December 2010 - University of Worcester

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NEWSStudents Recognise‘Outstanding’ ModulesStudents at the University of Worcester have nominated onemodule from each Institute as being inspirational.The Students’ Recognition Award for Promoting Learning waslaunched for the first time this year, to recognise individualmodules that best help students to learn.The winners in each Institute were:• Worcester Business School - The ContemporaryGlobal Systems module (BUSM3102),led by Dr Andrew Hale.• Institute of Education - Professional Studies(PITE2001), led by Rachel Barrel.• Institute of Health and Society - Personal andProfessional Development (FDEC 1001),led by Andrew Yorke.• Institute of Sport and Exercise Science - Sport &Disability (SPOR3005), led by Glyn Harding.• Institute of Science and Environment - Botany(BIOS2040), led by Lorraine Weaver.• Institute of Humanities and Creative Arts -LiteratureThrough the Twentieth Century (ENGL1111),led by Professor Jean Webb.Untanglingthe webThe project to redevelop the University of Worcesterwebsite is moving forward rapidly. If you would like tokeep up to date with progress please visit the blog athttp://uwwebsite.wordpress.com/Posts include pieces on the importance ofaccessibility, the extensive user testing we’re doingand an introduction to the project.To ensure that the new website represents the wholeUniversity, we want as many colleagues as possible toget involved in the project. A feedback button is nowat the bottom of most web pages, linking through toa questionnaire where you can provide your thoughtson the current and future site. Alternatively you canemail the redevelopment team direct viaweb@worc.ac.uk or leave a reply on the blog.Dr Ian Scott, Head of the University’s Academic Practice andDevelopment Unit, said: “The scheme allows students to havea voice in determining which practice is recognised and to givethe University insight into activities that are perceived as beingoutstanding at helping students to learn.”Students were asked to nominate modules that they consideredto inspire and support their learning. Nominations were thenconsidered by a panel and the panel’s recommendationssubmitted to the Vice Chancellor.Presidential VisitThe President of theNational Union ofStudents visited Worcesteras part of a tour of universitycampuses across England.Aaron Porter was invitedby Worcester Students’Union to meet studentsand staff, amid the currentfurore over tuition fees.NUS President, Aaron PorterHe took part in a questionand answer sessionwith Professor David Green, the University’s Vice Chancellor.“It’s great to have the opportunity to visit Worcester and to meet with studentsand the Vice Chancellor,” Mr Porter said. “I’m very impressed with what Ihave seen and the sense of community here at the University of Worcester.“This is the kind of university where students visit and canreally imagine themselves being incredibly happy.”Mr Porter spent time with Professor Green discussing the future fundingsituation for universities, including the proposed increased tuition fees.“There was a lot of common ground between myself and the ViceChancellor,” Mr Porter said. “We shared concerns about the scale ofthe cuts to universities and some elements of the Browne Review.”He added: “It’s refreshing to meet a Vice Chancellor who is as openmindedand knowledgeable about the depth of the funding issues,which I have not encountered at every university I have visited.”During the question and answer session, attended by both staff andstudents at the University of Worcester, Mr Porter and ProfessorGreen spoke about the proposals to increase tuition fees and itsimpacts on both potential students and universities alike.Sam Lewis, Worcester Students’ Union’s Vice President Educationand Welfare, chaired the session. He said: “It was great for Aaron tocome to Worcester and to meet the students and hear their concernsregarding the future of higher education and potential tuition feerises. The insight that Aaron gave to both students and staff, washelpful in that it gave a perspective to the cuts and fee rises thatmay have otherwise had gone unnoticed, if not for the visit.”8 / DECEMBER 2010 / newsandviews@worc.ac.uk
NEWSEthics Debated as University ofWorcester Launches Centre forEthical LeadershipThe University ’s Associationfor Dementia Studies signs upto the new National DementiaDeclarationThe Declaration, launched by the Department ofHealth and the Alzheimer’s Society in November,brings together 45 organisations all working toimprove the lives of people living with dementia.Professor Dawn Brooker, Director of the Association forDementia Studies, said: “The National Dementia Declarationis a really important step forwards in improving the lives of thethousands of people affected by dementia. It brings together themany organisations who are involved in delivering and influencingdementia care in England all signed up to a common set of values.“All signatories have outlined a set of actions moving forwards to2014. The Association for Dementia Studies is fully committedto working with others within the Dementia Action Alliance byproviding education, advice and research to improve the quality ofcare and support for people living with dementia and their families.”Created in partnership with people with dementia and theircarers, the National Dementia Declaration explains the hugechallenges presented to society by dementia and also identifiessome of the outcomes new awareness will help to achieve forpeople with dementia and their carers, including ensuring peoplewith dementia have choice and control over decisions about theirlives, to feeling a valued part of family, community and civic life.Signatories to the Declaration have published their own ActionPlans setting out what they each will do to secure these outcomesand improve the quality of life of people with dementia by2014. Organisations’ commitments include work to promotinginformation on dementia to councils and delivery of a nationalproject on the care of people with dementia in hospitals.For more information about the National DementiaDeclaration visit http://www.dementiaaction.org.ukSeminar Brings Faiths TogetherSpeakers from Islamic Relief and Christian Aid took part in aninter faith seminar discussing the ways in which faith groupsare working together to alleviate poverty around the world.University of Worcester Chaplain Rev Fiona Haworth said:“Hamayoon Sultan, Development Education Co-ordinator ofIslamic Relief, and Charlotte Marshall, Regional Manager ofChristian Aid West Midlands, spoke around the significant publicresponse to the appeal following the flooding in Pakistan.”Launch of the Centre forEthical LeadershipThe banking crisis, MP’s expensesand cuts in public spendinghave all brought the questionof ‘ethical leadership’ to theforefront.The University of Worcester haslaunched a new Centre for EthicalLeadership (CEL) to work withleaders regionally, nationally andinternationally, at different levelsand sectors to help them thinkabout decision making within anethical framework.Vice Chancellor, Professor DavidGreen, said: “Poor decision makingbased on flawed values has cost theCountry dear. Young people arepaying a particularly high price, even though they played no part inmaking the mistakes.“The University, in conjunction with our many partners in business,public life, voluntary organisations and society more generally,is deeply committed to finding better, more sustainable andfundamentally ethical ways forward. This Centre will provide a vitallyimportant place for discussion, debate and action.”Led by Rob Sykes, senior Fellow at the University and former ChiefExecutive of Worcestershire County Council, the Centre comesat a time when a number of high profile public issues have ethicaldilemmas at their heart.“It is widely recognised that the banking crisis was a failure ofleadership,” said Mr Sykes. “Many would say that at its heart, theproblem was that banks were pursuing short term profit rather thanlong term sustainability and if boards had been willing to wrestle withthese ethical issues it would almost certainly have led to a different setof decisions.”The Centre was launched with an inaugural conference on Friday,November 12, with the keynote speech delivered by Sir AndrewFoster, who recently chaired the Commission on the Future ofPublic Services. The conference also include a cross floor debatechaired by broadcast journalist John Stapleton, of ITV’s Daybreak.The Centre will enable leaders from different sectors to reflect ondecisions that acknowledge and respect contested values in areassuch as the environment, social justice and governance.It will provide sessions to enable leaders to develop their skills inthis area, develop and support networks of individuals to discussethical dilemmas and provide forums for discussion, stimulateand conduct research in the area of ethical leadership, and drawtogether and make available existing research.newsandviews@worc.ac.uk /DECEMBER 2010 / 9
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December 2010 - University of Worcester

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