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Registrar and Secretary Appointed at Bishop Grosseteste University
Dr Anne Craven has been appointed as the new Registrar and Secretary at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln. Dr Craven comes to BGU from the University of Northampton, where she has been working as Head of Quality and Academic Partnerships and Deputy Director (Quality) in Student and Academic Services. Previously she was Director of Administration at Helsinki Theatre Academy, where she provided leadership for the strategic merger of three acclaimed Finnish arts universities into the new University of the Arts Helsinki. Before this she was Registrar at the School of Social Sciences at the University of East London, leading the school’s administration through a major change process. She has also worked as Departmental Administrator at Goldsmiths, University of London, and held several administrative positions at Royal Holloway, University of London. As a member of the senior leadership team at BGU Dr Craven will be responsible for quality, governance, student administration, data, admissions and recruitment and marketing. “I’m passionate about higher education, its management and its development and I’m very much looking forward to meeting and working with all colleagues at Bishop Grosseteste University and implementing the new university strategy together with staff and the Students’ Union,” Dr Craven said. Dr Craven earned her PhD in Music at Royal Holloway, University of London and holds a number of other qualifications, including an MBA in Higher Education Management, Master's Degrees in Music and Musicology and a Graduate Diploma in Law. Her research and publications have covered higher education management studies including governance; higher education policy and funding systems in UK and Finland; quality and standards; widening participation; change management; social justice and higher education; law and legal studies; reception and cultural history; aesthetics and analysis of musical recordings; and performance studies. She is a graduate of Royal Holloway, University of London; Institute of Education, University of London; Birkbeck, University of London; Goldsmiths, University of London; BPP University Law School, London Waterloo; Royal Academy of Music, London; Trinity College of Music, London; HAMK University, Finland; and Åbo Akademi University and Turku Conservatory, Turku, Finland. Anne Craven is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA), a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA); a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and a Fellow of the Association of University Administrators (AUA). -
£406,500 Grant to Improve Heritage Education
A £406,500 grant will help Bishop Grosseteste University to improve the educational impact of museums and heritage sites across the East Midlands. The grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund will contribute to the The Sandford Learning Cascade Project, a four-year scheme which will encourage up to 14 Sandford Award winning sites in the region to support staff training at less developed heritage sites. The Sandford Award, established in 1978 by Lord Sandford and the Heritage Education Trust is administered by BGU. The award aims to reward excellence in heritage education. Recent award winners include Gainsborough Old Hall, Belton House, the Newark and Sherwood Museum Service and Normanby Hall. Sandford Learning Cascade has three innovative strands: ‘Sandford Scholarships’ will see staff from less developed heritage sites visit Sandford Award-winning sites and collect a digital record of best practice there. What the scholars learn during their time at the award-winning sites will help to develop new education programmes and enhance existing ones. ‘Sandford Cloud’ gives heritage professionals and volunteers in the region access to the expertise of Sandford Award judges around the UK, through the development of an on-line learning resource known as ‘Sandford Cloud’. Finally, Sandford Our Take is an exciting new award scheme to recognise high quality informal and family learning in the region. Museums and historic sites will be encouraged to develop new opportunities in partnership with the communities they serve. The project has been five years in the making and Jean MacIntyre, Head of Innovation at BGU, is delighted to receive the £406,500 grant, 76% of total project funding. “The HLF gave us a grant for the development phase which went extremely well and involved a number of local museums and heritage centres,” said Jean. “The sites told us the project had changed their whole way of thinking about heritage education and we expect the next phase to be even more influential. “The HLF has been very generous and imaginative in recognising the needs of people working in the heritage sector as opportunities for training have diminished, so this is an ideal opportunity to increase the knowledge, skills and understanding of people working at a range of heritage sites.“The Sandford Learning Cascade project will be a significant contribution to meeting BGU’s knowledge transfer and public engagement aims across the region as well as establishing the Sandford Awards as a dynamic, positive force for education training in the UK.” Project Co-ordinator Adam Clarke, who was responsible for writing the bid as well as project piloting, research and development, said: “HLF should be congratulated for backing this cutting-edge learning project. “BGU and the Sandford Award will be working with museums, heritage sites and a range of other partners across the East Midlands to develop high-quality educational resources for the benefit of children, schools and families throughout our region.”g -
