Edge Hill University has been recognised as one of the best places to work in the UK - for the second time in a matter of weeks.
It has been ranked a 20th the Sunday Times 75 Best Public Sector Companies to Work For league table.
In February, it was awarded ‘One to Watch' status in the Best Companies Accreditation, an award scheme conducted by Best Companies Ltd.
Both league tables use the same methodology. They survey an institution's staff, asking them questions on eight key points:
Being a Sunday Times Best Public Sector Company to Work For offers organisations a clear demonstration of its staff engagement, defining the relationship between a workforce and its company, but also whether employees want a business to grow and stay ahead of its competitors.
Ann Collins, Edge Hill's Director of Human Resources, said: "Over the past five years Edge Hill has sought to be an employer of choice and it is fantastic to receive recognition in not one, but two national surveys which recognise this hard work.
"The University provides excellent terms and conditions of employment, and a range of staff benefits which have been developed to enhance working life. The recognition from the Sunday Times and Best Companies is particularly welcome, considering the challenges we are facing in Higher Education and these times of economic recession.
"The fact that both surveys use information provided directly from our staff reinforces our own research which shows that our employees believe Edge Hill is a great place to work."
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Nicky Speed";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-03-15 15:52:12";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-03-15";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-03-16 09:35:35";s:3:"url";s:79:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/03/edge-hill-one-of-the-best-places-to-work";s:4:"tags";a:1:{s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:1;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:65:"Pioneering research shows that terminally ill want to die at home";s:4:"slug";s:65:"pioneering-research-shows-that-terminally-ill-want-to-die-at-home";s:7:"summary";s:121:"Terminally ill patients want to be cared for and die in their own home, according to Edge Hill's latest leading research.";s:7:"content";s:2794:"Terminally ill patients want to be cared for and die in their own home, according to Edge Hill's latest leading research.
As it approaches Dying Matters Week (15th to 20th March), the University's Evidence-based Practice Research Centre has unveiled the findings of a study it carried out to evaluate a pilot home care initiative run by Queenscourt Hospice.
The study found that 73% were cared for and able to die in their own home, whilst only a small number either died in a hospice/care home or were admitted to hospital at the end of their lives.
There was also overwhelming agreement from respondents that the service was having a very positive impact on patients, carers and health care professionals.
The Southport-based hospice had launched its own unique service that provides hospice care in the home setting, thus helping to allow patients who have chosen to die at home to do so.
The aim of the University's study was to explore health care professionals' views and experiences and to see if the unique pilot scheme was meeting its intentions of giving terminally ill patients more choice by filling in the gap in the care available to people at home.
During the year-long pilot study, data was collected from a variety of sources, including referrals and informal feedback from families and carers, focus groups, interviews and surveys with health care professionals.
Professor Barbara Jack, Director of the Evidence-based Practice Research Centre in the Faculty of Health, who lead this pioneering research project, said: "Within the UK there is a growing emphasis on increasing the options for service users particularly with a move from institutional care for patients with chronic and life limiting illnesses. To increase the options available to patients the Queenscourt at Home service was initiated. Our research was to determine whether it had actually set out what it aimed to do. The findings from our study indicate that the Queenscourt at Home service is having an important impact on patients, carers and health care professionals. The bespoke flexible service appears to be helping to have a major impact on allowing patients to die in their place of choice."
"Also, Dying Matters Week aims to encourage people to talk about their wishes towards the end of their lives and I think our research comes at a really poignant time because the service the Queenscourt Hospice offers is making a huge difference to patients who are dying."
A further study exploring the impact of this service on carers will also be undertaken now that the initial evaluation has been completed.
A full copy of the report is available at www.edgehill.ac.uk/eprc/reports.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Nicky Speed";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-03-15 15:30:36";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-03-15";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-03-15 15:38:20";s:3:"url";s:104:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/03/pioneering-research-shows-that-terminally-ill-want-to-die-at-home";s:4:"tags";a:3:{s:21:"ehu:department=health";s:21:"ehu:department=health";s:23:"ehu:department=research";s:23:"ehu:department=research";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:2;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:22:"Silvio vs the Scouser!";s:4:"slug";s:21:"silvio-vs-the-scouser";s:7:"summary";s:195:"Beating Berlusconi, the hilarious true story of the Scouser who squared up to the Italian prime minister during the 2005 Champions' League Final, kicks off at the Rose Theatre on 23rd March 2010.";s:7:"content";s:2075:"Beating Berlusconi, the hilarious true story of the Scouser who squared up to the Italian prime minister during the 2005 Champions' League Final, kicks off at Edge Hill University's Rose Theatre on Tuesday 23rd March 2010.
Liverpool FC's remarkable comeback at the Attaturk Staduim, which saw them battle back from 2-0 down at half-time to take home the Champions' League trophy, is the stuff of legend on Merseyside. But almost as unbelievable is the story of Mark Radley, a 29-year-old cobbler from Allerton, who sneaked into the AC Milan Directors' box and nearly got into a fight with Silvio Berlusconi!
After helping himself to free bubbly and smoked salmon, Mark sat beside a smirking, perma-tanned, Don Corleone type, with no idea he was watching the match next to the Italian prime minister. When Liverpool's unlikely equaliser went in his Italian host turned nasty and the two squared up before Mark was hastily hauled off by Signor Berlusconi's heavies.
In Beating Berlusconi, Mark becomes Kenny Noonan, a lifelong Liverpool fan who carries the scars of 30 years as a Red - Heysel, Hillsborough, Alex Ferguson - and of living in a city which has been demonised. Despite threats from his wife and bank manager, he travels to Istanbul in May 2005 and the bizarre story that unfolds proves that fact can sometimes be stranger than fiction.
Beating Berlusconi is more than just a laugh out loud comedy about the beautiful game and the highs and lows of being a Liverpool fan. Using the heart-stopping drama played out on the pitch on that memorable night in 2005, the play charts the fortunes of the club and the city of Liverpool itself.
This funny and moving story of love and friendship, of defeat and of victory, shows how 90 minutes can change things forever.
Written by Radio 4 playwright John Graham Davies and starring Paul Duckworth (Ringo in Backbeat), Beating Berlusconi promises a great night out for fans of football and comedy alike. You'll be sick as a parrot if you miss it!
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Nicky Speed";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-03-15 15:19:01";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-03-15";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-03-15 15:21:51";s:3:"url";s:60:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/03/silvio-vs-the-scouser";s:4:"tags";a:1:{s:12:"rose theatre";s:12:"rose theatre";}}i:3;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:21:"Crime in its Contexts";s:4:"slug";s:21:"crime-in-its-contexts";s:7:"summary";s:145:"A unique and collaborative one-day conference for second and third year History and Criminology undergraduates took place recently at Edge Hill. ";s:7:"content";s:1749:"A unique and collaborative one-day conference for second and third year History and Criminology undergraduates took place recently at Edge Hill.
Crime in its Contexts, organised by Dr. Alyson Brown from the Department of English and History and Dr. Alana Barton from the Department of Law and Criminology, brought together a number of prominent guest speakers from across the academic community.
Aimed to engage students more directly in scholarly activity in their chosen disciplines, conference attendees were given the opportunity to hear papers by, and direct questions to, the very academics whose work they have used throughout their studies.
The event was split into two dedicated parts, ‘Crime', chaired by Dr. John Archer from Edge Hill University, and ‘Punishment', chaired by Dr. David Scott from the University of Central Lancashire. During these sessions visiting academics presented papers written especially for the conference enabling students to discuss issues and explore themes in great detail.
In addition, students also hear d directly from two postgraduate students, Angela Tobin (Edge Hill University) and Jo Turner (Keele University) who gave details of their current work.
Alyson commented, "Through Crime and its Contexts we wanted to promote integration of these separate disciplines and open each out to the ideas and methods pursued in the other."
Alana added, "It is unusual at any university for undergraduates to be given access to genuine research in this way. This conference has offered an exceptional teaching and learning environment to students on both programmes."
";s:6:"author";s:14:"Nicola Gaskell";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-03-11 09:30:39";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-03-11";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-03-11 09:58:51";s:3:"url";s:60:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/03/crime-in-its-contexts";s:4:"tags";a:3:{s:22:"ehu:department=english";s:22:"ehu:department=english";s:22:"ehu:department=history";s:22:"ehu:department=history";s:18:"ehu:department=law";s:18:"ehu:department=law";}}i:4;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:62:"Edge Hill Professor celebrates famous Welsh writer in new book";s:4:"slug";s:62:"edge-hill-professor-celebrates-famous-welsh-writer-in-new-book";s:7:"summary";s:161:"A pioneering book that celebrates the 90th birthday of one of Wales' most prestigious writers has been written by Professor Linden Peach at Edge Hill University.";s:7:"content";s:2561:"
A pioneering book that celebrates the 90th birthday of one of Wales' most prestigious writers has been written by Professor Linden Peach at Edge Hill University.
His book is the first to consider Emir Humphreys' fiction from a contemporary critical perspective and to stress its relevance to the 21st century.
A prolific writer for over half a century, Humphreys' work as novelist, short story writer, poet, dramatist and television producer is extraordinarily impressive. Although he writes in both Welsh and English, it is his English language fiction for which he is best known.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Humphreys played a major part in the Welsh-language campaigns which helped the language acquire the status in Wales it now enjoys.
He learned Welsh as an adult and then converted to nationalism around the time of the arson attacks on the RAF bombing school led by the inspirational Welsh-language writer Saunders Lewis. Humpherys also registered as a conscientious objector at the outbreak of the Second World War, an experience about which he writes in Outside the House of Baal.
Although Humphreys is in his ninetieth year, he shows no signs of slowing up and his recent work is considered the best he has ever written. Professor Peach says: "As a student in mid-Wales in the 1970s and as someone in touch with his Welsh roots, I have first-hand experience of the peaks and troughs in the development of an increasingly independent Wales. Humphreys is one of the few Welsh writers to have followed this process in depth and to use it as such a rich source of his own writing."
"I first met Humphreys when I invited him to read to the student society at Aberystwyth and probably no one has had such a profound influence on my own understanding of myself as a Welshman."
Professor Peach, who graduated from the same Welsh university college as Emyr Humphreys, is well known and respected for his work on Welsh literature. He is an honorary research fellow of Swansea University and was recently elected a member of the Welsh academy. This book is both a critical study and a deeply personal engagement with Humphreys' work which has inspired him to become a student of the Welsh language.
"Although I have a long way to go to be really fluent in Welsh, I enjoy working in Welsh. I think this is something that Humphreys discovered and understood."
His latest book Emyr Humphreys' Fiction: Contemporary Critical Perspectives will be published shortly by the University of Wales Press, Cardiff.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Nikky Speed";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-03-10 14:04:28";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-03-10";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-03-10 14:06:56";s:3:"url";s:101:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/03/edge-hill-professor-celebrates-famous-welsh-writer-in-new-book";s:4:"tags";a:1:{s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:5;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:57:"Edge Hill University 125th anniversary sculpture unveiled";s:4:"slug";s:57:"edge-hill-university-125th-anniversary-sculpture-unveiled";s:7:"summary";s:138:"A new piece of art has been unveiled in Edge Hill University's sculpture park as part of the institution's 125th anniversary celebrations.";s:7:"content";s:2704:"A new piece of art has been unveiled in Edge Hill University's sculpture park as part of the institution's 125th anniversary celebrations.
Liverpool-born artist Tony Evans has created the artwork which uses a skin of copper sheet over a skeleton of stainless steel. The new commission depicts an impressionistic representation of a goat and idea that came from the University's semi-rural location.
The University's sculpture park was developed in 1989 to contribute to the arts in West Lancashire by giving an outdoor exhibition space which would be available to the public and accessible to those with disabilities. The exhibits, which have been created by both professional artists and students, have also been used as a schools' resource, as well as wider festivals of the arts including dance, drama and music.
Joan Steele, Art and Design Subject Study Technician, is one of the University's longest serving members of staff. She said: "Two years I was asked to become the custodian of the University's art collection which incorporates the Sculpture Park. The works have been exposed to the elements for over 20 years and were in need of restoration. Since then we've repaired10 of the works with help from one of my colleagues and advice from some experts, and re-sited them around campus.
"Plans are also being made for a Sculpture Trail around the site. Art and Design PGCE students are putting a programme and map together for the launch of the Trail in May."
Tony Evans worked for the Prudential for more than 30 years before becoming a full time artist, specialising in sculptures of animals in action.
Tony said: "I start with numerous reference drawings to realise the optimum shape from every angle. Creating a 3D piece of art is much more demanding than 2D as every change of position by the viewer reveals a different outline.
"Next comes a series of small wire maquettes and a full size working drawing so I can calculate lengths, areas and shapes. From this I build the armature, or skeleton, in stainless steel which resists weathering. This is then covered with the 'skin' - a mixture of bright new copper sheet and salvaged scrap copper, such as copper immersion cylinders and domestic plumbing.
"This outer covering is then patinated in various ways; burned and coloured with a oxy-acetylene torch or painted with chemicals, and also utilises the natural verdigris in the copper itself. The finished sculpture is given several coats of clear lacquer to preserve the initial finish."
An exhibition of Tony's work is on show at the University until Friday 19 March. The Sculpture Trail will be launched on Thursday 13 May.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Nicky Speed";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-03-10 13:39:32";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-03-10";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-03-10 14:02:08";s:3:"url";s:96:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/03/edge-hill-university-125th-anniversary-sculpture-unveiled";s:4:"tags";a:2:{s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:14:"ehu:topics=125";s:14:"ehu:topics=125";}}i:6;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:38:"Race marshals wanted for charity event";s:4:"slug";s:38:"race-marshals-wanted-for-charity-event";s:7:"summary";s:79:"Volunteer race marshals are needed for a charity event next month (17th April).";s:7:"content";s:727:"Volunteer race marshals are needed for a charity event next month (17th April).
Edge Hill University's Sporting Edge is hosting a 10k fun run which has been organised to raise money for Belle Vue House - an independently funded assessment centre for autistic children.
So if you are over 18 years old and can spare a couple of hours, from 9am to 1pm, on Saturday 17th April, then we want to hear from you. For more details please contact Rob Stewart at Sporting Edge on 01695 584745 or email stewartr@edgehill.ac.uk. The deadline to register your interest in helping out at this event is 17th March 2010.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Nicky Speed";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-03-10 13:37:17";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-03-10";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-03-10 13:38:14";s:3:"url";s:77:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/03/race-marshals-wanted-for-charity-event";s:4:"tags";a:0:{}}i:7;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:63:"Learning Services receive new Customer Service Excellence award";s:4:"slug";s:63:"learning-services-receive-new-customer-service-excellence-award";s:7:"summary";s:108:"Edge Hill University's Learning Services have been given a top accolade for excellence in customer services.";s:7:"content";s:1169:"Edge Hill University's Learning Services have been given a top accolade for excellence in customer services.
The team has achieved the Customer Service Excellence government standard, which measures the performance of organisations against key customer priorities.
The assessor was impressed when he looked at customer insight, the culture of the organisation, information and access, service delivery and timeliness and quality of service during his visit to the University in November last year - hence the award!
Helen Jamieson, Customer Services Manager, said: "I'm delighted that we have been given this award, which is a reflection of the pride that we take in ensuring that we provide quality services and facilities for our customers. I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank the team for their commitment and hard work because without their continued efforts we would not have achieved this nationally recognised high standard."
Customer feedback is a vital part of improving services and facilities. Any ideas on improvements are welcome and can be left at www.edgehill.ac.uk/ls/feedback.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Nicky Speed";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-03-10 13:20:04";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-03-10";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-03-10 13:24:28";s:3:"url";s:102:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/03/learning-services-receive-new-customer-service-excellence-award";s:4:"tags";a:0:{}}i:8;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:56:"Ethnicity and the Past: Some Insights from Ancient Egypt";s:4:"slug";s:55:"ethnicity-and-the-past-some-insights-from-ancient-egypt";s:7:"summary";s:163:"The latest of four very special events in the Department of English and History took place this week as the Ethnicity, Race, and Racism Research Seminars continue.";s:7:"content";s:1809:"The latest of four very special events in the Department of English and History took place this week as the Ethnicity, Race, and Racism Research Seminars continue.
In February Jacob Norris, PhD student in the History Faculty at the University of Cambridge drew on his pioneering research, archival sources and interviews in, Palestine and the World at the Onset of British Rule - the Case of Bethlehem.
Following this, Edge Hill then welcomed the distinguished Michael Berkowitz, Professor of Modern Jewish History at University College London, who discussed his current research interest, Photography and its Jewish Questions: Ethnicity, Anyone?
This latest event, Ethnicity and the Past: Some Insights from Ancient Egypt by Dr Mary Horbury,critiqued the concepts of ‘ethnicity' and ‘race' that have held such influence amongst Egyptologists. Dr Horbury provided an intriguing insight into the life experiences and identities of those who lived in New Kingdom and Coptic Egypt, and argued that an emphasis on ‘ethnicity' and ‘race' skews our understanding of these rich and complex societies. She finished her talk with a slide show of images taken during her research trips to Egypt.
Focusing closer to home, the final event in the programme, The New Racism in Twenty-First Century Britain, presented by Dr Ben Gidley (University of Oxford) will take place on Wednesday 21st April at 2.00pm in Room M39.
";s:6:"author";s:14:"Nicola Gaskell";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-03-10 10:09:47";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-03-10";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-03-11 13:39:12";s:3:"url";s:94:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/03/ethnicity-and-the-past-some-insights-from-ancient-egypt";s:4:"tags";a:3:{s:22:"ehu:department=english";s:22:"ehu:department=english";s:22:"ehu:department=history";s:22:"ehu:department=history";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:9;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:56:"Photography and its Jewish Questions: Ethnicity, Anyone?";s:4:"slug";s:53:"photography-and-its-jewish-questions-ethnicity-anyone";s:7:"summary";s:228:"The distinguished Michael Berkowitz, Professor of Modern Jewish History at University College London, visited Edge Hill recently to discuss his current research interest, Photography and its Jewish Questions: Ethnicity, Anyone?";s:7:"content";s:2211:"The distinguished Michael Berkowitz, Professor of Modern Jewish History at University College London, visited Edge Hill recently to discuss his current research interest, Photography and its Jewish Questions: Ethnicity, Anyone?
Born in Rochester, New York, the extensively published Professor Berkowitz said it was both, ‘a pleasure and an honour' to meet with students and lecturers from Edge Hill to speak about the expansive Jewish photography industry and to highlight the treatment Jewish people received.
The second of Edge Hill's Ethnicity, Race, and Racism Research Seminars, this event showcased the global historical and cultural significance of these scarcely remembered artists from the last two centuries, documenting nations, events and defining cultures.
It highlighted that although their involvement and contributions have never been thoroughly documented, these entrepreneurs as well as artists have pioneered the photographic process, fundamentally established the industry and creatively revolutionised how we visually record our society today.
"With his informative, engaging and often humorous anecdotes, as well as published accounts, the Department of English & History was delighted to welcome Professor Berkowitz to Edge Hill. He revealed the true extent of Jewish involvement in commercial and artistic ventures, the marketing ploys photographers adopted and the strategies used to inscribe their own ethnicity into their work," Jenny Barrett, Programme Leader in Film Studies commented.
Dr James Renton, Senior Lecturer in History added, "The aim of the Seminar series is to explore ethnicity, race and racism from interdisciplinary perspectives, without historical or geographical boundaries".
The remaining events in the series include:
Monday 8th March, 12.05pm
Dr Mary Horbury, ‘Ethnicity and the Past: Some Insights from Ancient Egypt'.
Room M46
Wednesday 21st April, 2.00pm
Dr Ben Gidley (University of Oxford), 'The New Racism in Twenty-First Century Britain'.
Room M39
Representatives from
local, regional and national organisations visited Edge Hill recently to
participate in the annual Faculty of Arts and Sciences Careers Fair.
Aimed at all years,
hundreds of students headed to the University's Sporting Edge complex to
discover how to enhance their employability skills, develop their CVs, and
discuss a wide range of part-time, summer, and voluntary work experience
opportunities that could fit around their studies.
One visitor offering
advice and guidance at the fair was a recent Edge Hill University graduate, Lee
Gladwin. Lee, who graduated in 2008, was
representing the Pilkington - NSG IS group's graduate training scheme, which he
had taken part in on leaving Edge Hill, gaining himself a permanent role as an
Information Systems Analyst.
Lee said, "I would
recommend enrolling on a graduate scheme as you get a good base of skills
really quickly. My advice would be to apply early though, places are limited
and what better way to make sure you choose the right company for you than
through meeting people at careers fairs like this."
Kathy McKinnon, Edge
Hill's Employer Liaison Officer commented, "It's never too early to start
thinking about life after university. Now more than ever students are being
constantly reminded just how difficult finding a job is, with graduates needing
to demonstrate a range of skills in addition to their qualifications."
Kathy added,
"Careers fairs are vital in supporting and empowering our students to get ahead
of the competition."
The Careers Centre,
who organise this annual event, were really pleased with the attendance and
grateful to all the guest organisations and staff across the University who
helped to make the event a huge success.
Students were given the unique opportunity to find out more about becoming ‘Digital Detectives' at a recent lecture organised by Edge Hill's Business School.
‘Digital Fingerprints, Telecommunications Evidence' was hosted by Ross Patel, Director of Afentis Forensics. Ross, a Digital Forensics Consultant and Expert Forensic Witness demonstrated the technology and latest practices, discussed case studies and answered questions from attendees.
