IndependentTH

E

March 2010

Graduation 2010

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Swan Ball 2010

Lizzeth Cortez (Law with Spanish ʼ03)arranged for a group of about 15 alumniwho started at Buckingham in 2000 tomeet up at the 2010 Graduation for a 10-year reunion. This is what Lizzeth wroteabout the reunion:

I started at Buckingham in the summer of2000 and the idea was to do a Literaturecourse for 3 months and eventually go backto Texas but after those three months Idecided to do my LLB. I met wonderfulfriends who I still keep in touch with today,and they have become family to me sincesome have remained in Europe even if weall come from different parts of the world(Mexico, Colombia, Paraguay, Canada andArgentina). During that time I also met myhusband, Marco Resinelli (Economics ʼ01),who was completing his Economics degree.

I had the best college experience and if Ihad the choice again I wouldn't change athing and would do the same again. AtBuckingham you are who you are and notjust another number. It's a small town in the

countryside of England where you seemore nationalities than the UN itself.

10 years later, we met old friends we hadlost contact with and we all agreed “we justwaited too long to come back”. Thank youso much to those who were able to attendthe graduation.

When we arrived our first gatheringpoint was the Old Tanlaw Mill. Thiswas quite different. Although thepool table as well as George wasmissed, the live music as well asthe late closing time was greatlyappreciated.

We had dinner in the Cheng Du(and it was just as good as backthen!), drinks at the White Hart,breakfast at Villiers and visited ourfriends from Roosters. We stayedwith Hana in FF and visited all the oldhaunts. Although not so easy foreveryone I was glad to see everyone whocould make it for our 10+ reunion.

After 10 years so many great andunforgettable memories

Chocolate Fountain Dancer Class of 2000 Reunion

The Dame Barbara Shenfield Medal isawarded to the postgraduate studentwho has achieved the bestperformance over the year.

I am therefore both delighted andhonoured to receive this prestigiousaward. This is truly the result of theexcellent support and mentoring given tome by my supervisors, Dr KennethLanglands and Dr Claire Stocker, and alsothe encouragement by the Clore directors,Professors Mike Cawthorne and Jon Arch.I have always found the Clore lab toprovide an exceptionally intellectuallystimulating environment especiallythrough the efforts of Drs JacquelineOʼDowd, Mohamed Zaibi, Ed Wargent andDavid Hislop. I would also like to thank mycolleagues Maysson Ibrahim, Amgad Al-Habian and Malgosia Kepczynska, AnitaRoberts and Julie Cakebread for helpingme focus my ideas. During my studies

investigating transcriptional profiling in amodel of programmed metabolic diseaseusing gene network and pathway mappingtools these exceptional people have beeninstrumental in my achievements. Alongwith being a world-class research facility,the Clore Lab is focused towardsindividual student development. I amcurrently pursuing my DPhil at theUniversity of Buckingham because, unlikeother universities, this research facility atthe Clore Lab provides students withunprecedented support. I would highlyrecommend anyone interested inmetabolic disease, specialising in obesityand type 2 diabetes to consider theUniversity of Buckingham for highereducation.

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Graduation 2010

This was my second time participating in aGraduation Ceremony at Buckingham, thefirst in 1986 when I was awarded my BScin Economics and this time, being a littlemore mature, being awarded an MBA.

As always, the ceremony is perfectlyorganized and the setting in the church lendsthe proceedings the right amount of dignityand gravitas. The Vice-Chancellor gave ashort, well received, speech defining theadvantages of studying at Buckingham andpraising its independence from the State asbeing the great differentiator allowing theUniversity to put its students’ education andwelfare before any other consideration. TheChancellor, Sir Martin Jacomb, thenpresented Honorary Doctorates to JohnBlundell and Sir Stuart Hampson, the latter

who, in his thank you address, linked theindependence of thought and spirit ofBuckingham with that of the John LewisPartnership whose Board he used to chair.Then came the time for the Graduands, fromthe Schools of Business and Humanities, toenjoy the spotlight as they received ahandshake from the Chancellor, had theirphoto taken with him, and then received theirrichly deserved certificates as they returnedto their allocated places. Each student couldbask in the limelight, and applause, for about30 seconds although there were a couple ofexceptional students who had to repeat theexercise a number of times in order to collectall the prizes which they had won. Theceremony over, we all had to pose a numberof times for photographs with the traditionalmortarboard throwing in the air although it

was so cold that it would have beenpreferable to keep them on our heads. Theceremony was greatly enjoyed by all thosetaking part and also by the many proudfamily members and friends who attended tosupport their candidate.

I am extremely honoured to have beenawarded this prestigious prize. I neverdreamed that I would be considered to be‘first amongst equals’ when I started mycourse in January 2008.

My time at Buckingham was probably themost enjoyable two years of my life. I hadsuch a positive experience in both theacademic and social aspects of University life.I was fortunate enough to meet some amazingpeople here, and I feel as though I have built

good and long-lasting relationships withfellow students, as well as the academic andadministrative staff in the Business School.The Graduation Ceremony was a very proudmoment for me, as it was the culmination oftwo years of studying and hard work. Beingpresented with the Edgar Palamountain Awardfor Excellence served as a special end to mytime at Buckingham.

Chris Doe was also the recipient of theDesborough Scholarship (see page 8).

Avijit Roy

Avijit Guha Roy – The Dame Barbara Shenfield Award

Chris Doe - Edgar Palamountain Prize Winner

Chris Doe

Hugo Brown

Ten years ago we sold three acres of landon the Verney Park site to developers.That was a shrewd move (I can writethat because it was taken before I gothere) which provided us with thefinancial cushion to survive the difficultdecade of the 2000s.

That decade was made difficult for us becausethe British government had converted thepolytechnics into universities, thus doublingthe numbers of our competitors and turningBritain from a country with a shortage ofplaces at university to one with an excess. TheBritish government, moreover, then doubledits support for the public universities, thusfurther empowering our competitors. Wetherefore needed reserves to survive.

Earlier this year however we bought six acresof land on the Inov8 site, across the riverbehind Hunter Street. We did that because weare growing so fast that we need to expand.Those two purchases therefore bracket awelcome shift in our fortunes.

We have not determined how exactly we willuse the new buildings, but we intend to createmore student accommodation and perhapsmove the Law School, the Science School andthe two libraries to Hunter Street.

Simultaneously we have started the restorationof Prebend House, during which we will knockdown the walls at the back of the House. Wewill, further, clear both sides of the river, andinstall a bridge, to link the Hunter Street andInov8 embankments to create a park in whichto picnic and play in the summer.

