wlv dialogue - issue 11
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Welcome to the latest edition of WLV Dialogue. There have been a number of exciting developments at the University recently. A refurbished Students’ Union opened its doors this academic year, with a fresh and vibrant new look.TRANSCRIPT
Winter 2011 | Issue 11 | University of Wolverhampton | www.wlv.ac.uk
WLVdialogue
An EyEful of Sound Animation lecturer scoops top award
HomE from HomE New Student Union Centre opens
CrEAtivE CollAborAtion Prestigious win for business partnerships
Welcome to the latest edition of WLV Dialogue.
There have been a number of exciting developments at the University recently. A refurbished Students’ Union opened its doors this academic year, with a fresh and vibrant new look.
at the ERASMUS scheme, which enables students to travel to partner
institutions in Europe to enhance their language and cultural skills, on
pages 16-17.
Take a step back in time on pages 10-11 where you can read about
some interesting research being carried out by Reader in History, Dr
Laura Ugolini. Laura is looking at the role of civilian men on the home
front during World War I.
We hope you enjoy reading this edition of WLV Dialogue. If you have any
feedback for us, please get in touch at: [email protected]
Our next magazine will be out in the Spring.
Best wishes
vickie Warren
WLV Dialogue Editor
The Ambika Paul Student Union Centre offers a comfortable and friendly
‘home from home’ for students, and was officially launched by the
University’s Chancellor, the Rt Hon Lord Paul of Marylebone.
The University has also launched two innovative new Institutes which
aim to enhance students’ employability and create new opportunities
with businesses. Find out about the Institute of Gaming and Animation
and Institute of Media Arts on pages 8-9. There was a double success
at the prestigious Lord Stafford Awards, which recognise collaboration
between businesses and universities in the West Midlands. Read more
about the award-winning projects on pages 20-21.
In tough economic times, our graduates are boosting their credentials
by gaining valuable work experience. A group of graduate interns who
have been working at the University talk about what the placement
has meant to them on pages 6-7. Students are also adding to their
CVs by taking part in international student exchanges. We take a look
Welcome
PAGE
10
42
22
20
coNTeNTS 1
nEWS Home from home – Ambika Paul Student Union 2Centre launched
An Eyeful of Sound – Prestigious award win 4for animation lecturer
one step ahead – Graduate interns boost their credentials 6
new beginnings – Launch of two Institutes 8
rESEArCHthe war at home – Research into the role 10of civilian men in World War 1
ProfilEthe power of education – Q&A with Henriette Harnisch 12
fEAturEPutting pen to paper – A look at our Creative 14and Professional Writing course
intErnAtionAlAn exchange of ideas – The benefits of student exchanges 16
dare to dream – Scholarship transforms the life of one student 18
buSinESSCreative collaboration – Lord Stafford Award 20success celebrated
PEoPlESign of success – Q&A with former BBC 22See Hear Editor Terry Riley
Graduate Success Story – Biological Sciences 24graduate John Tarplee
What’s on guide – University events 25
PAGE16
Coming to university can be a daunting
time, but finding a place that feels
like home can be the key to settling
in. Students at the university of
Wolverhampton now have a new-look
Students’ union which aims to provide a
friendly, comfortable and homely space for
them to meet friends, study and relax.
Students were asked what they wanted from
their Students’ Union and the overwhelming
response was a coffee lounge and comfortable
study zones. With a fresh outlook and focus,
the SU is at the centre of the Wolverhampton
City Campus and is already proving a popular
destination with the University’s student
population.
The Ambika Paul Student Union Centre was
recently officially opened by the University’s
Chancellor, the Rt Hon Lord Paul of
Marylebone. The Centre received a generous
donation from the Ambika Paul Foundation,
a charitable trust established by Lord Paul in
memory of his daughter. At the opening, Lord
Paul spoke of the importance of education in
his own life and his pleasure at being able to
support today’s students.
“I am delighted that I have been able to benefit
the next generation by doing something for
this University, of which I have enjoyed being
Chancellor. I can think of no better way of
contributing through my foundation than
towards a Student Union Centre. This is where
they can study, talk to each other and be proud
of the University and their education,” he said.
Ken Harris is the Students’ Union President and
he is delighted with the revamped Students’
Union. He explains what the new SU means
to students: “The Students’ Union is a home
from home. A place to relax and socialise in,
participate in clubs and societies and take part
in volunteering and employment opportunities.
The SU is also a place to study and receive
support.”
The front of the Students’ Union, situated
opposite the Learning Centre on the City
Centre Campus, has been transformed into a
vibrant and welcoming modern environment.
On entering the glass-fronted space, students
are met by a coffee lounge with comfortable
seats and tables, and a reception area with
friendly staff who are happy to help. A corridor
with striking virtual wallpaper featuring images
of real Wolverhampton students leads to
the Activities Centre, a study zone equipped
with computers and more comfy seats. The
sabbatical Students’ Union officers can often
be found here, making them fully accessible
to the student body and on hand to help out
and advise. There is a boardroom for meetings
and a recording studio where the student radio
2 NeWS
station, Kic Fm, is based. In addition, the room
which formerly housed the bar, The Lounge,
and a larger room called The Venue, both
provide a great space for comedy and karaoke
nights and enables clubs and societies to host
their own events.
The new-look Students’ Union very much
reflects the needs of today’s students, who
want to work hard to succeed but also
socialise with their friends. The Centre has
opportunities for employment, enabling
students to further boost their credentials.
The location is also perfect as it is close to the
Learning Centre, Sports Centre, Careers and
Employment Service and Active Volunteers,
enabling students to combine their work with
extra-curricular activities.
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Caroline Gipps, is
pleased that the University has been able to
provide a space that students enjoy and that is
extremely well used.
She says: “The student experience is extremely
important to us, and we are pleased that
we have been able to provide such a bright
and comfortable environment for our thriving
student community.
“We are most grateful to Lord Paul and the
Ambika Paul Foundation for their generous
support of this new Centre.”
Perhaps the final word should go to the
students who use the Student Union Centre
on a daily basis to relax and study, take part
in activities and learn about opportunities to
further their skills.
Ken Harris says: “A Students’ Union is many
things to many people but to us it is a place
to call our own, and with the help of the
Ambika Paul Foundation we have a place to
accommodate the needs and activities of
our students.”
A Students’ Union is many things to many people but to us it is a place to call our own.
NeWS 3
University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Caroline Gipps, Students’ Union President Ken Harris, Chairman of Governors Michael Elliott and University Chancellor, the Rt Hon Lord Paul of Marylebone PC
What does the number four taste like?
What colour is the letter l? What shape
is beethoven’s fifth Symphony or take
that’s the flood? these may sound like
unusual questions, but for someone with
synaesthesia, they are likely to evoke a
whole array of sensations.
Synaesthesia is often described as a joining
of the senses, whereby two or more of the
five senses that are normally experienced
separately are involuntarily and automatically
joined together. This may be hearing a piece
of music and seeing a certain shade of colour,
or where numbers, days of the week or
months have personalities, shapes or even
tastes. It is an interesting phenomenon which
has fascinated artists for generations, and an
animation lecturer at the University has spent
five years researching and developing a project
that explores and celebrates this rare trait.
