UCS AlumniAssociation

SUCCESSCOMES IN ALL SHAPESAND SIZES

LINK ED6News from the Alumni TeamUCS rises in Guardian League TableFlying High - Careers and Employability

21st Celebrations for Early Childhood StudiesStories to tell - ‘This is us’ Exhibition opening

W Features02 / Research / iSEED04 / In Profile: Melissa Stockdale 05 / In Profile: Ryan Windsor 06 / Graduate Story: Husband &

Wife07 / Early Childhood Studies

celebrates 21 years 08 / This is us 09 10 / Flying High - 11 Careers Guidance12 / Careers and Employability

Success Story

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Contents Welcome to the 2014 edition of the UCS Alumni Association magazine, Linked. The past year has been an exciting and

demanding one for UCS as we move to the next stage on our journey to becoming an independent university. In May 2014 it was agreed that our application for Taught Degree Awarding Powers (TDAP) can progress to the scrutiny stage which will last about a year as the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) assess how UCS is managed and our plans for the future. See page two for how the project is progressing.

As alumni of UCS you can now get involved in helping us shape a new University of Suffolk* and how it will continue to offer a high quality experience to our students whether they come from the local region or from further afield. Although the higher education sector is going through a period of huge change, we want UCS and the new university to be a bold, innovative, and different institution that is genuinely influenced and shaped by its communities.

As alumni you are a unique part of the UCS community. Institutional stakeholders and staff come and go but as an alumnus of UCS you have a relationship with us that lasts a lifetime. You are our most important ambassadors and we want you to be involved in influencing what the new university will become. Over the next few years, as UCS moves into the next exciting stage of its development, we want to hear your valued ideas and comments that will help shape our future development. We are of course listening to as many people and communities as possible as we start to mould the new university but I am particularly keen to hear from you, our alumni, as you have a special insight into UCS and your opinions and comments are genuinely valued.

The UCS Alumni Association is always delighted to hear from you and to share your stories; to welcome you back to the campus for events or continuing to study here. The Postgraduate Loyalty Scheme entitles you to up to 20% reduction in fees on many postgraduate courses, some of which are starting in the new year.

However you choose to keep in touch with us we value the relationship highly and as ever wish you well in your careers and personal lives.

Richard ListerProvost and Chief ExecutiveUCS Alumni and Development Team

E: alumni@ucs.ac.uk T: 01473 338833 *if we are successfully awarded this title

UCS has had a busy year. Below are a few of the stories that we thought would be of most interest to you. This is only a very small extract of our news. If you would like to find out more visit www.ucs.ac.uk/news

If you would like to find out more visit www.ucs.ac.uk/news

Graduate to receive United States Federal Energy awardUCS graduate Steven Perry, who graduated this year with First Class Honours in BSc (Hons) Construction Management, has been awarded the United States Federal Energy Award from the US Department of Energy which will be presented at a ceremony in Washington DC in December 2014.

Steven carried out research during his degree into a number of different strategies for saving water and energy at a US military air base. His research discovered energy and water saving measures that will lead to the US military saving millions of dollars.

Steven, who works as Base Energy Manager at RAF Mildenhall, said: “I went to work for the Air Force 21 years ago and realised a lot of people around me had degrees and I always felt I would have loved to get that chance to study. So when my employer offered to fund my studies I decided to do my best and to justify the money they had spent on me.”

Steven has also won the prestigious Chartered Institute of Building Award for the Best Professional Construction student at UCS Bury St Edmunds and was presented with the award at the UCS graduation ceremony held at St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Bury St Edmunds, in September.

His course mentor at UCS, Barry Chambers, said: “I am absolutely delighted that Steve’s dedication and creativity has been recognised by both these awards.”

News Highlights

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UCS rises 19 places in the Guardian University League TableUCS is one of the biggest risers in this year’s Guardian League Table, climbing 19 places. The Guardian ranks UCS in 79th position of 116 institutions, surpassing many established universities such as Canterbury Christ Church, De Montfort, Bradford and Anglia Ruskin.

The Guardian League Table ranks universities according to: their student/staff ratio; graduate career prospects; what grades applicants need to get a place; a value-added score that compares students’ entry qualifications with their final degree results; and how satisfied final-year students are with their courses, based on results from the annual National Student Survey.

Richard Lister, UCS Provost and Chief Executive, said: “It is extremely pleasing to see that UCS continues to rise in the Guardian League Tables. This improvement clearly demonstrates that as a new, modern institution we are well placed to deliver quality and value to our students, and we work closely with the UCS Union to continually develop and improve the overall student experience.

We are particularly pleased that our emphasis on employability and enterprise ensures our students are equipped for the best possible start to their working life. We are proud that the impact of our students; and the work that we do, is making a valuable and lasting contribution to the region and in particular to the communities in which we are based.”

Subject areas at UCS that continue to make significant rises include Business Management and Marketing (up 41 places), English (up 27 places), Nursing and Midwifery (up 18 places), Sociology (up 10 places), Computer Science (up 9 places), and Psychology (up 2 places). Subject areas making the league table for the first time for UCS include Health Professions, Bioscience, and Hospitality, Event Management and Tourism which ranks in the top six.