Our growth coincides with contractionwithin the state sector. That sector in Britainis suffering cuts of up to £1 billion in itsannual government grants of £14 billion, andthe Chairman and the Director General of theRussell Group, which is the association ofthe 20 leading British research universities,

have announced that “it will take just sixmonths to bring Britain’s higher educationsystem to its knees”, while the President ofUniversities UK, which represents all 133British universities, has admitted that“institutions face having to close hundreds ofcourses, with fewer academic staff andbigger classes.” Yet demand is growing: over160,000 students face being turned awayfrom degree courses in Britain this autumn,up from 100,000 just two years ago, whilethe number of places falls. In that vignette wesee the folly of central planning, becauseBritain is facing unprecedented demand foruniversity places at the time that theGovernment is cutting them back.

The problem is not that the British governmentfunds universities per se but, rather, that theGovernment funds universities in ways thatdamage them. So the public universities are notallowed to determine how many students toadmit or to charge the fees the market wouldbear. Both parameters are set by politicians.Imagine how good Sainsbury’s would be if aministry of food determined its prices and thenumbers of its customers.

But at Buckingham we have retained ouroperational and economic freedoms, so we canexpand when everyone else is contracting. Andwe are hugely assisted by our donors. This pastyear alone the Linbury Trust has made awonderful donation towards the restoration ofPrebend House, the Esmee FairbairnFoundation has made a fabulous donation toallow us to relaunch the MA in Decorative Artsand Historic Interiors in collaboration with the

Wallace Collection in London, Adrienne andDavid Maycock, sister and brother-in-law ofNorman Barry, have made significant gift tothe Beloff Centre for the Study of Liberty tofund visiting research fellowships and tofinance conferences, and Dr Paul Davis hasfunded scholarships for research in EnglishLiterature and for prizes for postgraduate workin the humanities, which are helping transformtheir study at Buckingham. And these are onlya selection of our donations this past year!Even as I write, no fewer than 10 new namesof donors are being painted on our HonoursBoard, which was purchased following adonation from the American AlumniAssociation, in Yeomanry House.

Thanks to the students, donors, staff andCouncil (and government follies) theUniversity is flourishing. These are good timesfor Buckingham.

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Dr Terence Kealey

From the Vice Chancellor

Prebend House

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Graduation is over, the marquee has goneand life begins to get back to normal. Thisyear we had three ceremonies again, andthe weather was not TOO bad!

You will hear about the Graduation fromdifferent points of view in this issue of themagazine, but I must just say that this yearwe had a 10 year reunion party on campusas well, which was great fun. Around 15alumni used the Swan Ball as a very goodexcuse to get together again, have dinner atthe Cheng Du and catch up as well asreminisce!

Should any of you wish to use the SwanBall as a good opportunity to arrange a

reunion do let the Alumni Office know andwe will do all we can to help.

In November I was in Tokyo and took theopportunity to meet up with some of ouralumni. Around 20 of us met up and had agreat evening in an “okonomiyaki” bar,where you cook the food on hot plates infront of you while you drink and chat. Themore you drink, the hotter the hot platesget, the more raucous you get and the morefun it is! It was also a great chance tointroduce a prospective student to thealumni to give him a chance to learn a bitmore about Buckingham before making afinal decision. They did well in not puttinghim off - he is now studying here! A lovelyway of getting to know a bit more about theBuckingham family.

I was also very honoured to be invited to thewedding of one of our alumni, MasatakeMatsumoto (Politics w History ‘01), inTokyo. It was a formal Japanese weddingand, as you will see on page 14 Masatake andMayumi look stunning in their traditionalwedding costume. It is always good to catchup and find out how our alumni are doingand the international marketing team do this

when they visit countries where we have astrong alumni base.

UBAA members also try to meet withalumni whenever they travel abroad as wellas members of staff who may be onholiday. Marian Okunola (LLB, ‘08) andAlex Johns (Business Studies, ‘92) will bearranging a gathering in London; PhilipFine (Senior Lecturer in Psychology) metwith alumni in Hong Kong towards the endof last year and the Vice-Chancellor,Lucinda Roberts-Holmes (Law ‘06) andAnastaysia Ostapchuk (Int’l Studies wSpanish, ‘09) had a dinner in Munichearlier this year.

Do read the monthly emails that come roundand we will let you know whenever theremay be the chance to meet with someone inyour country. If you wish to arrange agathering in your own country anyway, dolet us know if there is anything the AlumniOffice can do to help. We are all here to helpand keep you in touch with each other.

Anne Matsuokaanne.matsuoka@buckingham.ac.uk+44 (0)1280 820338

Editor’s News

Firstly may I introduce myself? I amDominic Randall and I am the newAlumni Support Co-ordinator. I havelived in Buckingham for the lasteighteen years and graduated from theUniversity of Buckingham (UB) inFebruary 2009 having completed anMBA. My wife also works at the UB soI guess both the university and thetown are now well and truly in theblood.

The role of Alumni Support Co-ordinatoris diverse and challenging, including

supporting the University of BuckinghamAlumni Association (UBAA) as itapproaches its first anniversary in April,supporting Marketing whenever they holdevents here in the UK or around the world,raising money for the Alumni Annual Fundand generally trying to maintain contactwith the thousands of UB alumni.

As mentioned above, UBAA was formallylaunched in April of last year with the aimof forging closer links between theuniversity and alumni and betweenalumni themselves. With alumni in over140 countries this wonʼt happen overnightbut UBAA are busy arranging events andtrying to form Alumni Groups around theworld. If you are interested in gettinginvolved, either to help organise events /forums / groups or just to attend pleaselet me know and I will forward your detailsto UBAA.

The Alumni Annual Fund (AAF) aims toraise money for projects that will enhancethe student experience. As you areprobably aware UB has come top of the

National Student Satisfaction Survey forthe last four years. There are manyreasons for this, not least the very hardwork of all the staff here at UB. In theAlumni Office we like to think that we havecontributed to this in our own little waythrough the AAF. Over the years we haveraised money towards a minibus, thememorial garden, TVs in the refectory etc.We have now set ourselves a target ofraising £20,000 by the end of 2011 to buymuch needed equipment for the UB MusicSociety and towards the setting up of acampus Radio Station which wouldsupport the new Journalism course andthe University student body.

Last but not least? I hope you have beenenjoying the monthly alumni updates thatwe have been sending out since thebeginning of the year. The aim is keepyou up to date on what is happening hereat UB.

Dominic Randall (MBA ’09)Alumni Support Co-Ordinatoralumni@buckingham.ac.uk

Dominic Randall

Anne Matsuoka

If anyone were to ask what the Englishare known for it wouldn’t be PremierLeagues or Harry Potter but English Teaof course! For those who don’t knowabout this famous tradition then it’s timeyou kicked back and enjoyed learningabout it. So, put the kettle on and havea break.

