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Celebrating Black History Month at BGU
Black History Month at BGU Throughout Black History Month, October 2024, BGU will host a variety of events that celebrate the local, national, and global contributions of Black People to various areas. Storytelling, film night, lectures, and a fashion show are among these events. As per the best tradition of public engagement, these sessions are intended to educate, entertain, and challenge existing ideas and knowledge. Full Schedule of Events Scroll down to check out this years events and to reserve your tickets! Dig Deep, Look Closer Think Bigger. -
“You care, so let others care for you” – My Experiences as a Student Carer
Stefania Brien, BA (Hons) Health and Social Care student at Bishop Grosseteste University, shares her experiences of balancing her studies with her responsibilities as a carer and offers advice on how others in her position can access support. -
Professor Adrian O’Sullivan (Aidrean Ó Súilleabháin)
Honorary Professor of Intelligence HistoryThe main focus of Adrian O’Sullivan’s research is on the history of Allied and Axis covert operations (espionage, counterintelligence, and security) in the Middle East during the Second World War. More generally, he also enjoys discovering all kinds of neglected narratives of the secret world and using innovative interdisciplinary techniques to interpret them. -
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Leads Honorary Doctorates at Bishop Grosseteste University 2021 Graduation Ceremonies
Professor Jonathan Van Tam, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for health protection in England, Susan Hollingworth GRSM ARMCM BEM, and Professor Nigel Curry, Founder of the Lincolnshire Food Partnership will all be awarded honorary doctorates as part of the University's 2021 Graduation ceremonies. -
"Do not sit on the side lines; roll-up your sleeves and rebuild the world you want to see"
Professor Jonathan Van Tam encourages graduates of BGU's Class of 2021 to take their place in deciding the World's future in his Honorary Graduation Speech -
RKEU World Religions and Education
The World Religions and Education Research Unit (WRERU) has been established as a research and knowledge exchange unit within BGU that can bring together and support current activities, and create new initiatives, committed to research and development in world religions and education. We do not intend to replace or merge projects that are already established, but to create synergies and greater visibility for those projects and to add new work. There is a chance for BGU to have a globally-leading position on research in world religions and education. By ‘world religions’ in the unit’s title we mean those religious traditions of international significance, including – amongst many – Anglican, Roman Catholic, Nonconformist and Orthodox Christianity, Baháʼí, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Jain, Judaism, Sikhism and Zoroastrian. As religious education, globally, often includes education on non-religious ways of life and ethical and values education, these are also included in our work. -
Remembering 9/11 Twenty Years On
On the morning of September 11, 2001, an American Airlines Boeing 767 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. Worldwide, millions watched in shock as events were broadcast by live television coverage. Many remember the chilling footage of the second plane hitting the south tower and the later collapse of the twin towers. At 9.45 am (Eastern Standard Time - EST), a third plane hit the Pentagon in Washington D.C. At 10.10 am (EST), a fourth hijacked plane crashed in a field in western Pennsylvania. United Flight 93 had been delayed leaving Newark Liberty International Airport, leaving time for some of its passengers to learn of the attacks in New York and Washington from cell phone calls. A group of brave passengers and flight crew fought the highjackers preventing the terrorists from weaponising the plane and taking out their fourth intended target, either the White House or the U.S. Capitol. The coordinated attacks were carried out by the Islamic extremist group al Qaeda. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives that day. Twenty years on, historians at Bishop Grosseteste University share their memories of a day that changed the world. Dr Claire Hubbard-Hall, Programme Leader for Military History. I was weeks away from submitting my Master's' dissertation when 9/11 happened. The day the planes hit the World Trade Center, I had broken away from editing a dissertation chapter. I made a sandwich and then switched on the weighty analogue box television that occupied the living room corner. Images of destruction and devastation greeted me. News of the attacks in New York dominated both BBC and ITV channels (two of just five channels then). For the rest of the day, I sat transfixed, unable to make sense of the news that followed. In an era before social