University of Worcester International Newsletter Spring 2011

THE UNIVERSITY OF WORCESTER INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER Spring 2011

Worcester international

news

“I AM UNIQUE”

International students organise charity fashion contest P.2

In this issue:

Celebrating Year of the Rabbit

New Year Celebrations p.4

The Hive The Joint University and Public Worcester Library and History Centre prepares for grand opening p.6

Spend a semester overseas Broaden your horizons p.10

Worcester international students organised the first fashion contest in aid of Cancer Research UK. Eleven University girls from UK, Europe and Asia were competing for the noble cause on 10th February in the local nightclub, Tramps.The contestants were introduced in three stages. Firstly for the Fashion Show the gorgeous outfits were proudly sponsored by House of Fraser, Worcester; Secondly, Trashy Designs – where each of the contestants made their own dresses from recycled materials and thirdly, ‘I AM UNIQUE’ where the contestants shared with the audience what makes them Unique. The evening was also filled with dancing, singing and entertainment, making for an amazing atmosphere.

More than 100 students from University of Worcester have attended the event. The money raised by the event was granted for Cancer Research UK.

We asked the organisers and presenters, three Business Management students from the University, about their initiative to organise such a spectacle. Yulia from Ukraine commented: “It’s a great way to bring people together and to make our University life memorable. It is a challenge – and I love it!“ Radana from Checz Republic who was also part of the organisers‘ crew added: “We wanted to do something unforgettable for Worcester students, that’s the way it is.“ The third member of the team, Elisa from Finland, also expressed her delight for the event: “It’s something different, something we don’t have yet, but something that will always stay in our memories.“

At the end of the night, the presenters of ‘I AM UNIQUE’ were honoured to announce the winners.

The People’s Choice was chosen via Microsoft Tag Reader application for smart phones, the guests were able to vote for their favourite contestant in real-time. Rekha Gurung from Nepal, nursing student at the University, received the highest number of votes and was nominated People´s Choice 2011. Rekha was awarded $750 Scholarship from Microsoft Student Experience.

Sukunya Pongpaijit from Thailand was nominated Vice Miss UNIQUE 2011 and awarded a full make-over by House of Fraser and a professional photoshoot by www.Miss-Take.com Photography.

Finally the winner of I AM UNIQUE - MISS UNIQUE 2011 was Trang Nguyen, first-year Marketing student from Vietnam who won $1150 scholarship from Microsoft. Trang commented after the show: ”Taking part in ‘I am Unique’ is one of the best decisions I have ever made. It has been a great experience since the very first day, meeting lots of new people and being given the opportunity to show my passion for fashion, in my own unique way. After winning the crown, I am now more confident and happy that I have made my parents and friends even more proud of me. I am extremely excited to contribute for the coming up events at University of Worcester, and with the knowledge that these skills will benefit me in my future career in the competitive fashion industry.”

The other contestants were from Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania and the UK.

I am UNIQUE I am UNIQUE 2

New Year Celebrations 4

Announcing The Hive 6

Lecturer and a former student honoured in Czech Republic 8

Brussels trip for journalism student 8

Worcester Student attends the ‘Commonwealth, Human Rights Development’ Conference 9

International Centre going live 9

Spend a semester overseas 10

CONTACT DETAILSInternational CentreUniversity of WorcesterHenwick GroveWorcesterWR2 6AJUnited Kingdom

tel: +44 (0) 1905 855146

email: [email protected]

CONTENTS

2 / SPRING 2011 / [email protected]

COVER STORY

I am UNIQUE

[email protected] / SPRING 2011 / 3

INTERNATIONAL NEWSCOVER STORYCOVER STORYINTERNATIONAL NEWS

Celebrating the year of the RabbitIn February, the gala show celebration of the Chinese New Year was held in Worcester Guild Hall and received great attention from local guests, University of Worcester students and lecturers, Chinese delegates and the Worcester Mayor.