For those who don’t know, being invited forafternoon tea at Buckingham’s TudorCottage was a great thing to experience. Atraditional English Tea served by GillGawthorne, one of the Friends of theUniversity of Buckingham in one of theoldest cottages in Buckingham, is a delight.The house also carries its unique characterthroughout its interior adding to the wholeEnglish tea experience. A great feeling ofcomfort takes over the moment you areshown in and there was never a dull momentwhere the conversation was concerned.

Gill was accompanied by two of her friendsand everyone would add to the conversationas it developed. Conversations were richlyfilled with topics ranging from Englishholidays to current foreign affairs added towith snippets of personal experience. It wasnot long before Gill presented us with thehighlight of the afternoon, tea. However,before any tea drinking could begin anintroduction to the history of afternoon teawas in order.

The creation of English Tea apparently datesback to the 18th century when the Duchessof Bedford (1783 – 1857), Anna MariaRussell cleverly designed a meal in the lateafternoon to cater for her guests whilst theywere waiting for dinner to be served. Indeed,

easily prepared cucumber sandwiches andpastries make such excellent refreshmentsthat it has became a popular refection allover the world.

Sipping Earl Grey and indulging in treatswas a perfect way to spend the afternoon. Allof those delicious drop scones, sandwiches,fruitcakes and chocolate gateau, were a niceaccompaniment to the afternoon natters. Gillserved tea using her dainty bone china teaset. This invitation introduces overseasstudents to the traditional customs of theEnglish afternoon tea, and Gill set a perfectexample of English hospitality and providedus with a sincerely warm welcome.

Enough said, we gladly recommendeveryone to take up this opportunity to enjoynot just an English Tea at Gill’s cottage buta good afternoon filled with enjoyableconversation and an overall time well spent.Here, we would like to express our gratitudeand appreciation to Gill not just for being aFriend of Buckingham but also for hercommendable efforts; she is truly committedto the community and to its students.

A word of appreciation goes out equally to allthe other Friends of the University who offerexcellent contributions such as annual prizes,barbeques and even Christmas dinner! TheFriends of the University continue to be abeacon of support year in, year out. For moreinformation on the Friends’ contributions oron how to become a Friend of the University,please visit the University website atwww.buckingham.ac.uk/facts/friends.

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Students Report

The BA Journalism CombinedHonours programme is an all-rounded process imparting essentialknowledge and skills required byjournalists today.

ʻTotal Journalismʼ is what brands thedegree and students can expect toproduce compelling reportage in allmedia. Whether online, in print, on air oron mobile, students would be able tocompete in the media market withconfidence and proficiency whether in anorganisation or as an independent.

The University provides a newsroomenvironment for students so that theygain experience through involvement inthe process of the production of contentfor the Universityʼs news website, alumnimagazine and local media.

The programme prepares students forthe media industry by tracking relevanttopics such as broadcast journalism,online media, applied publication design,and principles of media practice.

On top of that, students will have theopportunity to be part of more exclusivecourses such as investigative reportingand cultural journalism. Lastly, theUniversity introduces public relations, anindispensable area of knowledge ofwhich journalists today must be aware.

The Chandos Road Building is equippedwith a compact in-house studio facility.The Department of English Studiesmaintains links with the TindleNewspaper Group, with over 200 localnewspapers. The Department also hoststhe Dickens Journals Online (DJO)project.

Scholarships are available for thiscourse. For more information, please visithttp://www.buckingham.ac.uk/english/journalism/

About BAJournalism inBuckingham

Jacqueline together with Gill and herfriends

An English Tea Partywith Gill at the Tudor Cottage

Gill reminisces on bygone times inBuckingham

Roger Perkins is a Lecturer inJournalism and has been with theUniversity of Buckingham for the pastthree years. Prior to teaching journalismhere at Buckingham, he had worked as asub editor on various newspapers such asthe Daily Telegraph, was the deputyeditor of the Electronic Telegraph andthen became the international editor atVizzavi.

“There is no such thing as an unemployedjournalist,” says journalism lecturer RogerPerkins.

The University of Buckingham’s newjournalism major sets out to capitalise onthat truth by offering to its students aprogramme that is significantly gearedtowards building up the practical skillsneeded to survive by the pen.

“An important element of the new course isto prepare students to be freelancers as wellas cogs in large media organisations. They

will gain an understanding of how thesystem works, and how to look for storiesand strive to get them published. Themeasure of their success will be getting thatone call that asks them to cover thatparticular story, because their work has beenacknowledged and appreciated”, explainsRoger.

Prospective students can therefore expect ahands-on approach to journalism, where thetraditional lectures and tutorials complementan actual working environment wheretrainees produce and deliver the news. Theywill attend news conferences, hunt downleads, chase stories, face deadlines, and puttogether pieces for production either in print,broadcasting or on the web.

“The students’ mastery of newsconferencing as well as the way they controltheir beats will be part of their markeddegree, and that is something which isunique to this course”, adds the lecturer.

As the aspiring journalists advance in theirprogramme, they will become involved aseditors, sub-editors and technicalproducers, essentially evolving mentor fornewer students. As Roger further explains,“These students will be the ones calling theshots in the studio. They will be checkingwhether what is being put out is libellous,and that will give them a real understandingof the implications of journalism ethics.The lecturers will be around, asbroadcasting executives always are, to

oversee these projects.”

Public relations and news management arealso integral to the course, maintaining thepractical dynamics of the programme at alllevels.

The in-house studio in the Chandos Roadbuilding already provides access to all themedia of news production. Live newsbulletins, web radio broadcasts, weeklypublications are all in the process of beingestablished, the ultimate goal being to makethe experience as immersive as possible.

The new journalism major is available forthe September 2010 entry. More detailedinformation about the programme can beviewed on the university’s website.

These two pages are put together by ourJournalism Students, should you wishthem to write about you, please contactpublicity@buckingham.ac.uk

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Students Report

Roger Perkins

With considerable experience inphotojournalism and video production,John will have a significant presence inthe new journalism major.

“There have been considerabledevelopments in the world of media, andwe have been seeing a convergence of itsmany disciplines. Photojournalism, forexample, is no longer limited to stills buthas extended to moving images, and myrole will not only be to teach essentialphotographic skills and but also marrythese with video skills so as to provide thestudents with an encompassingknowledge across multiple platforms.”

