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Lecturer helps lead celebrations for the life and impact of William Blake
Visionary poet and artist William Blake are one of the most vivid figures in British Romantic literature and to celebrate his impact a week of events began in Lincoln on 16 September 2019 with the launch of The Reception of William Blake in Europe at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU). Edited by Dr Sibylle Erle, Reader in English Literature at BGU, alongside Professor Morton D. Paley (University of California, Berkeley), the book is the first comprehensive and systematic reference guide to Blake’s influence across Europe. Exploring Blake’s impact on literature, art, music and culture, the book includes bibliographies of major critical responses, exhibitions and translations of Blake’s work in each country covered, as well as a publication history and timeline of the poet’s reception on the continent. The launch event at BGU was a tremendous success allowing Dr Erle and Professor Paley to meet with colleagues, students and Blake enthusiasts to discuss and share stories of the many years of working with European colleagues. It was followed later in the week by an additional launch in London at Senate House with the Series Editor Professor Elinor Shaffer before a Symposium at Tate Britain (20 September 2019). Contributors met with Martin Myrone (curator of the William Blake exhibition now open at the Tate and contributor to the volumes) bright and early for a curator’s tour at the staff entrance. The event, which lasted all day, was hosted by the Tate and supported by BGU. Other events in the week included Professor Morton D. Paley speaking at the Tennyson Research Centre about Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s copy of Blake’s Illustrations of the Book of Job. Tennyson received his copy in 1856, a present by his friend Benjamin Jowett, and through it Paley explored Blake's masterpiece in front of a select audience to a warm and enthusiastic response. Speaking at the end of the week Dr Erle expressed her pride at being involved in such an important cross-continental effort: “I am tired but so very happy. These were inspiring days, full of joy and inspiration. It was good for the soul. With the Brexit on the horizon, it felt good to come together as a European community of academics and talk about Blake.” Dr Erle’s research in the work and impact of William Blake has seen her invited to numerous speaking events. You can read more about her travels here. If you are interested in finding out more about English at BGU, visit our website or contact our Enquiries Team. -
International Guest Speaker Launches BGU's new Research and Knowledge Exchange Unit, Voicing the Past
‘Voicing the Past: Culture, Legacy and Narrative’, a new Research and Knowledge Exchange Unit established by academics at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), was officially launched on the 16th of October with a special lecture by Professor Mariaconcetta Costantini. Established by Dr Cassie Ulph, Dr Claudia Capancioni, Dr Daphne Whiteoak, Dr Duncan Wright, and Dr Jon Begley, 'Voicing the Past: Culture, Legacy, and Narrative' aims to remap and reshape the ways in which we understand human identity, communities, and intellectual connections by unfolding historical voices connected to regional, national, European and transatlantic archaeological, cultural and literary heritage, its legacy and narratives. Original scholarly research based on archival research, digitalisation projects, historical fictional and non-fictional writing such as life writing, artefacts and documents will form the main drive of this work. Professor Mariaconcetta Costantini was welcomed by the Vice-Chancellor of Bishop Grosseteste University, the Reverend Canon Professor Peter Neil, before going on to deliver her research seminar ‘Material Traces of the Victorian Past: Authenticity and Artifice’, which builds on her ongoing research into Victorian literature and culture, with a special interest in sensation fiction and the Gothic. Following the lecture, which formed part of a week-long visit to BGU during which she also shared her passion for the Gothic with first-year English students and for the Posthuman with the MA students, Professor Costantini said: “'Voicing the Past: Culture, Legacy, and Narrative' is an exciting, forward-looking initiative with great potential, and I accepted the invitation to join the unit very warmly. I have enjoyed my time at BGU and am thrilled to have had the opportunity to present my research.” Professor Costantini’s lecture was very well attended by staff and students, and received many, engaging questions and comments. With a bilateral agreement now existing between BGU and Gabriele d’ Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara in Italy, where the Professor teaches English Literature, both institutions hope the Professor’s Voicing the Past Lecture will become the first of many events and collaborations on which the two universities will embark. Speaking on behalf of the lecturers involved in the new research unit Dr Claudia Capancioni thanked the BGU community for their support: “We have been delighted with the warm welcome our RKE unit has had and are grateful for the support of the Vice-Chancellor, and those of you who attended and sent us inspiring messages and congratulations. We look forward to seeing what this exciting new unit can achieve” If you are interested in knowing more about 'Voicing the Past: Culture, Legacy, and Narrative', our initiatives, projects, future events, or you want to join our RKE Unit, please email Dr Claudia Capancioni at claudia.capancioni@bishopg.ac.uk -