UCS seeks independenceUCS is a unique provider of higher education in the UK, having been developed out of a partnership between two prestigious institutions, the University of East Anglia and the University of Essex, who validate UCS degrees. The two universities work closely with both academic and support staff at UCS to assure the quality and standards of all the courses studied. The support the two universities have given to UCS has been invaluable, however, the time has now come to push forward alone and UCS has begun the process of seeking independence from its validating universities.

The first stage of this process involved applying to the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for Taught Degree Awarding Powers (TDAP). The application was successfully submitted in May and UCS was approved to proceed to the scrutiny phase of the application. The scrutiny began in October and will continue throughout the remainder of the 2014/15 academic year. This scrutiny process will assess how UCS is run currently and what plans would be put in place once UCS becomes an independent university. If UCS successfully gains TDAP the next step is to apply for University title allowing the use of ‘University of’.

The process of gaining degree awarding powers is likely to take a significant period of time, with successful completion scheduled for the summer of 2016 at the earliest. This is a significant next step in the exciting story of UCS and will allow significant growth.

A further significant change which has taken place as a result of this process is the recruitment of new members to the UCS Board in order to expand the independent membership of the governing body. The new independent members are:

Paul ClementFiona Hotston MooreMark PendlingtonProfessor William PopePaul Winter

To find out more about the new Independent Board members visit www.ucs.ac.uk/board

If you have any comments or questions on the process of becoming an independent university, or what it will mean for you as our alumni, please email alumni@ucs.ac.uk

University Campus Suffolk (UCS), BT and the Marie Collins Foundation (MCF), the only children’s charity in the UK devoted to helping children and their families who have suffered online sexual abuse and exploitation, announced in November 2014 a groundbreaking partnership to pilot a new programme that will eventually train all frontline workers to help children who have been sexual abused online.The new initiative called CLICK: Path to Protection is the first of its kind and will help to ensure that every professional working with child victims of online abuse understands their individual role and those of colleagues in other related organisations.

Placing the needs of abused children and their families at the heart of any intervention, the aim will be to enable professionals to carefully plan how to approach each individual case from discovery to recovery. Increasing numbers of children are reported to be harmed in this way each year and many more go unreported1. The MCF commissioned an independent survey of Education, Health and Children’s Services in 2013 by UCS, which showed that more than 96 per cent of frontline professionals in the field said they needed training to assess risk online and 95 per cent felt they needed training to help children and their families with recovery from online abuse. The research conducted by UCS has led to the partnership between the MCF and BT for the pioneering scheme to train police, children’s services, education, health, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) staff as well as the judiciary. The aim is for CLICK: Path to Protection to eventually be rolled out to all front-line professionals working in this area.Dr. Emma Bond, Director of iSEED - the Institute for Social, Educational and Enterprise Development

1ITN Ten O’clock news, May 28, 2013. Peter Davies (then CEO of Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) confirmed there were more than 50,000 people the police knew had been downloading and/or exchanging child abuse images.

Dr Emma Bond, Director of iSEED at UCS

University Campus Suffolk research to help online sexual abuse victims

Find out more about iSEED by visiting www.ucs.ac.uk/iSEED

“Placing the needs of abused children and their families at the heart of any intervention,

the aim will be to enable professionals to carefully plan

how to approach each individual case from discover to recovery.”

Research iSEED

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at UCS said “I have been researching online risk in relation to children since 2005 and, although it has been increasingly acknowledged that training is urgently needed, it was the nationwide research undertaken by UCS and the MCF in November 2013 that provided overwhelming evidence of the desperate lack of professional training in this area. UCS is committed to supporting much needed training and further research into online sexual abuse and will be working closely with BT and the MCF to pilot and evaluate the training.”The content of the training for the pilot is being developed by a group of experienced professionals including world renowned child online safety expert and CEO of the MCF, Tink Palmer, representatives from education and children’s services, the College of Policing, the Association of Chief Police Officers’ (ACPO) lead for child abuse Simon Bailey, academia (UCS) and an experienced recently retired CPS lawyer and Policy Officer.The pilot will consist of four projects, one in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, which will be tested and evaluated by UCS and then refined for rollout. The training content will take the form of a pathway from discovery to recovery, intended to become a best practice resource for professionals. Two types of resource will be produced for the pilot, the first will cover national policy, procedures and guidelines for protecting children and the second will be practical advice. The programme will include an educational DVD titled Web of Betrayal, which portrays the real life situation of a child abused online. The material will be available on the MCF website when the project is rolled out. Those who receive the training will take an online test to confirm that they have understood and learnt new ways to engage with children and their families. Successful candidates will receive a certificate verifying their learning. It is hoped that the final product will be endorsed by all the institutions responsible for training professionals working in the child protection area. Tink Palmer, CEO of the MCF and visiting Professor at UCS for Child Protection said: “This initiative will provide an invaluable resource for frontline workers working with children who have been abused and their families. Online abuse is a growing challenge which requires a very specific response in order to ensure victims are able to recover with the right support. The chance to partner with BT, a multi-national communications provider is a huge boost for a charity such as the Marie Collins Foundation, and we are thrilled to be able to use this partnership to make sure that children and their families are continually being placed at the centre of any intervention which takes place as a result of abuse or exploitation online.”