The change of emphasis, taking thestudents away from a dry theoretical

subject to a markedly practical one willalso mean that they will need to be wellacquainted with the technical elements ofnews production. This is an area whereJohnʼs expertise will be invaluable. “Myinput will also be with the more technical

elements of the course. The projects thatthe students will undertake will involveproducing, editing, controlling andorganizing news. I will help them get thesein the right format for either broadcastingor the web.”

John sees the new course as a perfectlaunching pad for the world of modernmedia. “Our main aim is to give studentsthe self reliance needed to succeed in theindustry today. Their projects, which willmostly involve current events, will becentral to their degree. It is around thesepractical projects that their education willbe built.”

For an overview of John Huntʼs mediaprojects, log on to http://www.jjhunt.co.uk

John Hunt

Journalism StudentsJacqueline, Philipp, Ashwin & Andy

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University News

The Street Legal project aims to providelaw undergraduates and postgraduateswith the opportunity of a short placement(internship) - in some cases one week, inothers, perhaps, longer - to work alongsideprofessionals, observing and assisting inlegal matters.

Pro bono work has always been integral to alawyer’s moral responsibility. Thecommitment to pro bono work is somethingwe wish to instill in our students. At the sametime, developing practical skills is vital todeveloping the skills to become good lawyersand essential to building up the portfoliorequired for vocational training. The“Neuberger Report” (Entry to the Bar WorkingParty Final Report) recommended closer linksbetween students and the Bar.

Recommendation 11 stated: -”There should bemore organised contact between localjudiciary and students and between theemployed Bar and students...”

The Street Legal project has already engagedthe interest of a number of partners, barristers’chambers and solicitors’ firms, the Crownprosecution service and the employed bar,

police and prison service, courts - bothmagistrates and Crown Court and thejudiciary, as well as paralegal organisations.We already have several solicitors andbarristers’ chambers participating in our StreetLegal programme as partners offering mini-pupillages and we are continually adding tothe list of partners.

The project was launched in 2010 when oneof our students shadowed a judge in the HighCourt in a complex fraud trial. We are creatingother shadowing and marshallingopportunities as well as chambers experience.We are looking for sponsorship to provide uswith some funding to ensure that no student isexcluded because they are unable to meettravel expenses to our partners.

Some of our students return home during theshort vacations and we are looking to ouralumni to offer a short vacation placementthrough joining our Street Legal project as oneof our partners. If you are interested inbecoming one of our partners or indeedproviding sponsorship please contact TheDean of Law, Susan Edwards atsusan.edwards@buckingham.ac.uk andprovide one of our Street Legal students withinvaluable practical experience.

ScholarshipsRonald Coase Scholarship

Obtaining the Ronald CoaseScholarship at the University ofBuckingham was a great honour. Itʼsnot everyday you win an award froma top economist whoʼs teachings youread about in your lectures at college.

I wrote an essay on “the value of myeducation so far...” and wassubsequently chosen as the first CoaseScholar at the University of Buckingham.The funds I was granted helped with thefinance of not only my education, butalso my living costs. The continuedsupport from the international studiesdepartment only increased mysatisfaction at the University. If you areconsidering applying for the scholarshipI wouldnʼt think twice. The award and theexperience helped me obtain a graduateposition at a top investment bank.

Duane Orridge (Business Economics ‘10)

Applications for the 2010 CoaseScholarships are welcome from studentslocal to Buckingham wishing to studyEconomics at the University. Thescholarship offers free tuition and boardand lodging. Details are available onhttp://www.buckingham.ac.uk/study/fees/scholarship/coase.html and the deadlinefor submitting the essay is 1st May.

John DesboroughScholarship

Mr Desborough decided thatBuckingham was worthy of hissupport because:

ʻAlthough I have no special connectionswith the area I was impressed thatBuckinghamʼs degree courses were fortwo years rather than three with fewerbursaries available, unlike the greaternumbers for Oxford, Cambridge andImperial College. Also it runs BusinessCourses so I was able to specify mybursaries for theseʼ. Chris Doe(Palamountain Medal winner) was alsothe recipient of the DesboroughScholarship.

Details are available on http://www.buckingham.ac.uk/study/fees/scholarship/coase.html

CongratulationsEveryone at the University would liketo congratulate Tom Kark (LLBʼ 81) onhis appointment to Queenʼs Council asfrom Monday 22nd March. Tom iscurrently practising in crime andregulation from QEB Hollis WhitemanChambers. He is married to fellowalumnus, Judith (nee Cornes) (History,Politics and English Literature ̒ 81), andthey have 2 children.

LeaversMrs Sharon Harris

Mrs Viv Forrester

Ms. Setara Pracha

Dr Irena Jindrichovska

Ms. Jane Swindells

Mr. Oushan Deeljore

Mr V S Mahesh

Mr Andrew Chrysostom

Mrs Julie Bressor

StartersDr Andreas Schroeder

Dr Adam Tebble

Mrs Kathryn Buchanan

Dr Philip Larkin

Mr Brian Marinoff

Miss Anastasyia Ostapchuk

Miss Kirsty Lowe

Mr Dominic Randall

Mr Lionel Weston

Street Legal

Message from V S Mahesh to the alumniof the MSc Service Managementprogramme who arranged a surpriseparty for him on his retirement fromBuckingham.

Thank you all for presenting my wife Hemand me with such a heart-warming, soul-satisfying farewell on Saturday 5 December2009. It was a total surprise for me when Iwas whisked away to the marvellous dinnerparty at the Whittlebury Hall. That is myexcuse for appearing in such a scruffy,“academic” attire at this party when almostforty of you had assembled so formallyclad.

It was wonderful to see you all and alsoreceive the various audio-visual messagesthat were projected on a screen - from thefirst batch (1995) to the current one andfrom diverse countries typical ofBuckingham the student body – England,Scotland, Wales, Germany, France, Austria,Portugal, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa,India, Pakistan, Columbia, Canada, China,

Taiwan, Thailand, Bulgaria, Vietnam andthe Caribbean.

The accompanying picture of the survivorsof the evening that stretched from 6.00 p.m.to 2.00 a.m. will be part of the cherishedmemory I will take away as I leaveBuckingham after almost two decades here.

To see one’s students grow and develop intowell-integrated beings with strong valuesand a commitment to make something oftheir lives is about the best farewell gift anyteacher would want. I have been singularly

blessed with the quality of students I havehad at Buckingham.

The small batch size and intimacy of theBuckingham experience is one that allows ateacher the luxury of spending quality timewith students and that has been the mostsatisfying part of my life at Buckingham.

My wife and I plan to relocate to our homein Madras (now called Chennai), India andwould welcome visits from old studentswhenever your journey brings you to ourshores.