Peng Li and Laurel Wang, both Business Management students from University of Worcester, were the presenters of the event. As Peng comments: “this is the 11th annual celebration of the Chinese New Year and is organised by both Chinese students from the University and Worcestershire Chinese Association (WCA). It is a well-established annual event that it is not only celebrated by all the Chinese, but also helps the local people to get involved into a culture they were not familiar with before.”

The Chinese New Year’s programme started with the crackling noise of the fire crackers outside the Guild Hall, followed by Lion Dance and Kung Fu performances presented by local Englishmen. In addition, Chinese students and Chinese Association members performed a Chinese traditional dance as well as modern Popping dance. The show continued with a Tai Chi performance and finished with a group song sung by all University Chinese helpers. At the end of the event, raffle draw prizes were given out to the guests, sponsored by City Council and local businesses.

Amongst the VIP guests were the first Secretary of the Chinese Embassy in London, Mr Zhao Lei and his wife, WCA Chairman Frankie Tsang, The Mayor of Worcester and the head of the Worcester Business School, Mark Richardson. The Secretary and WCA chairman welcomed the guests, wishing everyone a very successful year of the Rabbit.

Mark Richardson has also expressed his gratitude towards the organisers of the event stating that he hopes the University of Worcester, City Council and Worcester Chinese Association will continue the tradition of celebrating Chinese New Year in the future.

Peng finally remarked: “I can see it has been a success, thanks to the involvement of local city council and local businesses, as well as the lion dancers who are all local Englishmen (very impressive). I personally enjoyed the show, and I am very grateful for being part of the event. I would like to thank my colleague Laurel and all the Chinese volunteers from the University who have put so much passion and effort into the show to make it happen.”

Chinese New Year Celebrations


INTERNATIONAL NEWS

International Centre asked Peng Li about the legendary origin of the Chinese New Year and the meaning of their calendar. Here is what he said:

The Chinese New Year is also known as the Lunar New Year, as our ancient calendar is based on the circle of the moon, hence why we often celebrate Chinese New Year in February. In Chinese culture, we have twelve zodiac animals, each to represent a year in a twelve- year circle. And this year is the year of the Rabbit. It is the fourth animal from the order. The rabbit is a smart creature, knowing the smart way to live its life. In addition, the rabbit is a symbol of fertility, especially the white rabbit. Therefore, when people are getting married, we sometimes give them stuff printed with white rabbits as good wishes for offspring. Also, the rabbit represents fortune and wealth, especially the red one; hence you often see red rabbits sit under the fortune God.

So why do we celebrate New Year? In Chinese myth, the character for ‘year’ is pronounced ‘Nian’, and it was the name of a monster, which harms people’s lives in the village every-once-a-while. So every time when Nian comes to the village, all the people will try to run away and hide somewhere until it’s gone. Once, an old lady could not run away, so she stayed home and lit a fire with bamboo. The cracking sound of the bamboo somehow scared away the Nian monster. Since then, people discovered the way of protecting their village, hence the origin of the fire cracker. Therefore, every year when the New Year begins, instead of saying happy New Year, we say “Guo Nian”, which is directly translated as “pass the year”. But, in reality, it is just the way agriculture works, every end of the year when winter ends, and spring is coming, people will celebrate, getting ready for the warmer times to plant seeds.

Nowadays, Chinese people celebrate New Year as more of a tradition and it is also commercially a good time for business.


INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Topping out and announcing ...

24th January 2011: The Joint University and Public Worcester Library and History Centre

has a name. It is ...The HiveThe Hive will be Europe’s first fully integrated public and university library. Its new name was officially announced at the site’s ‘topping out’ ceremony in January.

This traditional ceremony celebrates the point in the building process associated with the completion of the main superstructure.