media, the live broadcast made it feel as if I were there. I watched in horror as the Twin Towers plummeted to the ground. At the time, I felt sick. Looking back, I still do. During my doctorate, I spent some time in New York as a Fritz Halbers Fellow researching aspects of the Holocaust at the Leo Baeck Institute. In 2006, on a bitterly cold January morning, I visited the site of the 9/11 attack. Standing silently in Lower Manhattan, I felt overwhelmed with emotion, still unable to process the unthinkable. As we mark the 20th anniversary of one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in history, I wonder how much 9/11 is shifting from lived experience to a historical event connected to the years of history before and after the 9/11 attacks. Dr Hazel Kent, Lecturer in History. I was rushing from my classroom to the staffroom to grab a much-needed cuppa after a busy lesson (some things don't change). A colleague stopped me in the corridor: "Have you heard what's happening in New York?" I hadn't. There wasn't easy internet access in a Lincolnshire comprehensive at that time, and certainly not in my History classroom. I went over to the Science block, to the technician's long, thin preparation room; this was the only place in the school with a live television signal. Surrounded by the chemical bottles and equipment, I remember watching the coverage in disbelief and trying to make sense of what was happening as more and more staff crowded into the tiny space to do the same. I remember the confusion as TV reporters tried to explain, as the horrific trauma of a carefully coordinated terror attack began to unfold thousands of miles away. Watching the coverage of the event certainly had a profound effect on me. From a historian's point of view, it is interesting to reflect on the experience of watching such a significant event unfold in real-time before its narrative has been created. Dr Alan Malpass, Lecturer in Military History. I've lived my entire adult life in the post-9/11 world, but my memories of that day are hazy. I do remember, quite vividly, sitting on the sofa in my parents living room watching news reports of the attack. I had just returned from school, so it must have been around 4 pm (BST). My dad was still at work, but my mum was watching the TV. I remember walking in and seeing her stood in the middle of the room. I immediately felt that something serious had happened, and I sat down. I don't remember us speaking a lot, but just sitting and trying to comprehend the news coverage. I didn't understand what had happened – I don't think anyone did at that point. I'd never heard of the 'Twin Towers' or thought much about terrorism, but the chaotic images made an instant impression. The sense that something tragically earth-shattering had happened was clear. Twenty years later, I now find myself teaching the events of 9/11 and terrorism on some of the modules I deliver. They are requisite to understanding the world we live in today. Further information about the 9/11 Memorials can be found at The 9/11 Memorial & Museum, Flight 93 National Memorial and The National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial. -
BGU Academics Present at the International Nurse Education Today (NET) Conference
Two academics from the Health and Social Care team at BGU presented at the international Nurse Education Today (NET) Conference which is an annual event run by the Advance UK (formally the Higher Education Academy). NET provides a unique opportunity for delegates to engage with the latest worldwide research evidence, developments and thinking with educators, practitioners, and students. Papers are arranged in themed sessions where delegates participate in in-depth discussion and debate on a topic, facilitated by skilled convenors. Nicki Walsh (Programme Leader and Senior Lecturer) and Leanne McHugh (Senior Lecturer) presented on different themes. Nicki presented under the theme of “Educational Enhancement” showcasing her work supporting UK, the general practice nursing workforce (previously published). Her paper reviewed current drivers within practice and higher education, to support and develop the current and future workforce. It examined several initiatives that Nicki was involved with, from the support of General Practice to provide placements for undergraduate nursing and health and social care students, to the development of educational programmes to support nurses working in practice, or who wish to have a career in General Practice, with their continued professional develop and career enhancement. Leanne presented under the theme “Student experience, engagement and achievement”. Leanne shared an overview of the carers project at BGU. The presentation took the participants through the project’s development and planning stages and considered the student and staff engagement opportunities which this project presented. Consideration was given to how to craft the narrative of the project which focused on the question “What would it feel like to be a carer at the university?” “How can we identify a shared language, so we all hear your story?”