BGU Sets Out Ambitious Five-Year Growth Plan
Two years after it achieved university status Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln has set out its ambitious vision for the next five years. Bishop Grosseteste University has chosen today, the annual celebration of the life and work of Robert Grosseteste, a mediaeval scholar, former Bishop of Lincoln and the university’s namesake, to launch its new five-year plan. The development of the strategy has been led by its Vice Chancellor, the Reverend Professor Peter Neil, in consultation with staff, students and key community and business leaders.The ambitious strategy will see the university build on its past success in encouraging and supporting students from non-traditional and low-income backgrounds to gain a university level qualification by offering a greater range of courses and subjects, and strengthening its partnerships with local, regional and national business communities to ensure students are prepared for life and employment in a global society. The plans also set out the investment the university is making in research, its buildings and facilities. “Bishop Grosseteste University is a thriving institution which has achieved a great many successes in recent years.” said Professor Neil. “Like all universities, however, we must always look forward and ensure that we are best placed to fulfil our potential as a 21st-century university. The strategy is both a call to action for our university community and a considered response to the challenges facing students and the higher education sector”. “Our strategy outlines the steps we will take to ensure that Bishop Grosseteste University remains a major player in UK higher education while staying true to its ethos and building on its already excellent levels of student satisfaction and graduate employability.” Professor Neil added that while the university wishes to see more students studying at BGU, new courses and new ways of teaching and learning mean that there will be opportunities for undergraduate students new to Lincoln to study alongside mature, part-time, postgraduate and work-based learning students who already live in the locality. “As a community university, we are committed to ensuring that the balance between ‘town and gown’ is maintained in the city. We intend to develop our existing campus and support the city and county’s economic strategies by creating educational opportunities and employment through the life of this plan.” -
Survey Shows Student Satisfaction Rising at BGU
Figures released today from the National Student Survey show that 88% of BGU students are satisfied with their university experience - that's higher than the national average of 86% and three percentage points up on BGU's score last year. BGU's Foundation Degree in Applied Studies (Early Childhood) achieved 100% satisfaction while three other courses - Primary Education with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), Education Studies & English and Education Studies & Mathematics - recorded satisfaction levels of 95%. The proportion of BGU students completing the survey has also increased significantly; from 64% in 2010 to 72% in 2013 and 87% this year. The Reverend Professor Peter Neil, Vice Chancellor of Bishop Grosseteste University, welcomed today's data published by HEFCE, the Higher Education Funding Council for England. "This is an excellent result for BGU," he said. "We are always keen to hear what our students are telling us about their experiences here and the message is clear from these findings - we are doing better and better. "The most significant change this year is that the number of students completing the survey increased by 15 percentage points on last year; this means that the feedback from students is much more robust. The staff are committed to giving the students an excellent experience and will be looking at the areas the students are highlighting as things which they perceive needing improvement. But all in all this is a very good result for BGU." The latest figures come hot on the heels of a survey published last month which showed that BGU is one of the top five universities in England for the proportion of graduates who are employed or in further study six months after graduating. According to the DLHE survey (Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education) published by HESA, the Higher Education Statistics Agency, on 3rd July 2014, 96.5% of Bishop Grosseteste University graduates had found a job or were continuing their studies six months after graduating in 2012/13. The Which? University Guide currently ranks BGU fifth in England for graduate prospects and lists BGU as having the highest average graduate salary in the East Midlands. -
Busy Mum Juggles Work and Study to Achieve Degree