With offices in Liverpool, Manchester and London, Afentis are UK leaders in digital and communications forensics, specialising in high order criminal cases, such as the murder of Liverpool schoolboy Rhys Jones, and the recent conviction of Merseyside drugs baron Curtis Warren in Jersey.
Following the event, Michael Banford, the Business School's Enterprise Co-ordinator commented, "Bringing industry into the classroom enhances the student experience, and it's hugely important that Edge Hill and our students develop and cultivate these types of links."
Michael added, "Edge Hill is currently working closely with Afentis in writing and reviewing our computing forensics modules to ensure that what we teach mirrors the 'real world', and that our graduates are taught skills the industry will value."
Afentis has also offered Edge Hill three work placements in Computer Forensics, Marketing and Web design, further enhancing the reputation of the Business School and providing opportunities for our graduates.
";s:6:"author";s:13:"Michael Nolan";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-03-04 15:45:34";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-03-04";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-03-04 16:01:06";s:3:"url";s:87:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/03/digital-fingerprints-telecommunications-evidence";s:4:"tags";a:4:{s:9:"Computing";s:9:"Computing";s:20:"ehu:course=computing";s:20:"ehu:course=computing";s:23:"ehu:department=business";s:23:"ehu:department=business";s:9:"forensics";s:9:"forensics";}}i:12;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:65:"Extra money available in scholarship pot for exceptional students";s:4:"slug";s:65:"extra-money-available-in-scholarship-pot-for-exceptional-students";s:7:"summary";s:116:"More than £120,000 in scholarships is available to exceptional students applying to Edge Hill University this year.";s:7:"content";s:2788:"More than £120,000 in scholarships is available to exceptional students applying to Edge Hill University this year.
This is an increase of over £20,000 on last year's grants and will bring the total given out to date to in excess of £335,000. More than 200 students have benefited; 70 of these in the last academic year.
Applications are now being invited for the 2010/11 academic year. Entrance Excellence Scholarships are on offer to students who shine in one of four areas - sport, creative arts, performing arts and volunteering.
Anna Phelan, Scholarships Administrator, said: "I'm sure the financial package on offer in our Excellence Scholarships scheme would be welcomed by any student in the current economic climate. It's great to be able to reward someone for the activities they do in the community and in their spare time, with the hope that this money will help them develop their enthusiasm, skills and talents during their time at Edge Hill.
"I would stress to any student who is thinking of applying that they must really sell themselves in their application. The selection panels, quite rightly, have very high standards, the quality of past applicants has been excellent and there is strong competition for these scholarships every year. We want to choose the very best people and maintain this tradition."
Aspiring journalist Emma Murphy received an Excellence in Creative Arts Entrance Scholarship of £2,000 from University Chancellor Professor Tanya Byron at a ceremony in October 2009. She was rewarded after the University judging panel heard about her work with a youth magazine in her home town of Portsmouth.
Three years ago, she started to write for ‘RANT', a publication produced by Portsmouth City Council. Her role involved interviewing celebrities such as girl band, The Saturdays, to writing an advice column and articles about the dangers of pro-anorexia websites. Emma, who has been Assistant Editor of the magazine since January 2008, now organises meetings, writes article briefs, edits completed articles and mentors new recruits.
In addition, she also enjoyed a year's stint as a presenter and schedule co-ordinator for ‘RANT on the Radio', booking guests, planning the schedule, selecting the music playlist and interviewing guests. Emma's hope is that her scholarship will help her attain the qualifications and skills she needs to fulfil her dream of becoming a journalist.
The deadline for applications is Friday 25 June 2010. For more information, including case studies of previous scholarship recipients, visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/scholarships. This website also features downloadable application forms, as well as tips on how to apply.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Nikky Speed";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-03-03 14:33:04";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-03-03";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-03-04 15:24:00";s:3:"url";s:104:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/03/extra-money-available-in-scholarship-pot-for-exceptional-students";s:4:"tags";a:2:{s:12:"Scholarships";s:12:"Scholarships";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:13;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:40:"University to host regional rugby finals";s:4:"slug";s:40:"university-to-host-regional-rugby-finals";s:7:"summary";s:75:"Edge Hill University is to host the finals of a major regional rugby event.";s:7:"content";s:2249:"Edge Hill University is to host the finals of a major regional rugby event.
In the University's continuing support of community sport, it is sponsoring the North West Counties Cup which will see the climax of the rugby league competition taking place on Sunday 28 March at Sporting Edge on the Ormskirk Campus.
Six teams are involved - Under 18s, Leigh Miners Rangers and Wigan St Judes, Under 17s, Crosfields (Warrington) and Halton Farnworth Hornets (Widnes), and the under 16s finalists are due to be confirmed imminently. The League's teams are based across the region, from Cheshire in the South, to Cumbria in the North.
Paul Greenwood, Head of Sport and Leisure Facilities, said: "The University has a strong commitment to community sport and we are delighted to host this great rugby competition.
"We have some excellent facilities here at Sporting Edge and we hope these young rugby stars will enjoy playing here. A number of local sport clubs are already based on the University campus and we hope that if our recently announced proposals to expand our facilities are given the go-ahead, we will be able to significantly expand Sporting Edge's community links in the future."
The recent snow and cold weather has proved a challenge for the young players with many games being postponed - though last year the competition was cancelled altogether due to bad weather. The North West Counties League has an agreement with the Rugby Football League that games will not be played after March 31 so that the players are able to have a break, which leads to a tight schedule of fixtures at the end of the season.
North West Counties League Chairman Hilary Steel said: "When plans began for this competition last year, it seemed like too good an opportunity to miss. However, we never thought that we would lose around 10 weekends due to the extraordinary bad weather!
"Luckily, we started the first rounds quite early on in the season so we managed to get to the finals before the March 31 deadline.
"We are very much looking forward to playing at Edge Hill and hope the teams enjoy the experience."
The finals start at 11am on Sunday 28 March at Sporting Edge. Spectators are welcome.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Nikky Speed";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-03-03 13:36:57";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-03-03";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-03-09 12:11:50";s:3:"url";s:79:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/03/university-to-host-regional-rugby-finals";s:4:"tags";a:3:{s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";i:0;s:3:"125";s:13:"ehu:topic=125";s:13:"ehu:topic=125";}}i:14;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:19:"Kitchen think drama";s:4:"slug";s:19:"kitchen-think-drama";s:7:"summary";s:177:"Shelagh Delaney's classic story of forbidden love and teenage angst in 1950s Salford, A Taste of Honey, comes to Edge Hill University's Rose Theatre on Thursday 11th March 2010.";s:7:"content";s:2307:"Shelagh Delaney's classic story of forbidden love and teenage angst in 1950s Salford, A Taste of Honey, comes to Edge Hill University's Rose Theatre on Thursday 11th March 2010.
Jo is a shy, awkward 17-year old, living with her irresponsible, alcoholic mother. Desperate for affection after her mother abandons her yet again for another toyboy lover, Jo seeks solace in the arms of a young, black sailor on shore leave.
Their short but passionate relationship ends when Jimmy has to go back to sea, but she finds friendship in the shape of Geoffrey, a gay man and fellow lost soul. The pair move in together and, when Jo finds out she is carrying the sailor's baby, Geoffrey stands by her and even asks her to marry him.
The brief ‘taste of honey' Jo and Geoffrey share in the days after the baby is born - an oasis of normality in their unhappy and complicated lives - is eventually shattered by Jo's mother who returns to wreak havoc on the little family and take control once again of Jo's life.
All the thorny social issues of the day are present in Delaney's celebrated play - inter-racial romance, teenage pregnancy, homosexuality - but it is the characters and the complexity of their relationships that really make it memorable. Rightly considered a modern classic, A Taste of Honey is a funny, moving, and above all realistic, portrayal of working class life in the 1950s.
Shelagh Delaney was just 19 years old when she wrote the compelling story of Jo, the young working class girl who dreams of a better life but ends up in a living nightmare. It was first performed by Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop in 1958 and made into one of the best-loved English kitchen sink drama films in 1961.
Love&Madness is one of the UK's leading touring companies. They are renowned for their fresh, accessible productions which aim to bring classical theatre to a younger and wider audience.
For more information contact the Box Office:
Three of the UK's most distinguished sports law experts are joining forces for an event hosted by the Department of Law and Criminology at Edge Hill University.
Maurice Watkins, a Director of Manchester United and Senior Partner at leading law firm Brabners Chaffe Street, will share his views with Professor Stephen Weatherill, of the University of Oxford, and Ken Foster of the University of Westminster.
The debate is entitled 'The Future of European Sports Law: The Lisbon Treaty and Sport'. The Treaty came into effect on 1 December 2009 with the aim of reforming the EU and making it more efficient, democratic and transparent. The three speakers will be discussing the meaning of a clause in the Treaty which refers to 'the specific nature of sport'.
The event has been organised by Professor Richard Parrish, Director for the Centre for Sports Law Research at Edge Hill. He said: "Since the Bosman judgment the governing bodies of sport have lobbied for a sports article in the Treaty as a means of protecting the specificities of sport from the application of European law. Our speakers will debate the impact of the Lisbon article on current issues in European sports law such as the home-grown players rule and measures designed to promote financial fair play in football."
Maurice Watkins is a prominent name in English football. He has handled numerous high value soccer transfers and represents international clubs and players before all of the sport's disciplinary bodies. He is a regular speaker on football issues at home and abroad, and holds a number of key positions including Director of the British Association for Sport and Law and Member of the FA Premier League Legal Advisory Group.
Professor Stephen Weatherill is the Jacques Delors Professor of European Community Law at the University of Oxford, and Director of the Institute of European and Comparative Law. He is a leading international authority on the law of the European Union and has, for many years, provided the most authoritative commentary on the relationship between sport and EU law.
Ken Foster pioneered the academic discipline of sports law. He was the first UK academic to offer a sports law module to students in 1987, while working at the University of Warwick. His research into professional sport in the European Union, the football transfer system and the legal regulation of international sporting federations has been widely published.
This free public event takes place on Wednesday March 17 at noon in the Business and Law Lecture Theatre. If you would like to attend, email Professor Parrish at parrishr@edgehill.ac.uk or call 01695 657609.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-02-25 08:57:10";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-02-25";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-03-09 12:10:03";s:3:"url";s:61:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/02/the-future-of-football";s:4:"tags";a:3:{s:18:"ehu:department=law";s:18:"ehu:department=law";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:topic=125";s:13:"ehu:topic=125";}}i:16;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:40:"Media students gain professional insight";s:4:"slug";s:40:"media-students-gain-professional-insight";s:7:"summary";s:181:"Stuart Maconie, Edge Hill alumnus, broadcaster, journalist and author recently returned to campus to open Media Week with an inspirational careers talk to third year media students.";s:7:"content";s:1582:"Stuart Maconie, Edge Hill alumnus, broadcaster, journalist and author recently returned to campus to open Media Week with an inspirational careers talk to third year media students.
Media Week is organised by the Careers team and Media department to give advice and guidance to final year students preparing for employment.
During his lecture, Stuart gave students an invaluable insight into the Media industry, drawing upon his own career experiences in print, radio and television and how they have developed over the years through the growth in technology. Finally he gave tips on how to break into the industry and how, through perseverance and motivation to get known, Edge Hill graduates too can achieve their dream.
Debby Murray, Careers Adviser said: ‘‘It is great for our students to hear first hand advice from an experienced media professional. Stuart highlights the success of our alumni and is an outstanding example of what they can achieve.''
Stuart Maconie recently received an Honorary Degree from Edge Hill University. He graduated in 1982 with a BA in English and Social Sciences and then went on to teach English and Sociology before pursuing his media career.
Read an interview with Stuart in the next issue of our Alumni magazinewhich will be sent to all former students of Edge Hill in May 2010.
Stuart will be returning to the University at the end of April to deliver an evening talk, to register your interest to attend, please email alumni@edgehill.ac.uk.
";s:6:"author";s:17:"Caroline Mitchell";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-02-23 11:01:26";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-02-23";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-02-23 11:06:19";s:3:"url";s:79:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/02/media-students-gain-professional-insight";s:4:"tags";a:1:{s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";}}i:17;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:20:"Taking the next step";s:4:"slug";s:20:"taking-the-next-step";s:7:"summary";s:190:"A successful Edge Hill University graduate whose career has brought him into contact with the likes of Bill Gates and Mikhail Gorbachev is coming back to campus to inspire his fellow alumni.";s:7:"content";s:2398:"A successful Edge Hill University graduate whose career has brought him into contact with the likes of Bill Gates and Mikhail Gorbachev is coming back to campus to inspire his fellow alumni.
Peter Davies will be the guest speaker at an alumni networking event where he will talk about making bold career steps, how to develop your career in a recession - and revealing some of the secrets of the success of some of the high profile characters he has worked with.
Peter trained as a teacher at Edge Hill in the early 1970s, but went on to become a barrister, then worked for a major publishing house before moving to Microsoft, IBM and, latterly, Apple. His career has involved a number of international organisations such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), advising on the legal aspects of electronic commerce, and the United Nations, providing training to lawyers in developing countries.
Since leaving Apple, he has held a visiting fellowship at the Oxford Internet Institute at Balliol College, Oxford, teaching and writing on intellectual property issues, and the UK internet domain name registry Nominet, where he adjudicates on domain name disputes. Peter is also assisting the European Commission to evaluate applications for research funding in the field of Internet safety for children.
Speaking before the networking event, Peter said: "The motto of Gordonstoun School translates roughly as ‘there's more in you than you think'. It's important to be realistic, but it's also important to aim high.
"Sometimes it looks as if the choices we have to make, about A-level subjects, or college courses or careers, look like matters of life and death, but if you ever feel as if you've made the wrong choice, take advice, research your alternatives and do something about it.
"I've probably changed careers and employers more than is good for me, but I don't regret it. Some of my best job moves had a huge element of luck to them, but I'm a big believer in making my own luck."
If you would like to attend the free event on Thursday 25 March, email the alumni office at alumni@edgehill.ac.uk or call 01695 584861. It starts at 5pm with refreshments, then Peter's lecture begins at 6.15pm. The event is due to finish at 8.30pm after an informal networking session.
";s:6:"author";s:17:"Caroline Mitchell";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-02-22 15:55:22";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-02-22";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-02-22 15:58:12";s:3:"url";s:59:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/02/taking-the-next-step";s:4:"tags";a:2:{s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:18;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:12:"One to watch";s:4:"slug";s:12:"one-to-watch";s:7:"summary";s:81:"Edge Hill University has been ranked as one of the best places to work in the UK.";s:7:"content";s:2833:"Edge Hill University has been ranked as one of the best places to work in the UK.
The institution has been named in the 2010 Best Companies Accreditation. This awards scheme, organised by the company which conducts the surveys for the renowned Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For survey, acknowledges excellence in the workplace. Based on staff feedback, it looks at employee engagement as an integral part of an organisation's success and growth.
This is the first time Edge Hill has received the accreditation and it has been awarded ‘One to Watch' status. The aim is to now build on this success and move up the Michelin star-style rankings. Best Companies Ltd awards one star for first class, two stars for outstanding and three stars for extraordinary performance.
To measure an organisation's success, its staff are quizzed on 70 questions spanning eight points:
This year, 1,086 organisations applied for accreditation through the scheme. Of these, 900 organisations made it through the process and, since September, more than 276,000 employees from these companies have been surveyed. In total, 410 organisations have received accreditation. These winners will receive their awards in March.
Ann Collins, Edge Hill's Director of Human Resources, said: "The recognition from Best Companies is especially welcome, particularly given the current difficult economic climate and the challenges in Higher Education.
"Best Companies base the award on feedback provided directly from our staff reinforcing the outcomes from our own Staff Survey which indicates that our employees believe Edge Hill is a great place to work. This is excellent news for the University and for the 2000+ staff who work here."
Jonathan Austin, Founder and CEO of Best Companies, said: "Many organisations have tackled redundancies and rapid change this year, but organisations like Edge Hill University, which have kept on engaging their staff and making sure they are involved in the business will be in a good position for the future and should be congratulated for their efforts."
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-02-22 13:46:18";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-02-22";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-02-22 14:13:03";s:3:"url";s:51:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/02/one-to-watch";s:4:"tags";a:1:{s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:19;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:49:"University Professor receives international award";s:4:"slug";s:49:"university-professor-receives-international-award";s:7:"summary";s:116:"An Edge Hill University medic has received international recognition for her work with the terminally ill in Africa.";s:7:"content";s:2307:"An Edge Hill University medic has received international recognition for her work with the terminally ill in Africa.
Professor Barbara Jack, Head of Research and Scholarship and Director of the Evidence-based Practice Research Centre in the Faculty of Health, has been made a Visiting Professor at Hospice Africa Uganda.
HAU is a specialist home care programme which cares for those with terminal illnesses. It is a UK registered charity and was created in 1993 by Dr Anne Merriman, a Liverpudlian and pioneer of the international hospice movement, who received an honorary degree from Edge Hill in 2009 in recognition of her work. Professor Jack has been involved with HAU since 2005. She grew up in Southport and lives in Ainsdale, where the organisation has a charity shop, and made contact with the charity due to her interest in palliative care.
Professor Jack has carried out pioneering research to evaluate the prescribing of morphine by nurses in Uganda - a study which, it is hoped, will influence the care of the dying across the developing world. She is also involved in other research projects; one involving community volunteers, as well as teaching clinical staff to do their own research to address a shortage of academic palliative care researchers in Africa.
Professor Jack said: "This Visiting Professorship is an acknowledgement of my links with HAU and recognition of my work. It formalises this international collaboration and shows that Edge Hill is working with this local charity to the benefit of a developing country."
Hospice Africa Uganda has recently been licensed as a private tertiary education institution by the National Council for Higher Education, part of Uganda's Ministry of Education. This year it will, for the first time, be offering a BSc in Palliative Care degree and increasing its focus on research, which is why Professor Jack's expertise is so important.
Announcing the award, Nina Shalita, Chief Executive Director of Hospice Africa Uganda, told Professor Jack: "We thank you for your efforts in advocating for HAU through the research you have carried out on community aspects of HAU activities. This has not only helped us to improve our implementation in those areas, but has also served as a basis for planning."
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-02-17 09:33:11";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-02-17";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-02-17 09:54:51";s:3:"url";s:88:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/02/university-professor-receives-international-award";s:4:"tags";a:2:{s:21:"ehu:department=health";s:21:"ehu:department=health";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:20;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:19:"Teaching excellence";s:4:"slug";s:19:"teaching-excellence";s:7:"summary";s:111:"A dedicated Edge Hill University academic has received a national award for his excellence in teacher training.";s:7:"content";s:2540:"A dedicated Edge Hill University academic has received a national award for his excellence in teacher training.
Charles O'Brien, Assistant Head of Secondary Education with responsibility for creative and applied technologies, has been selected for a Design and Technology Association Excellence Award. It will be presented at the Annual Ceremony at the Institute of Engineering and Technology in London in March.
He will receive the Teacher Training Design and Technology Award for lecturers, advisors, inspectors, consultants or teachers for their service to training teachers. It rewards high quality work in this field over a significant period of time that has helped teachers' understanding and given them confidence over a significant period of time.
As well as teacher training, some of the most recent initiatives Charles has been involved with include three international projects which have brought together school pupils from across Europe at Summer schools. In one, multi-country groups work together on a design and build project, inspired by multinational and multi-agency schemes such as the European Airbus, or Large Hadron Collider. They meet and plan on campus, then return home to work on the task before returning to Edge Hill the following year - to see if the different sections fit together!
Charles, who has worked at Edge Hill for 20 years, said: "I was nominated by my team - it was a real surprise. When the letter arrived I thought they had a lot of information about me so realised it must have been an inside job!
"The award is for my contribution to teacher training in design and technology. I am delighted - it's nice to have the recognition that I have made a contribution to my subject. I've dedicated my life to it, rather than going in to general management, and I do feel this has been rewarded.
"I am most proud when I go into schools and see our former students who are now working as Heads of Departments, and the quality of teaching they are responsible for. That's the most rewarding thing for me."
Started in 1999 by the Design and Technology Association Trustees, the Excellence Awards aim to give professional recognition to individuals for their contribution to design and technology. The Association provides support, advice and subject leadership for all those involved in D&T education. It develops and presents a strategic vision for the subject, influencing national policy makers, together with other government agencies and partners.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-02-17 09:31:56";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-02-17";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-02-17 09:54:47";s:3:"url";s:58:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/02/teaching-excellence";s:4:"tags";a:2:{s:24:"ehu:department=education";s:24:"ehu:department=education";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:21;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:15:"Polish Law trip";s:4:"slug";s:15:"polish-law-trip";s:7:"summary";s:155:"Law students from Edge Hill University travelled to Poland to gain real experience of the atrocities they had learned about in their human rights lectures.";s:7:"content";s:2445:"Law students from Edge Hill University travelled to Poland to gain real experience of the atrocities they had learned about in their human rights lectures.
Senior Law Lecturers Robert Collinson and Kas Wachala, who is also a specialist in Human Rights Law, led a trip to Krakow and Auschwitz.
The students visited the concentration camps, as well as taking a tour of the places portrayed in the film Schindler's List and visiting the Jewish ghetto and synagogue.
Students Joe Davidson, James Molloy, Liz Wrathall, Lisa Oram and Sam Spence wrote about the trip on their return. They said: "When we study human rights in the lecture theatre, it is impossible to fully understand the atrocities that occurred during the Holocaust.