Sam Moore is an award-winning animated
documentary maker at the University’s
School of Art & Design. Her short film about
synaesthesia, An Eyeful of Sound, recently won
the prestigious Nature Journal Scientific Merit
Award at the Imagine Science Festival,
New York.
Sam says: “Film makers spend a lot of time
sending work out to film festivals and it is a long
process – sometimes we get in and sometimes
we don’t. To get in was great but to win the top
prize was a real thrill.”
The prize is awarded to the best short film of
the festival, and was significant recognition
for the documentary. The 10 minute animated
documentary focuses on audio-visual
synaesthesia and was produced with three
women who see music. Sam received funding
from the Wellcome Trust to conduct a research
and development project, which grew into
the film.
“I had been interested in the brain trait of
synaesthesia for a few years. I am always
looking for things that can be visual and put
across well within an animated documentary.
The research and development project was
really interesting to do, so it seemed a logical
conclusion to continue and turn it into a short
film and give it a life outside,” she explains.
“A lot of artists are interested in synaesthesia;
if you have a creative output once you have
heard about it, you don’t forget about it and it
seems to hold the key to why the human brain
is creative.”
Sam, who is not synaesthetic herself, built
quite a relationship with the three women she
interviewed for the documentary. The process
began with an audio interview about their
experiences, and then Sam began to cut up
the sound and think of how to make images
that would be representative of what they
described.
Sam says: “It is a view of the subject that we
could not get any other way. You cannot put
a camera in their heads to show how they
experience life.
“When I played them sounds – not just music,
even the sound of a coffee grinder – it would
bring up something visual and outside their
body that was really interesting.
An eyeful of Sound
4 NeWS
“One of the participants said that when her
friends and family came round to the house,
she would play them the film to explain what
the condition was like. They really like the film
– one said I had made it very synaesthetically
which I liked! A lot of people don’t admit to
being synaesthetic because people will think
they are weird, but it is not an illness, it is a way
of seeing the world.”
Sam says she picks up nuggets of information
all over the place and files them away for future
use. Her previous work, The Beloved Ones,
tells the true stories of two African women
living with the repercussions of HIV/AIDS, while
doubled up is a portrait of her own experiences
of having twin boys.
Students on the School of Art & Design’s BA
(Hons) Animation are encouraged to get their
films screened as much as possible. The
course seeks to develop students’ technical
knowledge and cultivate their understanding
of movement, mostly through drawing. They
learn to combine visual and sound skills with
(c) Samantha Moore An Eyeful of Sound funded by the Wellcome Trust. Front cover: Glitter Flyover
Things in the Road
structured time and motion, as well as honing
their editing skills and creative use of sound.
“One of the things I love about the course is
that it’s really diverse, has an open ethos and
students are encouraged to find their own way,”
Sam says. “It is really about finding your style
and respecting different ways of working.
“I always say to students that they should get
their work out there as much as they can and
get it screened. You see your work in a different
context and see what’s not working – the more
feedback you get the better.”
Sam has already moved on to her next
project – her PhD, which is looking at
animation to represent unique brain states
such as synaesthesia. As Sam’s work shows,
inspiration comes from many places, and
students at the University continue to amaze
and challenge expectations with their work.
And with an award-winning lecturer behind
them, the sky’s the limit.
NeWS 5
Monday
Glitter Harp
6 NeWS
Gracia Kabongo’s experience of the
current job market may be familiar to
many recent graduates.
“I finished University in May and I didn’t get
anywhere. I got interviews and it was always a
case of not having enough experience,”
she says.
But 21-year-old Gracia wasn’t one to accept
defeat and she applied for a Graduate
Internship at the University of Wolverhampton,
where she had studied a BA (Hons) in Event
and Venue Management. Gracia and three
other graduates from the Class of 2010 were
successful in gaining places with the academic
Schools where they had studied.
“Now I have experience of lots of different
things – dealing with customers, liaising with
colleagues and using my own initiative. I go
into the office and I decide what is best for the
students I’m dealing with. I think this internship
will boost my future chances,” the School
of Sport, Performing Arts and Leisure
graduate adds.
The role of the interns is to share their own
experiences and help new students settle into
their academic programmes. They provide
advice and support to students on enrolment
and registration, monitor attendance and
support any individual students who are
experiencing difficulties. They have almost
become ‘the face’ of their Schools, building
relationships with students, with some inquirers
returning to them a second or third time for
additional support.
Gracia explains: “I have been doing lots of
presentations and I felt scared at first, but now
I’m more confident speaking in front of people
and on the telephone. It has helped me to learn
a lot about students and I love putting a smile
on someone’s face, and when they say thank
you it’s great.”
Positive experience
Each of the interns has come to the six-month
internship with different experience, but all are
positive about what they are learning.
Joanne Griffiths studied part-time to complete
a BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies at the
School of Education. She managed to juggle
her degree with raising her children, and she
jumped at the chance when she heard about
the internship.
The 34-year-old says: “It is a nice feeling to
help students – we do get the same students
coming back to us and you build a relationship
with them.
“Every day is different and every week is
different – I actually like coming to work.”
Katier Scott was a mature student at the
School of Art & Design, with 18 years of
work experience already. But the internship
programme has opened up new horizons and
possibilities for her.
“There is a lot of experience I am bringing to the
job, but it is a way of starting a career within a
University. Working face-to-face with people is
rewarding and you get to see the end result. It
can be on-going support, and I have also
made friends.”
Meanwhile Business Management graduate
Stacy Evans, 24, has found that doing the
internship has changed her aspirations.
After finishing her degree at the University of
Wolverhampton Business School, Stacy had
wanted to go into HR or Marketing, but now
she says she just wants to help people.
The skills she has learnt so far are wide
ranging, and she thinks it was a good idea for
the University to focus on recent graduates for
these positions.
“I have gained communication and presentation
skills. I enjoy working face-to-face with the
students and staff,” she says.
“Recent graduates are good because they are
fresh from their studies and relate to students
better. They also know the positive and negative
sides of being a student.”
One step ahead
Stacy Evans
NeWS 7
Joanne agrees: “It also makes you more
approachable if they know you have
just finished. You have common ground
straight away.”
broadened horizons
The experience of the internship has
broadened horizons for each of the
graduates, but the skills and knowledge
gained from their degrees is still hugely
important and useful.
BA (Hons) Journalism and Editorial Design
graduate Katier, 39, says: “I would still like
to go into journalism, but I would like to
stay at the University and do a Masters.
I’m interested in lecturing, Marketing or
becoming a technician – it has opened up
options within the University, and I have
always loved this University.”
Joanne adds: “I haven’t changed my
aspirations, but this has broadened
my horizons. When you hear about the
economy, there are fewer jobs out there
so everybody has to widen their scope for
what they want to do.”
Jon Elsmore is Dean of Students at the
University, and developed the proposal for
the internships. He is aware of the challenges
facing today’s graduates, but is keen to stress
that there are opportunities out there.
“The University was a major partner in the West
Midlands Graduate Internship programme,
through this and other initiatives we matched
over 150 of our graduates with local employers.
I thought that we should be sharing the same
benefits as an employer and so developed this
scheme for graduate interns to bring their recent
experiences back to the University to help new
students.
