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The University of Buckingham Alumni Magazine July 2010
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IndependentTH
E
July 2010
CampusDevelopments
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The University of Buckingham isgrowing in size and in reputation.
There has been a record student intakefor the last two registration terms andthis trend is set to be maintained as theUniversity’s appeal grows. It hasalready topped the list of universities inthe students’ satisfaction survey, andhas recently been placed in 20thposition in the Independent newspaperleague tables.
The main challenge for the Universityis therefore to cater for the academicand social needs of an increasingstudent population while maintainingits high standards.
The recent acquisition of the Inov8 siteproves that the University is ready forthis.
The site, situated across the river behindHunter Street, consists of six acres ofland, much of it built upon, providing150,000 square feet of internal floorspace. The first phase will see many ofthese structures removed to create openspace. The central structure will beretained within which it is hoped theuniversity is poised to meet many of itsfuture challenges.
One of the priorities of Phase One ofthis project is to assemble the mass ofthe students in one streamlined campusinstead of splitting them into two, as isthe case right now with the HunterStreet campus and the Verney Parkcampus. The faculties of Psychology,Applied Computing and Law,which make up the bulk ofthe Verney Park campus, willtherefore move to the new site.
This will help to create a moredynamic campus life which will bebeneficial not only to the students butalso the teaching and administrativestaff.
A new Learning Resource centre willhost the two existing libraries, a numberof the computer rooms, a space forstructured teaching and a number ofcollaborative spaces, specifically set upto allow for group studying.
The Inov8 site will also cater for thesocial aspect of the University. Therewill be a newly designed social venuecapable of housing considerably morestudents than the existing one at theTanlawMill. Along with these facilitiesa new coffee shop will be provided.The existing squash court and gamesroom will also be refurbished andbought into service.
A new Residential Hall will also formpart of the project, providing anestimated one hundred rooms with en-suite facilities. Rooms will be arrangedin clusters of around twelve supportedby kitchen/dining facilities, commonrooms and laundry rooms.
Planning for Phase Two will commencewith a project to construct a CampusDevelopment Framework. Similar tourban or town planning but within acampus, the project will includeworkshops involving all constituentgroups that make up the University,especially staff, students and alumni.
The Independent magazine, as well asthe University website, will beproviding regular updates on the Inov8project, and how it will link withPrebend House.
To see the full Campus DevelopmentPlan and key, please go tohttp://tiny.cc/afphp
Students’ Report
University of Buckingham is now biggerthan ever
A view free for all
The addition of the former Inov8 sitedoubles the current size of the University. Itwould also be the future home to theacademic departments that are presentlyhoused in the Franciscan Building.
Breathtaking: Hailsham House from thenew Law School. The next cover picturefor our prospectus or a postcard, perhaps?Fantastic.
Inov8
Ashwin & Andrew
This page was put together by ourJournalism Students (above). Shouldyou wish them to write about you, pleasecontact [email protected]
3
Campus DevelopmentsHistory The first clear evidence of Prebend
House is in John Speedʼs map of1610. It is possible that some of theinterior actually dates from thattime.
The name Prebend(ary) is given toquite a lot of buildings in this part ofBuckinghamshire and John Speed'smap shows a large house, PrebendEnd Manor on the site of the Island CarPark.
Like other houses on Hunter Street inthe 17th century, Prebend House wasprobably occupied by a tanner and theSpeed map shows tanning pits in thegardens between the house and theriver. The preparation of leather was animportant industry in Buckingham in thepast and much of it was sent toNorthampton, which became the mostimportant national centre for boot andshoe making.
Like many old Buckingham houses,Prebend House was re-modelled in the
early 19th century to give it a moremodern and fashionable exterior. Wesee the early 19th century front of thehouse that faces Hunter Street today.At this time also some elegantpanelling was installed in rooms on theground and first floors, although sadlyvandals have destroyed this in recentyears.
In the late 19th century and early 20thcentury Mr Rogers, a prominent figurein the town and several times Mayor,occupied Prebend House. Hisbusiness, that of an agriculturalmerchant, took up many of thebuildings on the present Hunter Streetsite. He was well known nationally as abreeder of champion shire horses.
Rogers was an enthusiastic supporterof the Temperance Movement andwelcomed the Salvation Army ofBuckingham. It is known that thefounder of the Salvationist movement,General Booth, was a regular guest ofthe Rogers family at Prebend House.Prebend House 1913
Restoration
In 2010 the University commissionedbuilders to commence work on thefirst phase of the restoration ofPrebend House.
The architect's drawing (above) showsthe proposed north elevation to HunterStreet as an indication of how it shouldlook upon completion. This reflects thebuilding's former 19th century glory,
illustrated by the photo (at the top)taken in c. 1913.
The work is now underway and thegarden has been extensively cleared tofacilitate site access, taking care topreserve a number of trees. The single
and two storey additions to the southand north have been demolished in linewith recommendations from theHistorical Society, thereby highlightingthe original proportions of this listed
building with its imposing stuccoclassical façade.
The first phase objectives areprincipally to stabilise the building,render it safe and prevent furtherdeterioration. It will also ensure that theroof is watertight to allow further workto be carried out on the interior of thebuilding.
The University plans to restore thefaçade of Prebend House including thewindows, porch and railings to the frontof the building. This work should becompleted by September 2010 whichshould see Prebend House making avery welcome return to glory, as well aspossibly making Hunter Street / NelsonStreet an attraction owing to the qualityof the historic buildings on display.
Prebend House will be another majorproperty in the University ofBuckingham portfolio of listed andhistoric buildings which it has managedto maintain or restore within this areaof Buckingham and will be linked to thenew site as part of the overall campusplan.
Article by Robin Harding withadditional material provided byProfessor John Clarke Photosprovided by Robin Harding.
Architects drawing of how Prebend House will look
4
As everybody knows, the climate ischanging. But as everybody does notknow, the changes in the climate arehard to chronicle accurately.
People worry about our current globalwarming but during the Medieval WarmPeriod, about 1000 years ago, temperatureswere apparently higher than today, andBritish wine makers grew grapescomfortably on the South Downs. About500 years ago, however, we fell into theLittle Ice Age, when log fires could be litsafely on the thick ice that covered theRiver Thames in winter – whereupon,about a century ago, we embarked on thecurrent era of warming.
But in 1988 Dr Michael Mann and hiscolleagues from the University ofMassachusetts published a paper in Nature,the prestigious research journal, disputingthe conventional story of swingeing lurchesin temperature over the last millennium.Mann et alia argued, instead, that the datafrom tree rings, earth cores and ice samplesshowed that temperatures had been steadilycooling over the last millennium, and thatonly over the last century had theysuddenly started to change, risingdramatically in recent decades.