Applications for the 2020 Sandford Awards are Officially Open
Applications are now open for the 2020 Sandford Awards which recognise and promote quality and best practice in educational provision by sites across the British Isles. More than 500 sites including country houses, museums and galleries, places of worship, wildlife parks, historic gardens and landscapes and different collections have received the prestigious quality mark since the scheme began in 1978. They include, Boughton House, Museum of Cannock Chase, St Albans Cathedral, the Tower of the London, and Fota Wildlife Park. The Award is independently judged and offers a quality assured assessment of a site’s formal education programme. The Sandford Award is managed by Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in partnership with the Heritage Education Trust. The Award focuses on formal, curriculum-linked education opportunities offered to schools by heritage sites, although recognition is also made of informal learning such as family programmes. The Awards are non-competitive. Applications are welcomed from sites small and large, and run by national institutions, volunteers, local authorities, independent trusts, private owners. What are the benefits for you and your museum or heritage site? A ‘kite mark’ for high quality educational provision The opportunity to use your award to attract school visits and new audiences A detailed consultancy report as part of the expert judging process, which you can use to effect positive change in your organisation The opportunity to attend an award ceremony National recognition among the heritage sector of the personal contribution of you and your staff, which will help to motivate the whole site to develop its good practice further What our award winners have to say “The judge’s report will allow us to receive greater recognition within the framework of our organisation and highlight the significance of the work we do.” Navan Centre & Fort “It’s really useful, not just to have an outside voice to evaluate and respond to what you do, but to have a physical report that can be shared around the museum to really advocate for and showcase the work that is done.” The Geffrye Museum How do I find out more? Our website provides all of the information you need to apply, including details of our criteria and the judging process. A series of films presented by Sandford Award judges and education officers at Award winning sites give tips and examples of good practice in heritage learning. https://www.heritageeducationtrust.org/ How do I apply? To enter your site for a Sandford Award, all you need to do is complete an application form which is available to download from our website and submit it by email or post. What does it cost to apply? The application fee is £350 per site. If your organisation manages more than one site, you should submit a separate application for each. Deadline for entries: 14 February 2020 For more information about the Sandford Awards, please contact: Jayne Ellis Sandford Award Administrator 01522 583695 Jayne.ellis@bishopg.ac.uk -
Roll up, Roll up! The Carnival Arrives at BGU
All the fun of the fair arrived at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) on Wednesday 20th November in the form of Carnival 2019, a well-being event sponsored by the Centre for Enhancement in Learning and Teaching (CELT).To brighten up a damp and rainy November, the CELT team in collaboration with the SU organised everything from a chocolate fountain, indoor games, limbo and candy floss to cookie decorating, giant mindful colouring in and the adorable hen Gemma who was kindly brought in by ‘OrionTree’ alongside a pair of alpacas and became a huge hit. The animals from OrionTree regularly visit schools throughout the year and provide a fantastic, calming experience for the children and students who interact with them. Over 150 people attended the jamboree, which put lots of smiles on not only staff and student faces but also on children from local specialist school, St. Francis, who popped in to enjoy all of the activities that ran in the Students’ Union (SU) between 12pm-3pm. Linette Wallace, Centre Coordinator at CELT, explained why the carnival day was such an important activity in the University calendar: “Part of the rationale behind hosting such an event for our students, is we recognise a mid-semester dip in the first term through a rise in referrals to Student Advice. Students can sometimes feel an increase in anxiety levels with both the assessment period and the December break and this provides an opportunity for them to get together and just have a few hours of fun.” These aims were clearly recognised by BGU’s student community with Jordan Fane, Bishop Grosseteste University Students’ Union Vice President, praising the event: “The turnout for this year’s carnival was brilliant and it was great to have so many students visit the Students’ Union to engage with all the different activities on offer. The SU are hugely thankful to CELT for sponsoring this event which has become increasingly popular and although I was kept busy supporting the event on the day, I also enjoyed having a few games of chess myself!” CELT, guided by the well-being steering group, will continue to build upon the well-being successes of last year and are fully committed to creating and maintaining a positive and mindful University here at Bishop Grosseteste. If you feel you could support some of our well-being initiatives, please do not hesitate to get in touch E: celt@bishopg.ac.uk -