"Only when you go and experience the eerie and silent atmosphere of Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau for yourself, does it dawn upon you how horrific this systematic mass extermination of the millions of innocent people truly was. There is no truer phrase than ‘seeing is believing' in order to comprehend the scale of the atrocity, especially when confronted with the sheer size of Birkenau, and the seemingly never-ending ruins. From the labour camps, to the gas chambers, to the crematorium, there is no bigger reality check.
"Overall, the trip to Poland was truly eye opening and makes you realise just how lucky we are. Explaining to friends and family what it was like to visit the concentration camps did not give justice to the experience.
"To experience something like this outside of the lecture theatre was truly an experience like no other and we could only hope that the module continues to allow students the same opportunity we had, so that the memory of the Holocaust lives on through the generations, and the victims are not forgotten."
Law lecturer Kas Wachala added: "In the Human Rights module we spend quite some time examining the law relating to the crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and mass murder, however, nothing can prepare students for the grim reality and horror of Auschwitz. It is important that students see such atrocities as not being a thing of the past; in our studies we also examine cases of mass murder and genocide that have occurred in our own life time and, unfortunately, are occurring now. In visiting Auschwitz we are reminded that unless we learn from the past, history will indeed be repeated."
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-02-17 09:30:43";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-02-17";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-02-17 09:54:37";s:3:"url";s:54:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/02/polish-law-trip";s:4:"tags";a:1:{s:18:"ehu:department=law";s:18:"ehu:department=law";}}i:22;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:38:"Don't be left out as applications rise";s:4:"slug";s:38:"don-t-be-left-out-as-applications-rise";s:7:"summary";s:196:"It's no secret (or surprise) that applications to study at University are up again this year. The latest figures show that Edge Hill University has 45% more people wanting to study here next year.";s:7:"content";s:3757:"It's no secret (or surprise) that applications to study at University are up again this year. The latest figures show that applications to study in September 2010 are up by 21.4% nationally. At Edge Hill the increase is even larger, with 45% more people wanting to study here next year.
There have also been a lot of stories in the press about there being fewer places for students this year which means that some applicants might end up being disappointed.
This huge rise in applications is no doubt making it more competitive to get into university and the situation potentially allows universities to be more selective about the students that they take.
So, if you are an applicant this year, what should you do now?
If you submitted your application through UCAS by the January deadline, Universities have to respond to you by 31st March with a decision about your application.
If you made five choices on your UCAS form and you were thorough in your research about the courses before you applied, hopefully you'll receive offers from all of the Universities you have applied to.
If you don't get made offers from all of your choices, some of those Universities might make you an offer to study on an alternative course with them. If this happens to you, think carefully about what the university is offering. Weigh up all the pros and cons, talk it through with friends and family and, before accepting (or declining) the alternative offer, make sure it's the right decision for you.
If you haven't already done so, you should make sure you visit all of the Universities that you have applied to - you'll probably end up at one of them and as you're likely to be studying there for three years, it needs to be one that you really want to be at - somewhere that you'll enjoying studying and a university that can give you the experience that you're looking for.
Lots of Universities will have special ‘visit days' just for applicants. These are a great opportunity for you to make sure that you're making the right decision about the University. If your university does have a visit day for you, try to go and find out more about what they have to offer you. Visit Days are also an excellent opportunity to meet the staff that will be teaching you in your first year and to meet other students that you'll be studying with. Visits are also a great chance to see the university facilities.
Once you've found the university that is right for you, you'll need to work for your place if you have been made a conditional offer. Work hard over the next few months and make sure that you get the grades that you need to get onto your chosen course. Also, there will be other things for you to be getting on with between now and September... you'll need to sort your student finances in good time (you can apply now) as well as sorting your accommodation.
Once your place is confirmed in August, find out whether there are reading lists, kit or resources that you need to buy before the course starts in September.
If you're thinking of applying to start University in September 2011, start doing your research now. Think carefully about the type of course you want to do, where you want it to take you and what you want to get out of your time at University. Spend time visiting Universities and find out what they are looking for from their applicants. Start thinking about how you're going to ‘sell yourself' on your application form and start getting the relevant work experience or extra curricula activities on your CV.
All the information Edge Hill applicants need can be found at hi.edgehill.ac.uk.
";s:6:"author";s:13:"Steve Johnson";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-02-10 14:18:38";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-02-10";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-02-10 14:36:46";s:3:"url";s:77:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/02/don-t-be-left-out-as-applications-rise";s:4:"tags";a:11:{s:23:"ehu:department=business";s:23:"ehu:department=business";s:20:"ehu:department=dsaps";s:20:"ehu:department=dsaps";s:24:"ehu:department=education";s:24:"ehu:department=education";s:22:"ehu:department=english";s:22:"ehu:department=english";s:21:"ehu:department=health";s:21:"ehu:department=health";s:18:"ehu:department=law";s:18:"ehu:department=law";s:20:"ehu:department=media";s:20:"ehu:department=media";s:19:"ehu:department=ngas";s:19:"ehu:department=ngas";s:29:"ehu:department=performingarts";s:29:"ehu:department=performingarts";s:20:"ehu:department=sport";s:20:"ehu:department=sport";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:23;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:57:"Shaping the future for black and ethnic minority teachers";s:4:"slug";s:57:"shaping-the-future-for-black-and-ethnic-minority-teachers";s:7:"summary";s:183:"Merseyside universities are this week hosting a conference to highlight the importance of recruiting and retaining black and minority ethnic trainee teachers in the North West region.";s:7:"content";s:2390:"Merseyside universities are this week hosting a conference to highlight the importance of recruiting and retaining black and minority ethnic trainee teachers in the North West region.
The Black and Minority Recruitment and Retention Conference is the first conference of the work conducted by the Merseyside Black and Minority Ethnic Steering Group - a collaboration between Edge Hill University, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool John Moores University, the University of Chester and Merseyside and Cheshire Graduate Teacher Programme Consortium. It also includes representatives of Merseyside community groups with school-based input who work collaboratively to encourage the recruitment and retention of black and minority ethnic trainee teachers.
The conference itself will aim to look at barriers, perceptions and existing work that is being done, in addition to the importance of sharing good practice.
Pav Akhtar, Head of Diversity at the Training and Development Agency for Schools, will deliver the keynote address. Pav said: "In England, 23.3 per cent of all primary school pupils and 20.6 per cent of all secondary school pupils are of black or minority ethnic (BME) heritage. At the same time, 5.9 per cent of teachers are of BME heritage.
"Increased recruitment of BME teachers is important to ensure white and BME pupils benefit from a more balanced representation of society and the experience of teachers from diverse groups. However, much existing research on the impact on pupil performance has been found to be limited in scope and based on unrepresentative samples."
Edge Hill University, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool John Moores University and the University of Chester are very keen to attract potential teachers with a wealth of experience and variety of backgrounds and cultures from within the locality, the regions, nationally and internationally. The universities offer a variety of routes into teaching including flexible part time options in both primary and secondary and those interested can seek further information on the universities web sites.
The Black and Minority Recruitment and Retention Conference takes place on Wednesday 10 February 2010 at Liverpool Hope University. For more details, call Amina Ismail on 0151 231 5340 or e-mail a.ismail@ljmu.ac.uk.
";s:6:"author";s:16:"Suzanne Elsworth";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-02-10 10:02:52";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-02-10";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-02-10 10:05:38";s:3:"url";s:96:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/02/shaping-the-future-for-black-and-ethnic-minority-teachers";s:4:"tags";a:2:{s:24:"ehu:department=education";s:24:"ehu:department=education";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:24;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:26:"Computer forensics lecture";s:4:"slug";s:26:"computer-forensics-lecture";s:7:"summary";s:97:"The undercover world of computer forensics will be revealed at a lecture at Edge Hill University.";s:7:"content";s:1971:"The undercover world of computer forensics will be revealed at a lecture at Edge Hill University.
Representatives from one of the UK's leaders in the field will give guests and students an insight into the complex world which uses hidden computer data to solve major crimes.
The discipline, also know as digital forensics or communications forensics, aims to identify, extract and preserve the electronic footprints criminals leave behind which may become vital evidence in a court case. The sources range from a wide assortment of media - from computer hard disks or SatNav devices, to the memory contents of mobile phones.
Afentis Forensics, which has offices in London, Liverpool and Manchester, specialises in criminal cases involving the most complex of hi-tech fraud, hacking offences and obscene imagery. Recent cases the company has been involved with include the murder of schoolboy Rhys Jones in Liverpool and the conviction of Merseyside drugs baron Curtis Warren in Jersey.
Ross Patel, Director of Afentis, will be coming to the University's Business School to present his lecture, entitled 'Digital Evidence - Murder & Drug Conspiracies'. His visit builds on the links his company has already made with the University - Afentis has offered three postgraduate placement projects for students.
Michael Banford, Enterprise Co-ordinator in the Business School, said: "This is a fascinating area of criminal investigations and we are delighted Mr Patel is coming to the campus to talk to staff and students.
"We are keen to build more of these valuable links with external organisations as they give our students a real insight to the potential areas of research and career opportunities which are available."
The lecture takes place in room B106 on Tuesday 23 February from 1pm-2pm. Places are limited so book now by emailing michael.banford@edgehill.ac.uk.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-02-09 11:26:47";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-02-09";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-02-09 11:34:27";s:3:"url";s:65:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/02/computer-forensics-lecture";s:4:"tags";a:2:{s:23:"ehu:department=business";s:23:"ehu:department=business";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:25;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:38:"Comedians turn up the heat at The Rose";s:4:"slug";s:38:"comedians-turn-up-the-heat-at-the-rose";s:7:"summary";s:140:"Banish those winter blues with a scorching night of alternative comedy on Tuesday 16th February 2010 at Edge Hill University's Rose Theatre.";s:7:"content";s:2433:"Banish those winter blues with a scorching night of alternative comedy on Tuesday 16th February 2010 at Edge Hill University's Rose Theatre, home of the popular Buzz Comedy Club.
First up is hot new talent Dan Bland with a mesmerising performance, full of darkly comic tales and twisted outpourings, delivered in his trademark deadpan drawl. Dubbed the "Ian Curtis of comedy" by the BBC, Dan has the ability to hold crowds in a vice-like grip with his hypnotic delivery until they yield to his skewed world view. With original, incisive material and electrifying wit, Dan's amiable facade barely conceals a heart of comic darkness. Rock ‘n' droll!
Wonderful, witty and Welsh, former TV warm-up man Tudur Owen is currently on fire as a stand-up performer. Renowned for performing in both English and Welsh, he has 10 years' experience of performing, writing and presenting for television and radio. With an acclaimed Edinburgh show last year and a BAFTA Wales award-winning comedy series, "The PC Leslie Wynne Show", to his name, Tudur is one of the wittiest and most experienced gag merchants on the circuit. Valley entertaining!
Vince Atta brings proceedings to a blistering conclusion with a high-octane performance of witty characterisation and impressions. A former winner of the coveted City Life Comedian of the Year award, Mancunian Vince is renowned for forging a brilliant rapport with the audience and drawing them into his comic world. From confused students to Cockney girlfriends, Vince brings the characters in his fast-paced tales to life with his expressive face, remarkable ear for accents and unstoppable energy. Atta Boy!
Tasked with keeping the evening on the boil is Ben Lawes, a confident and versatile performer who is forging a reputation as a top compere. His slightly sarcastic and bitter take on observational comedy, along with some finely crafted gags, saw him in the final of the Frog and Bucket World Series 2008 on only his second ever time on a comedy stage. A Lawes unto himself!
For better gags than these, simply head to the Rose Theatre for a sizzling night of hot new comedy at the Buzz Club.
Performance starts at 8.00pm.
Tickets: £5.50 / £3.50 concessions.
For further information contact the Box Office:
Country guile takes on city wiles in Chancers, a family-friendly period romp full of music, mirth, scheming scoundrels and skulduggery showing at Edge Hill University's Rose Theatre on Thursday 11th February 2010.
When rising literary star Carrie Lyndon is commissioned to write a play for the Duke of Gloucester, her journey from London, the self-proclaimed "centre of the artistic world", to the countryside is as dramatic as the 18th Century itself. Is it even the real Carrie that arrives in Gloucester to bring art - or something worse - to the unsuspecting country folk?
In a messily exploding age of cake, coffee and commerce, the gap between town and country is narrowing with the powers of government beginning to reach far into the countryside. Carrie arrives in Gloucester just as it begins to bite back: riots, sit-ins and boycotts abound, and starvation and persecution soon follow.
The country is in uproar, the Militia are called in and the role of the theatre, and the women within it, are called into question. With a countrywide confrontation brewing, does anyone really care if the show goes on, and if so why?
Using biting satire, mind-bending plot twists and plenty of laughs, the Fabulous Old Spot Theatre Company celebrates the eccentricities of the 18th Century and highlights the importance of theatre to everyone - even those who live outside London. Watch with a sense of smug enjoyment as the ship of artistic pretension hit the rocks of countryside commonsense!
The Fabulous Old Spot Theatre Company was established in 2003 to bring exciting, accessible, professional theatre to the community venues of rural Britain.
Chancers is suitable for the fearless, fierce and fainthearted, aged 7 and over.
Performance starts at 7.30pm.
Tickets: £8.50 / £6.50 (concessions).
For further information contact the Box Office:
Paralympian Mark Eccleston is the guest of honour at Edge Hill University's CONNECT Diversity Week 2010.
The silver medal-winning tennis player will officially open the week-long event which runs from Monday 1 February to Friday 5 February.
Diversity Week is part of the CONNECT project which was set-up five years ago by Aim Higher and Student Services at Edge Hill. The project was created to combat social exclusion on campus, and raise awareness of diversity issues.
Mark Eccleston was born in St Helens and was hoping for a successful rugby league career when his life was changed forever by a childhood prank. He somersaulted into a haystack -which he says was nothing compared to some of the Jackass-style stunts he tried as a child - but, this time, he landed badly, severing his spinal cord. As a result he is now tetraplegic and a full time wheelchair user. Emotionally, Mark hit rock bottom, even wishing his life was over, but during his seven month stay in a specialist rehabilitation unit he was introduced to wheelchair sports and discovered he could still find success as an athlete.
He won gold in table tennis at the 1987 National Wheelchair Games then tried Wheelchair Rugby, leading Great Britain in two international finals and the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics. After Atlanta he took up wheelchair tennis, winning seven national titles and Paralympic silver, and becoming the first British player to be ranked number one in the singles and doubles world rankings. He is now a motivational speaker, teaches PE in a special needs school, and is a disability sports officer in Halton.
Mark said: "I've been as low as you can get - and I've been as high as you can get. I was the best in the world. Just because someone has a disability, doesn't mean they can't do anything - there are ways around everything. I want to raise awareness of this by speaking not only to the public, but to the coaches and the mentors of the future. It is alarming when I go in to some mainstream schools that some teachers have no knowledge of disabled sports. I want to motivate everyone I speak to - they can go and achieve their goals."
Other attractions during this year's Diversity Week event include taster sessions in British Sign Language, a demonstration from Guide Dogs for the Blind and Southport Hearing Dogs, and classes and culture sessions including Urdu Chinese and Russian. There will also be presentations by charitable organisations and those dealing with dyslexia, faith, domestic violence, self harm and gender and sexuality, as well as a variety of theatre and film showings.
For the full listings visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/connect/timetable and to book a place email connect@edgehill.ac.uk or call 01695 584322.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-01-26 09:25:25";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-01-26";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-01-29 15:05:53";s:3:"url";s:97:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/01/paralympian-launches-edge-hill-university-s-diversity-week";s:4:"tags";a:4:{s:14:"Diversity Week";s:14:"Diversity Week";s:7:"connect";s:7:"connect";s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:28;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:17:"The power of film";s:4:"slug";s:17:"the-power-of-film";s:7:"summary";s:78:"Short Cuts Cinema screens Where the Water Meets the Sky in the Studio Theatre.";s:7:"content";s:3722:""A lot of people in the community get caught in the burdens they carry in their hearts. But when they share their stories, those burdens become easier to bear."
Frieda, Samfya Women Filmmakers
If you were given the opportunity to speak out for the first time in your life, what would you say? Twenty-three women from rural Zambia were given a video camera, some training and the chance to tell the world about their lives. The result is Where The Water Meets The Sky, a poignant and uplifting film showing for free at Edge Hill University's Rose Theatre on Wednesday 2nd February 2010.
Penelop is an 18-year-old orphan from Samfya, one of the poorest towns in Zambia. She lost both her parents to AIDS and struggles to bring up her siblings in desperate poverty. She has never seen a video camera before and has had little exposure to television or films. Yet Penelop and 22 other women learn how to make a film as a way to speak out about their lives, and confront the traditions that have, until now, kept them silent.
In a community blighted by the legacy of AIDS, in which women traditionally have no say, the novice filmmakers find the courage to speak about the unspeakable and become an unexpected force for change.
Narrated by Academy award-winning actor Morgan Freeman, and written by Jordan Roberts (March of the Penguins), Where The Water Meets The Sky follows the women's remarkable journey as they realise the power of their own voices to challenge the age-old beliefs of their community.
What begins as a filmmaking workshop and a desire to tell Penelop's story, becomes a transformational experience as the women find the friendship, humour and resilience to defy the long tradition of silence surrounding the devastating legacy of AIDS. Many of the women lacked conventional literacy and most had never had the opportunity to learn beyond the home. But, given the tools and the encouragement to tell their story, the women find the courage to change their lives and the determination to change their entire community.
Where The Water Meets The Sky was produced by Camfed (the Campaign for Female Education), an organisation dedicated to fighting poverty and HIV/AIDS in Africa by educating girls and investing in economic and leadership opportunities for young women.
In 2003 Camfed initiated a filmmaking training programme for young girls and women in Ghana. After the success of this project, and the transformation of the women involved, the idea of filming the next project in Zambia was raised. With the consent of the participants, a documentary filmmaking team was invited to chronicle the new programme. The result was one of the most powerful and moving films about AIDS to come out of Africa.
The women now call themselves the Samfya Women Filmmakers and, since filming ended, many have started school or taken up careers for the first time. Their film, I've Found My Way, has been shown to over 3,000 people across their community and they are currently working on their next film about child marriage.
Where The Water Meets The Sky is testament to the power of filmmaking to transform lives and its potential as a catalyst for social change. All funds raised through the film will support Camfed's work.
Sometimes a single story can unite an entire community. Come and be inspired.
For further information contact the Box Office:
Edge Hill University has been chosen to screen the best animation in Britain for a national competition.
The British Animation Awards (BAA) 2010 covers all aspects of the UK animation scene, from student work to commercials, children's entertainment, short and experimental art films, music videos, new technologies.
The University is one of 27 venues which will screen the Public Choice Programme - and unlike some venues, all the screenings are free. The category allows visitors to select their favourites from a fantastic array of animation films made over the past two years. Sponsors and contributors include Aardman Animation, the famed creators of Wallace and Grommit, as well as CBBC, C4 Digital Shorts and the UK Film Council.
The BAA screenings take place from 6:20pm to 8pm from Monday 8 February to Wednesday 10 February in the Studio Theatre at Edge Hill's Performing Arts Centre.
The University is no stranger to the animation film technique as it offers a popular BA Hons degree in the subject. Alex Jukes, Senior Lecturer in the Media Department of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, says being chosen to showcase the films is an exciting opportunity for the University.
He said: "The BAA organisers were looking for venues which were in under-represented areas and we were very keen to get involved. The University is a fantastic cultural venue, and is one of the few chosen BAA venues where screenings are free, highlighting our commitment to cultural inclusion
"The contributors and sponsors of the BAA are of a very high calibre - including companies like Nick Park's Aardman Animation. Our students will have the chance to see the latest and best animation in the UK - it is a stunning opportunity to for them to see this work first hand. It is also a great chance for the public to engage with us in our special 125th anniversary year."
All are welcome; no booking is necessary. Call 01695 584534 for more information.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-01-22 15:40:11";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-01-22";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-01-22 15:46:01";s:3:"url";s:87:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/01/british-animation-awards-at-edge-hill-university";s:4:"tags";a:4:{s:20:"ehu:department=media";s:20:"ehu:department=media";i:0;s:3:"125";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:14:"ehu:topics=125";s:14:"ehu:topics=125";}}i:30;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:17:"A New Year Honour";s:4:"slug";s:17:"a-new-year-honour";s:7:"summary";s:70:"An Edge Hill student has received an MBE in the New Year Honours list.";s:7:"content";s:2245:"An Edge Hill student has received an MBE in the New Year Honours list.
Donna Clark, aged 41, received the award for services to healthcare. She is studying for a Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care for assistant practitioners at the Ormskirk campus and works as a footcare assistant, specialising in podiatry, with South Sefton Primary Care Trust, based in Bootle.
Donna, a mother-of-two, joined the NHS six years ago, initially working in administrative roles but was inspired to take a more clinical path.
"I loved my job," said Donna, "but I wanted to have more direct contact with the patients. They come to us in pain so it is fantastic to see them go away happy."
When Donna first received the letter to say she had been nominated for the MBE, she didn't believe it was real.
She added: "The envelope was marked ‘Cabinet Office' and ‘Confidential' and I thought I'd done something wrong and was about to get sued or something! When I did open it, I was convinced it was a joke. I rang the number on the letter and when the person that answered said ‘Buckingham Palace'I just put the phone down! It was only when my aunt called on New Year's Day to say my name was in the London Gazette, that I realised it was true."
But Donna is very modest about her achievement.
"There are more people than me who deserve this," she said. "I work with colleagues who have give 40 or 50 years to caring for patients. I am cringing telling them that I am going to the Palace. The community team as a whole deserves this award - I can't do my job without the rest of the team.