INNOvATION vOUCHERSUCS has entered into partnership with the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership to deliver the New Anglia Innovation Vouchers scheme. The voucher scheme is deliverable as internships and assists businesses, such as Small Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), to offset some of the costs of recruiting an intern to work on a project that will help support growth. Interns could be working in a local SME on a variety of projects and getting some excellent work experience. Example projects could include the development of marketing plans, event management, research projects, or developing virtual learning environments. The projects are tailored to meet the needs of the SME and can vary in duration accordingly. The internships are available to current UCS students and alumni. All of the Innovation Vouchers need to be agreed by March 2015 so if you are interested please contact Research and Enterprise Services at researchoffice@ucs.ac.uk

KNOwLEDGE TRANSFER PARTNERSHIPS (KTP)If you have successfully set up your own business since graduation and would like to engage with UCS to help improve its development then a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) is certainly worth exploring. KTP is a part government-funded programme to encourage collaborations between businesses and universities in the UK. Research and Enterprise Services at UCS will be holding a free workshop on 12 February 2015 to discover what a KTP can do for your business. To book a place please contact researchoffice@ucs.ac.uk

GRADUATE SCHOOLUCS offers postgraduate research degrees (MPhil/PhD) within the following areas• Biomedical Science• Business• Health Services Research• Heritage Management• Leadership and Enterprise • Management• Social Science• Regenerative Medicine• Smart and Digital Technologies

Members of the UCS Alumni Association can access the Postgraduate Loyalty Scheme reduction for these programmes. The Graduate School coordinates the application process and would be happy to advise you further on the potential of your research proposal. For further information please contact us at graduateschool@ucs.ac.uk

Research Enterprise

from the Alumni and Development Team

Our use of social media has grown significantly over the past year with regular posts on our Facebook page, tweets and interaction on our LinkedIn group. Our Facebook page has now grown to almost 1000 likes, while our Twitter feed and LinkedIn group have also continued to grow. These are not only a fantastic means of keeping in touch with what we are up to but also a great way of letting us and other alumni know what you are doing. Our Careers and Employability Team also manage the very popular LinkedIn UCS Job Club to share information about job opportunities and connect alumni with business.

The UCS Careers and Employability Service is developing its services and the growing UCS Job Club on LinkedIn (search University Campus Suffolk Job Club) is proving to be a very useful forum for helping alumni with careers information, jobs and networking with business. Networks are a vital part of developing careers and improving employment prospects and you can read more about this on the Careers and Employability section on pages 10-12.

We have been working on creating a dedicated @alumni.ucs.ac.uk email address that will be available to all alumni and can be kept for life. This will be launched early next year but we will be sending out details shortly.

In May we launched Giving to UCS and The Futures Fund that will be the focus for our fundraising and philanthropy over the coming years. The Futures Fund has three priorities that reflect the priorities of UCS as it moves forward to hopefully becoming an independent university. You can read more on page 13.

This year the Early Childhood Studies degree course celebrated 21 years of success with a celebration evening organised by the UCS Alumni Association. You can read more about this on page seven. The Alumni Association is also supporting an Arts and Humanities alumni group, which aims to support and provide a network for creative graduates. More information about this is on the Notice/board on page 12. We are really proud of these activities and want to encourage graduates from other courses to set up groups and get in touch with any ideas they have.

As always we love to hear your stories as do other alumni. We have featured some in the magazine but please keep sharing your successes and stories either by emailing them to alumni@ucs.ac.uk or via the website www.ucs.ac.uk/alumni

We hope that you enjoy the latest edition of Linked and that the stories inspire you to keep in touch and tell us your stories.

Have a fantastic festive season.

UCS Alumni and Development Team

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Alumni and Development Team E: alumni@ucs.ac.uk T: 01473 338833

/UCSAlumni /UCS_AlumniSearch University Campus Suffolk Alumni Association

Up date

I am currently writing a Palestinian cookbook that includes traditional Arabic recipes that were shared with me by the families that I met, whilst staying with a Palestinian family in the old walled city of Hebron in the West Bank.

Melissa

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why did you choose to study at UCS?It was close to home and past students recommended it. The best thing about studying in Suffolk was being close to the sea. I could still visit places like Walberswick and the wild areas along the coast, which I love, and I could study at the same time; the best of both worlds.

why did you choose this particular course?I was running my own nursery school and working with young children but I really needed a higher qualification in Early Years to progress.

What modules did you find interesting?International Perspectives with Beverley Nightingale and Management with Sally Payne

which is the favourite piece of research you have done?Whilst studying at UCS, my favourite piece of research was on HIV/AIDs and how this pandemic affects the lives of young children in Kenya.

Since then I have embarked on my Masters degree in Humanitarian Aid Work, and travelled around the world carrying out research with a focus on children and families including;

• The conflict in Syria, and the problems NGO’s encounter trying to provide emergency medical aid and supplies for children in Syria.

• The aftermath of the Haiti Earthquake and how families living there have adapted their homes and livelihoods.

• Life for Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories of the West Bank.

• How Palestinians resist and remain resilient living in Hebron.

Melissa, from Woodbridge in Suffolk, graduated from BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies in 2011. She tells Linked what she’s been doing since she left UCS.

what did you like best about your course and about UCS?I really enjoyed meeting new people and working together. As for UCS, the building and facilities really stood out for me as well as the location, the wonderful lecture theatres, the support and encouragement from the tutors to validate existing knowledge, and to stretch you out of your comfort zone.

what is your favourite memory of UCS?My favourite memory is working together in a small group with the other students to prepare a presentation on Africa for the International Perspectives module.