A teaching assistant who juggled studying with two jobs and caring for her elderly mum will graduate with a degree in Children and Youth Work from Bishop Grosseteste University next week. Mum-of-two Nolene Tear (53) from Bracebridge in Lincoln completed her degree in three years while working as a special educational needs teaching assistant at a Lincoln primary school. She also works as a family support worker for the Penderels Trust, mostly in the evenings and at weekends, and she's the primary carer for her 83-year-old mother, who recently had quadruple heart bypass surgery and had to have a lung removed. Nolene was also diagnosed with dyslexia during her course but with help from staff at BGU she was able to complete her degree. She will graduate at 7.15pm on Wednesday 23rd July at a ceremony at Lincoln Cathedral. "I enrolled on the degree course to enhance my career, and I'm delighted to be graduating next week," said Nolene. "It's been hard work with all my other commitments but it's definitely been worth it." Nolene, who initially studied for a foundation degree before converting it into an honours degree, said she was shocked to be diagnosed with dyslexia. "I was having trouble processing my thoughts and transferring them from my head onto paper," she said. "Once the problem was identified the BGU staff were brilliant and really supportive." Rachael Fell Chambers, Senior Lecturer in Applied Studies at BGU, said: "Nolene was diagnosed with dyslexia during year two of her foundation degree and she has worked extremely hard to overcome her difficulties since diagnosis. "She is a very determined student who has worked with some of the most vulnerable people across Lincolnshire while successfully completing her degree and maintaining family life." -
Two Generations, One Graduation Day
A mother and her daughter will be awarded their degrees on the same day when they graduate from Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln on Wednesday 23rd July. Athena Pears (21) will be graduating with an honours degree in Education Studies and English, and a few hours later her mother Gillian Bush (44) will be awarded a master's degree in Education. Athena, from Revesby near Boston but currently living in Horncastle, was inspired by her parents who both have careers in education. Thanks to her passion for working with people with special needs she has also ventured into a career within education. Athena currently works as a support worker at Linkage College in Toynton near Spilsby, which is part of the Linkage Community Trust. She managed to secure her job before graduating. "I've had a fantastic learning experience at BGU and I'm so happy to see my hard work - and my mum's - pay off. Not many people get to say they graduated with their parents. I am so proud of my mum and her achievement; I keep showing her master's thesis to everyone. I'm now considering following in her footsteps and doing a master's in Education at BGU in the future myself!" Gillian, also from Revesby, studied for her master's degree part-time for three years while working at Boston College as Programme Area Manager and Higher Education Co-ordinator. "I decided to study at BGU because of its excellent reputation and quality of education. I was given the option to tailor my modules to facilitate my career development and lifestyle. As much as it was a struggle having to juggle my career and education the staff at BGU were helpful and supportive, which I am very grateful for. "It is a great privilege to graduate on the same day as my daughter. I am so proud of Athena and I'm excited to celebrate with her. I am now focused on putting the knowledge I've received into practice." Athena Pears will graduate at 2.30pm and Gillian Bush will graduate at 7.15pm at Lincoln Cathedral on Wednesday 23rd July 2014. -
Awards to Recognise Heritage Education Excellence
From Buckingham Palace to the Walsall Leather Museum, and from Gainsborough Old Hall to Windsor Castle, heritage sites in the UK and Ireland will receive recognition for their education work on Friday (5th December). Forty-two museums, parks, zoos, houses and archives will receive a prestigious Sandford Award at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Dr Lucy Worsley (pictured), author, TV presenter and Chief Curator of the Historic Royal Palaces, will present the awards, which are given every year in recognition of excellence in heritage education. The awards are jointly managed by Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln and the Heritage Education Trust, and BGU’s Vice Chancellor, the Reverend Canon Professor Peter Neil, will give the vote of thanks after the ceremony. The winners, which represent a cross-section of heritage sites from across the country, this year include Crumlin Road Gaol in Belfast, Fishbourne Roman Palace in West Sussex and the company archive of Marks & Spencer. Dr Tracy Borman, Sandford Co-ordinator at Bishop Grosseteste University, said: “The National Maritime Museum is a fitting setting for this year’s Sandford Awards, where we will be paying tribute to the innovative education work being undertaken by all our winners. “We look forward to an enjoyable ceremony and extend our congratulations to all the sites receiving awards this year.” The awards ceremony begins at 11am on Friday 5th December and members of the media are welcome to attend. If you would like to come, please contact Shooting Star PR by calling 01522 528540 or by emailing hello@shootingstar-pr.co.uk. Sandford Award Winners 2014 18 Stafford Terrace Benjamin Franklin House Bramall Hall Bowhill House and Country Estate Buckingham Palace Cannon Hall Chester Zoo Chiltern Open Air Museum Combe Sydenham Culzean Castle and Country Park Crumlin Road Gaol Cutty Sark Dunster Castle and Gardens Fishbourne Roman Palace Fort Nelson Gainsborough Old Hall Gawthorpe Hall Hill of The O’Neill and Ranfurly House Holyroodhouse Palace Llancaiach Fawr Manor House Lauriston Castle London Metropolitan Archives Lotherton Hall M&S Company Archive Moseley Old Hall Museum of Lancashire The National Archives National Museum of Ireland – Country Life No.1 Royal Crescent, Bath Roman Baths Museum Royal Museums Greenwich Sir John Soane’s Museum Sutton House Thackray Medical Museum Time & Tide Museum Ufton Court V&A Museum of Childhood Walsall Leather Museum Wilderspin National School Museum Wildlife Trust Countryside Centre Ramsey Heights Windsor Castle -