Mann et alia had, therefore, airbrushed theMedieval Warm Period and the Little IceAge out of history, to replace them with agraph shaped as a Hockey Stick (it isknown as the Hockey Stick Graph) which
portrayed a terrifying scenario ofcontemporary man-made global warmingleading imminently to the near-destructionof life on this planet. More than any othersingle piece of research, it was the HockeyStick graph that led to Nobel Prizes for AlGore and for the Intergovernmental Panelon Climate Change (IPCC), as well as tothe conversion of all responsible peopleinto climate change warriors.
But there was a problem with the Naturepaper by Mann et alia. On examination, itwas not clear that the data it proclaimedwere sound. Rather, it seemed that 'Mannet alia had not interpreted their data seriesin a way that was statistically robust andhad produced a questionable conclusion.
Itwas certainly questionedbyRossMcKitrick,(see photo below) who is an economist fromthe University of Guelph, near Toronto inCanada. McKitrick, together with his near-neighbour Steve McIntyre, an analyst ofmining companies, who started to ask somepertinent questions of the authors of theMannpaper; to their astonishment they could not getsatisfactory answers.
In their naivety, McKitrick and McIntyre hadsupposed that journals such as Nature andacademics like Mann had an obligation torelease their raw data and computer codes toanyone who asked. Instead, in the face ofquestioning, too many climate changeresearchers have reiterated the response ofProfessor Phil Jones of the Climatic ResearchUnit of the University of EastAnglia when hetoo was asked to release his data:- “Why”
Jones asked “should I make the data availableto you when your aim is to try and findsomething wrong with it?”
After years of investigation however,McKitrick and McIntyre finally establishedthat the Mann Nature paper didn’t have‘something’wrong with it: rather, it containedfew things that were right. The MedievalWarm Period and the Little Ice Age wereindeed real, and the current rate of globalwarming –while detectable – need cause littlealarmwhen viewed historically.
What has this story to do with Buckingham?Simple: we were privileged recently to hostRossMcKitrick and his familywhen he took asabbatical in our School of Humanities. Rosstook advantage of Buckingham’s traditions oftruth-seeking to take a study break in a friendlyuniversity.
Because the problem with truth-seeking isthat not all universities are friendly to it. AsAndrewMontford exposed in his 2010 bookThe Hockey Stick Illusion, colleagues whoseek to protect their research grants and toprotect their access to politicians and themedia unfortunately, deride scholars whoquestion the global warming consensus. ButBuckingham was created in part to protectbrave scholars from academic protectionism,and Ross’s sojourn here was born of oursupport for courageous iconoclasm.
When he disproved many of the assertions ofthe global warming industry, Ross McKitrickemerged as one of themost important thinkerson the planet.Andwhen he took his sabbaticalhere, he honoured us all.
Dr Mannʼs article was published in Nature
From the Vice-Chancellor
Ross McKitrick
Dr Terence Kealey,Vice-Chancellor
5
The two main events in the Universitycalendar will be taking place on the sameday this year.
The University of Buckingham AlumniAssociation (UBAA) had already pickedthe 4th September as the date for theirAnnual General Meeting and when LordTanlaw was appointed Chancellor of the
University upon the retirement of SirMartin Jacomb, it seemed an idealopportunity to hold the InstallationCeremony on the same date and combinetwo high profile events, thus enhancingboth.
As the Vice-Chancellor said in one of hisprevious messages “Lord Tanlaw was oneof the University’s founders and one of itsfirst major donors (supporting thedevelopment and refurbishment of IstraHouse, Istra Cottages and the TanlawMill,formerly Old Town Mill). He will besucceeding Sir Martin Jacomb, who haswon so many hearts by virtue of hisleadership. We hope we can use theInstallation for a multiple celebration ofthese two wonderful men, the annualmeeting of the University of BuckinghamAlumni Association and the University'scurrent happy circumstances.”
Details for the day:
The Installation ceremony will be takingplace on the morning of Saturday, 4th
September at the Parish Church of StPeter & St Paul (where the Graduationceremonies are held), followed by a gardenparty and lunch for all the guests oncampus.
The afternoon will begin with the AGM.This will be followed by seminars that arebeing arranged by UBAA in the ChandosRoad Building on the theme of‘Government Intervention – Friend orFoe?’ with some high profile speakers.Drinks and a dinner in the TanlawMill willfollow the seminars for any alumni wishingto attend. The “icing on the cake” will be aparty arranged for all alumni, staff andstudents to celebrate both the Installationand the anniversary of the first year of yourAlumni Association. We hope you cancome. Please let us know [email protected].
Anne MatsuokaPR/Alumni Relations OfficerTel: +44 (0)1280 820338Email: [email protected]: www.buckingham.ac.uk/alumnet/
Editor’s News
Even in my short time working at theUniversity I have come to realise howkind and thoughtful our alumni are.
So far this year the Alumni Annual Fund(AAF) has received gifts or pledges to thevalue of almost £7,000 towards our totalof £20,000. Obviously there is still a longway to go but this is a tremendous start.
As a result of this the Alumni Office aredelighted to announce that they havebeen able, via the AAF, to purchase a 22-Channel Mixer (Allen and Heath
ZED22FX 22-Channel Mixer with USBInterface) for the Students' Union. Themixer allows the operator to controlvarious inputs such as guitars, drums andmicrophones and is perfect for mixing liveevents. The mixer also has in-built soundeffects and can be easily connected to acomputer to record events. The mixer willsignificantly improve the overall musicalexperience at the various events run bythe SU.
The Alumni Office would like to thank allthose alumni who have made donations
to the AAF, without whom this purchasewould not have been possible. The AAFis of enormous importance to theUniversity and will enable us to continueour programme of expansion and ourconstant efforts to improve the students'experience. Among other things it willhelp finance small but vital projects thatall help to enhance the students' liveswhile they are here.
I also had the privilege of going tothe Annual Dinner, which this year tookplace at the House of Lords. This is awonderful opportunity for Donors,Honorary Graduates, Alumni and otherdistinguished guests, all of whom havethe University as a common interest, togather together.
I also attended the Alumni Summer Partyin London which was held at theCarpenterʼs Arms. This was a reallyenjoyable evening meeting both alumniand current students who came togetherto catch up and network, but more aboutthis later in the magazine.