"I am terrified of meeting the Queen - I don't even own a hat. And what am I going to talk to her about? I suppose I could always offer to do her feet before I leave!"
The Foundation Degree for assistant practitioners is an innovative programme which broadens the skill base of health care workers and prepares them for additional responsibilities. The assistant practitioner role is seen as a key position within future workforce developments in health and social care.
FdSc Health and Social Care (Assistant Practitioner)
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-01-22 15:36:47";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-01-22";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-01-22 15:38:29";s:3:"url";s:56:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/01/a-new-year-honour";s:4:"tags";a:2:{s:21:"ehu:department=health";s:21:"ehu:department=health";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:31;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:18:"Many happy returns";s:4:"slug";s:18:"many-happy-returns";s:7:"summary";s:115:"Edge Hill University marks its milestone 125th anniversary this week with a Civic Reception at Liverpool Town Hall.";s:7:"content";s:3431:"Edge Hill University marks its milestone 125th anniversary this week with a Civic Reception at Liverpool Town Hall.
The University will start celebrations in the city where it opened its doors as the country's first non-denominational teaching college for women in 1885, as the Lord Mayor of Liverpool Cllr Mike Storey joins Chancellor Professor Tanya Byron, along with University staff, students and guests to open the anniversary festivities.
The University started out as Edge Hill College, welcoming just 41 students at a site on Durning Road on 24 January 1885, after seven Liverpool philanthropists founded an institution to "radically broaden access to the teaching profession".
Some of Edge Hill's earliest students had links to the Suffragette and Labour movements, with the College Magazine frequently carrying impassioned articles demanding the enfranchisement of women and many students skipping class to join the Liverpool Dock Union Strike of 1911.
The college outgrew its Liverpool location and moved to Ormskirk in 1933. The main building was later requisitioned for use as a military hospital in the Second World War, which saw Edge Hill move to a site in Bingley, Yorkshire until 1946. After admitting the first male students in 1959, the University then embarked on a sustained period of capital and course development, expanding the campus and diversifying its range of courses to providing health, arts and science degrees.
Today, Edge Hill University has over 23,000 students, boasts a spectacular award-winning campus and a nomination for University of the Year.
Speaking at Liverpool Town Hall, Dr John Cater, the University's Vice-Chancellor said: "On Sunday 24 January, we are 125 years old. We exist only because of the vision of our founders six generations ago - the Balfours, the Rathbones, the Holts - and the resilience of our staff, students and governors who have helped build a university with a strong reputation for the quality of our work, the capacity to invest in our campus and, perhaps most of all, a commitment to providing opportunities for able and intelligent individuals who might not otherwise enter higher education."
The University has a year-long programme of events planned for 2010 entitled ‘Shaping Futures' that will look ahead to the next 125 years and imagine how a rapidly changing world will affect the lives of the next generation.
High profile speakers in the fields of environment, human rights, media, and technology will explore the issues that will shape and transform the lives of the next generation.
The University's star alumni Stuart Maconie and Jonathan Pryce will also mark the anniversary with special appearances, as well as comedian Jon Culshaw, who will return to his hometown of Ormskirk for a special performance on campus.
"Our 125th anniversary is an exciting opportunity for us to stand back and look at our past but also to consider our future," says John. "We have a lot to celebrate in our history but there is so much more to look forward to. In 50 years' time, I want Edge Hill to be regarded as one of the top universities in the country. I really believe we can achieve that, so who knows what is possible in the next 125 years."
For more information on up and coming events and how to book, log on to edgehill.ac.uk/125.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-01-22 13:46:57";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-01-22";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-01-27 13:24:28";s:3:"url";s:57:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/01/many-happy-returns";s:4:"tags";a:13:{s:23:"ehu:department=business";s:23:"ehu:department=business";s:20:"ehu:department=dsaps";s:20:"ehu:department=dsaps";s:24:"ehu:department=education";s:24:"ehu:department=education";s:22:"ehu:department=english";s:22:"ehu:department=english";s:21:"ehu:department=health";s:21:"ehu:department=health";i:0;s:3:"125";s:18:"ehu:department=law";s:18:"ehu:department=law";s:20:"ehu:department=media";s:20:"ehu:department=media";s:19:"ehu:department=ngas";s:19:"ehu:department=ngas";s:29:"ehu:department=performingarts";s:29:"ehu:department=performingarts";s:20:"ehu:department=sport";s:20:"ehu:department=sport";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:14:"ehu:topics=125";s:14:"ehu:topics=125";}}i:32;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:22:"Climate change lecture";s:4:"slug";s:22:"climate-change-lecture";s:7:"summary";s:148:"Humans have been affecting the environment for millennia, according to a lecture to be given in February by a new professor at Edge Hill University.";s:7:"content";s:2526:"Humans have been affecting the environment for millennia, according to a lecture to be given in February by a new professor at Edge Hill University.
Professor Ann Worsley, a Senior Lecturer in the Natural, Geographical and Applied Sciences Department, will talk on the subject of Climate and Environmental Change: A Personal Perspective on the Relationship between Humans and the Natural World. The inaugural lecture is part of the University's 125th anniversary events programme, 'Shaping Futures' and also celebrates Ann's professorial appointment.
Professor Worsley said: "Climate change is a hot topic and the impacts we have on environments today are widely discussed. However, human communities have been altering their physical environments for millennia.
"My lecture will explore sites from Papua New Guinea to the North West of England, taking us from the early Holocene some 10,000 years ago.
"In Papua New Guinea, people developed systems of food production which had little impact upon the high altitude tropical forests. They used stone tools until very recently and, despite developing highly complex systems of agriculture, were classed as ‘Stone Age'.
"In the UK, communities began to move out of the Stone Age around 4,000 years ago, but, as technologies advanced, so did the impact on the environment. Over the millennia, communities have left their mark, transforming landscapes and ultimately altering climate.
"In the modern era we have a complex relationship with climate and environment which affects not only the natural world, but also our urban and rural spaces, including the air we breathe."
Professor Worsley graduated from the University of Liverpool in 1977 with a BA (Hons) degree in Geography. Her PhD focused on the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. Between 1983 and 1995, she took a career break to raise her four children, then returned to the University of Liverpool as a research fellow. She became a lecturer at Edge Hill University in 1999 where she continued to develop her research interests; her current projects are funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, the EU and DEFRA. She achieved Chartered Geographer status in 2005 and was awarded a personal chair by Edge Hill in 2009.
The free inaugural lecture takes place on Thursday 11 February, starting with a reception at 5pm, followed by the lecture at 6pm. To book, email corporateevents@edgehill.ac.uk.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-01-20 13:23:20";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-01-20";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-01-28 14:34:33";s:3:"url";s:61:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/01/climate-change-lecture";s:4:"tags";a:5:{i:0;s:3:"125";s:7:"Lecture";s:7:"Lecture";s:24:"ehu:department=geography";s:24:"ehu:department=geography";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:14:"ehu:topics=125";s:14:"ehu:topics=125";}}i:33;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:25:"New sports plans revealed";s:4:"slug";s:25:"new-sports-plans-revealed";s:7:"summary";s:115:"Plans are being made for a new state-of-the-art community sports complex at Edge Hill University's Ormskirk campus.";s:7:"content";s:2631:"Plans are being made for a new state-of-the-art community sports complex at Edge Hill University's Ormskirk campus.
A public exhibition, to be held in February, will explain the proposals and give members of the public the chance to speak to Edge Hill representatives and the design team.
The need for further expansion of the University's facilities was identified in 2005 by the Government Planning Inspector appointed to conduct the West Lancashire Replacement Local Plan public inquiry. To allow further academic growth, and the expansion of these valuable community facilities, the University is proposing the creation of a purpose-built modern sports complex on land to the east of the present campus. The new development will be served by a new access road and junction formed onto the A570 St Helens Road, together with new cycle lane and pedestrian routes, and a bus-drop off point.
Dr John Cater, University Vice-Chancellor, said: "With an increasingly competitive Higher Education market place, the continued enhancement of University facilities is critical.
"All redevelopment opportunities on the campus have been exhausted, so we need to relocate and improve the current sports facilities to enable further development. These proposed facilities will be unrivalled in the area and be fully available for use by the local community."
The proposed outdoor facilities will include running tracks, rugby, hockey and football pitches, athletics field, netball and tennis courts and a trim trail with exercise stations. Asingle storey building will accommodatean eight-court sports hall with viewing gallery for basketball, netball, badminton, five-a-side football and general sports use, a 25-metre swimming pool, a 100-station fitness suite, aerobics studio, health suite with sauna and steam rooms, a café and lounge area.
New ecological features and wildlife habitats will be created, including mixed-woodland areas and footpaths linking to Ruff Wood, wildflower meadows, open grassland and a new wildlife pond, and structural screen planting and hedgerow replacement. The whole development will incorporate sustainable drainage and low carbon design and building technologies.
An award-winning writer Gary Younge delivered Edge Hill University's first annual Jesse Jackson lecture last night.
The event kicked off celebrations for the University's 125th anniversary year, as The Guardian journalist spoke to the 100-strong audience about the US president Barack Obama's first year in office.
The talk entitled Obama's America; Dickensian Time - the best of times and the worst of times, explored the effectiveness of the US president's policies since being elected in November 2008. Younge describing these as "significant but inadequate" - significant with Obama's closure of Guantanamo Bay and healthcare reform, but inadequate in that statistics such as 1 in 3 black males living in the US will go to jail and that life expectancy Israel's Gaza Strip is higher than in Washington DC are still very much a reality.
He also described the polarisation caused by President Obama's election. "Whether they love him or hate him many people sometimes struggle to find the words with which to discuss him rationally. So they cry, curse, smile inanely and sometimes scream".
Gary Younge, a prominent voice on equality and human rights, is a New York-based columnist who was awarded the prestigious James Cameron Award in October for his ‘combined moral vision and professional integrity' in his reporting of the 2008 US presidential election.
The annual Jesse Jackson lecture was announced following a visit by Reverend Jackson to the Ormskirk-based University a year ago. During his visit, the civil rights campaigner was presented with an Honorary Fellowship by the University and a scholarship has also been set up in his name. The aim of the lecture and scholarship is to maintain the University's commitment to a debate on human rights and economic equality, in honour of Reverend Jackson's visit and his continuing work in this field.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-01-13 11:50:25";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-01-13";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-01-25 10:58:08";s:3:"url";s:56:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/01/the-best-of-times";s:4:"tags";a:3:{i:0;s:3:"125";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"jesse jackson";s:13:"jesse jackson";}}i:35;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:11:"Seouled out";s:4:"slug";s:11:"seouled-out";s:7:"summary";s:100:"Edge Hill University is to play host to a delegation of trainee teachers from Korea in the New Year.";s:7:"content";s:2073:"Edge Hill University is to play host to a delegation of trainee teachers from Korea in the New Year.
Around 25 students from Seoul National University will visit the Ormskirk campus in February as part of a three-way exchange with Aston University in Birmingham. This is a prestigious collaboration for Edge Hill as SNU is the leading university in Korea and is rated 47th in the world by the Times Higher Education QS World University Rankings.
The aim is to give the Korean students a taste of teacher training in the UK, as well as laying the foundations for future international initiatives, from which the whole University should benefit.
Rob Foster, Head of Professional Development in the Faculty of Education, travelled to Seoul earlier this year to sign up to the collaboration.
He said: "The Faculty of Education received an invitation to be part of a European delegation which was visiting SNU. The aim was to establish collaborative links, with specific focus on training teachers.
"We met with academics and students there, visited training schools and started to plan a return visit by trainee teachers. They want to carry out a comparative study - gaining experience in European schools and looking at the methodology of training teachers here. SNU already has a culture of English language, but it is very American-focused and they are planning to strengthen their European links.
"We have now signed a formal partnership agreement and two groups of Korean trainee teachers are coming to Edge Hill at the end of January, as well as visiting Aston University. As part of their study programme, they will be visiting our partner schools where they will have opportunities to observe lessons and network with trainee and young teachers, and spend time in the Faculty.
"There will be opportunities for Edge Hill students to go out to Korea in the future. The hope is that, although this collaboration has started in the Faculty of Education, it will become more widespread across the University."
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-01-11 14:53:43";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-01-11";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-01-11 15:04:56";s:3:"url";s:50:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/01/seouled-out";s:4:"tags";a:2:{s:24:"ehu:department=education";s:24:"ehu:department=education";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:36;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:44:"Mum battles back to celebrate degree success";s:4:"slug";s:44:"mum-battles-back-to-celebrate-degree-success";s:7:"summary";s:165:"A mother-of-three who was made homeless after a house fire is one of more than 30 Wirral students who are celebrating their degree success with Edge Hill University.";s:7:"content";s:2796:"A mother-of-three who was made homeless after a house fire is one of more than 30 Wirral students who are celebrating their degree success with Edge Hill University.
Samantha McCardle, of Rock Ferry, was half way through a Foundation Degree course when her home was devastated by fire. She and her family, including her three sons, aged 7, 13 and 14, were left with only the clothes they were wearing when the blaze ripped through the house in July 2008.
But despite the traumatic experience, Samantha went on to complete her degree in Supporting Teaching and Learning, and was rewarded for her efforts at a ceremony with her Wirral-based contemporaries. The students are all studying at one of Edge Hill University's Outreach Venues at the Professional Excellence Centre in Acre Lane, Bromborough. The successful degree students will enjoy further celebrations at their formal graduation ceremony in July 2010.
Samantha said: "Even before the fire, it wasn't very easy juggling my family, my work and my studies. You feel guilty, thinking that you should be doing more University work or that you should be spending more time with the children, but I am really pleased with my achievement. I can't wait to wear that cap and gown at my graduation in July!
"The fire happened at the end of my first year. Luckily we were all out when it started. As far as we know, it was caused by a computer printer, but the house was so badly damaged they can't say exactly. We lost everything. All my University work was destroyed and I told the University I wouldn't be able to complete my course, but they said they would lend me a laptop and persuaded me to stay on. They were incredibly supportive, as were all our friends and family. Even parents at the school where I work, who I had never met before, were asking if there was anything they could do to help. Everybody really pulled together for us - people were amazing."
Samantha, who works as a teaching assistant at St John's Catholic Infant School in Bebington, Wirral, is now taking time out to concentrate on her family and work, but hopes to continue her studies and achieve Qualified Teacher Status.
"My work colleagues were really helpful," added Samantha. "They gave me lots of advice and helped by reading my essays and letting me take their classes. Now, all the hard work has been worthwhile!"
Alison Fisk, Edge Hill University's Administrator and Student and Learning Services Coordinator (Wirral), said: "We were delighted to host this celebration event for those who completed their Foundation Degree or Early Years Professional Status. The students are Wirral residents and work in Wirral schools or Early Years facilities, and have managed to study whilst working and raising families."
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-01-11 14:47:58";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-01-11";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-01-11 14:51:53";s:3:"url";s:83:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/01/mum-battles-back-to-celebrate-degree-success";s:4:"tags";a:3:{s:24:"ehu:department=education";s:24:"ehu:department=education";s:23:"ehu:department=research";s:23:"ehu:department=research";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:37;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:27:"Understanding mental health";s:4:"slug";s:27:"understanding-mental-health";s:7:"summary";s:144:"A new book by two Edge Hill University academics is investigating the complex and controversial issues which link social work and mental health.";s:7:"content";s:2819:"A new book by two Edge Hill University academics is investigating the complex and controversial issues which link social work and mental health.
Vicki Coppock, Reader in Social Work & Mental Health, and Senior Lecturer Bob Dunn, from the Department of Social & Psychological Sciences, have collaborated on a new publication which examines the moral and ethical challenges of mental health care.
Understanding Social Work Practice in Mental Health is aimed at both students and health professionals. From care in the community to the tensions of implementing mental health law, the book addresses some of the most controversial areas of modern mental health care systems.
It has already received a positive response from critics and has been described as giving ‘a closely argued case for retaining social work skills as a key part of a truly integrated mental health system'. The book recognises that there is both a medical model and a social model of mental health and discusses the relationship between the two.
Vicki and Bob have learned from research and experience that there is no single reason why people develop such problems.
Bob said: "It is likely to be a combination of factors that life throws at a person that contributes to their mental distress. Consequently, this suggests that there cannot be a single treatment which will solve such problems. However, some professionals persist in failing to recognise these complexities, sticking rigidly to a narrow medical model."
Vicki added: "There is a conflict between the disciplines of social work and medicine - nurses in the mental health field and social workers view things differently. Nurses and doctors tend to be more comfortable with a medical diagnosis, while social workers establish an holistic approach. We address this in the book, looking specifically at what works in promoting recovery.
"We have tried to address the importance of interdisciplinary working, and also to ask readers to critically examine practice from the perspective of users of mental health services and their carers."
The book encourages its readers to stop and examine their own thoughts, knowledge and opinions, through reflection exercises.
Bob said: "Edge Hill University has always had a critical analytical approach - it looks at things differently - and that's what we want to encourage in our social work students. We believe this is the first social work textbook produced by Edge Hill. It aims to be useful to all levels - from a student just starting out, to those on Masters Courses - as well as to health professionals."
Understanding Social Work Practice in Mental Health is available now from www.sagepub.co.uk.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-01-11 14:31:25";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-01-11";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-01-11 14:46:24";s:3:"url";s:66:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/01/understanding-mental-health";s:4:"tags";a:3:{s:21:"ehu:department=health";s:21:"ehu:department=health";s:23:"ehu:department=research";s:23:"ehu:department=research";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:38;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:13:"Out of Africa";s:4:"slug";s:13:"out-of-africa";s:7:"summary";s:120:"A senior lecturer at Edge Hill University has been awarded a prestigious grant for a unique linguistic research project.";s:7:"content";s:3191:"A senior lecturer at Edge Hill University has been awarded a prestigious grant for a unique linguistic research project.
Dr Jo Shoba, of the Department of English and History, has received British Academy funding for a UK-Africa Academic Partnership, a collaborative three-year project which will involve Edge Hill University, the University of Ghana and the University of Education Winneba, also in Ghana.
Dr Shoba said: "The British Academy award is highly competitive. It is also quite different to some other funding grants because it is such an inclusive project. A number of staff at Edge Hill will be involve and three African researchers will spend a semester on the Ormskirk campus.. It's a great opportunity for the University."
The Partnership initiative has been developed by the British Academy's Africa Panel to support the development of ongoing links between UK and African institutions within the humanities and social sciences. It is intended to foster UK-Africa links, with an emphasis on helping scholars in the UK and Africa to develop research skills and to produce a joint research outcome. The British Academy's purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence and high achievement, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.
Dr Shoba said: "Our research aim over the next three years is to investigate language practices among young people in contemporary Ghana, addressing the relationship between language practices and linguistic values across Ghanaian society. We will focus on three interrelated sociolinguistic areas - bilingual language choices in conversation, the forms and functions of Ghanaian English, and the functions and distribution of ‘student pidgin', particularly across genders."
The international researchers plan to submit their findings on the diverse and dynamic linguistic context of contemporary Ghana to several high profile international conferences, ranging from Beijing to Berlin.
The research project marks a return to Africa for Dr Shoba. She was Head of Faculty in a Botswana teacher training college for six years and has acted as a consultant to the Tanzanian Ministry of Education. She is looking forward to renewed collaboration with the Africa project lead, Professor Kari Dako of the University of Ghana.
As well as carrying out valuable research, the project will also enable a number of the Ghanaian academics to gain PhDs. Dr Shoba added: "One difficulty for academics in Ghana can be access to up-to-date research methodology. This project will support the career development of the Ghanaian universities' teaching staff, but also give us at Edge Hill opportunities to supervise their postgraduate research. We are also keen to extend our teaching at Masters level and get more experience in online teaching. The project includes curriculum development goals - joint design and delivery of a module in language research methods, which our Ghanaian colleagues will ultimately take ownership of."
For more information about Dr Shoba's work visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/profiles/jo-shoba.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2010-01-11 14:28:04";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2010-01-11";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-01-11 14:29:44";s:3:"url";s:52:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2010/01/out-of-africa";s:4:"tags";a:4:{s:8:"Research";s:8:"Research";s:22:"ehu:department=english";s:22:"ehu:department=english";s:23:"ehu:department=research";s:23:"ehu:department=research";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:39;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:38:"Masters in Teaching and Learning (MTL)";s:4:"slug";s:36:"masters-in-teaching-and-learning-mtl";s:7:"summary";s:130:"Edge Hill University is part of a national initiative to improve the professional status of thousands of newly qualified teachers.";s:7:"content";s:2626:"Edge Hill University is part of a national initiative to improve the professional status of thousands of newly qualified teachers.
The Masters in Teaching and Learning (MTL) is a new programme which is being introduced principally in the North West. Its aim is to move teaching towards becoming a Masters-level profession and to produce a demonstrable difference in the quality of teaching and learning. The Government says that the practice-based nature of the MTL will help teachers improve their skills, in line with the changing needs of 21st century schools. And, it is hoped, because the programme develops an ethos of shared learning, the impact of the MTL will benefit the school as a whole.
Edge Hill is one member of a consortium which will provide the North West Masters in Teaching and Learning (NWMTL). The other members are the Universities of Chester, Cumbria and Manchester, the Open University, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool John Moores University and Manchester Metropolitan University.
It is hoped at least 75% of new teachers in the North West - approximately 2,000 in the first year - will sign up for the programme. All newly qualified teachers (NQTs) who started work in September in maintained schools or settings can enrol from January 2010 and will begin the programme in April.