One word which sums up your experienceInspiring

what have you done that you are most proud of?Apart from being a proud parent, it has to be successfully running my own nursery school in Melton for twenty-one years, and training and mentoring many mature students to gain their teaching qualifications.

what was the best career advice you have been given?To follow your instinct and own personal interests, and to try and meet as many people as possible who are successfully working in the line of work that you are interested in following. These people will inspire you and may even provide introductions to training schemes, or alert you to employment opportunities.

what drives you?Meeting new people, travelling to new places, learning new things, and finding out what makes some families and children more resilient than others.

what is your current project?I am currently writing a Palestinian cookbook that includes traditional Arabic recipes that were shared with me by the families that I met, whilst staying with a Palestinian family in the old walled city of Hebron in the West Bank. The cookbook includes stories, and pictures of the families living in Hebron. It should be published in 2015.

what advice would you give to mature students going to university?Go for it! It is the best thing that I have ever done. Your self-confidence will soar as you learn new things. Although you may sometimes feel challenged, the new knowledge and skills that you acquire will change your perspective and inspire you to try other things.

As a mature student, your past experiences are always useful to other younger students, and you will make many new friends of all ages.

IN PROFILE: Melissa Stockdale

Ryan windsor graduated from UCS Bury St Edmunds in the Class of 2012, with a BA (Hons) Business Management. Following his studies at UCS he then progressed to further study at Judge Business School, University of Cambridge. Since then he has been involved in a variety of business ventures and community projects, and he shares his experiences, motivations and achievements with us.

what are your interests? I have a passion for business and love to keep busy working on new projects and like nothing more than to help other budding entrepreneurs on their journey. To this end I got involved with planning and organising Enterprise@WSC in conjunction with Global Entrepreneurship week while a student at UCS Bury St Edmunds. A particular focus for me at the moment is Social Entrepreneurship and how one can make their local community and world a better place. With Keystone, as well as being a non-executive director, I am also working on a new project called Social Incubator East in partnership with the University of Cambridge, Aillia, Futurebusiness and Foundation East, to support over 300 social ventures over the next two years. My other interests lay in participating in cultural exchanges with Youth In Action / Erasmus+ and funding by the European Union and United Nations.

what have you done that you are most proud of? Academically being accepted to UCS and completing my degree was a moment to be proud of. Three years of hard work paid off and a definite highlight was that it enabled me to progress to, and complete further study at the University of Cambridge where I graduated from Judge Business School. Professionally, my proudest moment was founding my largest enterprise Windsor Properties at the age of 18, which is allowing me to pursue new opportunities and work on projects that have more social benefits.

Name: Ryan WindsorCourse: BA (Hons) Business ManagementDepartment/Centre: UCS Bury St EdmundsClass of: 2012Age: 25Lives: NorfolkJob: Entrepreneur, Property Development, Lecturer and Trustee/Non-Executive DirectorEmployer: Self Employed (Windsor Properties), West Suffolk College, and Keystone Development Trust.

Describe yourself in three words:

Passionate enthusiasticentrePreneurial

IN PROFILE: Ryan windsor

Professionally, my proudest moment was founding my largest enterprise Windsor Properties at the age of 18, which is allowing me to pursue new opportunities and work on projects that have more social benefits.

Ryan

what was the best career advice you were given? There has been so much great careers advice I have been given some of which is “You should not work to live, you should live to work” (D. Knappett) and “Follow your instincts” (P. Rackham). Both were said to me at a very early age and I learnt from this that one should follow their passion, and by following their passion one is really not working at all.

what drives you? My main driving force is my ability to recognise opportunities and the need to fulfil these. This need fuels my passion for business and completing deals to develop my business portfolio and to use this, and my network, both nationally and internationally for social good.

where do you hope to be in ten years time? CEO of a portfolio of successful companies that have a wide range of functions in many industries and ultimately can give back to society.

what are your favourite memories of your time at UCS? There were so many but what springs to mind are the classmates and lecturers I had really made my time at UCS stand out. I loved my Economics lectures and the debates we had in Ethics that carried into lunch were fantastic. Also the opportunities UCS gave me in terms of internships and work experience, such as helping to coordinate Enterprise Week and working within the Marketing and PR department, really taught me some great lessons, which I have carried over into my own business.

Do you have any advice for new graduates or undergraduates?Follow your passion, learn from failure and be open to opportunities.

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UCS students received their degree awards in October and amongst them was Society

of Radiographers Student of the Year award winner Joaquim Graca and his wife Zaida

Cavaco.

Joaquim was recognised for excelling academically and clinically as well as making

an outstanding contribution to student life and UCS. He is now working as a diagnostic

radiographer at Ipswich Hospital.

Joaquim’s wife, Zaida, graduated in Nutrition and Human Health and will start a Postgraduate

degree to be a Dietician next year. For the time being she is working for Healthy Ambitions.