Developed as a joint initiative between the University and Worcestershire County Council, The Hive will provide a vibrant educational and cultural centre for the City, the Region and the University. It will provide an excellent point of inspiration to learning and be a true engine of educational inclusion. It will contain an unusually extensive children’s library – particularly appropriate for our University with our commitment to children’s

learning and participation in all fields.

6 / SPRING 2011/ [email protected]

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

The Hive will provide much more extensive facilities for study, scholarship and research for the University’s students and staff than currently provided. It symbolises a commitment to learning, books, history and to culture at a time when many feel that these are sorely neglected in the public realm. Once opened the Hive will attract many visitors who will, in turn, be inspired into fresh thinking and action for their own communities and institutions.

This imaginative development strengthens the University’s engagement with the community and will be a cornerstone of continuing commitment to widening participation in higher education.

The name has been carefully chosen to represent the purposeful activity and sense of community which the development will help to create. It is also a reflection of the building’s appearance, with its distinctive golden ‘honeycomb’ cladding, which will mark it out as a physical as well as a cultural landmark for Worcester. The building has already received international recognition for its imaginative design, winning the 2009 Bentley Be Inspired ‘Innovation in Generative Design’ award.

You can find out more about The Hive and follow its development at www.thehiveworcester.org

Over the next few weeks and months Anne Hannaford, the University’s Director of Information and Learning Services, will be continuing an active programme of visiting Institutes and Departments to answer questions about The Hive. Anne will also outline the key functions of the building which currently houses the Pierson Library. This will become a study centre with excellent information technology and silent, quiet and group study space as well as a centre for student support on a wide range of matters.

COVER STORY

Facts and FiguresOpening in July 2012Will be the first of its kind in Europe10 miles of archive collectionsAround 70 construction workers on siteWinner of one international award for the building’s designShortlisted for two national awards

A quarter of a million booksAnticipating over a million visitors per year10,000m2 of public space, over five floors 800 study stationsOver 23,000 recordsLandmark design


Topping out and announcing ...

24th January 2011: The Joint University and Public Worcester Library and History Centre

has a name. It is ...The HiveThe Hive will be Europe’s first fully integrated public and university library. Its new name was officially announced at the site’s ‘topping out’ ceremony in January.

This traditional ceremony celebrates the point in the building process associated with the completion of the main superstructure.

Developed as a joint initiative between the University and Worcestershire County Council, The Hive will provide a vibrant educational and cultural centre for the City, the Region and the University. It will provide an excellent point of inspiration to learning and be a true engine of educational inclusion. It will contain an unusually extensive children’s library – particularly appropriate for our University with our commitment to children’s

learning and participation in all fields.

Lecturer and a former student honoured in Czech RepublicA lecturer and a former student of the University of Worcester have been honoured for their work with the Czech Republic’s blind football team.David Mycock, a lecturer in Sports Coaching Science, and Keryn Seal, who graduated last year, were part of a team given a Special Achievement Award during a Blind Football Development week in the Country.

Their work was named the Czech Republic’s Best Disability Sports Project.

For the past 18 months David has developed a teaching and coaching link with colleagues from Masaryk University and the wider Czech Republic. The initial disability focused Erasmus teaching agreement has continued to grow and David has extended this role to establish, coach and develop Blind Football with teams from Prague (FC Praha) and AVOY MU Brno.

The Czech Football Association is now using David’s ideas and experiences in blind football to develop a National Programme for its first Paralympic blind football team. The Czech National team is also aiming to attend its first tournament at the European Championships in Moscow in the summer of 2011.

“Being able to learn and develop knowledge in disability sports alongside players and coaches from Europe has widened my horizons and dramatically improved my own teaching and coaching,” he said. “It is also nice to think that the work Glyn Harding [lecturer at the University of Worcester] started here seven years ago is now coming to fruition as the University of Worcester and Institute of Sport and Exercise Science are becoming internationally renowned for a high level of excellence in coach and player

development in blind football.”

Having developed wider international links in Central Europe the University of Worcester is now involved with disability teams from Germany, Greece and the Czech Republic which are continuing to help evolve these countries National Blind Futsal Leagues.