Robert Smedley, Dean of the Faculty of Education, said: "The vision is that participating teachers will become consistently effective in enabling all learners to realise their potential, regardless of age, abilities or background.
"The programme involves practice-based learning, drawing on a wide range of expertise, problem solving and critical thinking. Participants will be encouraged to construct their own arguments by testing their ideas based on prior knowledge and applying these to situations relevant to their own school context. They will be supported throughout by a university tutor and a school-based coach.
"While the programme will be the same throughout all the NWMTL universities, participants will choose to register with one university, from which they will receive their degree. There is a broad agreement that the number of participants each university recruits will be in line with Initial Teacher Training quotas but we have the capacity at Edge Hill to accept every participant who indicates that they wish to work with us."
For more information, visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/study/courses/masters-in-teaching-and-learning.
";s:6:"author";s:16:"Suzanne Elsworth";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-12-21 09:39:19";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-12-21";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-12-21 09:45:09";s:3:"url";s:75:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/12/masters-in-teaching-and-learning-mtl";s:4:"tags";a:3:{s:24:"ehu:department=education";s:24:"ehu:department=education";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:3:"mtl";s:3:"mtl";}}i:40;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:44:"Catering Services cooks up a national prize!";s:4:"slug";s:43:"catering-services-cooks-up-a-national-prize";s:7:"summary";s:110:"Edge Hill University's Catering Services Department has received a national award for the quality of its fare.";s:7:"content";s:2316:"Edge Hill University's Catering Services Department has received a national award for the quality of its fare.
The team won the Best Menu prize in an annual competition organised by major food distributor Blakemore Food Services.
Last year, the University was a runner-up in the awards but this year took the top prize beating off competition from 200 other entrants, including educational institutions, pubs, restaurants and conference centres. The judges looked at a variety of criteria, including menu choice for both internal and external functions, menu diversity, the number and quality of catering outlets, locally sourced ingredients, and value for money.
The award was presented to Conference Administrator Nicola Kenny at a gala evening in Leicestershire.
Bill Hancox, Operations Manager in Facilities Management, said: "The Catering Services Department, along with our colleagues in Facilities Management, are proud to try to bring our staff, students and visitors the best in customer service. We are very pleased to win this award which recognises the hard work of all our teams in the many and varied food outlets across the campus."
The University has a wide and varied choice of eateries. The Terrace and Waters Edge are the main venues for staff and students. Others are located through the faculty and administration buildings, including Grinders, Chambers, the Garden Cafe and Cafe Rewind. Fast food fans can eat at The Diner, which sources its food wholly from a local supplier in Skelmersdale, while the Senior Common Room remains popular with staff. Formal dinners are hosted in Sages, which is also available for weddings and external events. Its kitchen has been refurbished to enable the team to bring sandwich-making in-house -100,000 prepacked sandwiches were bought in by the University last year but it is hoped that, within the next four months, 70% of these can be produced on campus. Another new initiative is the installation of modern coffee machines across the site in February.
Kevin Taylor, Catering Procurement Officer, added: "Over the past two years we have gone from a 50% satisfaction rate up to just over 90%. We are happy with this progress but all know that we can't stand still and that we have to keep evolving and improving."
";s:6:"author";s:16:"Suzanne Elsworth";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-12-14 15:49:52";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-12-15";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-12-15 09:26:22";s:3:"url";s:82:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/12/catering-services-cooks-up-a-national-prize";s:4:"tags";a:1:{s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:41;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:63:"International writer gives first Reverend Jesse Jackson Lecture";s:4:"slug";s:63:"international-writer-gives-first-reverend-jesse-jackson-lecture";s:7:"summary";s:108:"An award-winning journalist is to deliver the first Reverend Jesse Jackson Lecture for Edge Hill University.";s:7:"content";s:3939:"An award-winning journalist is to deliver the first Reverend Jesse Jackson Lecture for Edge Hill University.
Gary Younge, a prominent voice on equality and human rights, will be the principal guest at the event on Tuesday 12 January, where he will speak on the theme ‘Obama's America; Dickensian Times - the best of times and the worst of times', in which he will contrast the symbolic victory of America's first black president with the substantial challenges in leading a country in economic and geopolitical decline. The lecture is the first of a host of special events which will mark the University's 125th anniversary in 2010.
The annual lecture was announced following a visit by Reverend Jackson to the Ormskirk-based University a year ago. During his visit, the civil rights campaigner was presented with an Honorary Fellowship by the University and a scholarship has also been set up in his name. The aim of the lecture and scholarship is to maintain the University's commitment to a debate on human rights and economic equality, in honour of Reverend Jackson's visit and his continuing work in this field. January's event is sponsored by National Museums Liverpool and the city's International Slavery Museum, which is also the venue for the lecture.
Gary Younge is a New York-based columnist who was awarded the prestigious James Cameron Award in October for his ‘combined moral vision and professional integrity' in his reporting of the 2008 US presidential election. He also writes for the Nation magazine in the US and last year was appointed the Belle Zeller Visiting Professor of Social Policy and Public Administration at Brooklyn College at the City University of New York. He has written extensively from the US, Africa and Europe, presented several television and radio documentaries and also written for The Observer, Gay Times, the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, the Los Angeles Times, the Evening Standard, Hello! and GQ Style.
His most recent book is Stranger in a Strange Land: Encounters in the Disunited States and he is also the author of No Place Like Home: A Black Briton's journey through the Deep South. His new book, Who Are We, And Why Does It Matter in the 21st Century, about the politics of identity, will be published by Penguin in June 2010. Born and raised in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, he studied French and Russian at Heriot-Watt University and taught English to refugees in Sudan.
The University's Centre for Local Policy Studies (CLPS) was instrumental in bringing Reverend Jackson to Edge Hill, and the ensuing annual lecture and scholarship. It has carried out significant research work around ethnic equality in the labour market and shares strong links with the campaigning group Equanomics UK and with Reverend Jackson.
CLPS Director, Stuart Speeden, said: "We were delighted to welcome Reverend Jackson to Edge Hill - his lecture was a memorable and emotional occasion. We are equally pleased that the legacy of that day is the lecture series and scholarship we can present in his name.
"Reverend Jackson's strong message is that there is hope, but that there is still work to be done if we are to achieve true racial equality. We hope that these annual lectures will help continue to spread this message. It is fitting that Gary Younge is giving the first Reverend Jesse Jackson Lecture - he is an accomplished speaker on the subject of civil rights, as well as a prolific author, and is very well placed to speak about the effects of President Obama's first year in office."
The lecture takes place at the International Slavery Museum, Albert Dock, Liverpool on Tuesday 12 January from 6pm. Places are limited. Book your place by emailing corporateevents@edgehill.ac.uk.
";s:6:"author";s:16:"Suzanne Elsworth";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-12-14 11:49:54";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-12-14";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2010-01-25 10:58:45";s:3:"url";s:102:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/12/international-writer-gives-first-reverend-jesse-jackson-lecture";s:4:"tags";a:16:{s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:23:"ehu:department=business";s:23:"ehu:department=business";s:24:"ehu:department=education";s:24:"ehu:department=education";s:18:"ehu:department=law";s:18:"ehu:department=law";i:0;s:3:"125";s:7:"Lecture";s:7:"Lecture";s:20:"ehu:department=dsaps";s:20:"ehu:department=dsaps";s:22:"ehu:department=english";s:22:"ehu:department=english";s:21:"ehu:department=health";s:21:"ehu:department=health";s:20:"ehu:department=media";s:20:"ehu:department=media";s:19:"ehu:department=ngas";s:19:"ehu:department=ngas";s:29:"ehu:department=performingarts";s:29:"ehu:department=performingarts";s:20:"ehu:department=sport";s:20:"ehu:department=sport";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:topic=125";s:13:"ehu:topic=125";s:13:"jesse jackson";s:13:"jesse jackson";}}i:42;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:59:"Catherine tackles challenges to become top children's nurse";s:4:"slug";s:59:"catherine-tackles-challenges-to-become-top-children-s-nurse";s:7:"summary";s:115:"A young nurse who overcame personal challenges to achieve her degree has been recognised with a very special award.";s:7:"content";s:2679:"A young nurse who overcame personal challenges to achieve her degree has been recognised with a very special award.
Catherine Aldwinckle, aged 22, has received the Joanne Leadbetter Prize, an annual award presented to the most promising, caring, and sympathetic children's nurse on an Edge Hill University course.
Catherine, who lives in Maghull, received the Prize from the University Chancellor, Professor Tanya Byron, at her graduation ceremony.
The Joanne Leadbetter Prize was founded in memory of a promising nursing student at Edge Hill University who died in 1995. Joanne's family donated money to the University to start the award that would commemorate her life and help recognise exemplary work from students during their placements.
Catherine originally started her BSc in Children's Nursing in 2005 but was forced to take a year out in the middle of her course for a major operation. Despite her young age she suffers from arthritis and needed surgery on her knees, but she didn't let this affect her determination to become a nurse.
"I had lots of support from the University," said Catherine, "and the new cohort of nursing students was brilliant when I came back so they made it very easy for me to slip back into my course.
"I have always wanted to be a nurse. I was a nursery nurse first and there was one child there who needed a lot of hospital care - it was then I realised I wanted to look after sick children and applied to do my degree. I did a lot of research and I knew Edge Hill was one of the best places for nursing. Without a doubt, I made the right decision."
Catherine says receiving the Prize was an unexpected honour.
"I was made up when they told me I had been chosen," added Catherine. "I was really embarrassed at first but now I'm really happy!"
Catherine's tutor Jill Snodin, Senior Lecturer in Children's Nursing and Programme Leader for the BA in Leadership and Management in Children's Services, said: "Catherine overcame quite a few hurdles to continue and succeed on the course and, despite this, always received glowing assessments in practice from mentors. They recognised her cheerfulness, professionalism and outstanding communication abilities with all team members, children and families.
"I feel strongly that Catherine used her own difficulties to enhance her understanding and compassion for those in her care. She is an outstanding practitioner and I am proud to be her personal teacher."
";s:6:"author";s:16:"Suzanne Elsworth";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-12-11 11:51:25";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-12-11";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-12-11 14:44:56";s:3:"url";s:98:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/12/catherine-tackles-challenges-to-become-top-children-s-nurse";s:4:"tags";a:2:{s:21:"ehu:department=health";s:21:"ehu:department=health";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:43;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:49:"Academic examines the origins of the Jewish State";s:4:"slug";s:49:"academic-examines-the-origins-of-the-jewish-state";s:7:"summary";s:145:"An Edge Hill University academic has given a controversial lecture which examined the conflict surrounding the establishment of the Jewish State.";s:7:"content";s:2002:"An Edge Hill University academic has given a controversial lecture which examined the conflict surrounding the establishment of the Jewish State.
Dr James Renton, Senior Lecturer in History in the Department of English and History and recently elected Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, was invited to speak at University College London's Institute of Jewish Studies.
His lecture, 'Philosemitism, Antisemitism, Colonialism? The British Empire and Zionism, 1917-1948', discussed the contentious relationship between Zionism and the British Empire, which arguably led to the formation of the Jewish State and the defeat of the Palestinian Arabs.
Dr Renton said: "How Zionism is understood in international politics continues to be a point of great controversy. To what extent are approaches to Zionism in the international community shaped by philosemitic or antisemitic attitudes? Is Zionism seen as a colonial or national movement? Is Zionism viewed as a part of the West?
"In my lecture, I examined the origins of these debates by considering the ways in which Zionism was perceived by the British Empire during the period of British rule in the Holy Land - the crucial period which culminated in the establishment of the Jewish State and the defeat of the Palestinian Arabs.
"My research concentrates on the British Empire and the Middle East. Much of my work, including my first book, The Zionist Masquerade, has focused on the origins of the Zionist-Palestinian conflict.
"It was a real honour to be invited to speak at the Institute of Jewish Studies, and I was made to feel very welcome. There was some very interesting discussion after the lecture about the relationship between the British Empire, Zionism, and the Arab world."
The Zionist Masquerade is published by Palgrave Macmillan (2007) -www.palgrave.com/PRODUCTS/title.aspx?PID=280285.
";s:6:"author";s:16:"Suzanne Elsworth";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-12-11 09:18:42";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-12-11";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-12-11 09:23:38";s:3:"url";s:88:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/12/academic-examines-the-origins-of-the-jewish-state";s:4:"tags";a:3:{s:22:"ehu:department=history";s:22:"ehu:department=history";s:23:"ehu:department=research";s:23:"ehu:department=research";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:44;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:48:"Exhibition unveils the secret beauty of Pakistan";s:4:"slug";s:48:"exhibition-unveils-the-secret-beauty-of-pakistan";s:7:"summary";s:139:"A research student from Pakistan is hosting a photographic exhibition at Edge Hill University to showcase the hidden beauty of his country.";s:7:"content";s:2003:"A research student from Pakistan is hosting a photographic exhibition at Edge Hill University to showcase the hidden beauty of his country.
Abbas Sajjad, aged 25, has been working with the Media Department on a British Council-funded documentary project which aims to assess the impact of the Western media on the educated Pakistani class.
A graphic designer by trade, he came to Edge Hill to further his technical knowledge as part of an early stage researcher initiative arranged in collaboration with the National College of Arts, in Abbas' home city of Lahore. While at the Ormskirk campus, staff discovered his talent for photography and invited him to put on an exhibition of his work.
Abbas said: "I've been focusing on the neglected heritage of Pakistan - there are so many beautiful places, but people are not aware of them. I've tried to depict everyday life and I like to observe things in detail, so I just carried my camera around with me, taking photographs of whatever caught my eye."
The result is a colourful mix of stunning landscapes and scenery, alongside fascinating portraits of local people. Most are taken in the Hunza Valley, in the north of Pakistan, an area rarely visited by tourists or those who live in the country, despite being very beautiful.
"I worked for a film maker who used to give me odd assignments to do," added Abbas. "For one task, he sent me out in to the city to take photographs of inanimate objects - then inanimate objects, with people. He used unconventional methods, rather than formal training.
"As a graphic designer, I see both film making and photography in that context. I hope that I will be able to develop my skills in film making, but also in motion graphics."
The photography exhibition takes place in the Business School foyer from Monday 14 December to Wednesday 16 December. Staff are invited to a preview from 4pm to 6pm on Monday 14 December when light refreshments will also be available.
";s:6:"author";s:16:"Suzanne Elsworth";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-12-09 15:26:49";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-12-09";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-12-09 15:33:44";s:3:"url";s:87:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/12/exhibition-unveils-the-secret-beauty-of-pakistan";s:4:"tags";a:2:{s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:45;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:44:"Graduates celebrate their University success";s:4:"slug";s:44:"graduates-celebrate-their-university-success";s:7:"summary";s:106:"It was a time for celebration as hundreds of people came to Edge Hill University for their graduation day.";s:7:"content";s:2693:"It was a time for celebration as hundreds of people came to Edge Hill University for their graduation day.
Almost 400 students, along with nearly 600 guests and VIPs, attended the ceremonies which took place on the Ormskirk campus. The Pro-Chancellor, Christopher Trinick, presided over the events.
The graduates included both those receiving Edge Hill University awards, as well as students receiving awards from Lancaster University. The presentations included foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, as well as higher education diplomas, and professional and postgraduate certificates.
Professor Tanya Byron, Chancellor of Edge Hill University, also presented an honorary masters award to the author, presenter and journalist Stuart Maconie. He is an alumnus of Edge Hill, having studied here in the early 1980s, and the award recognises his success in his professional life, promotion of the North West and championing the region's talent.
After graduation Stuart worked at Skelmersdale College as an English and Sociology teacher, before pursuing his dream of becoming a music journalist. He has worked for titles including The Times and the Guardian, and was deputy editor of NME. He is currently a columnist for Radio Times, Cumbria Life and The Mirror, among others.
Stuart has also written a number of books, is co-presenter of the Radio 2 evening show, Radcliffe and Maconie, and has his own show on BBC 6 Music. His TV appearances have included Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Phoenix Nights.
The graduation event was made more special by the fact it took place on the eve of the University's 125th anniversary, which takes place in 2010.
The Vice-Chancellor, Dr John Cater, said: "Today we had the privilege of congratulating 400 graduates who will progress in careers in health, education and social care. We are delighted to be one of the country's leading providers for these professions and we wish all the graduates every future success."
Are you a graduate of Edge Hill University? Keep in touch with the Edge Hill Alumni Network, an online service which allows all graduates to receive all the news from their alma mater, benefit from exclusive discounts and offers, receive invitations to careers and networking events, as well as stay in contact with fellow graduates. To register, go to www.edgehill.ac.uk/alumni or call 01695 584861.
";s:6:"author";s:16:"Suzanne Elsworth";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-12-09 15:24:57";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-12-09";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-12-09 15:33:57";s:3:"url";s:83:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/12/graduates-celebrate-their-university-success";s:4:"tags";a:13:{s:6:"Alumni";s:6:"Alumni";s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:23:"ehu:department=business";s:23:"ehu:department=business";s:20:"ehu:department=dsaps";s:20:"ehu:department=dsaps";s:24:"ehu:department=education";s:24:"ehu:department=education";s:21:"ehu:department=health";s:21:"ehu:department=health";s:18:"ehu:department=law";s:18:"ehu:department=law";s:20:"ehu:department=media";s:20:"ehu:department=media";s:19:"ehu:department=ngas";s:19:"ehu:department=ngas";s:29:"ehu:department=performingarts";s:29:"ehu:department=performingarts";s:20:"ehu:department=sport";s:20:"ehu:department=sport";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:10:"graduation";s:10:"graduation";}}i:46;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:43:"Edge Hill University Short Story Prize 2010";s:4:"slug";s:43:"edge-hill-university-short-story-prize-2010";s:7:"summary";s:74:" Excitement is growing over the third Edge Hill Prize for the Short Story.";s:7:"content";s:2187:"Excitement is growing over the third Edge Hill Prize for the Short Story.
The award will enjoy a double celebration in 2010 as its host, Edge Hill University, also celebrates its 125th anniversary.
The prestigious Prize recognises excellence in a published single author short story collection. It is unique in the UK as it is the only such award for a published short story collection from a British/Irish author.
The 2009 winner was cult science fiction writer Chris Beckett - a surprise for many due to the genre's specialist market and because he is published by a small press. He won £5,000 and a specially commissioned painting by Liverpool artist, Pete Clarke.
The judges chose his book The Turing Test, published by Elastic Press, which beat off competition from collections by Booker Prize-winner Anne Enright, Whitbread winner Ali Smith and other acclaimed writers. Since winning the prestigious award, Chris has secured a two book deal with Corvus, an imprint of Grove Atlantic.
Other previous winners and shortlisted authors include Neil Gaiman, Rob Shearman, Colm Toibin and Claire Keegan.
Sponsored by Blackwell, the 2010 prize will have three categories:
Top author, presenter and journalist Stuart Maconie will receive an honorary masters award from Edge Hill University this week.
The popular media star is an alumnus of the University, having studied on the Ormskirk campus in the early Eighties. His award recognises success in his professional life, his promotion of the north-west and championing the region's talent.
Stuart will receive his honorary masters from University Chancellor Professor Tanya Byron at a ceremony on Saturday 5 December on the Ormskirk campus, alongside 300 Edge Hill health and postgraduate students.
Born in Whiston Hospital, Stuart grew up in Wigan where his parents still live. After graduation he worked at Skelmersdale College as an English and Sociology teacher, before pursuing his dream of a career as a music journalist. He has worked for titles including The Times, the Guardian, the Evening Standard and Elle magazine, and was also deputy editor of NME. He is currently a columnist for Radio Times, Cumbria Life and Country Walking and writes for WORD magazine and The Mirror.
Stuart has also written a number of books including Cider with Roadies, a memoir of his time as a music journalist, and Pies and Prejudice, a humorous look at modern life in the North of England. His latest book is Adventures on the High Teas: In Search of Middle England. He has also penned the official autobiographies of the bands Blur and James.
Away from writing, Stuart is co-presenter of the Radio 2 evening show, Radcliffe and Maconie, along with Mark Radcliffe. Both confirmed Northerners, they broadcast from Manchester's BBC studios. Stuart also joined BBC 6 Music from its inception in 2002 where he presents Freak Zone, a diverse mix of the weird and the wonderful.
His TV appearances have included Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights, and Stuart Maconie's TV Towns, a popular gazeteer of major British cities. He has been described by The Times as ‘a national treasure' and by comedian Peter Kay as ‘the best thing to come out of Wigan since the A58 to Bolton'.
Stuart now splits his time between Birmingham and Cumbria. As a keen walker, he says he is never happier than when walking his dog, Muffin, on the fells. This year he completed all 214 Wainwrights, the daunting series of hikes named after famed fell walker Alfred Wainwright, and became an honorary member of the Wainwright Society.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-12-01 15:51:48";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-12-01";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-12-02 10:20:23";s:3:"url";s:100:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/12/star-alumnus-stuart-maconie-receives-edge-hill-honorary-award";s:4:"tags";a:12:{s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:17:"ehu:news=business";s:17:"ehu:news=business";s:14:"ehu:news=dsaps";s:14:"ehu:news=dsaps";s:18:"ehu:news=education";s:18:"ehu:news=education";s:16:"ehu:news=english";s:16:"ehu:news=english";s:15:"ehu:news=health";s:15:"ehu:news=health";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:12:"ehu:news=law";s:12:"ehu:news=law";s:14:"ehu:news=media";s:14:"ehu:news=media";s:13:"ehu:news=ngas";s:13:"ehu:news=ngas";s:23:"ehu:news=performingarts";s:23:"ehu:news=performingarts";s:14:"ehu:news=sport";s:14:"ehu:news=sport";}}i:48;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:11:"Student gem";s:4:"slug";s:11:"student-gem";s:7:"summary";s:118:"An Edge Hill University student is building his reputation in the IT field thanks to an innovative employment website.";s:7:"content";s:1953:"An Edge Hill University student is building his reputation in the IT field thanks to an innovative employment website.