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University News

Survivors photo from V S Maheshʼs farewell

Ms Kitty van Gendt - Intern in theDepartment of Economics andInternational Studies from August2009 - January 2010 inclusive.

As part of my studies at the MaastrichtSchool of Interpreting and Translation, Ihave to do a 19-week internship abroad.My choice fell on the University ofBuckingham. I chose this University,because it is the only independentuniversity in the UK.

In the middle of August, I arrived in theUK. When I arrived in London, peoplewere pretty rude to me, but when I came

to Buckingham, everyone was reallyfriendly. People at the University ofBuckingham are really nice and helpful

and there is an informal atmosphere.However, the departments are workingvery hard and luckily there is plenty forme to do.

I really could not have wished for a betterplace for my internship. I am busy all day,I have great colleagues and Iʼve madequite a lot of friends.

Unfortunately, my internship is almostover which means I will be leaving soon.I am sure I am going to miss everythingespecially Mr. Reesʼ comments about theNetherlands (where I come from), hishumour - and his apples!

Kitty van Gendt

For more information on the AAF and how to donate please go to:

https://extranet.buckingham.ac.uk/alumnet/ubf-aaf.aspx

Alternatively you can send a cheque made payable toʻThe University of Buckinghamʼ, along with the gift form(https://extranet.buckingham.ac.uk/alumnet/pdf/aaf.pdf),to the Alumni Office, Yeomanry House, Hunter Street,Buckingham, United Kingdom MK18 1EG.

ALUMNIA n n u a l F u n d

I would like to share an amusing riddle Iwas told whilst reading Politics,Economics and Law at Buckingham.

Socialism, I was informed, is akin tohaving two cows, where I keep one cowand have to give the other to my neighbour.Communism is having two cows, where thegovernment takes both and then providesme with the milk. Fascism is having twocows, where the government takes bothcows and then sells me the milk.Bureaucracy is having two cows, where thegovernment takes both, shoots one, milksthe other, pays me for the milk, and thenpours it down the drain. Capitalism is abouthaving two cows, then selling one cow andbuying a bull with the proceeds. Corporateculture is having two cows, selling one,forcing the other one to produce the milkof four cows and then being surprised whenit drops dead. And Western democracy isabout having two cows, where thegovernment taxes me to the point where Ihave to sell both cows so that it can supporta man in a foreign country who has onlyone cow, which by the way was a gift frommy government.

Political thought and the optimal systemsfor political and economic organizationhave been fiercely debated issues for aeons,starting with the ancient Greeks andspanning different parts of the world overmany centuries right up to Marxism,Leninism and modern day socialism. Thereal irony is that for all that intellect andenergy, Greece, the birthplace ofdemocracy, is today in a mess, forcinggovernments and institutions of other statesto confront a tricky moral dilemma, and asfor Russia, the motherland of communism– well, imperial rule gave way to an

experiment which was supposed, to createa classless society where there would be noinequality, but ended up, thanks to thegovernments of Yeltsin and Putin, enablinga handful of oligarchs to buy state assets ata pittance, helping them to amass probablythe quickest individual fortunes the worldhas ever witnessed. What would Plato andMarx make of it all?

Should prudent governments in countrieswhere the age of retirement is being raisedfrom 65 to 67 (to help to balance nationalbudgets) force taxpayers to bail outirresponsible, overspending governmentsin, for example, Greece, a country wherethe statutory pension age is 61? Shouldgovernments rescue investment banks,which have made disastrously large gamblebets? How far should the state interferewith the free market? What about thehigher educational sector, or innovation,research and development in the fields ofscience and technology? The list of whatindeed is endless. Was Ronald Reagan rightwhen he suggested that we must not lookto government intervention to solve ourproblems – government intervention is theproblem? Moving away from the simpletwo-cow riddle above, but staying with the

thoughts of the former US President,Reagan summed up governments’perception of their roles in three shortphrases: if it moves, tax it; if it keepsmoving, regulate it; and if it stops moving,subsidise it.

Being Greek, working for a bank, andhaving been educated at our University, Ihave my opinions on the above, and nowthe UBAA and the Alumni Office inviteyou for your thoughts and views. On 4thSeptember, UBAA will be having itsAnnual General Meeting (AGM) inLondon and will also be organizing aforum, followed by a dinner in the Houseof Commons. A series of speakers is beinglined up to make presentations during theday and there will be a distinguished peerfrom the House of Lords delivering theafter-dinner speech. The theme the speakerswill be addressing, from law, business,economics, science, educational andpolitical perspectives is ‘GovernmentIntervention – Friend or Foe?’

If you are interested in attending, or overthe next few months would like to be sentmore details of the event please send anemail to: alumni@buckingham.ac.uk Inany case, more information, together with afull list of the speakers and the forumtimetable will be provided in the Juneedition of the Independent. In themeantime, make a note in your diary under4th September, “Alumni dinner in theHouse of Commons”.

Holy cow - it should prove to be a fab dayout!

Tino SarantisChairman, UBAA

10

Alumni NewsInvitation to the House of Commons

Parliamentary copyright images are reproduced with the permission of Parliament

Tino Sarantis

Date:4th September 2010

Venue:The House of Commons,

London

Guest List:University of Buckingham

Staff, Alumni, and

Students

As a history graduate I was interestedin the plans reported some 34 yearsago for a new and independentuniversity at Buckingham. My interestsprang from my experience oflearning through correspondencecourses, not the ideal way but onewhich fosters some independence,with reliance also on the occasionallecture .

So a university (University College as itstarted out) with its own system, basedon the Oxbridge tutorial system, withmore individual attention than most of theʻredbrickʼ universities can give, and anacademic year which requires longerattendance in terms, but enabling a twoyear degree course seemed a welcomenew idea. My interest in educationtherefore led to a wish to assist, in a verysmall way, towards these objects by aregular yearly gift, which eventuallybecame a book bursary.

It is said that universities in the USAbenefit from the gifts of their alumni muchmore than in this country, though I believetheir tax system encourages such gifts. Ifall alumni who are in a position to do so,would contribute towards a fund toincrease the resources of their universityor its colleges no doubt this would bringmany benefits.

Angela Green (Long-term donor)

11

Alumni in the News

Well, I finally have made it back to the UKafter a 30+ years hiatus. As background,I attended Buckingham from Junethrough December in 1977, as part of asemester abroad program run byBucknell University. I recently joinedRBS as the new Group Finance Director,as we attempt one of the world’s greatturnaround stories.