Joaquim added “I chose UCS because of the quality of the health courses and the

infrastructure of the organisation. Because the course is divided into blocks of theory and

practice, it was possible for me to focus in specific areas. I am now planning to continue

with my studies and complete a Postgraduate course and later on maybe a Masters.”

amongst graduates receiving awards this year

Joaquim on his achievement: “I am overwhelmed for what I have achieved so far. I couldn’t have done it without Zaida and my mentor Jane Harvey-Lloyd and thank them for their support and motivation throughout my degree”

Zaida on their graduation: “By graduating we are going to have more opportunities for the future, we can achieve our goals and improve our skills. It was one of the best days for us; very special and we are very very happy. It has been a very good year for us, we are very lucky.”

Wife

Husband&

Early Childhood Studies 21st Celebration

On 2 June 2014 Early Childhood Studies had an evening of celebration in the Waterfront Auditorium at UCS. Early Childhood Studies was a genuinely pioneer programme, conceived by Margaret Woods and her team and validated in March 1993. 21 years later the programme continues to be popular and successful, therefore a celebration was both appropriate and very timely.

Over 70 guests attended, including past graduates, current students, friends and supporters of the programme, and past and present tutors.

Professor Penny Cavenagh and Professor Simon Hallsworth opened the evening with a “welcome” to all those attending. Dr Erica Joslyn then considered “Early Childhood Studies: Then and Now”. She emphasised how Suffolk was the first to develop this multidisciplinary programme with a “whole child perspective” and how it has subsequently been adopted and adapted both across the country and across the world. Dr Joslyn praised past and present staff for their promotion of the subject area, and noted that between 1,500-2,000 students had undertaken Early Childhood Studies programmes and that many were following careers in the East Anglian area and further afield.

Dr Joslyn shared some student feedback with the audience from 1994 where a student said “word processing sessions would be much appreciated!” which made everyone laugh. Nowadays students have such a wealth of technology at their fingertips it seems inconceivable that so much has developed in only two decades.

Following Dr Joslyn, Melissa Stockdale an Early Childhood Studies graduate from 2011 gave an interesting and informative presentation on “Haiti – Four Years On”. Following graduation Melissa gained a United Nations Scholarship to undertake some research (in partnership with Harvard University) on how families were coping following the natural disaster of 2010. The presentation was a wonderful opportunity to see one of the Early Childhood Studies graduates career pathways.

Margaret Woods, the first programme leader and Beverley Nightingale, the current programme leader then cut a beautiful 21st celebratory cake for everyone to share and enjoy with the refreshments that followed.

Many of those attending commented that the evening was a great opportunity to meet old friends and acquaintances, make new ones and reflect on both the programmes past and its future.

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Margaret Woods, UCS Honorary Graduate and first programme leader of Early Childhood Studies, with Beverley Nightingale, current programme leader at UCS.

This is most definitely not the plot of a social experiment or reality TV programme, This is us is a series of fourteen individual and stylised images and stories combined from the perspective shared by academic and support staff, students and alumni of UCS. This is us began life as a marketing campaign with the aim to highlight the diversity, strengths and achievements of UCS, whilst promoting the people and the work that happens behind closed doors and the huge impact this has on the local community and beyond. Richard Lister, UCS Provost and Chief Executive, said; “This is the first part of a long term

This is usA former economics lecturer, a librarian, a guitarist, an internationally acclaimed photographer, a former editor, one of the happiest people in Britain, a show jumper, and an undergraduate studying the water flow of urinals; Meet the line-up for the This is us exhibition, currently on display at the UCS Waterfront building in Ipswich.

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Becky Blunk, Academic Liaison Librarian

his is most definitely not the plot of a social experiment or reality TV programme, This is us is a series of fourteen individual and stylised images and stories combined from the perspective shared by academic and support staff, students and

alumni of UCS.

This is us began life as a marketing campaign with the aim to highlight the diversity, strengths and achievements of UCS, whilst promoting the people and the work that happens behind closed doors and the huge impact this has on the local community and beyond.

Richard Lister, UCS Provost and Chief Executive, said; “This is the first part of a long term rolling project reminding us that universities are first and foremost about people. These stories give an insight into life at UCS and the work we do. We have a proud record of bringing the best out of people – our students of course, but also all the staff who work here. We are a higher education institution, but not an ivory tower; our staff and students live, train, study and work in the real world, within the community. As a result our students emerge more self-confident, flexible and ready for employment or to start their own business.”

As the campaign evolved and focussed on the individuals that study, teach and graduate from UCS, the affiliation between lecturers from the Department of Arts and Humanities and the Marketing team became a natural choice for collaboration from an artistic perspective. The project began to focus on the journey travelled of each individual and how to enable their stories to become a visual insight into the people behind the UCS brand, through a study of images and messages, handwritten by each subject.

Inspired by the simplicity of the black and white portraiture, the project team wanted to recreate the instantaneous effect of canvased flyers and chose a specialist Kodak photographic adhesive canvas that can be repositioned up to 100 times to display the work.

Nigel Ball and Russell Walker from Graphic Design were involved with the interpretation and graphic direction of the project. Nigel was keen to let the personality of the individuals shine through; “Initially the style of imagery with incorporated handwriting bought to my mind the work of Vaughn Oliver. However, like any good creative project, initial inspiration

T

This is most definitely not the plot of a social experiment or reality TV programme, This is us is a series of fourteen individual and stylised images and stories combined from the perspective shared by academic and support staff, students and alumni of UCS. This is us began life as a marketing campaign with the aim to highlight the diversity, strengths and achievements of UCS, whilst promoting the people and the work that happens behind closed doors and the huge impact this has on the local community and beyond. Richard Lister, UCS Provost and Chief Executive, said; “This is the first part of a long term

““The project began to focus on the journey travelled of each individual and how to enable their stories to become a visual insight into the

people behind the UCS brand, through a study of images and messages,

handwritten by each subject.