“The project has been hugely successful and I
hope we will be able to continue to offer these
opportunities in the future.”
A bit of advice
So what advice would the interns give to
students following in their footsteps?
Joanne says: “Get as much experience as you
can, alongside your degree. I did volunteer work
but looking back I wish I had done more and
pushed myself.”
Katier agrees, and suggests the Students’
Union is a good place to gain some valuable
experience, whether it is working on a student
newspaper or working in the reception.
“We are not in jobs that are necessarily our
chosen career but we are all in a job that opens
up the opportunity of going into a career. It is
good to get a foot in the door, so when a job
does come up you are in the right place,” she
adds.
Stacy advises: “Every student should use all the
services that the University provides, such as
the Careers and Employment Service.”
Gracia takes a slightly different, and rather
refreshing, stance.
“My advice is switch off the news! There might
be cuts in jobs but a lot of my friends are still
getting positions. I think hearing about it can
destroy your focus – I would say, focus on what
you want to do. Believe in yourself and go and
get it.”
One step ahead
Gracia Kabongo and Katier Scott
the two new Institutes, which will enhance
the student experience and create new
opportunities to work with industry experts.
The courses we offer in these subjects
are innovative and engaging, and provide
our students with the necessary skills and
experience to start a career in these important
and growing industries.”
introducing … the institute of Gaming and
Animation
The Institute of Gaming and Animation (IGA)
is led by its Director, Dr Stuart Slater. Bringing
together experts from the School of Art &
Design and the School of Technology, the IGA
was formed to meet demands from industry
to deliver cutting edge technology and design
solutions. Academics from both Schools have
worked with industry leaders on innovative
curriculum development to ensure students
on undergraduate courses graduate with skills
relevant to the demands of the profession. The
Institute also offers bespoke training and works
with regional, national and European partners
on innovative projects and applied research.
In addition, the IGA has a thriving Games
Society which has seen students exhibit
their projects at high profile events such as
The Gadget Show Live. Graduates have
if asked what would be their dream job,
working in the media or the computer
games industry would probably be high on
the list for many graduates. both careers
offer the opportunity to combine a passion
with a profession and the potential
rewards are enormous. but with popularity
comes competition, and the need to have
the edge and stand out in a crowd is a
challenge facing today’s job hunters.
The University of Wolverhampton recognises
the need to tick every box on an employer’s
wish list. They want academic knowledge
and professional skills in areas relevant to
their industry, and they also want practical
experience. That’s why two new Institutes at
the University are striving to enhance students’
employability and create new opportunities with
regional, national and international businesses.
The Institute of Media Arts and the Institute of
Gaming and Animation were officially launched
at a reception attended by students, graduates,
academics and industry experts. Both Institutes
seek to create links with businesses that will
benefit both the employers and the students.
They also draw together experts from different
areas of the University to work on innovative
projects and applied research.
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Caroline Gipps,
says: “We are delighted to have launched
also worked on over 24 Nintendo Wii games
and popular titles such as Resident Evil:
Degeneration and Grand Theft Auto: the
Lost and the Damned. The IGA has links with
industry giants like Microsoft and Epic, giving
students access to leading experts in the field.
At the launch, Stuart recognised the economic
challenges facing the gaming industry but
highlighted that there are opportunities for the
bright young stars of tomorrow.
“The University has shown over a continued
period that if there is an opportunity for our staff
and students to innovate, they will always hold
their own.
“The support from University staff, firstly in the
inception of the Institute and then changes
to the curriculum and the refocusing of our
business development, means that the students
of the future can have optimism.”
He was joined at the event by Nick Davies, a
graduate of the University who has gone on
to become a Senior Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Engineer at CCP Games, who said he still used
the skills and ideas he learnt while studying
in Wolverhampton in his career today. David
Burden, from Daden Limited which has worked
with Stuart on some innovative projects already,
also outlined the benefits of collaboration
between universities and businesses.
8 NeWS
New beginnings
The Institutes are specialising in high growth areas of the economy and both bring businesses closer to the University
Speaking at the launch, Sam focused on
change – to both the economic climate and
the media industry itself, and how this impacts
on those wishing to embark on a career in this
exciting arena.
“There are many changes for the creative
and media sector, but with change comes an
opportunity for innovation and creativity and we
will be embracing future changes,” she added.
the final say: employers
The keynote speaker at the launch was
Karen Price, Chief Executive of e-skills and
a recent recipient of an honorary degree
from the University. e-skills is the employer-
led Sector Skills Council for Business and
Information Technology. Karen shared her
insights on collaboration between universities
and businesses, highlighting the fact
employers recognise the importance of higher
education in shaping the talent pool. She also
emphasised the benefits of such links for the
professional development of people who are
already on the payroll.
As someone who knows the minds, desires
and aspirations of today’s employers, Karen
is well aware of the impact well-equipped
graduates can make to a business.
Presenting… the institute of media Arts
Sam Hope heads the Institute of Media Arts
(IMA), which aims to be a centre of excellence
incorporating expertise from the School of
Art & Design and the School of Law, Social
Sciences and Communications. By developing
undergraduate and postgraduate courses
that are industry focused, the Institute aims to
produce graduates who will shape the creative
industries. Partnerships with the media industry,
including the BBC, help to boost student
placement opportunities in a profession that
demands work experience on every
applicant’s CV.
Another strand of the Institute’s remit involves
outreach work with school pupils and young
people. An excellent example of this was the
Be Heard! Project, which was a magazine-
style radio programme produced by blind
and partially sighted people aged between 13
and 25. With support from Wolverhampton
Community Radio (WCR FM) and media
experts at the University, they developed
the content for a range of features. The final
production included the subjects of audio
description for visually impaired people,
owning a guide dog, the meaning of dreams,
a friendship poem, a passion for football and a
school visit.
She says: “I wish both Institutes every success.
They are both specialising in high growth areas of
the economy and both bring businesses closer to
the University, and this means we are supporting
the talent pool for both sectors.”
The world of work is changing and evolving all
the time, and there are challenges for all sectors.
Through the new Institutes, the University of
Wolverhampton is striving to produce graduates
who are ahead of the game.
NeWS 9
10 ReSeARch
the experiences of men who fought during
the first World War are well documented.
many kept diaries, wrote poems or letters
home to loved ones and some went on
to write autobiographies about life in the
trenches when the war ended. but
what about the men who lived during
the Great War, but didn’t step foot onto
the battlefield?
Up until now, little has been written about
civilian men on the home front, particularly
middle class men. The men themselves may
have considered their experiences as being less
important or interesting as those fighting for
their country so did not record the ins and outs
of daily life. But a University of Wolverhampton
researcher is investigating the experiences of
such individuals for a new book.
Dr Laura Ugolini, Reader in History, has
received a research grant from the British
Academy to look at what happened to men
who didn’t join up because they were too old,
unfit or were in reserved occupations. It is
difficult to assess the numbers, but estimates
suggest that one in three men joined the armed
forces. This means that two thirds did not – but
so little is known about them.
“Looking at case studies of individuals, there
was a huge difference in their attitudes to the
war and clearly it was a problem for many of
them, even those that were too old to fight,”
Laura, from the School of Law, Social Sciences
and Communications, says.