Dominic Randall (MBA ’09)Alumni Support [email protected]
Dominic Randall, Neil Philips & Alon Fosman
Anne Matsuoka
6
University NewsOur NewChancellor:Lord Tanlaw
We are very pleased to announcethat, following the unanimousrecommendation of Council, membersof the University have now ratifiedLord Tanlaw’s appointment as our newChancellor.
Since the grant of our Royal Charter in1983, we have been fortunate to enjoy thehelp and support of three extremely ableand distinguished Chancellors: LordHailsham (1984-1993), Lady Thatcher(1993-1998) and Sir Martin Jacomb (1998-2010). Everyone will know that theChancellor, wearing splendid robes,presides at our Graduation Ceremonies inBuckingham Church. It is from theChancellor that graduates and honorarygraduates receive their degrees. For many,the moment of shaking hands with theChancellor is one of the most important intheir whole lives. But Chancellors are notjust ceremonial figures; they do a great dealfor the University behind the scenes.
Perhaps the most important qualificationfor a Chancellor is real interest in andcommitment to the university. In fact,Simon Tanlaw is one of our staunchest andmost long-standing supporters. He wasinvolved with the plan to set up anindependent university from the outset andso, in one way or another, he has beeninvolved with us for nearly forty years. Hehas served on Council and other Universitycommittees and has been a generousbenefactor. The TanlawMill is named after
him and Istra Cottages after a member ofhis family.
As befits a Chancellor of a university thatdraws its students from all over the world,Lord Tanlaw – he became a Life Peer in1971 – is very much an international man.He was born in what was then Bengal andLady Tanlaw comes originally fromMalaysia. He was a director of the greatfirm, Inchcape, founded by an ancestor,from 1967 to the mid 1990s. He currentlyowns Fandstan Electric Group, a railwayand engineering company. He sits in theHouse of Lords as a crossbencher and takesa particular interest in energy conservation,global warming and the environment. Hehas a keen amateur interest in horology andhas played a leading role in urging a changeto the UK’s time zone by moving it forwardby one hour.
We all congratulate Lord Tanlaw on hisappointment. He will be installed asChancellor at a ceremony in Buckinghamon Saturday, 4th September. We are sure hewill be a splendid Chancellor.
John Clarke
Lord Tanlaw
£60,000 for university degree asstudents are forced to go privateRecord competition for university places islikely to force growing numbers of studentsto spend up to £60,000 on private collegedegrees.
"The University of Buckingham charges£8,000 a year for fast-track, two-yeardegrees. Debbie Millns, Buckingham'sAdmissions Manager, said she expectedmore students to apply this summer. "Weare looking at a campaign to contactstudents who have failed to gain a place attheir chosen university," she said.
Leading schools said they would nothesitate to recommend private universitiesto sixth-formers, growing numbers ofwhom are considering studying inAmerica.
Martin Stephen, high master of St Paul'sSchool in Barnes, said he was "immenselyimpressed" by some of the teaching offeredat Buckingham.This is London, 13th May
Private universities 'to expand' tofill places gapA university leader is forecasting anexpansion in private universities, asstudents face a shortage of places.
"This could include overseas universitiesopening campuses in the UK or offeringonline degree courses.
Paul Marshall, head of the 1994 Group ofUniversities, says he expects a shifttowards encouraging "private providers toenter the market place".
Pressure on public spending is limitingUniversity places and this year will seerecord numbers missing out.
Universities Minister David Willetts haswarned that there needs to be a moreflexible and affordable way of deliveringmore degree courses.
There are already specialist privateinstitutions offering degree courses wherestudents can get financial support.
But there are only a handful of privateinstitutions offering the range of courses ofthe kind associated with a traditionalUniversity, with the most prominent beingthe University of Buckingham.BBC News, 22 June
Buckingham in the News
7
University NewsStarters Dr Julian Richards has joined the
School of Humanities as a full-timelecturer in Security Studies.
Although Dr Richards has been part ofthe department on a part-time basis for18 months, jointly founding the Universityof Buckingham's Centre for Security andIntelligence Studies (BUCSIS) in 2008alongside Professor Anthony Glees, hehas now come fully on board. Dr Richardsis lecturing on the MA in Security andIntelligence Studies, and on the MA inGlobal Affairs (Global Security). He alsoleads an MPhil/DPhil class in Securityand Intelligence Studies.
Dr Richards gained a PhD from theUniversity of Cambridge in 1993 on thesubject of political violence in southernPakistan. He then took up a careerin government, working for 17years at Government Communications
Headquarters (GCHQ). Towards the endof this period he re-entered academia bybecoming a Research Fellow at BrunelUniversity, before moving with ProfessorGlees to set up BUCSIS at Buckinghamin 2008.
Dr Richards has written extensively onterrorism, political violence, intelligenceissues, and the geopolitics of thePakistan/Afghanistan region. His firstbook, "The Art and Science ofIntelligence Analysis" (Oxford UniversityPress) was published in May. He is anAssociate of the Pakistan SecurityResearch Unit (PSRU) at BradfordUniversity, and a member of theEuropean Ideas Network (EIN). Hiscurrent research interests revolve aroundsecurity policy, particularly the UK'sCounter Terrorism Strategy (CONTEST),global security issues, and processes ofradicalisation and extremism.
Dr Julian Richards
Leavers
My name is Cassandra Leegwater. Iam a student from Belgium, doingmy internship here at the Universityof Buckingham and it has been myhonour to assist in the Departmentof Economics and InternationalStudies during this period.
At first when I arrived I didnʼt knowanyone here but that quickly changed.Linda and Kitty (the intern who washere when I came) introduced me to alot of people from all over the world andsome of them became very closefriends.
Mr Rees made me feel very welcomeand acted like Santa the first couple ofweeks I was here by bringing an apple
to everyoneʼs office every day. He usedto tease me about the fact that Belgianchocolate was not the best in the worldand one day he brought me an Englishbar of chocolate to prove his point.I must admit that it was very nice.
At Buckingham I experienced my firstreal Graduation. I got to see all thehappy students and smiling facesduring these two wonderful days. Theceremony, the gowns, the hats… Wedonʼt do that back in Belgium. I love thefact that it is such a big event here inEngland. I attended the Swan Ball inthe evening and this was just anoutstanding event. Everyone wore theirnicest dress and tuxedo and lookedutterly amazing! I can most certainlyconclude that it was a successfulevening.
I came to Buckingham 3 months agoand sadly enough I am leaving again injust a few weeks. My experience herehas been very enriching and it hasbeen a delight having been able tospend it surrounded by so manywonderful people. As a result of myoutstanding experience here inEngland, I have decided to apply for adegree programme at the LondonCollege of Fashion and I am hoping tostart as soon as possible.