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Esther Faniyan, BSc (Hons) Bioscience student

develops way beyond any early visual references. From my perspective it was important to help the whole piece have a visual balance where the typography complimented the imagery and didn’t overshadow the stunning portraits.”

“The whole project should create a sense of belonging for everyone within the institution. I’m extremely proud to have been involved in this and the results have their own sense of drama which comes with working on such a scale with real-life personalities and their individual stories and ideologies.”

Prior to his involvement in the creative, Russell Walker, Lecturer in Graphic Design, was initially approached to be one of the first of the fourteen subjects; “The idea and the execution of the idea has come together very well. It’s a simple idea, well crafted and honest in its approach, everything that we should be in a university. I’m pleased to have helped the idea.”

The use of the specialist photographic paper to produce the images may have brought a new dimension to the photographs, but how does it feel to be over one metre high on display in one of the most prominent buildings in Ipswich? Becky Blunk, Academic Liaison Librarian, is featured in the exhibition; “I was surprised to be asked because, although I know that what I do here has meaning, I’m just a librarian, I’m not a face of the institution. It was really exciting to be part of the project; it made me feel I was helping to demonstrate how UCS employs people from such versatile backgrounds and areas of expertise- like we’re all pieces of a most interesting puzzle. Of course, when I see my picture, I can see all of my own physical imperfections and consider criticising my handwriting or the way I did my hair that day- but I hope when other people walk past they’ll see it and feel encouraged.”

Moving forward Richard Lister is keen for the exhibition to continue sharing further stories of UCS; “Everyone who has contributed their story to this project is a part of what we achieve here at UCS. For our staff, the opportunity to change lives for the better is the cornerstone of what we do. Our results demonstrate the value of UCS to individuals and the wider community. As we move towards independence we shall continue to highlight the range of contributions made by everyone at UCS.”

If you have a story to tell and would like to be involved in the next phase of This is us please email alumni@ucs.ac.uk

We all know the old adage, “it’s not what you know, but who you know”. The power of your personal network should never be underestimated in helping you find jobs and create opportunities. But what if you don’t have a personal network? Then you can create one. Everyone you meet, whether it is face to face or online, is an addition to your personal network. For this reason, it might be better to say, “It’s not what you know, but who knows you”. But how do you go about networking and making these connections? Some of us may love it, whereas others may find our toes curling at the thought of having to make conversation or connect with people we have never met. But why is it that networking can seem so off-putting? It depends what people think networking means. If it is about insincere “schmoozing” to get something out of someone, then yes, it may well feel uncomfortable and not be very effective. Effective networking can result in finding a job, finding other opportunities such as projects or promotions, or winning new business. To network effectively, the starting point should be about finding shared interests with the other person and creating a relationship that benefits both you and the person you are networking with. It is about being genuine and sharing knowledge, information and contacts. Being a member of the UCS Alumni Association opens up a network of over 12,000 people with whom you already have at least one mutual connection; a qualification gained from studying at UCS. This network is growing at over 2,000 members each year.

LINKED6 www.ucs.ac.uk/alumni

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it’s not what you

know, but who

knows you

Flying high

Contact the Careers and Employability Service:E: careers@ucs.ac.uk T: 01473 338833 W: www.ucs.ac.uk/careers

UCS Careers Service

Be clear about your goalsThink about what are you trying to gain and what you have to offer. If you are looking for a job or promotion, think about approaching the conversation from a non-threatening perspective of mutual benefit. Instead of asking if they can find you a job, ask the person what field they work in, what are the key skills and personal strengths required for that role, and any top tips they can share with you for accessing this type of role. By showing a genuine interest in their role or organisation, you are more likely to be demonstrating the skills and qualities they are looking to recruit, either now or in the future. Practice your networking on friends and family first if you don’t feel confident making contact with strangers.

Request and suggest introductionsIt may be that your goal is to learn more about setting up your own business, or finding out more about the routes into a certain career path or customer market. If that is the case, ask the person you are speaking to if they know about this, or know anyone who you could talk to who has this knowledge or information. By requesting an introduction, the new contact will no longer be a total stranger. Maybe the person you are networking with is looking for information or knowledge that you have and can share with them, or maybe you know someone that you can introduce them to. It is a two-way process, and it is this knowledge sharing that makes networking so effective.

Sophie Reading, UCS Senior Careers and Employability Adviser, offers this advice when working with students and graduates:

Be preparedIf you know who it is that you are going to be connecting with, do your research. Try and find out about the organisation they work for, what they do and identify any opportunities that you may be able to help them out with. Take professional looking business cards with your name and contact details on to share with people and hand them out to people you have had a productive and interesting conversation with. Take a pen, and write a quick note on the back of any business card that you receive to remind you of your conversation and any actions you agreed to take.

Be positive and professional Smile, be positive, be professional and be yourself. People want to work with people who are positive and upbeat but you don’t have to be the most extrovert person in the world to achieve this.