“They felt they had to justify why they had
not enlisted and that they had to present
themselves as making a contribution to
organisations supporting the war effort and
charitable activities.
“But there was a feeling that whatever they
did was never going to be good enough – the
sacrifice was not sufficient as they were not on
the battle front.”
This seems to have been more of an issue
during the First World War than the Second,
as bombing of civilians on the home front was
more intense in the 1940s.
Laura explains: “There were Zeppelin raids and
the fear of a German invasion during WW1, but
during war time we create an image of heroic
soldiers and brave war personnel so it is always
difficult for those men who are not actively
fighting to justify their role in society.”
Dr Ugolini cites an example of a male civil
servant who was asked almost every day
why he was not in uniform, and even received
white feathers to symbolise cowardice. The
writings that are available suggest that some
men paid no attention to this, while others were
traumatised by it.
For example, at the outbreak of war, Walter
Glenn Ostler was a railway booking clerk at
Crouch Hill, North London. During an interview
for an oral history project in 1973, he said that
he was ‘6 ft 1 ½ tall and very soon patriotism
built up very intense around London and
alternate weeks I used to meet my fiancé at
Finsbury Park’. He added that getting on the
tram and ‘being so tall and fairly conspicuous
… I was soon made to feel that my place would
be in the forces; in fact on one or two occasions
I was given white feathers’.
Laura adds: “Some men spent the whole war
being harassed about why they were not in
uniform as the assumption was that they did
not want to do their duty, and had somehow
managed to get work in a reserved occupation
or used their contacts.”
looking closer
Dr Ugolini’s research looks at a number of
aspects of life for men on the home front,
including the impact of the Zeppelin attacks
and the extent to which people had information
about what was happening on the battle front.
She is also studying their experiences of work
and how they continued their occupations.
Family life is placed under the spotlight to
consider the disruption and break down of the
normal order, and asks whether men felt they
had lost their authority as women got involved
in the war effort and sons went off to fight in the
trenches.
The book will look at the men who volunteered
on the home front by becoming Special
Constables or joining paramilitary organisations
in case there was an enemy invasion. This was
one way of proving their patriotism. They also
had to change their leisure and consumption
habits because of the restrictions of the war.
The war at home
ReSeARch 11
To carry out the research, Dr Ugolini is looking
at any material that is available, such as diaries
of men on the home front. One diary she has
uncovered is thousands of pages long as the
author felt it was his war duty to write the diary.
At the end of the war, Frederick Robinson
wrote: ‘It is an intense relief to feel that this
daily self-imposed task, I might almost say,
this daily penance, is finished. I feel like the
man must have felt who took off the hair shirt
he wore for his soul’s sake’. His own family
questioned why he was doing it, and it became
a self-imposed duty for him. He stopped
writing on November 11, 1918.
Another diary was written by Andrew Clark a
vicar of a small parish in Essex, as he had been
disappointed that he had not kept a diary of
village life and opinions during the Boer War.
Laura describes this diary as “fascinating” as
he kept press cuttings and adverts to create a
history of the war.
“He is distant from the events of the war, but
you get hints within the diary of combatants
that didn’t come back. One family in his
parish lost five sons during the war, and this is
explained as the vicar had to sign to receive the
effects. On Wednesday 14 October 1914 Clark
wrote: Mrs Sophia Fitch, wife of Walter Fitch,
an agricultural labourer, had come ‘to have
their application signed for the effects of their
son Dick … of the 2nd Essex Regiment, killed
in action … a lad of just 19, and enlisted so
recently as a year ago last June’.
“He also posted the names of those that were
serving on the door of the church but stopped
this practice as it was too painful to remove the
names of those that had died. He tries to be
impersonal but this gives an insight into how
he felt about the losses. The death of his own
wife due to illness does not get mentioned in
the diary as it was not part of the war – perhaps
because it was considered personal.”
Dr Ugolini’s study looks at one of the most
widely researched periods of our country’s
history, but an aspect that has received little
attention. But as she says, it is another part of
the jigsaw in our understanding of this pivotal
era of modern times.
“After World War One, there was a trend
towards publishing the autobiographies of
soldiers, but very few, if any, of civilians. They
may not have been considered as important or
interesting as the experiences of combatants
but it creates a huge gap in our war knowledge
as you imagine the home front to be completely
empty of men, when clearly, it was not.”
What does your role involve?
Schools and Colleges Partnerships manages
the higher education and further education
collaborative provision the University has in
the Black Country and beyond. It also involves
pre-entry curriculum activity, where we develop
partnerships with schools and colleges to
jointly deliver curriculum opportunities such
as tasters, workshops and year-long courses
delivered in sixth forms.
Why is this aspect of the university’s
work important?
It helps us as a University to understand
the journey of students before they come
to us, and this informs teaching, learning,
assessment and achievement. It is important
for us to understand this so we can feed it into
our institutional strategic priorities. If we want
to improve student satisfaction, we need to
understand concretely and practically where
the students are coming from.
What do you enjoy about your work?
I really do enjoy challenges. I wasn’t looking
for a job when I heard about this one, but the
role initially was to direct the Black Country
14-19 Pathfinder (which later became
Language Networks for Excellence) and help
people to work together, and I wanted to
try and help change take place. Innovation
is the theme that links everything I do. I
am in a privileged position that I work with
external partners and no two days are ever
the same. The opportunities in Education
Partnerships of working either through Schools
and Colleges Partnerships or the Midlands
Leadership Centre are tremendous. The
Midlands Leadership Centre is an educational
consultancy that is commissioned by public
and private sector bodies to deliver bespoke
activity. That could be, for example, delivering
a project for funders in the Middle East to set
up an international school by helping them to
write a curriculum model, a staffing structure
and progression routes. We also do local
consultancy such as our involvement with
academies, which informs what we do on the
schools and colleges side too.
What is the key to
partnership working?
Communication and understanding. What
I find fascinating, elevating and inspiring in
partnership working is being confident about
the contribution we can make but also being
humble enough to understand every other
partner’s contribution. The aim is always to
create a whole which is greater than the sum
of its components.
What is the most difficult thing about
partnership work?
The same thing! People are driven by personal
or institutional agendas – understandably so
– but it is about working out what makes the
other person tick. What is making them say
what they are saying, and how can we find
a solution?
What advice would you offer to
students?
Follow your passion. Think about what it is
you really like or are great at, and that need
not relate to a specific job. To succeed in this
world, having one great job cannot be the
objective. We have to be flexible, highly skilled
and confident. It is finding that flame inside
of you.
What has influenced your
own career?
The big thing in my life has been mentors. At
every stage professionally I have had a really
important mentor. That is something I try and
be to young people – it is only when you reach
my age that you realise the value.
The power of educationHenriette Harnisch is Interim Deputy Director of Education Partnerships at the University of Wolverhampton. Her role involves managing the University’s Schools and Colleges Partnerships and also the Midlands Leadership Centre, an educational consultancy. She has worked at the University since 2003 and her background is in Linguistics. Henriette has worked across all educational sectors as a lecturer, teacher, curriculum manager and head of a specialist language centre, and moved to the UK 20 years ago from Berlin.