Cassandra Leegwater – Intern,Department of Economics andInternational Studies
Cassandra Leegwater
“A Monographon someBritishDesmids”
Professor Alan Brook
Professor Alan Brook (EmeritusProfessor) with his latest book,"A Monograph on some BritishDesmids" by A J Brook and D BWilliamson. The book is publishedby the Ray Society, which wasinstituted in 1844 and is volume 172of the series of monographs theypublish on Natural History.
8
University NewsEdinburghMarathon
On Sunday 23rd May 2010 Dr GrahamMelling, Lecturer in Law at theUniversity of Buckingham ran in thescorching heat of the EdinburghMarathon in aid of Breast Cancer Care.
To see him on his way the Law School'sStudent Law Society, dressed in their pinkt-shirts, held a cake sale in the foyer of theLaw School, providing students and staffwith a delicious assorted array of pinkcakes. The sale of the cakes was very wellsupported, raising a fantastic total of £200in aid of the Breast Cancer Care charity.This has been further added to by donationsby members of staff and students bringingthe total raised to date by the Law School to£350. Dr Melling would wholeheartedlylike to thank the students who made such afantastic effort and the staff for theirgenerous donations.
The impact of Breast Cancer is somethingthat is keenly felt within the Law Schoolwith the passing of one of our own, DrHelen Desmond, on 7th February 2009.Helen worked in the Law School duringtwo periods: 1988-1996 and 2004-2009.Helen was a vibrant and courageous personwith a truly first class academic mind and awonderful wit. She was survived by herhusband and son and is greatly missed byall her friends, colleagues and students.
If any person would like to makea donation to Breast Cancer Carethey can do so simply via:www.justgiving.com/Graham-Melling(payments through this site are madedirectly to the charity) or, they can make acash donation via Ms Sheena Hopkins inthe Law School.Dr Melling and members of the Student
Law Society
The Buckingham & DistrictUniversity of the Third Age (U3A)was established in 1998 andcurrently has over 500 members. OnThursday 26 May 20 members of theU3A Buckingham Local History
Group visited the University ofBuckingham.
John Clarke, Professor of History, gavea guided tour of the campus and talkedabout the history of the buildings andthe University. As a person whosefamily has lived in the area forgenerations (his great-grandfather wasa village blacksmith at LillingstoneDayrell) Professor Clarkeʼs work on thehistory of the towns of Buckingham andBrackley has been greatly appreciatedby the local community. ProfessorClarke has been associated with theUniversity of Buckingham and itspredecessor, the University College atBuckingham, from the start of theproject in 1976. He delighted thevisitors, all keen local historians, withhis presentation.
Many remembered the dilapidatedstate of the site before the Universityrenovated the buildings, andcommented on how well the newbuildings blended with the old. Thelandscaped University grounds wereadmired and everyone agreed that thesetting is beautiful. After the tour thevisitors enjoyed a buffet lunch in theUniversityʼs Refectory before departing.
Professor Clarke lecturing members ofthe Buckingham & District U3A
U3A historians visit theUniversity
To All AlumniThis publication is for you and if youwould like input into the next issue,
please send comments and ideas toAnne Matsuoka
The next publication we produce willcontain more information, updating
you on where Alumni are these daysand what they are up to.
Please Note:Copy for next issue required by
1 October 2010
www.buckingham.ac.uk
9
A Personal PerspectiveMotor Neurone Disease (MND) is aprogressive neurodegenerative diseasethat attacks the upper and lower motorneurones. Degeneration of the motorneurones leads to weakness and wastingof muscles, causing increasing loss ofmobility in the limbs, and difficultieswith speech, swallowing and breathing.According to the MND Association theprevalence, or number of people, livingwith MND at any one time isapproximately seven in every 100,000. Onesuch person is Chris Woodhead, formerChief Inspector of Schools (1994 - 2000)and currently the Sir Stanley KalmsProfessor of Education here at theUniversity of Buckingham, who has kindlyagreed to share his experience of havingMND.
“You wake up one day and you wonderwhy your leg or your arm feels a bit odd.
Strangely weak, perhaps. You dismiss theanxiety and carry on with your life.Eventually, you decide you’d better seeyour GP.Mine smiled and said there was probablynothing wrong, but that he would refer meto a neurologist. ‘She’s very nice’, headded, ‘a lot of them are a bit cold’. Maybeit’s because they have to deal with some ofthe nastiest diseases known to man.Thanks, I thought, and beat a hasty retreat.A few months later I saw my consultant.She was nice, and she knew, immediately,that all wasn’t well. There’s no specific testfor MND so it took a week or so, but I wasback pretty quickly and she was doing herbest to find the right words.I wonder, actually, why any doctor choosesto specialise in neurology. There is no curefor MND, nothing they can do but measurethe rate of decline. There is a drug calledriluzole, which extends life by, on average,two months. Fifty per cent of MNDpatients die within 14 months of diagnosis.Ten per cent live longer than five years.It’s now almost four years since I wasdiagnosed. Looking back, I reckon I’vehad the disease since around 2000. So I amone of the fortunate ones. The downside ofa slow decline is, of course, that youexperience a protracted death. There isplenty of time to think. ‘I sometimeswonder’, my consultant once said to me,whether it would be better to wake upparalysed after a car crash, or to have MND
and watch the paralysis take effect, day byday, week by week.Which fate would you prefer? Probably, upto a point, like me, you would plump forthe extra time. But where’s the point?When you can’t walk? Wash yourself?Turn over in bed? Breathe unaided? Whendoes the quality of life deteriorate to thepoint when life becomes unliveable?It’s the question every MND patient mustask themselves. That said, strange thoughit may seem, there are, positives. MNDdoes not affect the mind. You still knowthose who love you and look after you. Ifyou can find the words, you have the timeto say goodbye. Experiences become moreintense, too, when you know you may notlive much longer. Last autumn, forexample, the trees in the Nantgwynantvalley as we drove down towardsBeddgellert, near where we live, had neverseemed to me more poignant in theirgolden beauty. And I’m amazed at how Ihave adjusted to a life I never thought Iwould be able to endure. We sat in a gardenin Cornwall three weeks ago and I waspretty content. If you’d told me five yearsago that I could put up with not being ableto visit my favourite beach in the world,Treen, I would have laughed. But it’s true.I can.What can you do? What can any of us do,MND patients or not? There’s only oneoption in life, and that’s to take each day asit comes. And to wring as muchsatisfaction out of it as you can.”
“I first became aware of the impact ofMNDwhen fellow Buckingham alumnusStephen Hands was diagnosed with it.He was just thirty and had everything tolive for. At that age I think we believedourselves immortal and it was a shock todiscover that we are not.