Listen, really listen Show an interest in what the other person is saying. Ask questions to find out more, as this may open up further opportunities for mutual benefit. Politely excuse yourself from the conversation if you find that there really are no shared interests or mutual benefit.

Follow upIf you said you would do something or share something with the other person, ensure that you do this. Keep your network contacts “warm”. If you think that there may be mutual benefit to get in touch with someone again, follow up the contact. Share some additional knowledge or information with them that you have gained since the last time you spoke, or make a diary note to follow up after significant events, for example, how did your art exhibition go last week? LINKED6

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Using social media to expand your personal networkThe popularity of social media over the last few years provides an invaluable way to connect with people from all over the world, in all walks of life. Some social media sites are dedicated to professional activities.

LinkedIn is the main professional networking site and has over 135 million users worldwide. It can act as your online CV and also provides a platform to showcase your achievements and develop business relationships. LinkedIn is your opportunity to connect with other UCS alumni, expand your professional network and to connect with other people you’d never normally meet day to day. UCS has the following LinkedIn groups:

University Campus Suffolk Job Club • Vacancies advertised exclusively to UCS

students and graduates • Advertise your organisation’s vacancies

free of charge • Network with current UCS students and

alumni

University Campus Suffolk Alumni Association

• Stay updated with events taking place at UCS

• Network with alumni

If you are looking to recruit, please get in touch as we will advertise vacancies free of charge. If you are a looking for work, applying for that promotion or wanting to set up your own business, connect with us on LinkedIn. For more information on using LinkedIn and creating your “personal brand” on social media, contact us on careers@ucs.ac.uk

Top TIpS For Networking:

The UCS Alumni Association The UCS Alumni Association is the main point of contact for you. The Alumni Association is here to promote, establish and maintain relationships between our alumni, friends, students and staff. We are always happy to hear from you, to support you in your career and help keep you in touch with your friends or academic staff. We are increasingly using social media to share information and develop networks between us and alumni and for you to keep in touch with other alumni. You can join the UCS Alumni Association on Facebook (UCSAlumni), on Twitter (UCS_Alumni) and on LinkedIn (University Campus Suffolk Alumni Association) to keep in touch with us. You can of course use email (alumni@ucs.ac.uk) or the website to keep in contact (www.ucs.ac.uk/Alumni) or even phone us on 01473 338833. We look forward to hearing from you!

Arts and Humanities Alumni Group Way Forward was set up by and for UCS Arts and Humanities graduates to support and encourage each other in staying creative and innovative.

Way Forward held its first meeting on 14 November 2014 at the Town Hall in Ipswich and leading on from the meeting aims to have regular Way Forward exhibitions.

Angela Wright, AKA LaLa, who is leading the group with the support from the UCS Alumni Association commented “It was an encouraging first meeting. We enjoyed being reunited and are excited about the possibilities and events that will be taking place in the future. Sharing is vital, encouraging each other is essential”.

Anyone wishing to know more and join Way Forward can email ucswayforward@gmail.com

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Work it!Last month, UCS held the ‘Work It’ event. This was a networking event for current UCS students and recent graduates to hear from UCS alumni and other employers, about how they got their dream job or started their own business, and what they would look for in successful applicants. The organisations represented were Fred Olsen Travel, the Galloping Gourmet, Gressingham Foods, Lapwing Education, LV Insurance, Willis, Trinity Park Events and AMS (Outsourcing) Services. Recent graduates, James Tye and Sean Cooper who set up the graphic design company, Three and Me, shared top tips on setting up your own business. One of the students who attended has already secured a paid internship with AMS (Outsourcing) Services as a result of this networking event.

Nicola Berncastel, Marketing Assistant and acting Brand Manager at Gressingham Foods, spoke at the event. “I’d recently graduated from UCS with a degree in Business Management with Marketing and was looking for work when I found out about the UCS Job Club on LinkedIn. When I joined, I saw a vacancy advertised for maternity cover for the Brand Manager with Gressingham Foods. I didn’t think I would be what they were looking for as I was not a “traditional” graduate. My route into university was via an Access Course, and I was a mature student and mum with three kids. I didn’t have time to do an internship or other part-time work while I was studying but I did volunteer with my local Beaver Scout Group. Jenni Carberry, UCS Employer Liaison Adviser, who created the LinkedIn Job Club, encouraged me to apply. She helped me reflect on my strengths in written communication, and my positive, outgoing attitude, as this was what the role required. I applied for the role and got it!”

She said, “Every day is different. This week I have been presenting to food journalists on the many ways to cook Gressingham duck, writing for our social media pages and updating the information on our packaging. I would never have found this vacancy or had the self-belief to apply without the support of the UCS Careers team and the LinkedIn Job Club.”

University Campus Suffolk Job Club on LinkedInThe UCS LinkedIn Job Club was created in November 2013. Its purpose is to enable members to advertise vacancies to UCS students and alumni looking for work, promote events which help employability, post useful articles about the world of work, share success stories, and it provides a forum for UCS students and alumni to network for mutual benefit. It is an innovative way for students and alumni who wouldn’t normally meet in the outside world to interact and to connect professionally.