. Future strategies to enhance the Carers project were also shared with the participants seeing the future vision, which is to consider, “What an active Carers community will look like”. During the question and answer session, feedback from the participants was really positive, offering networking opportunities and possibilities of increasing the awareness of the BGU Carers Community. Related publications Book Chapter - Chapter One – Contemporary General Practice Nursing – Editors Welsh, M. and Brooks, S., Elsevier Walsh, N and Mason, R., (2018) “Hitting the Ground Running": An Evaluation of Management Placements for Student Nurses with UK General Practice. Primary Health Care. Vol. 28 No.7 pp34-41 . doi: 10.7748/phc. 2018.e1443 Walsh, N., (2017) Using community education provider networks to develop general practice nursing. Primary Health Care. Vol.27, No.4, pp26-29 -
Dr Amanda Arbouin
Dr Amanda Arbouin joined Bishop Grosseteste University as an Honorary Senior Fellow in Education Studies in August 2021. She has expertise in the Sociology of Education, with a particular focus on the effects of race, class and gender in education and employment. -
Heritage Open Days & The Early History of Bishop Grosseteste University
Since 1994, Heritage Open Days have run every year shining a bright light on England's rich and diverse cultural heritage. This year, from 10-19 September, heritage sites across the county reflected on the theme of 'voices unheard', exploring 'stories from women, children, the working class and agricultural workers, minority groups and even animals that have somehow contributed to the history of Lincolnshire'. Bishop Grosseteste University has been educating students for over 150 years, but its early history was devoted to training young 'school mistresses'. In January 1862, 'Lincoln Diocesan Training College for Schoolmistresses' opened its doors for women who aspired to be teachers. As seen in the image below, the 'Joyce Skinner Building' is one of the original college buildings. Figure 1: A watercolour painting of Lincoln Diocesan Training College in 1888. BGU Archive During the first fifty years some 1,320 girls entered Lincoln Diocesan Training College. After gaining their teaching certificates, some women went on to have careers in elementary schools. Others passed away far too young—some married, and their daughters later attended the college. A few daring women even travelled to far off British colonies to teach. Interestingly, the vast majority of trainee 'schoolmistresses' came from working-class backgrounds. During the nineteenth century, teaching was considered a working-class profession, as it was deemed immoral for the upper classes to educate working class children. Figure 2: The oldest surviving image of students at Lincoln Diocesan Training College c1860s. BGU Archive For a young woman to be given a chance to study at a teacher training college in the late nineteenth century there was an expectation that she would have successfully carried out the role of an apprentice teacher. 'Pupil Teachers' aged between 13 and 18 years of age, spent four to five years shadowing teachers in an elementary school. Alongside teaching the youngest school children, they also carried out domestic duties. Pupil Teachers were also expected to conduct their study before or after the school day. While extremely demanding, the pupil teacher scheme was also preparing the young women to take the Queen's Scholarship Exam. This exam ultimately determined their national ranking. It was from this list that College Principals selected entrants. The Principal at Lincoln Diocesan Training College used the Queen's Scholarship List, but also chose candidates based on their physical well-being, religious knowledge, and geographical proximity, preferring candidates from Lincolnshire or nearby counties of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Figure 3: The Student Common Room c. 1900s. The Common Room was only added to the College in 1895 after numerous requests from the Inspector. BGU Archive Once at the college, the young women could not escape their working-class roots as domestic duties were still required. The college décor was plain, the amenities were sparse, and the food was basic. However, despite a rudimentary diet of potatoes, meat and bread, regular college food was more than what many of the girls were used to. A fascinating medical record held within the BGU Archive reveals that one group of undernourished trainee teachers managed to put weight on at the turn of the twentieth century, and their general health improved considerably during their two years at college. To learn more about the university’s early history and heritage, and study History, Military History or the MA in Social & Cultural History in the surviving Victorian buildings, please click here.
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