With the help of Stephen’s family, friendsand many Buckingham alumni we set aboutraising money to fund research into thisterrible disease. Although Stephen talkedabout hanging on for a cure, in reality hewas happy to do all that he could to preventothers from sharing his horrible fate. Theinitial aim in 2000 was to raise £50,000 butthis was far exceeded through a climb ofthe Eiger, a photographic exhibition at TheTrafalgar Hotel in London, a Gala Dinnerand similar events.
Ten years on, I am still working closelywith the Motor Neurone DiseaseAssociation. It is hard to turn your backwhen so much needs to be done, and somuch could be achieved with a bit of help.Among my most recent projects was TheStephen Hawking Garden for MND at TheChelsea Flower Show, sponsored byBrewin Dolphin. Visits by ProfessorHawking and HM The Queen ensured we
received very good publicity. Also, a ProAm Golf Tournament which raised close to£200,000.
Over the past few years £15 million hasbeen raised to set up a Research Foundationwhich has made great progress, fundingforty one research programs. Throughthese programs genes have been identifiedwhich help to build up a picture of MNDand once we can discover the cause wehave a better chance of finding an effectivetreatment. Of course the more money weraise the more we can accelerate researchand the more support and care we can offerthose 5,000 people who are living with thedisease in this country.”
Isabel Keen (Economics '90)
More information about MND can befound on the MND Association websiteat www.mndassociation.org
Isabel Keen
Professor Chris Woodhead
10
University of Buckingham
It has been over a year since (as TinoSarantis poetically put it) “the UBAAflame was ignited” and what a busy yearit has been for all the directors asbuilding the new Alumni Associationfrom scratch proved to be a challengingprocess. It was a delight to seealumni representing different intakes,nationalities and ways of life discussing,the best way forward.
I am glad to confirm that a year later, underTino’s leadership, we were able to buildthe foundation for the UBAA. Sadly, in thecourse of the last few months threedirectors, including Tino, decided to resignowing to pressure of work and difficultiesin combining their professional and UBAAduties.
Following the Alumni Association's mostrecent Board meeting in June I was electedas the new Chairman and I am delighted to
be working closely with Lorinda Longwho was re-elected as Vice-Chairman.
Now we are searching for three newdirectors who are equally passionate aboutthe UBAA. If you have a sense of humour,patience, professional expertise, don’tmind waking up early on Saturdaymorning in order to join us for a meetingand more importantly if you feel that youcan offer something to the UBAA and theUniversity please contact us and tell usmore about yourself.
AGMYou might have learned from the JuneAlumni Update that the forthcomingUBAA Annual General Meeting (AGM)that was due to be held in the Houses ofParliament on the 4th September 2010 willtake place on the same day but it will nowbe held in Buckingham. This will allow usto combine the alumni event with the mostprestigious event in the Universitycalendar for 2010 - the Installation of thenew Chancellor, Lord Tanlaw.
In addition to theAGM, the UBAAwill beorganizing a forum themed ‘GovernmentIntervention – Friend or Foe?’with a seriesof speakers being lined up to makepresentations during the afternoon after theInstallation ceremony. The afternoonactivities will be followed by a dinner witha distinguished speaker delivering thespeech and a University party.
Networking EventsIn the meantime, we hope you will be ableto attend one of the networking eventsbeing organised by the Networking and
Events Chair, Marian Okunola. Each eventtargets a specific group of alumni whograduated within certain years, givingthem a chance to catch up with long lostBuckingham friends and acquaintances.The next two events in 2010 are on 23rdSeptember and 22nd October for thosewho graduated between, 1995-2001 and1990-1996 respectively. Please note thatother alumni are more than welcome toattend these events so please do not limityourself to your particular graduationgroup!
We have many more networking plans forthe forthcoming months so please stay intouch and check the Alumni Updates.Please also remember that the UBAA’s aimis not only to connect alumni and enhancenetworking, but also to increase globalawareness of the University ofBuckingham, and to foster strongerrelations between the University and itsalumni. With this in mind we look forwardto meeting with you and talking to you atone of the UBAA events.
If you are interested in attending any ofour events please send an emailto: [email protected]. Moreinformation on the AGM, together with afull list of the speakers and the forumtimetable will be provided on the Alumnipages of the University’s website and inthe Alumni Monthly Updates. In themeantime, hold the weekend of 4th and 5thSeptember 2010 in your diaries and bookyour flights as we hope to see you here!
Suzanna Tomassi (Service Management’02) Chairman, UBAA
Suzanna Tomassi UBAA Chairman
InvitationInvitation to the Installation of Lord Tanlaw as the new
Chancellor of the University of Buckingham & UBAA AGMmeetingAll Alumni are invited to join the celebrations following the Installation of our new Chancellor, Lord Tanlaw, on Saturday
September 4th 2010. You would be most welcome to attend the Garden Party, the AGM of the University of BuckinghamAlumni Association (UBAA) , and a fabulous party for all alumni, students and staff to be held in the evening.
There will be a dinner in the Staff Dining Room prior to the party, so please do book early as seats are limited.The timetable will be:
12:30 Garden Party and buffet lunch on Hunter Street Campus, University of Buckingham15:00 AGM followed by talks on "Government Intervention - Friend or Foe"
18:00 Drinks in the Tanlaw Mill followed by dinner20:00 Alumni-Staff-Student party
If you wish to attend the Garden Party and buffet lunch or the afternoon and/or evening events please contact theAlumni Office on [email protected]. The deadline for applying will be Friday, 20th August 2010.
There will be no charge for any of these events.
11
Alumni Association (UBAA)
One of our missions in re-forming thealumni association is to reconnectalumni. To this end we have organised aseries of alumni gatherings in Londonfor specific alumni year groups.
The first gathering was held at Bistro-K,one of south Kensington’s best eateries, on29th April 2010 for alumni who graduatedbetween 1980 and 1986. On arrival atBistro-K, the alumni were served with finewines and canapés in its private bar andlounge area for a more intimate experience.Below you will be able to see what somealumni had to say about the gathering. Iwould like to extend big thanks to FrancoisDe La Croix Vaubois (Business Studies’89), who helped us with securing thevenue and Sevim Cesim, Bistro-K'sdirector, for her hospitality and sponsoringthe food and drinks.
Our last alumni gathering was held onFriday 2nd July 2010 for alumni whograduated between 1985 and 1991 atBistro-K. Following this, there will begatherings on 23rd September and 22ndOctober 2010 for alumni who graduatedbetween 1995-2001 and 1990-1996respectively. Keep your eyes open for yourpersonal invitation to a UBAA gatheringfor your year groups.