Titus Iudean decided to further his IT career by studying for a Web Systems Development degree at Edge Hill University.
It was then that he signed up for StudentGems.com, a website which matches students with prospective employers. It gives students the chance to earn money and gain relevant work experience, while giving businesses access to people with skills that they need, without employing a full time member of staff.
Mr Iudean was contacted by Jonathan Ramsay, founder of the London-based bespoke Moving By Appointment agency, which carries out home removals for ‘high-end' clients and Clutterbee, a service which ‘declutters' homes and businesses. He needed a new website to publicise his business.
The pairing was so successful, the men are now making plans for further collaborations in the future.
Mr Iudean, who is originally from Transylvania but lived for 20 years in London, said: "A lot of IT work is conducted over distance so it was good practice for me working as an independent doing this. This industry is heading for a lot of offshoring so it was a good experience overall. I felt comfortable because it gave me freedom to concentrate on the work when I was available and communication was always available by email and phone.
"I had to juggle the project between course work and preparation for my exams, but it also contributed to my portfolio for university and my employment process."
www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/tags/titus-iudean
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-11-26 14:11:08";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-11-26";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-11-26 14:13:41";s:3:"url";s:50:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/11/student-gem";s:4:"tags";a:3:{s:23:"Web Systems Development";s:23:"Web Systems Development";s:23:"ehu:department=business";s:23:"ehu:department=business";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:49;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:23:"Early years Dutch visit";s:4:"slug";s:23:"early-years-dutch-visit";s:7:"summary";s:129:"Edge Hill University students took a trip to the continent to find out about the Dutch approach to education for young children. ";s:7:"content";s:1981:"Under the guidance of Allison Moore, Bob Dunn and Nicola Schaefer from the Department of Social and Psychological Sciences, third year Early Childhood Studies students have just returned from a visit to Amsterdam, where they had the chance to learn more about child care services in the Netherlands.
Serv Vinders, from Childcare International, and his colleagues, Anke van Keulen and Margot Meeuwig, spent a day with the students, introducing them to the Dutch childcare system and their adaptation of the Reggio Emilia approach. This educational philosophy, created following the Second World War in a village of the same name in Italy, focuses on preschool and primary school education. It centres on the principles of respect, responsibility and community through exploration and discovery, based on the interests of the children through a self-guided curriculum.
The Edge Hill students also visited Kindercentrum Pandaberen, a city-based day care centre, as well as attending sessions provided by social works from the William Schrikker Groep who discussed the Dutch child protection system and their work with disabled children.
Allison Moore, Programme Leader for Early Childhood Studies, said: "Not only has this trip opened up possibilities for collaborative work between Edge Hill academics and child care professionals in Holland, it has provided the Early Childhood Studies students with routes into employment as they were invited to apply to Childcare International for professional day care posts on completion of their degree at Edge Hill."
The BA (Hons) degree in Early Childhood Studies gives students the opportunity to learn about the different perceptions and realities of childhood across the world. The course is closely linked to current Government policy and has been designed to respond to present and future developments in the area of early childhood.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-11-26 14:13:04";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-11-26";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-11-26 14:13:13";s:3:"url";s:62:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/11/early-years-dutch-visit";s:4:"tags";a:3:{s:23:"Early Childhood Studies";s:23:"Early Childhood Studies";s:20:"ehu:department=dsaps";s:20:"ehu:department=dsaps";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:50;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:22:"Calling all graduates!";s:4:"slug";s:21:"calling-all-graduates";s:7:"summary";s:102:"Alumni are invited to take part in a survey which will benefit the graduates of tomorrow - and beyond.";s:7:"content";s:1416:"Alumni are invited to take part in a survey which will benefit the graduates of tomorrow - and beyond.
Each year, all alumni who have recently completed an Edge Hill course are asked what happens to them after they leave the University. This vital information is then used to help current and future students with their careers.
Sue Norris, Careers Information Officer, said: "Even if you are continuing your studies at Edge Hill or maybe you are working here, we still need this information from you as we are unable to ascertain all the answers we require from your previous tutors.
"We understand that you may not yet be working in your chosen career but please don't let this put you off. Any information is valuable as it helps paint a better picture of current graduate employment."
All alumni are to be sent a letter which contains their student number. Alternatively, this reference can be obtained from the Careers Centre. The form can be completed online at http://dlhe.hesa.ac.uk or via the paper copy which will be sent out in early December.
The Careers Centre offers assistance to new graduates with job searches, writing CVs, completing applications, etc. Book an appointment by telephoning the Careers Centre on 01695 584866 or obtain email advice via the Careers website at www.edgehill.ac.uk/careers.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-11-23 11:57:51";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-11-23";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-12-02 10:13:47";s:3:"url";s:60:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/11/calling-all-graduates";s:4:"tags";a:13:{s:6:"Alumni";s:6:"Alumni";s:7:"careers";s:7:"careers";s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:17:"ehu:news=business";s:17:"ehu:news=business";s:14:"ehu:news=dsaps";s:14:"ehu:news=dsaps";s:18:"ehu:news=education";s:18:"ehu:news=education";s:16:"ehu:news=english";s:16:"ehu:news=english";s:15:"ehu:news=health";s:15:"ehu:news=health";s:12:"ehu:news=law";s:12:"ehu:news=law";s:14:"ehu:news=media";s:14:"ehu:news=media";s:13:"ehu:news=ngas";s:13:"ehu:news=ngas";s:19:"ehu:news=performing";s:19:"ehu:news=performing";s:14:"ehu:news=sport";s:14:"ehu:news=sport";}}i:51;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:17:"Toe the touchline";s:4:"slug";s:17:"toe-the-touchline";s:7:"summary";s:87:"Research is underway into the controversial subject of football pitch-side aggression. ";s:7:"content";s:2561:"Research is underway into the controversial subject of football pitch-side aggression.
Jimmy O'Gorman, Senior Lecturer in Sports Development, led a research team involving Dr David Marchant and Kenny Greenough, to observe the behaviour firsthand. Recording video footage of local soccer teams within Merseyside, the footage focused on behaviour on and off the field of play, recording actions and responses of parents, coaches and spectators. The video cameras were set up to observe the interacting relationship to objectively measure all events that occurred.
Jimmy said: "We wanted to address people's behaviour at grass-roots level. We didn't want to evaluate them - just try to get some understanding of why people behave that way in their own terms by reflecting upon their own actions.
"We knew that because the cameras were there people would behave differently; that was part of the outcomes of the research in assessing whether people's behaviour altered if they were under the impression they were being monitored, but we did see a wide range of behaviour.
"Once the footage had been collected and edited we held focus groups to ask people why they had behaved in a particular way. The parents said it made them think twice, and both coaches and parents came to us afterwards saying they would like to be involved in further research.
"Coaches thought they were being encouraging but the children perceived their actions as quite aggressive. Other children said ‘they were only trying to help me play better'. In general, the young players simply didn't like being shouted at or that some got more praise than others."
The research team had the assistance of ‘Don't Cross the Line', a Liverpool-based group currently working with many professional football clubs to address aggressive behaviour on the touchline. The research project has also been featured on Sky Sports.
The findings should be available early in the new year and plans are being made to expand the research to a more longitudinal study so that current behaviour can also be followed up at a later date . Jimmy is now seeking funding for further research and is also encouraging students or anyone involved in grassroots football to get involved with the project with a view to using some recorded footage for their own research investigation.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-11-23 11:55:06";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-11-23";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-11-23 13:30:11";s:3:"url";s:56:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/11/toe-the-touchline";s:4:"tags";a:4:{s:8:"Research";s:8:"Research";s:5:"Sport";s:5:"Sport";s:20:"ehu:department=sport";s:20:"ehu:department=sport";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:52;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:15:"Short and sweet";s:4:"slug";s:15:"short-and-sweet";s:7:"summary";s:119:"Two Edge Hill authors will be showcasing their new collections of short stories at a lunchtime event at the University.";s:7:"content";s:1556:"Two Edge Hill authors will be showcasing their new collections of short stories at a lunchtime event at the University.
Ailsa Cox, Reader in English and Writing, and former Head of the Writing course, Robert Graham, will be reading extracts from their recently published books and talking about their work. Robert was also co-editor of The Road To Somewhere, a creative writing handbook, which is still essential reading on the University's BA Creative Writing course.
Ailsa's book, The Real Louise, brings together a selection of new and published stories. It is a mix of love stories, tales of family relationships, and characters coming to terms with conflicting identities.
Robert's collection, The Only Living Boy, includes heartwarming, quirky stories, many focused on boys becoming men, and men struggling to leave behind their boyhood - and their obsessions with girls, cars and pop culture.
Ailsa said: "This event will feature a double helping of stories from two new collections. They are tales of modern life - mostly from the city - often humourous, sometimes romantic. We hope that it will be a fun event for the audience and for ourselves."
The event takes place on Wednesday 18 November from 1pm to 2pm in Room B005 of the Business School. Everyone is welcome and admission is free. Copies of the books will also be on sale.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-11-13 15:05:53";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-11-13";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-11-24 09:51:28";s:3:"url";s:54:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/11/short-and-sweet";s:4:"tags";a:2:{s:16:"Creative Writing";s:16:"Creative Writing";s:22:"ehu:department=english";s:22:"ehu:department=english";}}i:53;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:14:"Art of alcohol";s:4:"slug";s:14:"art-of-alcohol";s:7:"summary";s:123:"An Edge Hill University arts graduate is using Liverpool's night life and drinking habits as the focus of a new exhibition.";s:7:"content";s:2723:"An Edge Hill University arts graduate is using Liverpool's night life and drinking habits as the focus of a new exhibition.
Alice Lenkiewicz graduated in 2001 with a BA hons in Art and Design and English, followed by a MA in Writing Studies in 2003.
Her new exhibition, Gin Lane, Liverpool, takes its inspiration from the 18th century artist William Hogarth. He created a series of works in the 1750s entitled Beer Street and Gin Lane which were based on so-called ‘modern moral subjects', after observing people on the streets and studying the drinking culture of the time.
Alice said: "I recognised parallels with our own contemporary city and decided that because of the effect of drinking culture on our present society, it would be interesting to do something similar.
"I drew people from all walks of life, drinking and socialising at night, and turned these into oil paintings and further studies. I went into various popular venues in Liverpool and I would draw inside of the pubs and clubs, or create paintings of specific street scenes. Sometimes it was quite ghostly as I felt as if nothing had changed from Hogarth's time on the social scene."
Alice's examination of real people also echoes the human subjects of her late father, Robert Lenkiewicz, who was famed for his controversial paintings of tramps. However, her Gin Lane subjects ranged from the heavy drinkers to those who didn't drink alcohol at all and she says her new exhibition forms a social commentary on the city's drinking trends.
She added: "More than 8% of Liverpool's population are drinking at levels that will lead to them significantly harming their physical and mental health and that of others, and this show questions whether we have moved on as a society since similar concerns over ‘binge drinking' in the 18th century.
"This project taught me that night-life culture is very important for allowing people to express themselves and to have fun but it is also important that people are fully educated of the problems that arise from over abuse of alcohol and drink dependency. However, I noticed many people who were not consuming vast amounts of alcohol and this sets a role model for enjoyment without the need for self abuse or abuse towards others."
As well as focusing on her painting, Alice writes poetry and her first collection of poems and drawing, Men Hate Blondes, has just been published.
Gin Street runs until Friday 27 November at the dot-art gallery, 16 Queen Avenue, Castle Street, Liverpool, L2 4TX. It is open from noon to 6pm Monday to Friday or by appointment by calling 0845 0176660.
";s:6:"author";s:17:"Caroline Mitchell";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-11-12 15:07:22";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-11-12";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-11-12 15:15:13";s:3:"url";s:53:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/11/art-of-alcohol";s:4:"tags";a:2:{s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:54;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:25:"Remembering the forgotten";s:4:"slug";s:25:"remembering-the-forgotten";s:7:"summary";s:128:"A former Edge Hill University academic has released a new book which examines the lives of World War Two's 'forgotten children'.";s:7:"content";s:3260:"A former Edge Hill University academic has released a new book which examines the lives of World War Two's 'forgotten children'.
Pam Russell has written Liverpool's Children in the Second World War, a vivid collection of memories features the stories of more than 100 people who experienced the city's blitz - both evacuees who returned home and those who were not evacuated.
Pam was formerly a senior lecturer at the University, specialising in the history of the English language. She also writes a regular newspaper column and, through this, appealed to her readers for their wartime memories. She received a deluge of letters, some from as far away as the United States, as families told their relatives of her project.
Pam said: "I had realised that a lot had been written about evacuees but I was aware, from my own family, that lots of children stayed at home and must have seen some amazing things. I haven't ignored the evacuees, but what emerged was that very few went away for the whole of the war, and there were what I've called the 'yo-yo children', those who came back to the city because they got homesick, were put with unsuitable placements, or whose parents missed them too much and thought there wasn't much in the way of danger back in Liverpool."
And she says the spirit of the blitz continues to this day in people's memories.
"There is quite a lot of humour," added Pam, "and they make light of their experiences. There is a complete lack of what they called 'whine'.
"I have talked about this in the book. There was a letters' page in the Liverpool Echo which encouraged children to write in, but said many of the submissions were 'too doleful'! They wanted the children to be bright and cheerful. The people I spoke to say they wanted to 'do their bit' - that was the phrase their parents used - and showing a stiff upper lip was their way of doing this."
Some of Pam's favourite memories from the book feature in the chapter 'Dangerous games for boys and girls'. These included boys rafting through the flooded basements of the city's department store on blown-off doors, climbing up railway embankments to collect sweets thrown from trains by American servicemen, and playing with the remnants of weapons.
Pam said: "One little boy found the nose cap of a shell. He took the black powder from it and put it into a dustbin lid then threw a match into it. There was a huge plume and the lid was destroyed. He says his mum was upset that she didn't have a bin lid for the rest of the war, though I suspect she was more upset because she realised what could have happened!
"Another lady told me how she was sitting on her mother's knee as she read ‘I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow this house down' - just as a bomb landed in the street outside. She can't hear that children's story today without a shudder."
Pam is signing copies of Liverpool's Children in the Second World War at Waterstones in Ormskirk on Saturday 14 November at 1pm. Alternatively, copies can be purchased in all major book stores, including Amazon and Tesco, by calling 01235 465577 or at www.thehistorypress.co.uk.
";s:6:"author";s:17:"Caroline Mitchell";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-11-12 13:45:42";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-11-12";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-12-02 10:15:29";s:3:"url";s:64:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/11/remembering-the-forgotten";s:4:"tags";a:4:{s:6:"Alumni";s:6:"Alumni";s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:22:"ehu:department=english";s:22:"ehu:department=english";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:55;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:15:"Moving pictures";s:4:"slug";s:15:"moving-pictures";s:7:"summary";s:122:"Two academics from Edge Hill University are hoping for international recognition after winning a new regional dance prize.";s:7:"content";s:2875:"Two academics from Edge Hill University are hoping for international recognition after winning a new regional dance prize.
Julia Griffin, Programme Leader for Drama, Physical Theatre and Dance, and Associate Lecturer Kate Engineer joined forces with fellow dance professional Bridget Fiske to win the first North West Turn Prize with a new dance work, Three Crows on the Roa'. Under the title The GEF House Experiment, which takes its name from the initials of the women’s surnames, the trio is now making preparations for the premiere this month before taking the work on tour.
Comprising part performance and part video-installation, Three Crows turned Manchester’s greenroom into a swirling mass of colour and imagery.
Julia said: “This is the first time we’ve worked together so we were really pleased when it was announced that we had won. I don’t think the judges realised the diversity of work that would come out of the region and it made their job very difficult.”
Three Crows expands Julia’s research, which is primarily centred on the juxtaposition of dance with cross art form collaborations. She added: “I am interested in the hybridity of dance with the other arts and Three Crows was very much a multi media experience. My other research interests have been with photography, to see how movement could be captured through still imagery and to then develop those pictures into moving images, using video techniques to translate them into movement, then back to stillness. This has been an ongoing project with Vincent Abbey, a Manchester-based photographer, over 10 years.
“The Three Crows story has a multiple narrative. The performance is in layers, allowing the audience to step into the story as well as being an observer of the journey that takes these characters from childhood through to adulthood. It is a contemporary take on folk stories, fairy tales, myths and legends.
“The theatre is transformed by moving images. Our first performance resulted in questioning and challenging the audience’s involvement and we wanted to see how the audience would react to this. Once we started to move they crowded around us and moved with us – like the parting of the seas.”
Three Crows is now being developed into a full-length 60-minute piece made possible by funding from Edge Hill University, greenroom, Hab, DiGM and the Arts Council. The aim is to take the work on a national and European tour, then plans are being made to go to Bridget’s native Australia.
The premiere of the full length performance takes place at greenroom on Friday November 27. Tickets are limited - buy now at 0161 615 0500 or visit www.greenroomarts.org
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-11-09 17:00:19";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-11-09";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-11-09 17:07:33";s:3:"url";s:54:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/11/moving-pictures";s:4:"tags";a:5:{s:5:"Dance";s:5:"Dance";s:10:"Turn Prize";s:10:"Turn Prize";s:43:"ehu:course=drama-physical-theatre-and-dance";s:43:"ehu:course=drama-physical-theatre-and-dance";s:29:"ehu:department=performingarts";s:29:"ehu:department=performingarts";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:56;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:11:"Good sports";s:4:"slug";s:13:"good-sports-1";s:7:"summary";s:190:"Liverpool FC legend Phil Thompson was just one of the region’s sporting heroes picking up an award at the star-studded Ormskirk Advertiser Sports Awards, sponsored by Edge Hill University.";s:7:"content";s:6189:"Liverpool FC legend Phil Thompson was just one of the region's sporting heroes picking up an award at the star-studded Ormskirk Advertiser Sports Awards, sponsored by Edge Hill University.
The event, held for the third year at the University's Ormskirk campus, was hosted by Neil Newton, presenter for Southport-based Dune FM. The guests were also entertained by a display from Spartac Gymnastics Club.
Phil, who lives in Aughton, won the prestigious Hall of Fame Award for his contribution to football. Other professional sports stars in attendance on the night included Sue Smith, an Edge Hill University graduate and former captain of the England Women's football team, and Jamie Burdekin, Paralympic bronze medal-winning tennis player.
The Sports Awards were born many years ago from a partnership between the Advertiser and West Lancashire Disability Sports Forum. The aim of this partnership is not only to celebrate sporting achievement in the district, but also to raise awareness of disability sport. The University was perfectly placed to host the event as it is home to many community sports clubs, including Spartac Gymnastics and Liverpool Pembroke Athletics Club, and attracts Premiership football squads such as Bolton Wanderers.
Paralympian Jamie Burdekin presented the Disability Achievement Award to Katie Maj. The seven-year-old gymnast managed to walk to collect her award after fighting two serious illnesses - a virus which resulted in developmental delays and the degenerative condition Leigh's Disease that left her wheel-chair-bound.
Edge Hill alumnus Sue Smith, who studied for a Sports Science degree at the University, presented the Unsung HeroAward to Samantha Eaton, a 13-year-old Up Holland High School pupil. She devotes many hours each week to managing a football team for men with learning difficulties - fundraising, advertising and assigning roles at the club, as well as collating all the stats and making certificates for the players.
The Disability Inclusion Award, presented by the Mayor of West Lancashire Councillor Geoff Roberts, went to Skem Men-Aces Football team. All its players and many of its support staff such as linesmen and referee, have learning difficulties.
The climax of the night was the Advertiser Sports Personality of the Year, a public vote with votes coming through the Ormskirk Advertiser and Skelmersdale Advertiser. The winner was Fran Halsall who made her mark on the world stage this year by winning a silver medal in the 100m freestyle at the World Swimming Championships in Rome.
Vice-Chancellor John Cater, who opened the ceremony said: "Sport matters to me and matters to this University. We have invested £7m in sport and this year we will seek planning permission to develop a further £25m of sporting facilities."
And the winners are...
Advertiser Junior Sports Personality of the Year
Winner - Alistair Nelson of Liverpool Pembroke Sefton Harriers and Athletic Club
Runners up - Nicola George of Aughton Tennis Club and cricketer Gavin Griffiths
Disability Achievement Award
Winner - Katie Maj
Junior Team of the Year
Winner - Skelmersdale Under-15s cricket team
Runner up - Ormskirk West End Under-7s Football Team
Unsung Hero
Winner - Samantha Eaton
Disability Inclusion Award
Winner - Skem Men-Aces Football team
Team of the Year
Winner - Ormskirk Cricket Club
Runner up - Ormskirk Rugby Club
Coach of the Year
Winner - Carl Welsh, of West Lancashire District Under-15s Cricket team, Skelmersdale Under-15s team and Skelmersdale Cricket Club
Runners up - Paul Cooper, of Ormskirk West End Under-8s and Under-12s, and Ian Gill, Chairman of Windmill Crown Green Bowling club, Ormskirk
Hall of Fame
Winner - Phil Thompson, former Liverpool FC full back
Advertiser Sports Personality of the Year
Winner - Swimmer Fran Halsall
Runners up - 800 metre runner Michael Rimmer and Olympic cyclist Bradley Wiggins
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-11-13 15:15:16";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-11-06";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-11-13 15:15:41";s:3:"url";s:52:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/11/good-sports-1";s:4:"tags";a:3:{s:5:"Sport";s:5:"Sport";s:13:"Sporting Edge";s:13:"Sporting Edge";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:57;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:17:"Boys keep singing";s:4:"slug";s:17:"boys-keep-singing";s:7:"summary";s:152:"Fear of being branded 'the voice of an angel' is one of the key reasons boys don’t sing, according to a new book by an Edge Hill University academic. ";s:7:"content";s:4153:"Fear of being branded ‘the voice of an angel' is one of the key reasons boys don't sing, according to a new book by an Edge Hill University academic.