12 PRoFIle
1
2
3
7
6
5
4
PRoFIle 13
What are you working on currently?
The University co-sponsors three academies
which brings fantastic opportunities for us
in terms of student progression but also in
relation to building strong relationships, and a
robust research base for our transition work.
One of these new academies is the Black
Country University Technical College (UTC)
with lead sponsor Walsall College.
The UTC is a completely new type of institution
for 14-19 year olds and the emphasis is on
high quality vocational and technical learning.
The focus is on engineering, and we have
engineering and scientific expertise from both
institutions working together to develop a
curriculum model at the moment. This is a very
good area for us to be involved in, given the
expertise at the University.
What is the most rewarding thing
about your job?
We work hard to provide high quality and
innovative activities, and when children
experience these and at the end of them say “I
want to come back”, that’s very rewarding.
98
14 FeATURe
Candi Miller’s first novel, Salt and Honey, is set
in southern Africa during Apartheid and focuses
on a young girl’s displacement from her Kalahari
desert-tribe. Candi spent time in the Kalahari
to research the book, and is drawing on those
experiences again to write the as-yet untitled
sequel, due out in September 2011.
They agree that the hardest thing about writing
is the actual sitting there and doing it, for hours
on end, pushing the narrative along inch by
inch. It can be a lonely process, and that is one
of the appeals of a University course.
Candi explains: “You don’t have to come to
University to become a writer but one reason
why you might do so is the sense of community
– it is very appealing and comforting because
writing is such a lonely business. Our students
flourish when they are with people doing the
same thing.
“The reason the University of Wolverhampton
course is impressive I believe is that it is
practical, allowing you to merge your skills so
you can earn a living while closing in on your
creative enterprise. It combines the professional
side with the creative.”
Paul adds: “What a creative writing course does
is offer a context in which to develop creative
skills with that all important critical feedback
from people who have read a lot. That’s
invaluable. It’s very difficult to get objective
feedback outside the context of a creative
writing course.”
So what do our students write about?
According to Candi and Paul it is an eclectic
and enjoyable mix.
the saying goes that everyone has a novel
in them. but actually having that spark
of a great idea, the inspiration and the
determination to sit and write something
that transports an engrossed reader to a
different world takes something special. At
the university of Wolverhampton, a degree
course is helping students to nurture their
passion for writing and also earn a living
from their talent.
The BA (Hons) Creative and Professional Writing
degree offers a stimulating programme in
which budding authors can create, analyse and
interpret different forms and styles of writing.
The aim is for students to develop a range of
specific and transferable skills to enable them
to enter a wide range of professions, including
journalism, public relations, advertising,
copywriting, teaching and even fiction writing.
The publishing industry is a notoriously difficult
nut to crack, and the road to publication can be
littered by rejection letters. The University course
is taught by published authors who know the
challenges, pitfalls and the hard work needed
to succeed.
Senior Lecturer Dr Paul McDonald runs the
Creative and Professional Writing programme
and is also a comic novelist and poet. His
first novel, Surviving Sting (2001), draws on
his experiences working as a saddlemaker.
His second novel, Kiss Me Softly, Amy Turtle
(2004) is a comic mystery set in Walsall, while
his third, Do I Love You? (2008), takes Northern
Soul as its theme. His humour research gained
international media attention when he identified
the oldest joke in the world. Senior Lecturer
Putting pen to paper
“Our students come from a diverse range
of backgrounds and different continents
and their experiences are amazing, from the
supposed ordinariness of a peaceful Black
Country childhood to reformed addicts to
people from oppressive regimes in Eastern
Europe. Students think their lives have not
been interesting but every single one of them
has found the minutiae of their lives can be
fascinating,” Candi says.
Paul agrees: “I’m constantly learning – it’s an
absolute joy to read students’ work. They have
interesting things to say about themselves and
their world.”
Inspiration can come from all sorts of places.
For Candi, it is a perceived injustice, but she
admits this is different for every writer. Paul,
meanwhile, says it is looking for things he
finds funny in everyday life and exaggerating
them. However neither believes in the concept
of writers’ block, with Candi arguing this is
inevitably about something else that is going on
in a writer’s life.
“One thing I will always say to people is never
wait for inspiration – you have to go out and
find something to write about and when you
find it, keep writing about it. Inspiration won’t
seek you out – you have to be proactive if
you want to be a writer,” Paul advises.
FeATURe 15
There can be an element of false expectation
among people seeking a career in creative and
professional writing, drawn in by the fairytale
stories of what happened to authors such
as Harry Potter creator J.K Rowling. Candi
explains that it is crucial for budding writers
to be ferocious readers, to read widely and
understand the building blocks of words.
Paul says: “You have to strike a balance by
encouraging people to be realistic and letting
them know it’s not an easy thing to do. Many
are called but few are chosen when it comes
to being a celebrity writer. But on the other
hand, people do make money out of writing and
publishers are looking for writers to publish, so
there’s nothing wrong with optimism.”
Candi continues: “You have to write with an
audience and market in mind. That does not
mean you have to compromise your creativity
but you have to write realistically. Not all writing
has to be shared, but if you do decide to share
it, it should be entertaining, informative and
meet some demand.”
So what advice would they offer to tomorrow’s
novelists and professional writers? Paul and
Candi’s recommendations are simple – write
and also read as much as possible.
“Writers are the ones who go out and find ideas
actively, look for ideas, feed on ideas and then
put the work into developing those ideas into
something,” Paul says.
Candi adds: “Write and don’t send your work
off prematurely. You need feedback desperately,
and that is the time to find a writers’ network
and if you can get on to a University course so
much the better. At University, the tutors come
to know you over the course of your degree so
they can see your possibilities more than
you can.
“We want you to be the best writer you can be,
whether that is as a professional or
creative writer.”
dos and don’ts do
• Read as much as you can
• Take advice where you can get it
• Put your writing aside then go back
to it and revise before thinking about
publishing it
• Have courage in your convictions if you
have a good idea
don’t
• Submit a first draft
• Overwrite – be selective
• Try to write a bestseller – write what you
can and feel
• Be discouraged – if it’s rejected, send it
to another publisher
European partners, so they do not incur any
additional costs for the period they spend on an
ERASMUS programme.
The benefits are wide-ranging. Izabela Wojcik,
a Tourism Management and French student,
spent five months in Nice and was nervous
about having language difficulties.
“I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t be able
to speak the language or cope with exams.
But thankfully that was not so bad. After two
months I found myself thinking in French – that
was a new experience for me!” she says.
Mature English and History student Katrina
Brown describes studying at the University of
Versailles, Saint-Quentin, through ERASMUS as
one of the “best adventures of my life”.
“I felt I had accomplished a rite of passage,
albeit a few years late, had made new friends
and had a wonderful time getting to know Paris,
and, perhaps most importantly, developed
massively in confidence.”
There are also advantages for international
students who wish to visit Wolverhampton, and
over the years the University has welcomed
hundreds of enthusiastic students from across
Europe. Magdalena Brodzinska from Poland
where she studies English Philology, is
currently at the University studying English,
French and The American Civil War, and is
having a great time.
