon. This would
be followed by a dinner party at Le Manoir
with Thierry Henry, the Dowager Duchess of
Devonshire, Raymond Blanc and Alan Alda.
A lot of travelling but you did ask about an
ideal day.