Great War Talk to Honour Tragic Beechey Brothers
Eight Lincoln brothers joined up to fight for king and country in the Great War – but only three returned. The story of the Beechey family of Avondale Street in Lincoln will be told next week by author Michael Walsh, whose book ‘Brothers in War’ (2006) tells the tragic story of Barnard, Charles, Frank, Harold and Leonard Beechey who were all killed in World War One. Mr Walsh will give a talk on the subject at Bishop Grosseteste University on Monday 10th November organised by the City of Lincoln branch of the Historical Association and the university.There will also be a special Lincolnshire at War exhibition, supported by the Lincolnshire County Council Archives, which will feature a selection of the Beechey brothers’ letters on display alongside other First World War artefacts. This will be the first time these documents have been put on public display outside of the archives. Descendants of the Beechey brothers will be attending the event, which takes place in Armistice Week and two days before The Last Post is premiered at Lincoln Drill Hall.The Last Post is a new play which has been written for the Lincoln Mystery Plays Company, based on hundreds of letters home written by the eight brothers that are kept in the Lincolnshire Archives. The Beechey Boys WW1 event begins in the Robert Hardy Building at BGU at 5pm on 10th November with refreshments and a book signing by the author supported by Waterstones, and the talk will start at 6pm. There is a £3 charge for the event but BGU staff and students and members of the Historical Association can attend free of charge. The talk is just one of a number of historical events regularly staged at BGU, which will launch a new joint degree in Archaeology and History from September 2015. We currently offer single honours History but the new joint honours degree will offer a wide variety of modules across the subjects of archaeology and history. We have particular strengths in public and community archaeology and students will also gain skills in these areas as they study Britain’s Roman and mediaeval past. -
BGU Goes Global as Conference Celebrates Internationalism
Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln celebrated the breadth of its international activity by staging a BG Global conference on campus yesterday (22nd April). The keynote speaker was Vivienne Stern, Director of the UK Higher Education International Unit, who spoke about issues affecting the higher education sector in internationalisation and attracting international students to the UK. The conference also provided an opportunity for BGU to launch its Internationalisation Strategy, which has been developed by the university’s new International Manager Wayne Dyble and a group of colleagues from across the institution. Dr Ruth Sayers, Executive Dean for Learning Teaching and International at BGU, welcomed the delegates, some of whom were the university’s students. She described the range of activities represented at the conference as impressive, including presentations on international research activity, mobility programmes overseas, institutional partnerships and special projects. BGU has a long history of working with partners in many international settings, including China, Nepal, Thailand, the Gambia, Norway, Uganda, Brazil, Tanzania and India. The conference also offered academic staff an opportunity to discuss how they are internationalising the curricula in innovative ways, supported by a project led by the Higher Education Academy. “The conference represents a sea change in our international work,” said Dr Sayers. “We celebrate the many activities that have gone before, but we look forward to a much more strategic future, in which internationalisation will permeate all our activities and the new International Office will drive forward the strategy that was launched at the conference.” -
Research at BGU Recognised as ‘World Class’
Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln is celebrating after learning that research undertaken by its staff and students has been judged to be ‘world-leading’. Results of the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014), a system used to independently assess the quality of research undertaken in all UK higher education institutions (HEIs), have been published today (Thursday). They show that research in Education, English Literature and History and have been judged to be world-leading and given the highest possible 4* rating.The University’s Vice-Chancellor, the Reverend Canon Professor Peter Neil, said: “We are delighted with the outcome. To have our research in these key subjects judged by experts to be world-leading is a fantastic achievement.” Professor John Sharp, who led the submission to REF 2014 on behalf of the university, paid tribute to his colleagues’ hard work, over several years, to develop the research. “Bishop Grosseteste University is committed to undertaking research that can be applied in ways that benefit our students and the general public and is useful to others,” he said. “The dedication and passion for research shown by staff and students from across the university has been rewarded by this result; to be recognised as undertaking research that is judged to be world class is very pleasing indeed.” The REF 2014 outcome is a further boost to Bishop Grosseteste University’s plans to grow its research as part of its overall new five-year strategy.
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