What the alumni said:
“After graduating 25 years ago, thereunion held at Bistro-K in central Londonwas a particularly fitting occasion toreconnect with past alumni in a relaxed andenjoyable setting".Alex Morritt (Business Studies ‘85)
“It was nice to see alumni from differentdepartments, many of whom seem to havelived on Page Hill! It was a great andenjoyable evening, and we look forward tothe next one. Many thanks, Freda”.Freda Owusu -Sekyere (Politics, Economicsand Law ‘83)
"As Vice-Chairman of the UBAA, I washappy to see such an enthusiastic gatheringat the first of our regular events forAlumni, not to mention the fab food andsurroundings! It was a joy to go downmemory lane with people I have not seenfor so many years and I look forward to thenext one."Lorinda Long (Law ’84)
Bistro-K has a warm and relaxedatmosphere and serves some of the finestrecipes of traditional French cuisine.Bistro-K is situated at 117-119 OldBrompton Road, London, SW7 3RNand you can check it out atwww.bistro-k.co.uk.Marian A Okunola (LLB ’08)Chair, Networking & Events CommitteeUBAA
Marian Okunola
Bistro-K Guests
Lost AlumniWe like to keep in touch with all ouralumni but have lost touch with thefollowing, so if you know wherethey are, please let us knowat [email protected] or askthem to contact us at the same emailaddress.
Thank you for your help.
Abdulrauf Abba (LLB '99)
Mohammed Abdul Ghani (LLB '97)
Lara Abo-Taleb (LLB '92)
Margaret Adam (LLB '84)
Kunbi Ademola-Thomas (LLB '97)
Matthew Adeoti (LLB '91)
Olufolake Adewunmi (LLB '85)
Ngozi Adiele (LLB '97)
Martin Afshari-Mehr (LLB '98)
Adetokunbo Agoro (LLB '90)
Kashaf Ahmad-Basit (LLB '93)
Shahnaz Ahmed (LLB '92)
Edwin Aimufua (LLB '89)
Irubusi Akenzua (LLB '85)
Adejoke Akin-Taylor (LLB '89)
Olatinuke Akinwunmi (LLB '82)
Mohammed Akram (LLB '84)
Mohammad Al Dallal (LLM '98)
Okunwa Alakija (LLB '82)
Khadijah Alao-Straub (LLB '96)
Shariq Ali (LLB '96)
Ansiey Ali (LLB '01)
Emmerencia Alintah (LLB '80)
Asmau Aliyu (LLB '94)
Nicholas Allam (LLB '99)
Mohd Allani (LLB '87)
Andrew Allfrey (LLB '93)
Rana Al-Mudhaf (LLB '00)
Moriam Alogba (LLB '87)
12
Alumni NewsThere aremany reasonswhy theUniversityof Buckingham keeps coming top of thelists of student survey polls. While thestandards of education that it has set havehelped it create its own niche among themore traditional universities in the UnitedKingdom, it is the experience sharedamong its students in the pursuit of theirdegrees that is really unique.
The relatively small size of the University, aswell as its dedication to both the educationaland the social life on campus, help create abond among these students that is notcommon elsewhere in the country’suniversities. The annual alumni partyepitomises this bond.
The Carpenter’s Arms in London was thevenue for this year’s party, and it offered a
number of current students the chance tomeetsome of their predecessors, and towitness thefact that they never really left the University,no matter how many years ago theygraduated. The sense of camaraderie was stillthere, even among those who had studied attheUniversity over a decade ago. Peoplewhohad not met each other in years werereminiscing about life on campus as if theywere still living in Hailsham or Beloff, andstruggling towake up for these tiresome earlymorning classes. The years rolled back as thefood and drinks were served and shared.
The party was also a singular treat for thecurrent students who attended it. Not only didtheymake some valuable contacts that shouldprove useful as their own graduations drawnear, but it also anchored them firmly in to thetraditions of the University.
As it turned out, the gap between current andpast students at theUniversity ofBuckinghamis a narrow one owing to the significant workachieved by itsAlumni Network. The alumnihave a perfect platform through the network’swebsite, its monthly emails, as well as thepublication of the Independent, and all these
contribute to maintain and nurture the linksthat they have with the University.
It was a remarkable experience, and a lotof those who were present are alreadyanticipating next year’s get-together.
Ashwin Dawotal (Communication (EFL) andMedia Studies)
If you would like to keep, or get, in contactwith alumni please register on AlumNet at:https://extranet.buckingham.ac.uk/alumnet/
Summer Party 2010
TheAlumni SummerParty 2010–A remarkable experience
Most of us in our childhoods havehad someone, other than a parent,to whom they were close. For someit might have been a guardian, forothers it could have been a mentor.In my case, it was Mrs. ElizabethBush, a teacher in Nairobi, Kenya.
An English rose, Mrs. Bush was one ofthe kindest and bubbliest people I haveever met. She taught me to read, writeand do sums - and she managed tomake learning fun! From Nairobi Imoved to boarding school in England,she and her husband moved to theMiddle East, and sadly we lost touch.The last time I saw or spoke to her was1976; I was seven years of age and stillwearing short trousers.
Thirty-four years later, sitting in myoffice in sunny Switzerland I received
an email from Mrs. Bush who managedto locate me through our Universityalumni office. I will spare you theemotional details of when we finallymade contact, but it was quitesomething. Needless to say I amimmensely grateful to the Universityand in particular to the Alumni DataCoordinator.
If you have lost touch with a friend whowas at our University or just wish tocontact some of the alumni of your yearthen I would highly recommend youwrite to Pam Lindsay or AnneMatsuoka in the Alumni Office. Theywill be only too glad to assist. It's goodto find lost ones. Thank you Pam!
Tino Sarantis (Politics, Economics andLaw ’92)
After 34 years, wemet again
Tino Sarantis
Summer Party 2010
13
Alumni NewsBuckingham Studentcommended for InternationalAward
In June 2010, Phebe Mann (Law, part-time), a student of Buckingham LawSchool, was commended for hersubmission, "US Copyright Law in theprotection of intellectual property rightsand interests of architects and engineers"entered for the Society of ConstructionLawAustralia Brooking Prize.
Rashda Rana, Secretary of the Society ofConstruction LawAustralia, announced "Thejudgeswere very pleasedwith the high quality
of the entries. We are all agreed that thestandard and tight competitionwasmore thanwe could have hoped for in our first year".