Students tackle food waste and social problems in ‘Make Your Mark’ challenge
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) students recently had the chance to devise solutions to the global issue of food waste as part of the ‘Make Your Mark’ challenge. Sponsored and hosted by the Centre for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT), and supported by BG Futures, the ‘Make Your Mark’ challenge asked the students to think of improvements that could be made at BGU to help limit food waste. While the University’s BG Lincoln Ltd. team have made great strides in this area, they still face the difficulty of balancing these efforts with customer demand for a varied menu as John Hodson, Operations Manager at BG Lincoln Ltd., explains: “Over the past 3 years we have reduced our in-house waste by 28%, resulting in savings of around £14,000 in total. To achieve this, we have focused on an efficient menu, cooking within managed periods of time to meet projected demand, however, we are aware that students desire an expansion to the menu choice.” With this in mind students were asked to think about how about the menu choice could be expanded upon in catering outlets at BGU whilst improving waste control further. They were also asked to reflect on the sustainability of any of these initiatives and whether they could be developed/run as a social enterprise venture. The group of students who took part generated a raft of ideas from different portion sizes and a “lite bites” menu, to generating compost and introducing of ‘doggy bags’ to helping the disadvantaged through food bank donations. Amongst all these fantastic concepts, the winning solution suggested the development of an online app which releases a pre-bookable, weekly food plan. Devised by student Kim Lucia Spielmanns, who won £150 for her idea, the app would allow a higher percentage of food to be pre-booked by staff and students. Speaking at the event she explained her motivation: “Even though our in-house sustainability has greatly improved, I wanted to focus on a solution which could reduce our carbon footprint and better manage the volume control institutionally. My app idea means that more meal tickets can be pre-bought which can better inform buying decisions.” Two runner-up students also won a £20 Amazon voucher for their overall contributions. All the suggestions put forth by the students have been disseminated to the relevant BGU staff and will be built upon further in the New Year. John Hodson is keen to work with students further to ensure their voice is central to the menu offer and their ideas are incorporated into future plans and will be setting up dedicated focus groups in the New Year. Linette Wallace, CELT co-ordinator, led the event and has plans to expand its impact beyond BGU: “I am pleased that this event was so well received by our students and I believe there is a growing need for a pool of social entrepreneurial talent. Next academic year, we hope to be able to run this type of challenge with a group of local secondary schools and will be sending out invitations in the New Year.” For further information on the activities being carried out by the CELT team email CELT@bishopg.ac.uk If you'd like your school to be involved in future Make Your Mark challenges, fill out the below form and a member of our Outreach Team will be in touch with more information. -
Raising Mental Health Awareness at Bishop Grosseteste University
In 2018, the Office for National Statistics produced its first estimates of Higher Education student suicides, an area which typically until then was difficult to quantify. By amalgamating different data sets (Death Registration Records and Higher Education registration data) they were able to see a better picture of this area. Their research showed, that whilst the rate of suicide of Higher Education students in England and Wales is significantly lower than the general population, tragically university student suicide rates have gone up over the last decade. -
“Amazing” Carers’ Initiatives Earn “Well Deserved” Awards for BGU
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) is delighted to announce that its Health and Social Care team and wider community have successfully been accredited with the Lincolnshire Carers Quality Awards for providing outstanding support for Carers at the University. -
BGU joins fellow East Midlands Universities in support for Armed Forces Covenant
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) joined eight other universities from the East Midlands to celebrate the updating of their Armed Forces Covenants in a joint ceremony held at the University of Leicester last week. The revised agreements include new, clear-cut promises to support Armed Forces personnel. -
Entrepreneurial Enterprises and Start-up Advice on the Agenda at BG Futures Business Open Morning
BG Futures, the Business and Enterprise Centre at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), opened its doors to the University’s students for a morning of start-up advice, business support and networking. -
CELT work with the Money Charity to help students take control of their financial wellbeing
When Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) polled its students earlier this year to find out what their main anxieties currently were, the over-arching concern highlighted was money and finances.
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