Thinking back to my time at UCB, as it wascalled then, it was a wonderful experience.The school had just been founded with highhopes, and it had attracted a very diverse andcosmopolitan student body. I lived in a littlehouse at the other end of town on Page Hill,and the 5 housemates each hailed from adifferent continent. I remember someoutstanding teachers in various economicsclasses, visiting from Oxford (Bootle), LSE(Allyngham) and the US (Beazer). And agreat German class where each Wednesdaywe went to a pub The Barrel (Das Faß) andhad to speak German the whole evening.

England was in bad shape back then, it waspre-Thatcher and North Sea Oil. There wereblackouts, queues galore, and my Nat Westaccount paid 3% when inflation was 20%!We all decided that we would adapt and drinkbitter (31p/pint) rather than lager (36p/pint)since we calculated a saving of over £100from that pivotal decision. My friend JeffGartzman used to wear a yellow slickerraincoat wherever he went; even when it wassunny he knew it would rain at some pointduring the day. I remember Mrs Kay Long,who ran the cafeteria, as one fine cook andfine woman; she treated me like a son.

Well enough reminiscing. I have beenenjoying London but mostly just workinghard as we deal with the myriad challengeswe face at RBS. I am optimistic we willmeet with success. Please wish me luck!

Bruce Van Saun (Occ student ‘77)

Axel Baumgaertner (Accounting ʼ93),Torsten Meijer-Werner (Business ̓93) andRuprecht von Heusinger (Economics ̓ 93)spent a splendid long weekend in Octoberin Oporto and the Duoro to catch up withdevelopments in that wine region and toremember these times at Buckingham.

Should any of our other Alumni, wish tofollow Axel Torsten and Ruprechtʼsfootsteps we recommend SophiaBergqvistʼs (Council Member) vineyardin Portugal (Quinta de la Rosa) as anexcellent venue for a wine tastingholiday, Alumni get together, or grapestamping weekend!

www.quintadelarosa.com

Lost AlumniMs Pearl Ling

(AFM ʼ82)

Miss Eva Haggipavlu(Law ʼ90)

Mr Anthony Jackson(History and English ʼ96)

Mr Peter Lam(Accounting and Financial

Management ʻ91)

Mr Masachika Nagasue(Business Economics ʼ96)

Mr Moshe Rafic(Law ʼ90)

Mr Baweng Tajang(Law ʼ92)

If you know where theseAlumni are, please do

let us know.

3 Alumni in Duoro

Bruce Van Saun

When thinking of my early days, I doremember lots of things I enjoyed muchmore than going to school. Now, that isnot too hard to agree with, much less forthose who have also grown up on thatfinest of all adventure parks called thecountryside.

My defences started to crumble only duringmy University years in Germany, althoughI dearly missed those days’ allure andmagnificence as enjoyed when readingOscar Wilde and the like. So I admit that Iwas also hoping for a bit of the latter, whenheading for Buckingham in 2002 to studyfor an MBA.

Looking back I can say without hesitation:it was a very good year! You all know themany reasons why a student feels so goodin Buckingham, so I just want to highlightthose two that have also had a clearinfluence on my subsequent career: theUniversity’s amazingly global communityin general and the lectures of ServiceManagement (thank you Mahesh!) inparticular. Since early childhood days,influenced by my father, a former SwedishAmbassador, my main curiosity andinterest was directed to anything foreign...distant countries, their people and theirculture. I took any opportunity given tolearn, while living or working abroad, be itin Latin America, Africa, the Middle East,Asia and of course particularly in Europe.

When - after years abroad - the time wasripe to settle down, it had become veryclear to me, that I wanted to combine myinterest in people with my other passionthat was lit in Buckingham: serviceexcellence.

In 2005, after having learned my craft at aleading international search company, Ifounded my own international executivesearch firm in Munich. I did this with the

vision to turn Bausch & Company(www.bauschandcompany.com) into thefirst reference for service excellence inexecutive search. We find and evaluateoutstanding individuals for managementand specialist positions - Europe-wide.

What makes us different from the manycompetitors out there? Our clients trust usbecause we have consistently proven notonly our service quality, but also most

importantly our integrity and loyaltytowards our clients and candidates alike.We also believe that a seasoned culturalsensitivity is indispensable to successfullynegotiate with the same efficiency, respectand credibility in different cultural settings.Only those who manage to find the righttone in very different cultures will be ableto win both the clients’ and the bestcandidates’ trust.

continued

12

Alumni at WorkMy journey to Buckingham in 1979marked one of the most unexpectedevents in my life and was motivated bya sudden urge for change. No onewould have thought that, at the age of32, a successful Senior Police officerwith a bright future in the MalaysianRoyal Police would make a new start atthe University College campus.

I managed to adjust and settled down toUniversity life and to secure a Degree inLicentiate. I was then called to the Barfollowing my studies at the council of LegalEducation in London. Many thanks to thosein the College (at that time) includingProfessor Philip James, the Dean for theFaculty of Law and our lecturer in Torts, inwhose class we normally had to compelourselves to stay awake. Mr. IrvingStevens, Mr. Clifford Hall, Mr. Robin Horner,Mr. Berkovitz, Mr. Shipwright, ProfessorPennington, Professor Burns to name afew at the Law School. Also ProfessorBrook of the Life Science Department andMrs. Pat Howe with whom I have beenfriends with for a long time.

On my return to Malaysia, I resigned fromthe Police Force and started my own legalpractice, joining politics at the same time. Istood for election and was elected asMember of Parliament in 1990. As an MP, Itravelled the world more often than Iexpected. My most memorable trips wereto Russia and Cuba, the countries thatwere considered “off the beaten track” formost Malaysians.

My latest trip this time to England andNorthern Ireland for the CommonwealthParliamentary Seminar on Fragility ofStates in Conflict. The trip to England thistime gave me the opportunity to make ashort visit to the University where I met Mr.Irving Stevens, James Baker and Anne

Matsuoka. I am impressed by the progressthat the University has achieved so far.

I was elected as the Deputy Speaker of theHouse of Representatives in Malaysia in2008. In the partition politics of theMalaysian Parliament I was privileged tohave been supported by a number ofOpposition Members during the election:something never before seen in theMalaysian Parliament. As the DeputySpeaker of the House of RepresentativesMalaysia, I am able to enjoy special status,precedence and privileges in the country.

My wife Feona Sim is still working in mylegal firm as firm internal auditor andfinancial controller. She has also assumeddirectorship of all the family companies,positions I had to relinquish on beingappointed as Deputy Speaker.

My eldest daughter Sharifah Fariah is nowan economics and history teacher in anInternational School in Kuching. She gavebirth to a lovely baby girl in September2008 (Puteri Athena Maimunah). Mysecond daughter Sharifah Nong-Jasima isin IACT College in Kuala Lumpur while myyoungest daughter Sharifah Nuril Barieyahis in the Year 11 of the International School.

Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar (Law ‘81)

Wan Junaidi Tuanku JaafarJohannes Bausch

At the beginning of 2004, I entered theUniversity of Buckingham, a real globalsociety. I have received three academicdegrees [BA, MA, and LLM] and havehad a lot of opportunities participatingin world-class symposiums andconferences as a member of some majorresearch institutes both in the UK andJapan including Chatham House inLondon.

My schedule last year was quite busy. Ireceived a certificate in CrisisManagement from the Tokyo MetropolitanUniversity in Japan. Last April, I joined theMA trip to Geneva, planned by theDepartment of Economics andInternational Studies, and visited theUnited Nations Office of Geneva, theOffice of the UN High Commissioner forHuman Rights, the WTO Headquarters,and the Geneva Centre for Security Policyan independent organisation, to explore thepolicy making processes though meetingswith their staff.

I am now researching for my MPhil inInternational Studies on the topic of US

Japan Relations. Recently in Tokyo, Japan,I was invited to the first public address by,Mr. John Roos, the new US Ambassadorto Japan. I was one of the youngest guests.Mr. Roos is a close friend of US PresidentBarack Obama and one of his strongsupporters in the Presidential Election2008. It was a great honour for me.

Throughout the five years at Buckingham,I have met with, and been muchenlightened by, the distinguished academictutors and outstanding classmates from allover the world.

(International Studies with English ‘06, MAGlobal Affairs ‘07, LLM in International andCommercial Law Specialist ‘08)

13

Alumni at WorkLast but not least – we share the risk of thehire with our client, by tie-ing our fees toour client’s satisfaction with the candidate’sperformance - six months after joining.

Once again, thank you Buckingham – foryour truly global community, a fineexample to the world, for the small andregularly exciting lectures and tutorials, forthe always most helpful and lovely staffand also for the many hours of conversationand laughter (not to forget the Wine & DineSociety!) enjoyed in between the periods ofstudying.

Johannes Bausch (MBA ‘03)

A long time has passed since thegraduation of MA in Global Affairsstudents last February (ʻ09). All of usfriends departed to a world of newadventures equipped with newcompetencies, the fruit of ourBuckingham University “savoir faire”.

For my part the adventure started a fewmonths later as a consultant for theUNESCO World Heritage in Paris,France. An incredible experience at theheart of a special internationalorganisation that seeks to address andminimize the impact that global climatechange, pollution, poverty and conflictscan have upon the effective preservationof our common human cultural andnatural heritage.

The UNESCOʼs cultural environment isvery similar to that of our University inthat it is cosmopolitan, vibrant, friendlyand unique. It reminded me of theincredible opportunity I found to have“the World at my front door” without everhaving to leave the University ofBuckingham.

All the people encountered at Buckswere a blessing and challenged myperceptions of the world as a whole. Imade friends for life and filled my headwith incredible tales and memories. Tobe honest it has been hard to move onafter Bucks… After all I studied an LLBand then a Master in Global Affairs… Formany current students that might sound

like a long time, but it was time wellspent!

I am currently studying a Masterʼs inManagement at the ESCP Europe. The“Ecole Superieure de Commerce deParis” was founded in 1819 by JeanBaptiste Say and is considered by theFinancial Times to be among the bestand most competitive Europeaninstitutions in training worldwidemanagers.

While ESCP Europe is a real challenge,I profoundly believe that BuckinghamUniversity, its teachers and once againunique pedagogy has equipped me withsufficient skills, aptitudes, competenciesand know-how to face any challengelying ahead. After all Bucks teacherspush us to think on our own whilelearning from their often uniqueprofessional insights; they dedicate timeto all our questions and further help usview the world through new lenses andthe interactions with others. This is astrength of Buckingham that is pretty wellimpossible to reproduce in otherinstitutions.

I am really grateful to Buckingham as itenabled me to make a qualitative jump inlife and reach my potential. I hope manypast and present students feel the same.Wishing you all the best.

Manuel Velasco Escudero (LLB ‘04,Global Affairs ‘08)

Kazuhiro Tobisawa

To All AlumniThis publication is for you and if you wouldlike input into the next issue, please send

comments and ideas to

Anne Matsuoka

The next publication we produce willcontain more information, updating you on

where alumni are these days and whatthey are up to.

Please Note:Copy for the next issue required by

1st June 2010

www.buckingham.ac.uk

14

Alumni Celebrations

Marie and James got engaged in Paris with aplan to get married in the next 2 years. Jamesis now working in Private Equity as well ascompleting his MSc at Cass Business School.Marie has just completed a period of traveland will be partaking in several internships forpsychology. They both live in Central London.

I am very happy to announce myengagement to Ms. Constance Loges. InAutumn 2009 – after two happy years, wegot engaged on a stormy day sitting on aremote beach... not in the tropics, but on anisland in the North Sea.

Masatake Matsumoto (Politics withHistory ʻ01)

Masatake Matsumoto is pleased toannounce his marriage to Mayumi Ootomo,which took place on 7 November at theTokyo Daijingu (a Japanese shrine).

Ermin Moise (Law with Business Financeʻ05)

On the 1 June 2009 Ermin was joined in holymatrimony to Mavis Valcin at the CastriesEvangelical Church in Saint Lucia. TheReception was at the Bay Gardens BeachResort in Rodney Bay, Gros Islet Saint Lucia.

Sheena Eva Gill (Law ʻ05) & KarstenJohannes Martin Schmidt (Economics,Business and Law ʻ06)

Sheena Eva Schmidt (nee Gill) and KarstenJohannes Martin Schmidt are pleased toannounce that they got married on 31October 2009 on Vallon Beach, in theSeychelles in the presence of friends andfamily Mr. Adonis Kalakhis, who is also analumnus from the University ofBuckingham 2005 who was our best man.

Adekunle Osibogun (Law ʻ06) & MonisolaFagbohungbe (Law ʻ06)

Adekunle Osibogun and MonisolaFagbohungbe got married on 16 and 17 ofOctober 2009 in Ibadan, Oyo State. Nigeria.They had the traditional wedding on the16th and the white wedding on the 17th.

Gabie Atamian (Business Studies withInternational Tourism '99)

Gabie Atamian (Business Studies wInternational Tourism '99) married KevinSmith on 10 October, 2009 at St Mary'sChurch, Bletchley

Engagements Marriages

Jamie Burrows (Business Economics ʻ10)

Johannes Bausch (MBA ʻ03)

Hiroko Endo (MA TESOL ʼ06) andMasashi Tsubota

Hiroko Endo (MA TESOL ’06) and MasashiTsubota got married at The Kahara hotel inHawaii on 24 February 2010. They areholding a wedding party in Tokyo on 25April 2010 to which they have invitedrelatives, co-workers and friends, includingsome Buckingham alumni.