The Job Club is going from strength to strength as more people engage with it. Alumni (including those from the forerunner institutions to UCS) are advertising vacancies within it, informing us of their personal career progression and sharing success stories. The regular posts of opportunities, advice, networking events and congratulations help create a positive atmosphere, raise aspirations and enables students and graduates to see and access a wide range of opportunities. For students and graduates who either lack their own personal networks, or feel that they lack these networks, the Job Club provides them with a friendly, supportive environment to build and develop their own professional networks and seize their own opportunities.

“For students and graduates who either lack their own

personal networks, or feel that they lack these networks, the Job club provides them with a

friendly, supportive environment to build and develop their own

professional networks and seize their own opportunities.”

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Careers and Employability Team E: careers@ucs.ac.ukT: 01473 338833

The Job Club also raises student and graduate awareness of the diverse range of opportunities within the region and beyond. Many of the employment opportunities are with Small and Medium-sized Enterprises who can’t connect as easily with students and graduates as the large graduate employers. This bridges the gap between UCS and employers. It is a mechanism to support the knowledge economy in Suffolk and creates opportunities for our students to develop experience while studying, and graduate level opportunities for when they complete their studies.

Feedback welcome...The UCS Alumni Association is young and developing. We want to offer you benefits and services that are useful and important. Feedback and support from you is vital to the future of the Alumni Association, UCS and to the development of current students. Your knowledge and experience, ideas and contributions will continue to shape the alumni offer and the institution and make a lasting impact for generations of students and graduates to come.

The UCS Academy The UCS Academy is a high quality events programme featuring world-renowned speakers, showcasing academic excellence both inside and outside UCS.

UCS alumni are welcome to attend any UCS Academy event. Below is a selection of upcoming events:

• Kat Banyard, Tuesday 20 January 2015 The Unfinished Revolution: Feminism in the 21st Century

• Professor John Brewer, Thursday 12 March 2015 Anti-Doping and Elite Sport

• Professor Malcolm McDonald, Thursday 2 April 2015 Short Term Profit Maximisation: The Consequences and the Cure

• Professor Mike Hulme, Thursday 14 May 2015 The Public Life of Climate Change: The First 30 Years

• Visiting Senior Fellow Christiane Wuillamie, Tuesday 30 June 2015 The Problem with Diversity and Inclusion: It’s the Culture!

• Dr Rowan Williams, Wednesday 8 July 2015 Theology and the Edge of Words

For more information visit www.ucs.ac.uk/ucsacademy

UCS was built as a community institution and was developed through the generosity of a wide range of stakeholders who pledged land, expertise and money. UCS is now at the heart of its communities and is a significant influencer across the region and more widely. Philanthropic gifts will enable us to extend and develop the impact we can make locally, regionally and nationally. As UCS moves to becoming independent from our parent institutions and works towards hopefully becoming the University of Suffolk, support from our loyal and influential stakeholders will allow us to continue to widen the impact we have. Philanthropic gifts will help us to expand and grow the provision of high quality education for our students, encouraging and supporting more students to study with us, and widen opportunities across the region.

Building on our values as an organisation, our future ambitions, the 2020 Vision, and the work moving towards independence, we have launched Giving to UCS and the Futures Fund.

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The Futures FundThe Futures Fund is our central annual fund. The fund supports, enhances and develops access to our courses and student experience alongside improvements to our facilities and resources. It has three priorities that donors can support:

UCS ScholarshipsWidening Participation is at the core of our existence. We believe that personal circumstances should not restrict individual ambition or ability. We have a range of initiatives in place to encourage students from the widest possible range of backgrounds to study with us and continue in education. Donations to the Scholarships priority of our Futures Fund will allow us to grow and expand these initiatives, increasing the support available to current and potential students who most need it.

Student Experience (Class Of)The Student Experience (Class Of) priority is an unrestricted flexible fund which supports a wide range of activities for current students, helping to improve their student experience, support career development and extra-curricular activities. The fund is designed for UCS alumni and friends to support current students to achieve their goals. The financial support given to students from the Student Experience fund via an annual Class Of award is unlikely to have been received through other means. Giving to the Student Experience (Class Of) fund helps us to look beyond academia supporting students to develop important skills and experiences to take with them in their future careers.

UCS EnvironmentsThe Environments priority of the Futures Fund helps to improve and develop UCS facilities and resources. This fund allows us to be responsive to need that may not otherwise have been met, improving student experiences across all our facilities. The fund accepts annual applications from academic teams and the UCS Union to access funding to improve or develop resources or facilities at UCS.

Where the Need is GreatestWe are extremely grateful for each and every gift received but unrestricted donations are especially valuable. By making a donation to ‘Where the Need is Greatest’ you provide us with the flexibility to allocate funds where they are most needed. Unrestricted gifts allow us take advantage of new opportunities, plan for the future, and support urgent priorities.

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LINKED6 www.ucs.ac.uk/alumni

For full details about the Futures Fund please see the UCS website www.ucs.ac.uk/giving or contact giving@ucs.ac.uk

KEEP LOOKING

AHEAD

See what a Postgraduate Degree can do for you.Courses starting from January 2015.

Postgraduate courses starting from January 2015: MBA, MSc Business and Management and MA Learning and Teaching.

For a full list of Postgraduate courses, visit www.ucs.ac.uk/PG

* For information on eligibility, visit www.ucs.ac.uk/LoyaltyScheme

Up to 20% off tuition fees for UCS alumni*

POSTGRADUATE STUDY