Phebe is a student of the Honourable Societyof Lincoln's Inn, a Chartered Civil Engineer(CEngMICE), Chartered Surveyor (MRICS),Chartered Builder and a member of theChartered Institute of Arbitrators (MCIArb)and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts(RSA).
Phebe would like to thank Judith Bray andJanice Denoncourt for their support andvaluable comments on the backgroundresearch towards the Brooking Prizesubmission. In the future Phebe would like tocontribute to Commercial and ConstructionLaw with her knowledge and experience inTechnology and Construction.
Note:The announcement website of the Society ofConstruction LawAustralia Brooking Prize:http://www.scl.org.au/the-society-of-construction-law-australia-brooking-prize/
Phebe Mann
JeremyHowarth
On 15th May Jeremy Howarth (Lawpart-time 2007) received the Degree ofPhD from the University of Cambridge.The degree was awarded under a specialregulation of the University and related
to his book on a 17th century Flemishartist family, ‘The Steenwyck Family asMasters of Perspective’, published inTurnhout (Belgium) in 2009.
AlumnusBookSuccess
Domek Rolle (LLB ʼ07)
On the 13th April 2010 Domek Rolle(LLB ʼ07) had the pleasure ofpresenting a copy of his book "MyMental Tears: A Book Of Poetry"to Mr. Liu Liqun, Third Secretaryto Chinaʼs Ambassador to TheBahamas, His Excellency HuDingxian
Domek commented “I am sure themany Chinese students at Buckinghamwill be happy to see the BahamianChinese connection”. Domek alsopresented his book to The GovernorGeneral of The Bahamas and ThePrime Minister of The Bahamas.
Alumnaelevated toSeniorAdvocateOn 1st February 2010 Sina Sofola(LLB ʼ87) was one of nineteenpeople to be elevated to the covetedrank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria(the Nigerian equivalent of theQueens Counsel). The confermentceremony was held on 12th April2010.
Jeremy Howarth receives his PhD
Buckingham’sMPsFollowing the UK General Election inMay three Buckingham alumni havebeen elected to Parliament:
Mark Lancaster (Business Studies ’92) –MP for Milton Keynes North
Mark lives within the constituency at Olneyhaving been raised and educated locally inKimbolton. He read his first degree atBuckingham before completing an MBAatExeter University and was recentlyawarded an Honorary DSc fromBuckingham. Mark had a varied careerbefore entering politics, serving briefly firstbefore university as an officer in theQueens Gurkha Engineers in Hong Kong,then returning to work in the familyfirework manufacturing company based inKimbolton.
Brandon Lewis (Economics ’94, LLB ‘97) –MP for Great Yarmouth
Having been involved in politics since theage of 11, Brandon became a Councillor in1998 and stood in the General Election in2001 in Sherwood, Nottinghamshire. Hebecame Leader of the Group on Brentwood
Council and in June 2004 became Leaderof Brentwood Council.
“I was lucky enough to have the chance tocomplete my Law and Economics degreesat Buckingham and enjoyed both. Thebenefit I gained by working in the morefocused way that Buckingham deliversensured I was well prepared for myworking life and no doubt played its part inmy ability to manage my time well enoughto be able to become a candidate for theConservative Party at the General election.I am even more fortunate to be in
Parliament as the Member of Parliamentfor Great Yarmouth at such an exciting timein politics with a new style of governmentthat is determined to make real change andsee real growth in our country. I am lookingforward to being able to play my part in anyway that I can.
Guy Opperman (LLB ’86)– MP for Hexham
Guy is 44 and was born and raised inWiltshire; he is a countryman at heart; heknows Northumberland well and lives justoutside Hexham. Guy is a barrister with awide practice. In the past he has prosecutedseveral murder trials; he recently acted inthe case surrounding the Beatles' stolen lastrecording session - the 1969 "Get Back"session tapes. More recently, he has
represented many schools, local authoritiesand colleges all over the country and is aspecialist in education law in all its forms.
14
Alumni in the News
Mark Lancaster
Brandon Lewis
Guy Opperman
Curvalene (Curvy) Skippings (LLMʼ09) is currently working in theCourts Processing Office attachedto the Royal Turks and Caicos PoliceForce as a liaison for the AGChambers.
She has been working there for thepast year and a half and the divisionwas actually created upon her return soshe holds a supervisory post in thedepartment. In order to undertake therole, Curvalene had to be sworn in to
the Police Force as a SpecialConstable so she actually has a dualrole (rights and powers) as an Officerand a Legal Professional.
Turks and Caicos Courts Processing Office
Ami Orkaby (Law '98)
CCOONNGGRRAATTUULLAATTIIOONNSSOur congratulations go to AmiOrkaby (Law '98) who has recentlybeen appointed Honorary ConsulGeneral to both South Korea andMongolia.
15
Alumni at Work
After 10 years working on privateyachts worldwide, working forroyalty, many celebrities as well ashigh net worth individuals, Francomoved to London and for the past 10years has worked at the top end ofthe events industry. It is now timefor the next phase and the Francoclan will be moving to Bath over thesummer.
With an extensive background inhospitality and events, Franco has nowset up his own consultancy businessadvising companies on sales,marketing, networking and corporateevents.
Franco is currently working with thelaunch of Londonʼs latest private
members club: Searcys Club - theGherkin, the Cityʼs top privatemembers club and entertaining space.The London 2012 Olympics areanother enormous project and he isworking with several companiesfocusing on hospitality and events forthis very important UK occasion.Throughout all this, Franco stillcontinues to organize top end eventsfor his private clients.
Franco says:“The move to Bath is more aboutgetting lots of fresh air! My work is verytransportable and I will continueorganizing events for private andcorporate clients. The past 10 years inLondon have been hugely exciting andwith so many contacts, events andclients, the next 10-year period will beeven more exciting.”
Companies or private individualswishing to contact Franco for events orevent consultancy can do so [email protected] or call +44(0)7733 266 021.
Franco de la Croix-Vaubois (Business Studies ’89)
Events don’t have to cost theearth - but a healthy budgethelps!
ObituariesClaire Dilley (1964-2010)Claire studied at the Royal Latin School.As someone said at her funeral, she didn'tenjoy education when she had to do it, butonce it wasn't obligatory, she couldn't getenough of it.
She studied Psychology with Businessand Management, graduating inDecember 1996 with a 2:1. About 10years later she decided she wanted to gointo science teaching. She worked as aclassroom assistant, particularly helpingchildren with difficulties such as poorvision, and in 2009 started on a teachingqualification course in Oxford whilstteaching at the Royal Latin School.Cruelly, she only did one term of thecourse before she became ill. She wouldhave made a fantastic teacher; herenthusiasm was infectious.