But Professor Martin Ashley argues that both the opposing stereotypes of high-voiced choirboys and the hoodie culture need to be tackled if boys are to continue singing past puberty. In his book How High Should Boys Sing? Gender, Authenticity and Credibility in the Young Male Voice, Professor Ashley says myths about physical changes in the body, as well as the challenge to boys' masculinity and intergenerational conflict are all contributing factors in this modern dilemma.
Professor Ashley is Head of Research in the Faculty of Education at Edge Hill University and has spent many years investigating the physical effects of singing, as well as the social explanations.
He said: "Firstly, there is an ignorance of how to manage boys' voices, based on the erroneous belief that their voices break. What we are saying in the book is that voices don't break unless we break them. The tradition is that a boy will sing up to the age of 13 or 14 in a high treble voice, which people compare to angels singing. Around 14, boys say they can't do this any more and they are told their voices have broken.
"But in reality, the voice has not broken, it has been slowly changing. When the boys are growing rapidly during puberty, their larynx is also growing. The vocal folds, or cords, are getting longer, and their voices are gradually getting deeper.
"The issue is that in schools, boys start to sing lower sooner, but in choirs they want their high voices to go on for longer. In the later stages of puberty, this can strain the voice and my book looks at the consequences of that."
But aside from the physical side, there are social reasons why boys stop singing so early.
Professor Ashley added: "Paradoxically, Britain has an amazing tradition of singing, which is the envy of the world, but the flip side is that people who lead this singing can be quite conservative and are not always ready to engage in knowledge transfer.
"Secondly, there is a significant commercial market. Boys' singing sells to adults if they are imaged as cute and make an angelic sound. There is a market to keep boys' voices high, but the boy singers we interviewed used the words ‘grannies' and ‘cheesy', and this puts the genre into total conflict with the hip hop or rap other boys are listening to.
"Thirdly, there is the education we give teachers and choir leaders. OFSTED reported recently that teachers in the music departments of otherwise effective schools did not know how to manage boys and voice work."
But he says changing the perception is a tall order. "For example, we are not calling them choirs," said Professor Ashley, "That's a dangerous word which sends out signals of ‘posh', ‘operatic' or ‘old people'. However, my research does show that boys who sing in choirs love it - they just keep in a secret.
"Then there is the significant issue of intergenerational relationships. The older generation is not connecting with the younger generation. The tabloid press portrays all boys as yobs and hoodies, but the book says many boys are great - highly creative, very committed and pleasant young people. We know there is a generational rift but it is because of a lack of understanding."
The book is aimed at those who work with choirs, but also all music teachers, especially those in secondary schools. It will also appeal to those interested in the sociology of boyhood, and enthusiasts of angelic voices. A teaching resource is also being created, which will be launched in February. Boys Keep Singing is a set of films, created to look like a video game, which will be used with a digital interactive book, entitled I'm a Boy, How High Should I Sing? There are also plans to use older school boys as role models by sending them into schools to promote the positive side of singing. To purchase a copy of the book visit www.ashgate.com/isbn/9780754664758.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-11-13 15:17:49";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-11-04";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-11-20 09:41:32";s:3:"url";s:56:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/11/boys-keep-singing";s:4:"tags";a:6:{s:13:"Martin Ashley";s:13:"Martin Ashley";s:7:"Singing";s:7:"Singing";s:24:"ehu:department=education";s:24:"ehu:department=education";s:23:"ehu:department=research";s:23:"ehu:department=research";s:24:"ehu:departments=research";s:24:"ehu:departments=research";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:58;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:18:"Training champions";s:4:"slug";s:18:"training-champions";s:7:"summary";s:121:"A team of potential world-class athletes came to Edge Hill University to learn more about the science behind their sport.";s:7:"content";s:2127:"A team of potential world-class athletes came to Edge Hill University to learn more about the science behind their sport.
The Equestrian Sport England Foundation Squad were visiting the Ormskirk campus for an introduction to the subject of Sport Science and its relevance to their training and future success.
They had the chance to try the Batak Wall Challenge, a practical team building exercise which measures reaction response through hand and eye contact.
The squad then split into groups where they had the chance to learn more about sport psychology, the effect of lifestyle on their activities and about core stability – vital for equestrian riders.
Five Regional Foundation Squads have been created across England with the aim of producing a pool of up-and-coming talented riders.
The teams, which have been set up through funding from Sport England and are being co-ordinated by the British Equestrian Federation (BEF), include the four Olympic disciplines and one Paralympic discipline of dressage, eventing, show jumping and para-equestrian dressage. It is hoped that the squads will identify talented riders who are not currently on the BEF’s World Class Programme and improve the country’s performance in future equestrian events.
Angela Hepworth, Senior Lecturer in Sport and PE, said: “We were very pleased to welcome the equestrian squad to the campus.
“It gave us the opportunity to showcase the exceptional Sport Science work which takes place at Edge Hill, as well as give our students the opportunity to work with these excellent athletes. We are looking forward to building on this opportunity in the future.”
The event was organised by Jennie Killalea who works extensively with the equestrian teams at both world class and foundation level. Emma Duxbury contributed to the sports psychology workshops by taking the athletes through imagery, Steve Foster, from the sports therapy department, took the athletes through core stability and Angela Hepworth delivered workshops on lifestyle, nutrition and the importance of time management.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-11-04 12:26:44";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-11-04";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-12-03 14:08:04";s:3:"url";s:57:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/11/training-champions";s:4:"tags";a:3:{s:13:"Sport Science";s:13:"Sport Science";s:20:"ehu:department=sport";s:20:"ehu:department=sport";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:59;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:12:"Beyond words";s:4:"slug";s:12:"beyond-words";s:7:"summary";s:126:"An English Literature expert from Edge Hill University has been invited to speak at a star-studded event in London this month.";s:7:"content";s:2146:"An English Literature expert from Edge Hill University has been invited to speak at a star-studded event in London this month.
Dr Rob Spence, Associate Head of the Department of English and History, is a guest at the Beyond Words Festival at University College School.
The institution was founded by University College London and is one of the Eton Group of independent schools. The diverse Beyond Words event combines famous faces from the arts with high profile guests knowledgeable about subjects ranging from food to current affairs. The festival has become famous in recent years for the celebrities it attracts – previous speakers include the author Zadie Smith, actor Rupert Everett, Michelin-starred chef Raymond Blanc and the Olympic rowing star Matthew Pinsent.
This year’s event features more than 60 speakers including the actress Juliette Stevenson, journalist and former MP Martin Bell, the third Children’s Laureate Michael Morpurgo and Professional Masterchef winner Marianne Lumb.
Dr Spence is a specialist in modern and contemporary literature and has been invited to speak about Louis de Bernières, famed for his novel Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.
Dr Spence said: “The organisers had seen a student guide I had written about de Bernières and, as Captain Corelli’s Mandolin is now a perennial A-level text, they felt it would be an appropriate subject, given the event’s school context.
“I plan to talk about the author as a literary figure, as well as about the book.”
Dr Spence’s guide to de Bernières is due to be published this month. It is aimed at A-level and first year undergraduate students.
"It's exciting to be working on a writer who continues to produce new and thought-provoking work,” added Dr Spence. “De Bernières occupies a unusual place in the literary landscape as a producer of high quality literary fiction, whilst at the same time having enormous popular appeal."
Beyond Words takes place from 9 to 13 November 2009. Visit http://www.ucs.org.uk for more details.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-11-13 15:13:05";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-11-04";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-11-13 15:13:42";s:3:"url";s:51:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/11/beyond-words";s:4:"tags";a:4:{s:7:"English";s:7:"English";s:10:"Rob Spence";s:10:"Rob Spence";s:22:"ehu:department=english";s:22:"ehu:department=english";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:60;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:40:"Edge Hill alumnus delivers legal lecture";s:4:"slug";s:40:"edge-hill-alumnus-delivers-legal-lecture";s:7:"summary";s:114:"A successful criminal lawyer has gone back to her roots to tell today's students about her court room experiences.";s:7:"content";s:2874:"A successful criminal lawyer has gone back to her roots to tell today's students about her court room experiences.
Sally Weddell graduated from Edge Hill University in 1986 with a degree in English, but firstly pursued a career in fashion. For a pink-haired undergraduate with a wacky taste in clothes, it seemed like the perfect role. But eventually she discovered the University's careers advisors had been right when they suggested she become a barrister or take a job with Customs and Excise. She retrained as a lawyer and, after becoming a criminal lawyer for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), she has never looked back.
During her lecture, Sally gave students an insight into court room life - telling how judges often warn jurors that it's not like they will have seen on the Judge John Deed television show. She also talked about how 95% of criminal cases are dealt with in the UK's magistrates' courts, but that the public rarely sees this as more publicity is given to the more newsworthy Crown court cases. Finally, she gave a good overview of the importance of the CPS and the career progression it offered.
Speaking before her lecture, Sally said: ''I'm still driven by fairness and the desire to see justice done. People perceive the prosecution as the bad guys but I see the CPS as the voice for victims. I think people are surprised when they meet me that I'm not some faceless bureaucrat, I'm an ordinary human being and I'm on their side.''
Sally also received a tour of campus. She recalled how the main entrance was nicknamed the 'cave', and that The Smiths once played on campus. She also remembered ‘decs' nights when the second and third years would stay up all night and decorate the halls before the first years woke up. One of her biggest surprises was the improved bus links - when she was studying at Edge Hill, many students lived in Southport and would hitchhike to campus and back.
Franco Rizzuto, Head of Law, said: "Sally's lecture was very informative for our students. It provided them with an opportunity to have a valuable insight into the real world application of the criminal law when seeking a conviction and working for the CPS.
"We hope our relationship with Sally will be an excellent link for the Department which may be of help for both staff and students."
Caroline Mitchell, University Affinity Officer, said: "We are always really pleased to see how successful our alumni have become, but also how they are willing to keep in touch with us and to develop lasting links with the University.
"Sally has agreed to mentor students here at Edge Hill, which will be really valuable experience for them. We are always interested in hearing from other alumni who can do the same."
If you can help with future mentoring initiatives, call Caroline on +44(0)1695 584861.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-10-27 09:25:24";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-10-26";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-12-02 10:18:07";s:3:"url";s:79:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/10/edge-hill-alumnus-delivers-legal-lecture";s:4:"tags";a:3:{s:6:"Alumni";s:6:"Alumni";s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:18:"ehu:department=law";s:18:"ehu:department=law";}}i:61;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:30:"Alumni reunited after 44 years";s:4:"slug";s:30:"alumni-reunited-after-44-years";s:7:"summary";s:105:"International links have helped reunite former teacher trainees from Edge Hill University after 44 years.";s:7:"content";s:1831:"International links have helped reunite former teacher trainees from Edge Hill University after 44 years.
Husband and wife, Barrie and Anne Pollard (nèe Slack), who now live in Scunthorpe, met their old friend and classmate, Malane Corlett, who had travelled thousands of miles from Canada. A mutual friend living in Australia put them back in touch and, after a few years of emails and Christmas cards, they finally had the chance to meet again.
Despite losing contact, the couple never forgot Malane and even named their daughter after her. Malane finally met her namesake for the first time during her stay in England.
The trio came back to the Ormskirk campus more than four decades after they last saw each other at their graduation in June 1965. The alumni team gave them a tour of the expanding site which has been totally transformed since they left.
And there was a moment of romance for Anne and Barrie as they posed for a photo on the staircase in the main building where Anne had once stopped Barrie to ask: ‘Do you know the way to the English noticeboard?'
Barrie said: "I came to Edge Hill from Kent and my years here were some of the best years of my life. I had a grant, a room with central heating, sports, swimming pools and great friends. We also went to ‘skats' - the discos arranged by different halls to make money for your halls."
Anne also recalled her first time in Hale Hall. She said: "We had to stand at the front and introduce ourselves, which was very daunting, but as we were going to be teachers, I think they wanted to throw us in at the deep end!''
Former Edge Hill students can keep in touch with each other and regain contact with old friends by registering with the Edge Hill Alumni Network.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-10-26 13:36:12";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-10-26";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-12-02 10:18:25";s:3:"url";s:69:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/10/alumni-reunited-after-44-years";s:4:"tags";a:4:{s:6:"Alumni";s:6:"Alumni";s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:18:"ehu:news=education";s:18:"ehu:news=education";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:62;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:30:"Survival International speaker";s:4:"slug";s:30:"survival-international-speaker";s:7:"summary";s:150:"An international lawyer famous for representing Botswana bushmen will be delivering a public lecture at Edge Hill University on Wednesday 29 October. ";s:7:"content";s:1110:"An international lawyer famous for representing Botswana bushmen will be delivering a public lecture at Edge Hill University on Wednesday 28 October.
Gordon Bennett acted as lead counsel in a landmark case in Botswana in which the Kalahari Bushmen successfully established a claim to their ancestral territories.
The case, widely reported both in the international press, was the longest and most expensive case in the country's history. The Bushmen and Survival International believe that the Bushmen were evicted because their land was rich in diamonds.
Gordon has also advised on tribal land claims in Guyana, Tanzania and Kenya specialises in Chancery and Commercial Litigation Landlord and Tenant Property.
Gordon gained his first class honours in law from the University of Edinburgh, where he was the Vans Dunlop scholar and a Master's degree in law from the University of California at Berkeley, where he was the Philip Johnson scholar.
Gordon works for Survival International, the only international organisation supporting tribe's people worldwide.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-10-26 12:03:24";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-10-26";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-12-02 10:18:40";s:3:"url";s:69:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/10/survival-international-speaker";s:4:"tags";a:12:{s:14:"Public Lecture";s:14:"Public Lecture";s:17:"ehu:news=business";s:17:"ehu:news=business";s:14:"ehu:news=dsaps";s:14:"ehu:news=dsaps";s:18:"ehu:news=education";s:18:"ehu:news=education";s:16:"ehu:news=english";s:16:"ehu:news=english";s:15:"ehu:news=health";s:15:"ehu:news=health";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:12:"ehu:news=law";s:12:"ehu:news=law";s:14:"ehu:news=media";s:14:"ehu:news=media";s:13:"ehu:news=ngas";s:13:"ehu:news=ngas";s:23:"ehu:news=performingarts";s:23:"ehu:news=performingarts";s:14:"ehu:news=sport";s:14:"ehu:news=sport";}}i:63;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:36:"Student journal inspired by Ormskirk";s:4:"slug";s:36:"student-journal-inspired-by-ormskirk";s:7:"summary";s:133:"Creative writing students are taking a hands-on approach to learning with the production of their own international literary journal.";s:7:"content";s:3628:"Creative writing students are taking a hands-on approach to learning with the production of their own international literary journal.
The Black Market Review is edited exclusively by creative writing undergraduate and postgraduate students at Edge Hill University. It showcases poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction, translations, art and photography, reviews and interviews. The first issue included authors from as far apart as the UK, Spain, the United States and the Philippines and contributions are now being invited for the second issue, due for publication in March 2010. The deadline for these submissions is December 1.
The BMR gets its name from a little piece of Ormskirk's history. The students wanted its title to relate to the University or the town and came up with the name The Market, but were worried this sounded too money-related. Then further research revealed that Ormskirk's famous street market was started by the Black Canons, an order of Augustinian monks, so the name developed and The Black Market Review was born.
The Review's Faculty Advisor is Dr Daniele Pantano, Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader for Creative Writing. He stressed that the BMR is unusual for a university as it is a proper international literary journal edited by students - not simply a student magazine. Dr Pantano says its aim is to offer students professional work experience, as well as highlight the creative writing programme at Edge Hill.
He added: "This journal gives students a taste of working on a real magazine - from learning about the editorial process, to design, ethical issues, and everything the production process entails.
"Our students are developing their craft as writers, but editing the BMR ensures they also develop their skills as critical readers within a professional environment. Furthermore, it gives them experience of what happens when they submit their own work to a literary journal. Most students from other universities will be able to say they've worked on student journals, but the BMR gives Edge Hill students real experience on a professional literary journal to take into the outside world."
The first issue of The Black Market Review was dedicated to Lisa Ratcliffe, a part time lecturer and PhD student, who died in February 2009 after losing her battle with cancer. Lisa has been described as one of Edge Hill's ‘most remarkable writers'.
Dr Pantano previously taught at the University of South Florida and was the Visiting Poet-in-Residence at Florida Southern College. He was last year asked to contribute a poem to the Mailer Review, an international journal dedicated to the life and work of the American novelist Norman Mailer (1923-2007). The poem appeared in a special tribute issue of the review, published to commemorate the late author's life, which also included contributions by Don DeLillo, Sean Penn, Gay Talese, Philip Roth and Günter Grass. Dr Pantano's next books, The Oldest Hands in the World (a collection of poems), The Possible Is Monstrous: Selected Poems by Friedrich Dürrenmatt and The Collected Works of Georg Trakl, are forthcoming from Black Lawrence Press, New York.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-10-26 11:50:16";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-10-26";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-10-26 11:53:14";s:3:"url";s:75:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/10/student-journal-inspired-by-ormskirk";s:4:"tags";a:2:{s:16:"Creative Writing";s:16:"Creative Writing";s:22:"ehu:department=english";s:22:"ehu:department=english";}}i:64;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:55:"New Psychology degrees launched by Edge Hill Chancellor";s:4:"slug";s:55:"new-psychology-degrees-launched-by-edge-hill-chancellor";s:7:"summary";s:117:"Students had the chance to learn from an expert at the launch of four new psychology degrees at Edge Hill University.";s:7:"content";s:3540:"Students had the chance to learn from an expert at the launch of four new psychology degrees at Edge Hill University.
University Chancellor Professor Tanya Byron, a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and writer and broadcaster, met more than 130 sixth form students from across Merseyside and Lancashire. After launching the new undergraduate programmes, she hosted a Q&A session.
The four new courses are single-honours psychology, plus three specialist degrees - health, education and sport. They will each build on Edge Hill's strong reputation in research and education in this field. The courses will be held in the newly refurbished Social and Psychological Sciences building on the Ormskirk campus, transformed following a £1m refurbishment project.
The single honours course will give the student everything they wanted to know about the science of mind and behavior, and explore the differences that make each one of us unique.
The health psychology programme offers specialist modules, while giving a good grounding in broader psychological theory. There are a number of influential theoretical approaches to the subject and this programme will allow students to explore them thoroughly.
Those studying for a degree in educational psychology will examine how the speciality has been applied to education, as well as receiving training in the core areas of psychology and
The Sport and Exercise Psychology degree will explore cutting-edge psychological theory and research looking particularly at elite sport performance, motivation and the influence of exercise on psychological well-being. Interest in sport and exercise psychology continues to grow and the discipline is currently one of the fastest developing areas of psychology.
Professor Philip Erwin, Associate Head of the Department of Social and Psychological Sciences, said: "Psychology is not just about spoken and written words, but elements such as statistics, which takes a few undergraduates by surprise. Students also need analytical thinking, listening and people skills. Our students choose psychology for a variety of reasons, and many have a specific career in their sights. Today's students generally know what is involved, as they may well have studied the subject at A-Level - but it was very useful for the audience to learn first-hand from someone who has worked in this field."
Professor Byron is well known for her work as a child therapist on the television shows Little Angels and The House of Tiny Tearaways. She completed her first degree in Psychology at University of York, her clinical psychology Masters training at University College London and her doctorate, which looked at the treatment of cocaine, amphetamine and ecstasy misusers, at University College Hospital and the University of Surrey.
In addition, Professor Byron has worked in the NHS for almost 20 years in the drug dependency, HIV/AIDS and sexual health, adult mental health and eating disorders services. She now works as a consultant in child and adolescent mental health.
The world famous civil rights leader, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, sent a personal message of congratulation to the University's scholarship students.
Rev Jackson told the assembled students and guests at an awards ceremony that he was honoured to be involved in the occasion. The honorary fellow of the University was speaking after a scholarship was set up in his name following a visit to Edge Hill last year.
He said: "As I speak to youth across the country, I seek to inspire them with this simple message: ‘If your mind can conceive it, and your heart can believe it, we can achieve it'. In this spirit, I want to congratulate you for incorporating this philosophy into your academic and community endeavors, and serving as an example for others to follow. You represent the hopes and dreams of your generation, and are being recognised for your leadership, community service and academic achievement.
"Together we can create a new society based on the time-honored principles of peace, human rights and social justice.
"Congratulations! And always remember: ‘Your mind is a pearl. You can achieve anything in the world'."
One of the first recipients of the Reverend Jesse Jackson Scholarship is Benjamin Smith, a BA (Hons) English Language student, praised for his work in equality and diversity, particularly with Edge Hill University Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Society.
A new scholarship has also been created this year by the University Chancellor, Professor Tanya Byron. It recognises students who have helped raise the profile of Edge Hill in a positive way through their exceptional contribution to the University. One of the first recipients was Yvonne McCormick, a BSc (Hons) Psychology student, a mother-of-five who juggles her degree and family, as well as volunteering and mentoring other students.