“I am enjoying my stay in Wolverhampton. I love
the University, the broad choice of modules
to study, friendly teachers and very attractive
library. It is a great educational experience to
study in Wolverhampton, I find it very different
than my home-university and I love exploring
these differences. ERASMUS is also an
unforgettable time for a young person because
of the many new acquaintances, spending time
with people of various cultures.”
ERASMUS also enables staff to take part in the
teaching and staff training mobility scheme. Many
staff have taken advantage of the scheme to visit
partner institutions in Europe to teach and run
workshops in their subject. This gives them the
opportunity to network, exchange ideas, learn
about each other’s culture and compare
working environments.
Graeme Simpson from the School of Health and
Wellbeing took part in such an exchange.
He says: “Not only are the teaching placements
worthwhile in themselves, the experience
provides valuable material to benefit the teaching
of the subject to University of Wolverhampton
social work students at all levels of study,
especially through reciprocal visits.”
From the University’s point of view, taking
part in an ERASMUS exchange enhances
students’ experiences, skills and adds to their
CVs. Wolverhampton actively promotes these
opportunities to students and encourages them
to grasp this wonderful opportunity to broaden
their horizons with both hands.
As Jo Gittens, Director, International, says: “The
ERASMUS scheme provides an opportunity for
a student to travel, experience different cultures
and enhance their employability skills. We support
and promote this scheme during studies as a
commitment to global citizenship and we benefit
from the enrichment these students bring to the
community here in Wolverhampton. Staff are
also catered for with many having taken up the
chance to network and exchange ideas in their
chosen field and I wholly endorse this activity.”
The students that visit Wolverhampton add to
the cultural diversity of the University and bring
a fresh outlook on the advantages of higher
education. For Wolverhampton students, an
ERASMUS exchange can be an enormously
exciting and beneficial aspect of their studies, and
an experience to remember.
for matt vesty, university has opened up a
new possibility that he wasn’t expecting.
He is off to Sweden for a semester to
broaden his language skills and experience
another culture through an ErASmuS
exchange.
“I thought it would be a convenient way to add
to my degree and gain teaching experience over
there,” he explains. “I have not been to Sweden
before, but a Swedish student came over last
year and explained what it was like. There is a
great focus on language and teaching which
complements what I’m doing, and I’ve always
wanted to go there.”
Linguistics and TESOL (Teaching English to
Speakers of Other Languages) student Matt
has basic Swedish which he is hoping to
develop further during his stay, but speaking
the language is not a requirement for
students wishing to take part in an exchange.
Participants study a wide variety of subjects
including English Language, Sport and Exercise
Science, Nursing, Psychology, Spanish, Law,
German, Public Relations and French. As many
of the University’s partner institutions teach all
or some of their modules in English, participants
don’t need to be studying a language to travel.
The ERASMUS exchange scheme has been
running at the University since 1987 with the
aim of increasing student mobility within the
European community. Hundreds of students
have taken part in the scheme, which allows
them to study at one or two of the University’s
partner institutions in Europe for a maximum
of one academic year. Over the years,
Wolverhampton students have visited Finland,
Cyprus, Poland, Spain, France, Germany,
Austria, Sweden, Italy, the Netherlands and the
Czech Republic. Students receive a contribution
grant to their living expenses and the institution
meets the costs of the study if they are from
An exchange of ideas
16 INTeRNATIoNAl
An exchange of ideas
INTeRNATIoNAl 17
“Although this took me almost a year to do,
it was hope and belief that kept me going. It
felt like a miracle when I found that I had been
selected for the MSc Computer Science course
at the University of Wolverhampton in May
2008.”
The timing coincided with the launch of the
Wolverhampton-India project, an initiative
which aims to strengthen existing links and
open up new opportunities for mutual benefit
to businesses, individuals and communities in
India and Wolverhampton. The project’s three
main areas of focus are trade, education and
culture/sport and it received backing from
organisations within Wolverhampton including
the University, Wolverhampton City Council,
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, the Chamber of
Commerce and City of Wolverhampton College
as well as local MPs.
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Caroline Gipps,
attended an official Wolverhampton-India
Project event in the Punjab in 2008 and
launched a new scholarship offered by the
then School of Computing and Information
Technology. The scholarship aimed to give
opportunities to academically excellent
students from poorer backgrounds by paying
their tuition fees to attend the University to
study courses offered by the School.
Jasvir was interviewed by Jasbir Singh Uppal,
India Co-ordinator from the School, and began
her studies in Wolverhampton in September
2008. Her accommodation and living costs
were met by a generous sponsor in the UK, Mr
Tejpal Atwall.
Jasvir says: “There were a lot of students from
my community and country at the University,
and that helped me a lot. The lecturers were
really nice and I enjoyed my course – it was
totally different from in India. The International
Centre at the University also helped us a lot.
“I have now finished my MSc at the University
of Wolverhampton, where I have been able to
learn valuable skills that can be applied to the
academic world. I felt that during the course,
the staff were helpful and friendly.”
Jasvir, now 23, graduated in September 2010
and her ceremony was attended by many of
the people who had helped her to achieve her
dream. Jasvir has remained in the UK and now
lives in London. She gained employment in
Data Administration and is currently looking for
a job closer to her field of expertise. She is also
hoping to continue her studies by completing a
PhD and she is grateful for the opportunity she
was given by the University.
“The main thing I learnt at the University of
Wolverhampton was that if anybody has a
desire to do something, then they must try to
achieve it. Everybody was equal and was given
an equal opportunity in the classes,” she says.
“I have gained independence and confidence
during each module, and the skills are with me
now that I’m in a profession.”
Professor Rob Moreton, Dean of what is now
the School of Technology, was instrumental
in developing the scholarship, and says he is
delighted by what Jasvir has achieved.
He says: “The School of Technology at the
University is committed to creating opportunities
for gifted students, and this scholarship
illustrates the difference higher education can
make to young people. I’m absolutely delighted
that Jasvir has achieved so much during her
time with us and everyone wishes her every
success for the future.”
Jasvir Kaur describes being selected to
study at the university of Wolverhampton
as “a miracle”. there was a time when
adding to her qualifications with a masters
degree seemed beyond reach – despite
her academic excellence and willingness
to learn.
Jasvir’s family were unable to pay for her
education, but she says she still dreamt of
obtaining a degree. She managed to pay a
small instalment to be accepted onto the BSc
Information Technology at Lyallpur Khalsa
College, Jalandhar in 2004. She received
support from a college tutor, Professor Harbans
Singh Bolina, who paid for her fees enabling
her to continue her studies, and she graduated
in 2007.
But Jasvir was determined to add to her
qualifications by studying at an international
university.
She says: “People said I was wasting my time
and foolish for trying to accomplish such an
impossible task. I began my research on how to
obtain a scholarship in order to carry out
my studies.
18 INTeRNATIoNAl
Dare to dre mthe university of Wolverhampton has a strong regional presence in india and welcomes hundreds of students from the country to the uK each year. A scholarship from the School of technology for indian students from poor backgrounds is helping to transform lives and make a difference to gifted and talented young people.
It felt like a miracle when I found that I had been selected for the mSc computer Science course
INTeRNATIoNAl 19
20 BUSINeSS
One of the Centre’s current projects is an
iPhone application called ‘Consume Within’.