She was very well looked after for the lastseveral weeks of her life at KatherineHouse Hospice in Banbury. As was borneout by the four talks about Claire at herfuneral, which was not surprisinglypacked full, Claire was loud, full ofenthusiasm for life and adventure, andhad strong opinions. She thought theworld of her family and everyonecommented on her broad grin andlaughter. The music at the end of herfuneral was Eric Idle singing AlwaysLook on the Bright Side of Life, adviceClaire always followed. It was fitting thatClaire herself had asked people to cometo her funeral wearing bright colours.
Dwayne Hanna - LLB ’03 (1963-2009)The University has received the sad newsthat Dwayne Hanna passed away inDecember 2009. As well as the staff,many alumni have sent their condolencesto his wife, Iona, his children, family andfriends. They include Denise Cargill,Curvalene Skippings and Devard Francis.
Professor Anthony Flew (1923-2010)The University was sad to hear of thedeath on 8th April 2010 of ProfessorAnthony Flew, a patron of the University.
Munusamy Thanggaya – LLB ’82 (1950-2010)We have been informed that MunusamyThanggava passed away on the 11th Feb2010. Our condolences go to his familyand friends.
Franco de la Croix-Vaubois
BirthsOur congratulations to AlexanderOmoniyi Ajayi (Business Economics'98) and his wife Dr (Mrs) Toyin Ajayi,who are very happy to announce thebirth of their daughter, Morenike AlexisOluwafeyisayo Ajayi. She was bornon 2nd April at UCL Hospital, London.
Morenike Alexis Oluwafeyisayo Ajayi
Alumni Updates
16University of Buckingham, Buckingham MK18 1EG, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1280 814080 Fax: +44 (0)1280 822245 Email: [email protected] Web: www.buckingham.ac.uk
THE LEAGUE TABLE 2011
Rank
201
1
Rank
201
0
Institu
tion
Stud
ent S
atisfaction
Research
Assessm
ent
Entry Stan
dards
Stud
ent / Staff Ratio
Acad
emic Service
s Sp
end
Facilities Sp
end
Good
Hon
ours
Grad
uate Prosp
ects
Completion
Score
123456789101112131415161718192021
115
-1-2-3-5-4-7-6-12-8-10-11-9-17-13-15-16-14-19-25(--)-20
(--)
Oxford
Cambridge
Imperial College London
Durham
London School of Economics
St Andrews
Warwick
Lancaster
University College London
York
Edinburgh
Bath
King’s College London
Southampton
SOAS
Bristol
Aston
Nottingham
Sussex
Buckingham
Leicester
London Metropolitan
4.114.13.813.983.764.153.923.983.914.053.713.943.823.893.833.853.893.893.954.324.14
3.57
332.92.732.72.82.72.82.82.72.72.72.72.62.72.42.72.6---2.5
1.8
532547504468494455464393458423439451421407387448364412371287374
212
10.811.710.515.91413.113.313.58.91413.415.911.313.511.113.818.113.915.49.116.3
19.8
290918593182114115631269155511341724128617951028158813101623155587010519615751113
729
469693648776304388402534225469399441329472247332682417372545491
156
91.887.372.77976.585.679.968.38175.380.274.275.674.473.178.670.1758048.171.6
48.9
82.882.388.977.881.974.477.977.680.871.576.280.980.576.373.178.375.275.772.685.274.2
46
98.498.695.197.895.39595.394.194.894.99294.894.192.68895.291.594.490.887.892.6
66.1
1000940938847831820815810800786775765755750749740737732730728724
292
Britain's only private university comes topin three categories in a league table of UKhigher education institutions published inThe Independent today.
The University of Buckingham finishes firstfor student satisfaction in the CompleteUniversity Guide table, published in 2011Education Supplement, and is also deemed tohave the best staff to student ratio and careerprospects for graduates. It is the first time theUniversity, which has only 677 students, hasbeen included in the rankings.
It takes 20th place in the 115-strong leaguetable overall, finishing ahead of several of theuniversities in the elite Russell Group, whichrepresents 20 of the country's leading highereducation research institutions.
The University is marked down for itsresearch, coming bottom of the pile in thiscategory because – as it is private – it is notincluded in the Government's researchrankings. But its showing will create waves inofficial circles at a time when the country'sleading universities are seeking more financialindependence.
Earlier this week, the Russell Group called forthe cap on university fees of £3,225 a year tobe eventually lifted so that all universitieswould be free to charge their own fees.
Such a move is seen as creating more of a freemarket in higher education with the mostpopular courses – in law and medicine – ableto charge up to £20,000 a year to students.
Dr. Terence Kealey, Buckingham's Vice-Chancellor, welcomed his university's leaguetable position. "We're climbing up the leaguetables because we're funded by students ratherthan the Government. Consequently, we'remotivated – and properly resourced – to carefor our students," he said.
The University was formally opened byMargaret Thatcher, a former educationsecretary, in May 1974. Fees for courses are£8,640 a year compared with the £3,225annual cap in government-financeduniversities. Buckingham offers its students theopportunity to complete three-year degreecourses in two years, which it says saves themmoney once their reduced living costs aretaken into account.
Its prominent academics include thephilosopher Roger Scruton, former chiefschools inspector Chris Woodhead andrespected educationalist Alan Smithers.
More success for Buckinghamin The Guardian League TablesThe University of Buckingham has beenplaced in three of the individual subject leaguetables in The GuardianUniversity Guide 2011published on Tuesday, 8 June. The BusinessSchool came 2nd (beaten only by Warwick),English came 6th and Law 24th, out of over100 UK universities. Buckingham was alsoplaced 8th in The Guardian's specialistinstitutions league table giving us recognitionacross the sector.
The Guardian's accompanying article said:
... one consistent theme emerges from the departments that have performedparticularly well in this year's Guardian subjecttables - the importance they place on humanrelationships.
(Harriet Swain. Universities that put students first come top. The Guardian, 8th June 2010).
This result follows on from the University’ssuccess in The Independent newspaper in May2010 and The Sunday Times University Guidein August 2009. Coming top for studentsatisfaction in the National Student Survey forfour consecutive years has been a huge boost and student numbers at Buckingham continue togrow, contrary to trends in the state sector.Focussing on the student experience and thequality of the academic staffing has been apriority and will continue to be so.
Anne Matsuoka, PR and Alumni Relations Officer at theUniversity of Buckingham
”“
The Independent Newspaper Complete UniversityGuide: Private university tops student satisfactionlist By Richard Garner, Education Editor and Lucy Hodges Thursday, 20 May 2010