The EU has now granted a 30,000 Euro funded ‘Youth in Action’ European Blind Football Development Project. This project will see Czech Republic host the first of these European Blind Football Networking tri-nation tournaments in August 2011. University of Worcester Blind Football Club will represent the UK as England’s current National Futsal Champions.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Brussels trip for journalism studentThird year student Milko Hadzhigenov was selected from 180 entrants in the contest and whisked off to Brussels to join professional journalists covering an event.

The select band, representing 26 countries, were chosen by Clare MacCarthy of the Economist, the contest’s UK media partner for the programme.

The finalists attended the European Union’s European Development Days held in December, where they received training and were able to report on events.

Milko, aged 21, from Bulgaria, said: “It was just fantastic. It was a very beneficial and enjoyable experience. The reporting opportunity really fired me up for a career in journalism.”

Veteran journalists helping the finalists included Paul Ames, with 20 years experience at Associated Press and well known freelance Gareth Harding.

After some training on how to cover the event the finalists were given another week to submit a final piece with the top prize being a press trip to Africa.

Milko, who is studying a BA (Hons) in Journalism and Media and Cultural Studies, said: “Although I didn’t win this it was a great achievement for me.”

Project Manager of the joint organisers, the European Journalism Centre, Alexandra Lobao, said the students displayed such “high doses of energy and healthy curiosity” and that their “expectations were more than met”.

Claire Wolfe, Subject Leader in Journalism at the University of Worcester, said: “ Milko is a very keen student and we are proud that he has represented us at such a prestigious level. We feel sure he will do well with his chosen career.”



INTERNATIONAL NEWS

WORCESTER STUDENT ATTENDS THE ‘Commonwealth, Human Rights Development’ ConferenceJoseph Musasizi, a master student from Uganda, recently spent two days in Cumberland Lodge and Windsor Great Park in London along with other commonwealth students discussing a number of hot topics regarding universal human rights.

As part of the conference Agenda, led by Tim Unwin, the event addressed issues such as the diversity of meanings attributed to democracy; the coalescence of interest between the rhetorics of democracy and the free market following the collapse of the Soviet Union; the importance of the notion of democracy in the Commonwealth; the character of democratic institutions; and the need to challenge widely taken for granted assumptions about the benefits of democracy and human rights.

Joseph who is currently studying the MSc in Advancing Practice at the University proudly said: “The commonwealth commission gave us scholarships to study in the UK. At the conference, we were given a talk emphasizing on the democracy in Commonwealth Countries, but more importantly we have been given a chance to go back and help our countries after graduation and share that experience we have built up from the UK society with our countries.”

Joseph was glad to meet other Commonwealth students from Asia and Africa on Master’s and PhD programmes who are also studying in the UK. He commented: “After the conference, I and the other African students exchanged our contact details and promised ourselves to keep in touch after our graduation. The conference really made us closer and we are definitely going to support each other after our return in Africa, trying to help our nations”’.

Joseph was also delighted to see Queen Elizabeth on Sunday’s event in Windsor Great Park, as he and the other scholars had a formal dinner there.

Lorraine Gaytten, Head of the International Centre said: “The University of Worcester is really proud of students such as Joseph since he is the third Commonwealth Scholar and he is bringing really good value to our International Community. There is secured funding for two more Scholarships for 2011 and 2012 and we look forward to welcoming the successful candidates to Worcester. ”

For more details on our Commonwealth Scholarships, please contact Jane on the following e-mail: [email protected]

International Centre going liveThis March, the University of Worcester International Centre has initiated the first online presentation delivered to prospective international students, with more live sessions planned between now and September 2011.

The International Centre is working on the enhancement of the online communication with prospective international students since the aim is to make sure future EU and Non-EU students are well equipped and informed about what it is like to study in Worcester and what kind of issues they might foresee before they actually arrive.