Developed from an inventor project by a new
spin-out company, Unibyte Ltd, the app is all
about managing the food within your kitchen
fridge, freezer and cupboards. It keeps a record
of when items are due to go out of date and
alerts you when they are due to expire. Another
CIC success story is the Caparo RightFuel
device, a clever invention which prevents
motorists from filling petrol in diesel cars. The
brainchild of Martin White, who partnered with
the CIC to develop and license the patent
rights, the device won a double gold award at
the British Invention of the Year Awards
in 2008.
Andrew believes it is the collaborative element
that makes the Caparo Innovation Centre a
success. He says: “We have managed to get
the synergy of benefits a University can bring
to a project and what industry can add, so we
have the creativity and technical capacity from
the University side and the focus on results and
implementation from Caparo.”
John Wood, a Caparo Director who has
worked with the CIC from the very beginning,
agrees: “Through our combined expertise,
we have been able not only to assess and
develop many product innovations, but also
commercialise them in a manner that benefits
all parties. Working with the University of
Wolverhampton we have been able to provide
much needed support to inventors by giving
them access to a combination of practical
business experience and advanced
academic support.”
The Caparo Innovation Centre can be
approached at any stage of development –
from having a patent and a prototype to the
mere glimpse of a way to solve a particular
problem. The starting point for everybody is to
register through the website
(www.wlv.ac.uk/cic) and submit an idea.
Every day can hold a new surprise for staff at
the CIC, as Andrew explains: “The range of
ideas that people bring to us is immense. You
can never rely on your first impressions – very
often the best ideas come as something of
a surprise.”
A helping hand to innovate
Andrew Pollard is Industrial Professor at the
Caparo Innovation Centre, and was delighted
to see its achievements recognised at
the awards.
“The category was a new one for 2010 and
when we saw the criteria we just felt it fitted
so well with what we are doing here. The CIC
is a collaboration between Caparo and the
University but we involve third party inventors
in the development of products, so open
collaboration is very much what we are about,”
he says.
The Centre has three main roles. Firstly,
to provide access for Caparo companies
to University skills and resources, such
as specialist market research, design and
prototyping. Secondly, it is open to approaches
from independent inventors and may offer a
partnership agreement to develop products for
a share in the profits. Lastly, the CIC has new
product commercialisation skills, which are
available to other companies and organisations
in the region.
Creative collaboration the prestigious lord Stafford Awards celebrate collaboration between universities and businesses in the West midlands. the Caparo innovation Centre (CiC) – a successful partnership between the university of Wolverhampton and Caparo – scooped the top prize in the open Collaboration category at the recent awards ceremony. there was a double celebration on the night as the Advanced business development network (Abdn), which benefited from a Knowledge transfer Partnership with the university, won the Cisco Prize for new technologies.
BUSINeSS 21
So what advice is there for budding inventors?
Andrew says: “A successful inventor requires
a lot of skills. You need to have the passion
and belief in your idea because you will come
up against endless hurdles and barriers. You
need to be careful about sharing your idea with
others, yet at the same time get input from the
right people with experience in the market you
are interested in. We are able to offer inventors
a helping hand with all of these.”
Following on from the Lord Stafford Award
win, the Centre is planning yet another way of
assisting inventors. The £5,000 prize money
will be used to set up a new website that will
present an Open Marketplace for inventors and
inventions. When completed it will showcase
products that can only be bought directly from
the inventors, helping them to get their ideas
off the ground.
networking showcase
The Advanced Business Development Network
(ABDN) was also pleased to receive recognition
for its collaborative approach by clinching the
Cisco Prize for New Technologies. ABDN is a
network of 19 West Midlands manufacturing
companies that work together to improve
competitiveness and win bigger contracts than
they could achieve individually.
A Knowledge Transfer Partnership with
the University enabled ABDN members to
improve their digital marketing skills and
introduce IT systems to enable members to
collaborate. These developments led to more
than £200,000 of new business. Based at
Malthouse Engineering Ltd, but working with
all of the ABDN members, the KTP has
employed a specialist marketing graduate to
carry out the work.
Paul Buszard was the academic lead on the
KTP at the University. He said: “Although
the University of Wolverhampton is one of
the country’s biggest participants in KTP
programmes, this is the first project to involve
a cluster of companies. The team involved in
the KTP – Roy Taylor, Managing Director of
Malthouse Engineering, Jim Wood from the
ABDN and several specialist academics from
Wolverhampton – have worked together really
well and we are all very pleased with
the results.”
The success at the Lord Stafford Awards
illustrates the University’s commitment to
collaborating with West Midlands-based
companies to get new ideas, inventions
and projects off the ground, improve
competitiveness and enhance productivity to
the benefit of all involved.
open collaboration is very much what we are about
22 PeoPle
terry riley was the first deaf Editor of the bbC’s flagship See Hear programme. in September, the university recognised his
outstanding contribution to broadcasting for deaf and hard of hearing viewers and for promoting british Sign language (bSl) to
a wider audience by awarding him an honorary degree.
Terry has been an advocate for British Sign Language for over 40 years. Born into a Deaf family, both his parents were Deaf and sign language
users. He has a wealth of experience in Deaf Television, having started in 1987 as a researcher on See Hear, a community programme for
Deaf and hard of hearing viewers, and working his way up to become Editor in 2002. He was instrumental in setting up the European Deaf TV
and Video network, which now encompasses over 20 countries including the USA, Japan, Greece and Australia.
Terry is now the Chief Executive of the British Sign Language Broadcasting Trust. He has been associated with the British Deaf Association
(BDA) for many years and received its highest honour, the BDA Medal of Honour, for his work in promoting and empowering Deaf people.
Sign of success
PeoPle 23
How did you feel about receiving the
honorary award?
To be honest I didn’t actually believe it when I
first got the letter, then once it sank in I realised
what a great honour it was to be recognised in
such a way. It was unbelievable, very few Deaf
people are given such a rare and distinguished
award.
in your acceptance speech, you
spoke about language and bSl
in particular. Why is language so
important to you?
Language defines who we are. Language
and culture are the key to one’s identity.
Without language we cannot be equal.
Without language we cannot be involved
in society as equals. Without language we
cannot participate in democracy and without
knowledge we cannot be considered equals.
How do you think education for deaf
people has changed since you were
at school?
When I was at school, further education and
University was Utopia, it was there but not
for Deaf people. Now we are seeing Deaf
students in all levels of Deaf education from FE
to university degrees, becoming not only BAs
and MAs but PhDs too.
This is why universities have a greater role to
play in enabling Deaf students to take their
rightful place in university education.
1
2
3
Why did you choose a career in the
media?
This was a natural progression from my
small political campaigning, at local regional
and national levels, and I was aware that to
get noticed the best way was the media. It
is so powerful and has a very subtle way of
influencing the viewer without the hard pitch.
Also the media is a fantastic communication
medium for deaf people.
What do you enjoy about your
current role or find most rewarding?
I am now seeing the fruits of over 23 years
being nurtured with the new ethos of the
British Sign Language Broadcasting Trust. In
ensuring that Deaf people take their rightful
place in not only being seen on screen but
behind the camera. The new Zoom project is
giving Deaf talent the opportunity they thought
they would never have had. And they are
winning awards. I am now leaving a legacy.