Send us yourcelebrations!

Please email:alumni@buckingham.ac.uk

Elisa Sophia

Michaela Hovorkova (Business Studies withInternational Tourism ‘00) and her boyfriendSven are pleased to announce the birth oftheir daughter, Elisa Sophia.

15

Alumni Celebrations

ALUMNISUMMERPARTY ’10Thursday 17th June7 – 11pm

Carpenter’s Arms,Whitfield Street,Off TottenhamCourt RoadLondonW1T 4ET

ALL WELCOME. NO ENTRY FEE

To book please emailalumni@buckingham.ac.uk

Daniel Preslav Borisov (MBA ʻ05)

Daniel Preslav Borisov was born on 24 April2009, son of Preslav Plamenov Borisov(MBA ‘05)

Births

Yoshino Hiratsuka

Sueko Hiratsuka (Communication and MediaStudies ‘07) is pleased to announce the birth ofher baby girl Yoshino. She was born on 31August. Her weight was 4345g! This is verybig by Japanese standards. Sueko say: I’venever heard of such a big baby before!

Students join the bigclean-up

A group of students from the university,including those from the Music Society,joined forces with the localtownspeople and the Sub Aqua Groupto help with the River Rinse. Followingthe river Ouse around the campus, itwas an interesting haul that was pulledfrom the river, including an olduniversity sign for the Chandos RoadBuilding. Everyone left muddy andwet, but having had a great time andwith even more local friends.

Bicester Review, 16 October 2009

Fighting for rights

When Amnesty International called fora mass lobby of Parliament demandingthat all women in the UK are givenequal access to refuges and supportservices, members of the BuckinghamAmnesty International Students SocietyKatherine Smith, Farnaz Mirshahi,Elizabeth Abraham and RandallBerbick accompanied by the Dean ofthe Law School, Professor SusanEdwards, joined hundreds of people atthe House of Commons to lobby theirMPs and secure their commitment tomaking this happen. The Buckinghamstudents were able to discuss theissues with Andy Slaughter MP andwere greatly encouraged by hiscommitment to this issue.

Buckingham and Winslow Advertiser,11 December 2009

Cut state funding touniversities. Let themstand alone

Universities in the US were thrown tothe market and flourished

"Wonderful news. The Governmentyesterday cut half a billion pounds fromthe money it gives to universities, areal term cut of 9.2 per cent. TheGovernment needs only to cut a fewmore billion from the budget toguarantee the excellence of Britishhigher education.

The myth is that higher education is apublic good and that, in the absence ofsubsidies, only the occasional scion ofan investment banker would attenduniversity. But the reality - as shown bythe surge in applications since theintroduction of top up fees - is thathigher education is a very private goodindeed, whose benefits accrue almostsolely to the student: over their careersgraduates still earn £160,000 more onaverage than people with only Alevels."

Read the article in full at:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article7067726.ece

The Times, 19 March 2010

B U C K I N G H A M I N T H E N E W S . . . B U C K I N G H A M I N T H E N E W S . . .

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BUCKINGHAM

IN THE NEWS ... BUCKING

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16University of Buckingham, Buckingham MK18 1EG, UK

Tel: +44 (0)1280 814080 Fax: +44 (0)1280 822245 Email: info@buckingham.ac.uk Web: www.buckingham.ac.uk

Our Chancellor, Sir Martin Jacomb, retired witheffect from 19 March, 2010. We are all verygrateful to Sir Martin for his wonderful workand support during his time as Chancellor. TheUniversity hopes to celebrate his tenure laterin the year.

The University's Charter lays down procedures forthe appointment of new Chancellors. The matterhas to be considered by Council and it is forCouncil to recommend a suitable person whoseappointment must be ratified by Convocation. TheConvocation should be held as soon as possibleafter a vacancy occurs having given members 4weeks notice.

Council has met to consider Sir Martinʼs successorand unanimously recommends that Convocationshould appoint Lord Tanlaw as the University's nextChancellor. Lord Tanlaw has been a supporter of theUniversity since its inception. He has served onCouncil and other University bodies and has been agenerous benefactor. The Tanlaw Mill is namedafter him. Lord Tanlaw's extensive contacts in theMiddle East and in Asia make him especially suitedto become Chancellor of an international university.

In the past Convocations have been held inBuckingham. Inevitably this has meant thatnumbers attending have been low. In order toobtain wider involvement by members ofConvocation, Council proposes that thisConvocation should be held electronically and viathe Independent, the Alumni magazine.

Therefore, notice is hereby given of a Convocationto ratify the appointment of a new Chancellor. TheSecretary to the Council must receive allresponses by the end of Friday 23rd April. Thoseeligible to vote are all members of Council and theAAC, all academic staff, all graduates, Patrons,and Honorary and Emeritus Professors.

To register your vote, please email(publicity@buckingham.ac.uk) your answer tothe following question by highlighting Yes or No:

I support the appointment of Lord Tanlaw asChancellor: YES/NO

John ClarkeSecretary to Council

Oluwakemi Togun (neeFinnih) (InternationalRelations ‘01)We have heard from Mrs OluwakemiTogun (Nee Finnih) of the death of hersister:

“I regretfully inform you that Kemipassed away on the 25 July 2009, due topost surgical complications; she wasinterred on the 30 of July in Lagos. I havebeen trying to write this email for sometime, but it’s been hard. Kemi enjoyedher time there, and I did visit her on acouple of occasions and attended hergraduation. All I can say is that Kemi wasa wonderful wife, mother, daughter, and

sister. All those who knew her wonderedhow she found the time to do all thethings she managed to do. She was anexcellent cook and a buddingentrepreneur, she had an ever-readysunny smile and very many people lovedher. Kemi touched many lives on a oneon one basis (I don’t know how she didit). She was always ready to lend ahelping hand.”

Oreoluwa Awokoya

Carlos Cabugueira(Computer Science ‘98)

It is with great sadness that we informyou of the death of Carlos Cabugueira.His great friend, Liam Connelly says:

“I regret to inform you that Carlos diedin his sleep on 1 November. We had agreat time in Sunley House the year wewere in Buckingham. Carlos was alsobest man at my wedding in Scotland in2006.”

Carlos Cabugueira

Obituaries

IMPORTANT NOTICEAPPOINTMENT OF A NEW CHANCELLOR