The first session took place on 10th March, where John Gardener, senior lecturer in Marketing, delivered an online presentation regarding Master and Bachelor degree programmes offered at University of Worcester Business School.

The presentation was delivered through an e-learning system called WIMBA which also plays the role of an online classroom, where presenters (lecturers) are able to fully interact with their participants (students). WIMBA has a number of features combining chat message box and an e-board window where the presenter can upload the slides but also write. There is also

the possibility for full voice/video talk between presenters and participants. As John Gardener stated: “WIMBA seems to be a really useful tool for online communication with our future students. I am more than happy to give more talks about the questions that concern prospective business management Undergraduates and Postgraduates.”

International Centre Senior Recruitment Officer, Chris Taylor, commented that there will be more online sessions between now and September 2011, covering different topics ranging from accommodation, scholarships, student life and well being, degree courses and exchange programmes, job opportunities and many more. “The good news about using WIMBA is that students who missed our live sessions could watch them fully recorded, at a time convenient for them, benefiting not only from the presentation but also from the questions asked by the prospective students who actually participated in it at that particular time.”

For more details of how to participate in these sessions or to request a specific chat topic, please e-mail Julian Dimov on the following e-mail address: [email protected]

Would you like to spend a semester overseas for a life-time experience?

What is your role in the International Centre?Lois: I am an International Centre Office Manager and administrator of the exchange programmes for both incoming and outgoing students.

We offer two different types of programmes. ERASMUS is the name of the European exchange programmes which are subject specific links with a range of universities across Europe and mobility grants are available to students on this programme. We also have the REST OF THE WORLD exchange programmes with several other countries. The agreements we have with these universities covers the broad range of subjects they offer. The exchange programmes are for one semester in the second year of the degree programme.

Who are our exchange partners?We have ERASMUS partners in Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. Our REST OF THE WORLD partners are in Australia, America, Canada and New Zealand.

What are the benefits to students who would like to take part in the exchange programmes?Adding value to your degree and personal development:By adapting to another educational culture, students will find that they become increasingly flexible in their approach to study and confident in the way they tackle assignments. If they have been on an overseas exchange, they will be perceived as having useful transferable skills as well as broad horizons and an adaptable approach to life and work. The impact on their personal development will be difficult to quantify but they will certainly become more self aware, self reliant and open minded in the face of new experiences. This is also great fun, giving students an opportunity to travel and see other countries in a different way than they would as a tourist. They will meet students from all around the world sharing the same experiences, and building friendships that could last for ever.

What issues do student have to consider when applying for an exchange programme? Students should begin by looking at our partner universities to consider which country they are most interested in going to. Check that the partner offers appropriate subject modules and what language they are taught in. Many of our European partners offer modules taught in English but there are funded language courses available through ERASMUS, and our Language Centre also offers language modules for students to take. Students should call in to the International Centre where we have more information and can advise what grants are available.

What would you wish to say to the prospective exchange students?This is a wonderful opportunity and can be a life-changing experience. I would encourage all first year students to find out more about these programmes either from our website or by contacting the International Centre. We can also put students in contact with others who have been on exchanges. We welcomed this year the new group of International Exchange students and they seemed to bring new flair into our international community here at Worcester.

I have been dealing with the exchange programmes for many years and always look forward to the students returning from their exchanges and hearing about their experiences. Some previous exchange students have gone on to work overseas as a direct result of contacts they made during their exchange, others have met their lifelong partners, and almost all have come back with many new friends around the world and the desire to travel more.

Students should contact me either by calling in to the International Centre, Woodbury, room 13, or e-mail me on [email protected] and I’ll be very happy to help with the information they need to be able to make the right decision.

Lois Lewis from the International Centre talks about the exchange programmes available to students at the University of Worcester.


INTERNATIONAL NEWS

University of Worcester International Newsletter Spring 2011

Documents

Transcript of University of Worcester International Newsletter Spring 2011