What is your greatest professional
achievement?
I think it has to be the honorary degree from
the University of Wolverhampton, as this was
the culmination of my career at the BBC, and
it’s a very rare and humbling award.
the university of Wolverhampton
offers a range of deaf Studies and
interpreting courses. Why do you
think it is important for both deaf
and hearing people to study
these subjects?
For many Deaf people who are born into a
hearing family their Deaf heritage is almost
unknown, to learn about one’s history, culture
and languages gives us a unique identity. And
for many this is the first time they really know
who and what they are.
As I said before, language and education are
so important and it’s only by having good
qualified interpreters that we can participate in
all levels of society. For interpreters it is such a
challenging job and the language is developing
every day – it’s a living language. I strongly
believe no other language can compare with
the visual nature and complexity of British Sign
Language.
if you were to go to university now,
what subject would you like to
study?
Deaf history as I feel this is so important to our
heritage; it’s so unknown and the books and
films are being lost forever.
What advice would you offer to
students and graduates following in
your footsteps?
Knuckle down, be dedicated, and have fun.
You will get knockbacks but keep getting up
with a smile.
Who do you admire?
Nelson Mandela, who for so many years was
incarcerated in prison yet when released did
not seek vengeance or revenge but spoke of
all as one nation, all as equal. I often use his
quote: “If you talk to a man in a language he
understands that goes to his head. If you talk
to a man in his language that goes to
his heart.”
This is why I work in television. There is no
greater medium to show the beauty of sign
language than television.
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John tarplee may not have achieved the
grades he had hoped for at A-level, but
gaining a degree in biological Sciences
from the university of Wolverhampton has
helped him go from exam re-sits to sitting
at the top of the table as vice President of
a global pharmaceutical company.
John is responsible for the commercial
operations of ALK Abello, a research-driven
pharmaceutical company focusing on allergy
treatment, prevention and diagnosis.
John is Vice President for Northern Europe,
covering the UK and Ireland, the Nordic
countries, the Netherlands and parts of
Eastern Europe.
He explains: “I enjoy a very varied role and
there is no such thing as a typical day for
me. My main focus is business strategy,
considering how we can improve our offering
to all our stakeholders, whether it is customers,
employees or shareholders.”
And having responsibility for such a large
region means that a big part of John’s time is
dedicated to travelling, with as much as 40%
to 50% spent visiting businesses in Northern
Europe or having meetings in the company’s
headquarters in Copenhagen.
Before joining ALK Abello John began his
career as a medical sales representative,
visiting healthcare professionals and promoting
prescription medicines. He believes his time at
University provided a solid foundation for his
career path.
“My degree has definitely helped me in my
career. To work in the pharmaceutical industry
you need to have a solid life sciences education
and my studies gave me the knowledge
I needed to get started and build on as I
progressed upwards,” he explains.
As well as knowledge of his subject area, John
also developed key personal skills.
“My time at University taught me a lot about
how to present myself and my ideas and
how to negotiate for a win-win solution. Most
interaction essentially boils down to some kind
of a transaction and if you can get what you
Name: John tarplee
Course: bSc (Hons) biological Sciences
Year of Graduation: 1986
24 SUcceSS SToRy
John TarpleeGraduate success story
want whilst enabling the other party to get what
they want, you’re in for some success!”
Like many first generation university-goers
John remembers his time fondly and
recognises how his experience has
changed him.
“I probably didn’t realise it at the time but my
three years at Wolverhampton were very much
a transition for me,” he says. “It was the most
formative period of my life, where I learned
to become independent and self reliant. For
me the balance was just right between the
structure and control provided by my lecturers
and the freedom of the undergraduate living
away from home and fending for myself.”
And for new students thinking about going to
university in the future John has some advice.
“I think it is important to enjoy yourself and
make the most of what student life has to offer
– the curricular and extra-curricular activities
alike. Take the opportunity to broaden your
horizons and actively look for clubs, societies
and groups to join that can broaden your
perspective. The same is true of your studies,
be a critical and lateral thinker, these skills will
stand you in good stead in later life.”
How to Network – a business workshop providing some valuable hints and tips on successful networking.
Date: Wednesday, 9 february 2011
Time: 5.30pm-7pm
Location: Wolverhampton business Solutions Centre, Wolverhampton Science Park, Wolverhampton, Wv10 9rt
Call: 01902 321272
Email: [email protected]
Collektive-Exposure – exhibition by School of Art & design photography students.
Date: Saturday, 12 to friday, 26 february 2011
Location: fotofilia Photography Studio, 69 rea Street, birmingham, b5 6bb
Further details: http://collektive-exposure.blogspot.com
University of Wolverhampton Postgraduate Open Evening – find out about a range of Postgraduate courses, meet academics and current students and view the facilities.
Date: thursday, 24 february 2011
Time: 5.30pm-8pm
Location: mX building, Camp Street, Wolverhampton City Campus
Contact: Enquiries team
Website: www.wlv.ac.uk/pgopenevening
Call: 0800 953 3222*
WhAT’S oN GUIDe 25
John TarpleeCarbon Management business event – an overview of the legislation and some practical tips on how to apply carbon management principles in a business.
Date: thursday, 24 february 2011
Time: 7.30am-9am
Location: Wolverhampton business Solutions Centre, Wolverhampton Science Park, Wolverhampton, Wv10 9rt
Call: 01902 321272
Email: [email protected]
Telford Campus Conference Facilities launch event – find out about a range of conference and non-student accommodation facilities at telford Campus. Complimentary lunch and exhibitions, network and tour the Campus.
Date: tuesday, 1 march 2011
Time: 12pm-2pm
Location: telford Campus
Contact: Suzie Gobourne
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: www.wlv.ac.uk/conferences
Call: 01902 323839
Internationalism business event – experts will provide some practical advice on the international markets to enter and how to market your business.
Date: Wednesday, 9 march 2011
February
March
What’s onGuide
Time: 7.30am-9am
Location: Wolverhampton business Solutions Centre, Wolverhampton Science Park, Wolverhampton, Wv10 9rt
Call: 01902 321272
Email: [email protected]
University of Wolverhampton Open Day – find out about a range of courses, meet the lecturers and current students and tour the excellent facilities.
Date: Saturday, 12 march 2011
Time: 10am-3pm
Location: Wolverhampton City and Walsall Campuses
Contact: Enquiries team
Website: www.wlv.ac.uk/opendays
Call: 0800 953 3222*
Health and Safety business event – experts will explain the legal obligations under Health and Safety legislation.
Date: Wednesday, 23 march 2011
Time: 7.30am-9am
Location: Wolverhampton business Solutions Centre, Wolverhampton Science Park, Wolverhampton, Wv10 9rt
Call: 01902 321272
Email: [email protected]
*If you are calling from a mobile you may incur a charge. The charge may vary depending on your network provider
MAC071 (1)
University of Wolverhampton Wulfruna Street Wolverhampton West Midlands WV1 1LY
tel: 0800 953 3222* fax: 01902 32 25 17 web: www.wlv.ac.uk/dialogue
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*If you are calling from a mobile phone you may incur a charge. The charge will vary depending on your network provider
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