Professor Byron presented all of the scholarship students with their awards at the ceremony.
Excellence Scholarships form part of Edge Hill University's national award-winning financial support package, giving students up to £2,000 worth of financial help over the duration of their course.
Applications for scholarships are made by those who have excelled in one of four scholarship categories: sport, performing arts, volunteering and creative arts. Selection was made by panels, made up of more than 20 members of staff, who considered in excess of 200 applications. This year more than 240 students have benefited from the scholarships, totalling over £215,000 of financial assistance in the scheme's four years of operation.
Vice-Chancellor, Dr John Cater, said: "Every year Edge Hill University is proud to recruit and educate a large number of students who make an outstanding contribution to excellence in their chosen field and to the communities of which they are part. We are delighted to be able to acknowledge and reward that excellence."
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-10-23 10:02:28";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-10-23";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-12-02 10:19:08";s:3:"url";s:89:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/10/reverend-jesse-jackson-inspires-edge-hill-scholars";s:4:"tags";a:14:{s:7:"English";s:7:"English";s:10:"Psychology";s:10:"Psychology";s:12:"Scholarships";s:12:"Scholarships";s:17:"ehu:news=business";s:17:"ehu:news=business";s:14:"ehu:news=dsaps";s:14:"ehu:news=dsaps";s:18:"ehu:news=education";s:18:"ehu:news=education";s:16:"ehu:news=english";s:16:"ehu:news=english";s:15:"ehu:news=health";s:15:"ehu:news=health";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:12:"ehu:news=law";s:12:"ehu:news=law";s:14:"ehu:news=media";s:14:"ehu:news=media";s:13:"ehu:news=ngas";s:13:"ehu:news=ngas";s:23:"ehu:news=performingarts";s:23:"ehu:news=performingarts";s:14:"ehu:news=sport";s:14:"ehu:news=sport";}}i:66;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:38:"New Malaysian link runs like clockwork";s:4:"slug";s:38:"new-malaysian-link-runs-like-clockwork";s:7:"summary";s:118:"An international exchange is being planned after a successful research initiative by an Edge Hill University academic.";s:7:"content";s:2017:"An international exchange is being planned after a successful research initiative by an Edge Hill University academic.
Dr Rob Spence, Associate Head of the Department of English and History, is an expert on author Anthony Burgess (1917 - 1993), who is probably most famous for his controversial novel A Clockwork Orange.
Following two trips by Dr Spence to Malaysia, where Burgess worked as a teacher, one of the country's own literary scholars is coming to Edge Hill. Dr Mohamad Rashidi Mohd Pakri, a lecturer at the Universiti Sains Malaysia, will visit the campus for six months from May next year.
Dr Spence said: "Rashidi will be participating in our programmes here at Edge Hill, as well as furthering his research. We are very pleased to host this visit and we hope that it will lead to further international staff exchanges and more interaction in the future."
Dr Spence was invited to give a talk on Burgess for Malay College Old Boys' Association in 2008. The writer had worked at the prestigious institution in the 1950s. It is now known as the ‘Eton of the East' and its alumni include kings, sultans and prime ministers.
Following this successful trip, Dr Spence helped organise the third symposium of the International Anthony Burgess Foundation, which brought together the world's foremost Burgess scholars in Kuala Lumpur this summer. The foundation was established to preserve and disseminate the work of Manchester-born Burgess, and encourage and support scholarly interest in his life and works.
Dr Spence's latest research paper is entitled Half Birkenhead, half Babylon: Burgess and the Cold war. It examines Burgess's exploration of the world of espionage, comically in Honey for the Bears and more seriously in Tremor of Intent. It will be published in a Special Edition on 1950s and 1960s British fiction in the Yearbook of English Studies.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-10-21 15:02:26";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-10-21";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-10-21 15:42:04";s:3:"url";s:77:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/10/new-malaysian-link-runs-like-clockwork";s:4:"tags";a:3:{s:8:"Research";s:8:"Research";s:19:"ehu:department=home";s:19:"ehu:department=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:67;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:50:"Edge Hill author at Manchester Literature Festival";s:4:"slug";s:50:"edge-hill-author-at-manchester-literature-festival";s:7:"summary";s:177:"This year's winner of the Edge Hill short story prize Chris Beckett will be reading from his book, The Turing Test, at The Manchester Literature Festival on Saturday 24 October.";s:7:"content";s:1157:"This year's winner of the Edge Hill short story prize Chris Beckett will be reading from his book, The Turing Test, at The Manchester Literature Festival on Saturday 24 October.
He will be alongside James Lasdun, who won the first National Short Story Award in 2006.
Chris Beckett's collection, The Turing Test explores alien worlds, strange planets, genetic manipulation and virtual reality.
The event will be introduced by Edge Hill's Dr Ailsa Cox, a lecturer in Creative Writing and English, and co-ordinator of the University's short story prize.
The Manchester Literature Festival is built from the success of its predecessor, The Manchester Poetry Festival, celebrating writing across all creative and technological media.
The festival's cutting-edge programme of activities challenges the boundaries of what is traditionally understood to be a literature event aiming to promote internationalism, diversity and independence.
The reading will take place between 6-7.30pm at the Friends' Meeting House, Mount Street (just off Albert Square). Tickets are priced at £5.00, concessions £3.00.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-10-21 14:49:08";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-10-21";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-10-21 14:56:40";s:3:"url";s:89:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/10/edge-hill-author-at-manchester-literature-festival";s:4:"tags";a:3:{s:11:"Short Story";s:11:"Short Story";s:15:"edge hill prize";s:15:"edge hill prize";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:68;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:48:"Edge Hill Chancellor at BBC Free Thinking event ";s:4:"slug";s:47:"edge-hill-chancellor-at-bbc-free-thinking-event";s:7:"summary";s:134:"Edge Hill University’s Chancellor Professor Tanya Byron will open this year’s BBC Free Thinking festival on Friday 23 October. ";s:7:"content";s:1043:"Edge Hill University's Chancellor Professor Tanya Byron will open this year's BBC Free Thinking festival on Friday 23 October.
Professor Byron is the first speaker at the festival broadcast each year on BBC Radio 3, where she will lay out her vision for the challenging future for the family in 21st Century Britain.
She will speak alongside David Miliband, Lionel Shriver, Dan Cruickshank and Ken Livingstone who all join a weekend of talks, debate, conversation, film and performance at The Sage Centre in Gateshead around the theme of ‘The 21st Century Family'.
Professor Byron is one of the UK's best known clinical psychologists and an experienced broadcaster, working previously with the BBC on programmes such as Little Angels and House of Tiny Tearaways. She is also a government advisor, publishing a report into the safety of UK children using the internet.
Listen to her opening talk on BBC3 this Friday, 23 October at 9:15pm.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-10-19 11:41:44";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-10-19";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-12-02 10:12:09";s:3:"url";s:86:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/10/edge-hill-chancellor-at-bbc-free-thinking-event";s:4:"tags";a:12:{s:10:"chancellor";s:10:"chancellor";s:17:"ehu:news=business";s:17:"ehu:news=business";s:14:"ehu:news=dsaps";s:14:"ehu:news=dsaps";s:18:"ehu:news=education";s:18:"ehu:news=education";s:16:"ehu:news=english";s:16:"ehu:news=english";s:15:"ehu:news=health";s:15:"ehu:news=health";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:12:"ehu:news=law";s:12:"ehu:news=law";s:14:"ehu:news=media";s:14:"ehu:news=media";s:13:"ehu:news=ngas";s:13:"ehu:news=ngas";s:19:"ehu:news=performing";s:19:"ehu:news=performing";s:14:"ehu:news=sport";s:14:"ehu:news=sport";}}i:69;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:18:"Count on Edge Hill";s:4:"slug";s:18:"count-on-edge-hill";s:7:"summary";s:168:"Primary school children who struggle with Maths could soon be a thing of the past thanks to a groundbreaking national numeracy project designed by Edge Hill University.";s:7:"content";s:2118:"Primary school children who struggle with Maths could soon be a thing of the past thanks to a groundbreaking national numeracy project designed by Edge Hill University.
Research published today show that Numbers Count, a pilot programme provided by the University for of the Government's Every Child Counts scheme, has exceeded all targets by bringing almost three-quarters of its pupils up to the expected standard in Maths.
2,621 low-achieving six and seven- year-old pupils were given one-to-one support by specially-trained primary school teachers, with 72% achieving the national target of Level 2 by the end of Key Stage 1.
Remarkably, pupils made 14 months of progress in just 20 hours' tuition - over four times the national rate. After the programme, pupils continued onwards and upwards, increasing their ‘number age' at an average of almost eight months progress in six months.
The results also saw a 21% improvement in pupils' confidence, meaning the age-old ‘can't do Maths' attitude that can hamper children's success in the subject could soon be coming to an end.
Numbers Count is designed for teachers to use in the classroom with Year 2 pupils who struggle with basic numeracy. By 2010-11 it will lead to over 30,000 of these children being given one-to-one support by 1,600 specially-trained teachers.
The University works in partnership with the Every Child Counts initiative, the Every Child a Chance Trust, the National Strategies, the Department for Children, Schools and Families, and Lancashire University.
Nick Dowrick, Head of Every Child Counts at the University, said: ""The first year's results are even better than we had hoped for. Numbers Count is really helping children to do well at mathematics, and parents and teachers tell us that their children have grown much more confident at home and are more successful in all lessons. This is only the beginning - we aim to provide even more help to more children next year".
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-10-09 11:46:01";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-10-09";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-10-09 12:18:51";s:3:"url";s:57:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/10/count-on-edge-hill";s:4:"tags";a:3:{s:24:"ehu:department=education";s:24:"ehu:department=education";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:18:"every child counts";s:18:"every child counts";}}i:70;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:68:"Edge Hill careers team light years ahead in a challenging job market";s:4:"slug";s:68:"edge-hill-careers-team-light-years-ahead-in-a-challenging-job-market";s:7:"summary";s:181:"Edge Hill University's talented careers team has won a clutch of awards for outstanding performance in finding job opportunities for students in the middle of the economic downturn.";s:7:"content";s:1942:"Edge Hill University's talented careers team has won a clutch of awards for outstanding performance in finding job opportunities for students in the middle of the economic downturn.
First the team excelled in the AGCAS Awards where they were one of just six organisations to receive a nomination for Higher Education Careers Website of the Year.
And in the International Award category the team shared top honours with the University of Liverpool and Liverpool Hope University for their joint work on the International Students Mentoring Programme.
The project, funded by the Prime Minister's Initiative 2, in partnership with the National Association of Student Employment Services, aims to enhance the overall university experience and part-time job opportunities for overseas students by providing mentoring through employers or other more experienced, international students.
Earlier in the year a respected performance league table placed the Edge Hill team top in the North West for graduate employment. Figures compiled by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) showed that a staggering 95.3% of Edge Hill graduates found employment or went on to further study within six months of obtaining their degree, even at the height of the recession.
These outstanding achievements were further endorsed during a recent independent quality Matrix accreditation when the assessor described the careers team as "light years ahead" of other organisations she had assessed.
Jacqui Howe, Head of Careers, Edge Hill University, said:
"We have had an exceptional year. The team have worked incredibly hard in a very challenging jobs market to pioneer new initiatives and forge new partnerships that yield worthwhile career opportunities for our students and former students. These awards and accomplishments are testament to their dedicated efforts over the past few months and I applaud them."
";s:6:"author";s:10:"Paul Smith";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-10-07 09:40:27";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-10-07";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-12-02 10:11:26";s:3:"url";s:107:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/10/edge-hill-careers-team-light-years-ahead-in-a-challenging-job-market";s:4:"tags";a:13:{s:5:"Award";s:5:"Award";s:7:"careers";s:7:"careers";s:17:"ehu:news=business";s:17:"ehu:news=business";s:14:"ehu:news=dsaps";s:14:"ehu:news=dsaps";s:18:"ehu:news=education";s:18:"ehu:news=education";s:16:"ehu:news=english";s:16:"ehu:news=english";s:15:"ehu:news=health";s:15:"ehu:news=health";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:12:"ehu:news=law";s:12:"ehu:news=law";s:14:"ehu:news=media";s:14:"ehu:news=media";s:13:"ehu:news=ngas";s:13:"ehu:news=ngas";s:19:"ehu:news=performing";s:19:"ehu:news=performing";s:14:"ehu:news=sport";s:14:"ehu:news=sport";}}i:71;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:15:"New E42 out now";s:4:"slug";s:15:"new-e42-out-now";s:7:"summary";s:81:"The new issue of E42, the University’s stylish stakeholder magazine is out now.";s:7:"content";s:1277:"The new issue of E42, the University’s award-winning stakeholder magazine is out now.
In this edition, you can read an in-depth interview with controversial human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, find out why careers in health and nutrition are in demand more than ever and decide where you stand on the de-criminalisation of drugs, as Edge Hill academics debate the rights and wrongs of this highly provocative subject.
Copies are available around the Ormskirk campus, or by emailing e42@edgehill.ac.uk. Alternatively, the magazine can be read online at edgehill.ac.uk/e42.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-10-05 16:58:30";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-10-05";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-10-05 17:10:17";s:3:"url";s:54:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/10/new-e42-out-now";s:4:"tags";a:1:{s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:72;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:17:"Language for Life";s:4:"slug";s:17:"language-for-life";s:7:"summary";s:169:"The stereotypical “Brit abroad”, who tries to make himself understood in a foreign country by simply shouting louder in English, could soon be a thing of the past. ";s:7:"content";s:4031:"
The unique Key Stage 2 and 3 MFL programme, aimed at teaching modern foreign languages (MFL) in primary and secondary schools, saw its first students graduate this summer. They will now enter the schools workforce with the specific skills to help children make the tricky transition between learning languages at primary and secondary school level – and, hopefully, help Britain produce school-leavers who are as confident at speaking foreign languages as our European neighbours.
“The Dearing Report recommends that we should start learning languages at an early age to keep up with European competition, but it is also acknowledged that we should enjoy languages from early childhood,” explains course leader Shirley Gaskell.
The course, which was designed in response to the government’s national agenda for learning languages for life, is the first in the country to integrate degree-level language study with KS2 and 3 teaching practice.
“This is a very special course because it enables our graduates to specialise in the crucial period of transition from KS2 to KS3,” says Shirley. “This creates direct and immediate advantages for themselves and the schools they go to.
“There are other programmes that contain KS2 and 3 teaching, but you are expected to have a language specialism already. We produce graduates who are not just teachers of language, but who are teachers of children who specialise in languages.”
Shirley believes joined-up MFL teaching practice that embraces both the primary and secondary sectors is crucially important to the future of language in education.
“In the 60s and 70s they tried to bring languages into primary schools, but the strategy failed as a result of lack of funding and poor communication between primary and secondary schools,” said Shirley.
“This is why our degree course is fundamental to MFL teaching, because traditionally primary or secondary are considered to be separate entities and never the twain shall meet. We want to change all that by training teachers who know the issues on the other side of the fence, regardless of the type of school they teach in.”
Graduates of the programme also obtain extra scope for career development as a result of this cross-sector knowledge.
“One of our graduates could become a head of year seven in a secondary school, with a remit to work with primary schools, or a primary-school language co-ordinator could take on responsibility for liaising with secondary schools,” said Shirley.
Although the Edge Hill MFL KS2 and 3 programme is unique in the field of languages, other subjects are already taught in this format at the University, with Religious Studies the most recent addition to a growing portfolio.
The three-year MFL course was started in 2006 and the first crop of four French language students graduated this summer. Next year, eight students are expected to graduate in French, and 15 the following year, of whom eight will have studied French and seven Spanish.
Edge Hill University is also collaborating with Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council to produce an innovative video-conferencing project that enables primary-school children to learn a language, even though they have no language teacher.
“For several weeks, we use video-conferencing technology to transmit four sessions a day to Wigan primary schools,” said Shirley. “Our students plan a series of sessions and deliver them from the University while I watch. In this way, I can give them instant feedback that enhances their teaching practice, while the schools are assured that the sessions are professionally supervised.
“This is very much a win-win situation in that our students get hands-on teaching experience that produces a tangible result in the classroom, while schools that don’t have a language teacher can offer languages lessons to their children.”
His film sets might be more Birmingham than Bahamas for now, but for Alex working as a unit manager on the BBC TV series Doctors is a step on the ladder towards his dream career in film production.
“I’d been working as a computer games tester, which sounds more exciting than it was,” says Liverpool-born Alex, “so after three years I decided to try my hand at something else. I’d always loved watching films so the Film Studies with Film and Television Production course at Edge Hill University seemed perfect, although I never thought about film-making as a viable career.”
After winning Best Picture at the University’s Film Festival for his “mockumentary” film, Caleb’s Truth, Alex realised that he had a flair for film-making. His next film, The Dagger, which he co-wrote and directed, was accepted into the Cannes Short Film Corner – the place for aspiring film-makers to showcase their talents.
After graduating in 2008, Alex worked with renowned producer and Edge Hill professor, Roger Shannon, on a digital short film before getting his big break – a job as a production assistant on a feature film.
“It was bizarre,” recalls Alex. “I was on holiday, lying on the beach, when I got the phone call about the job. The day I came back I was straight down to Stoke-on-Trent to start filming! It was a great experience and gave me the chance to put everything I’d learned at Edge Hill into practice.”
Souled Out, a rite-of-passage film set against a backdrop of Northern Soul, stars Martin Compston, famous for his roles in Monarch of the Glen and Ken Loach’s Sweet 16, and Alfie Allen, actor son of Keith and brother of Lily.
“The best part of working on Souled Out was meeting Huey from the Fun Loving Criminals though,” says Alex. “I don’t often get star-struck but I am such a big fan I had to really work hard to remain professional!”
It was the valuable contacts he made on Souled Out that led to Alex’s current job on Doctors.
“I got a call from one of the producers about a unit manager’s job and I said yes straight away. As soon as I’d put the phone down I was straight on Wikipedia looking up “unit manager” – I had no idea what it involved, but it was a job on a regular TV show so I jumped at the chance.
“Getting your foot in the door is the hardest part,” says Alex. “In an industry where people are prepared to work for nothing, or even pay to work on a particular show to get experience, you have to be shamelessly making contacts, networking and emailing people all the time to get onto even the lowest rung of the film and TV ladder.
“I was so fortunate to get the job on Doctors as I’m now a BBC employee, which means I have a regular, liveable wage. The BBC is still a prestigious name to have on your CV and I’m very proud of my BBC staff badge – it’s even my profile picture on Facebook!”
Souled Out is due for release in 2009.
Around 30 deaths per year are caused by taking ecstasy. That’s about one a fortnight. These figures may sound shocking but compared with the thousands of deaths annually from legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco, the classification of ecstasy as a Class A drug, alongside heroin and crack cocaine, seems a little incongruous.
But behind the highly publicised deaths, academic studies are showing that ecstasy is also causing long-term psychological damage to users, particularly in terms of memory loss.
For the past 10 years, Dr Philip Murphy, Reader in Psychology at Edge Hill University, has been researching the effects of illegal drug use on cognitive function.
“The research to date has been looking at cognitive deficits – reduced cognitive function – in users of ecstasy,” explains Philip, “but we are now broadening our focus to include cannabis users.
“Our studies are mainly concerned with memory and how this is affected by drug use. We are concentrating on deficits in working memory. This is the memory that keeps us in the ‘here and now’ and enables us to function. For example, every time we walk up a flight of stairs we don’t have to continually keep watching our feet to see that we put them safely on each step. We use our working memory based on our visual representation of the stairs. At other times, if we make a cup of tea, we have to remember to perform the necessary acts in a specific sequence, such as getting the cup before we pour the water in it. This shows how working memory keeps us updated on what we are doing.”
“Working memory is about the ability to store and manipulate information in our short-term memory to enable us to carry out simple, everyday tasks and our research has shown that illegal drug use adversely affects this ability.”
Working alongside colleagues in other universities, Philip and his team have been carrying out laboratory-based tests on student volunteers aimed at realistically simulating every day tasks.
“While we were primarily looking at ecstasy use, the results of these tests showed that cannabis use was a major factor in reduced memory function,” says Philip. “This was the driver behind our current research which looks at the relationship between cannabis use and IQ scores.
“Cannabis is by far the most commonly used illegal drug in terms of usage at any time in life,” says Philip. “Official figures claim 9.6m people in the UK have used cannabis at some point in their lives and about 3m have used it in the last year. This makes cannabis a topic of interest in its own right.”
The results of the IQ tests were surprising. “What we found was that IQ scores diminish not with the amount of drug use, but over the time since drugs were last used,” says Philip. “In other words, the longer the abstinence, the lower the IQ scores seem to be.
“You would expect people to show signs of cognitive function recovery over time but this study appears to show the opposite; that cognitive function continues to deteriorate after usage has ended. We also found that the earlier a person started using cannabis, the lower their scores were.
“This could be a significant finding in terms of the scale of long-term damage caused by illicit drugs, particularly cannabis, which is seen by many as a “safe” drug.”
Although this is potentially a very exciting development, Dr Murphy is cautious about accepting the data as fact. The study is still in its infancy and the findings will need to be verified before the team can be sure that the results are not just a statistical blip.
“Studies like these are prone to measurement error,” says Philip. “We can’t get any toxicological background on the participants to verify when they started using, for example – we have to rely on self-reporting. We are currently seeking funding for hair sample analysis but even this is problematic as hair only grows about 1cm a month. You would have to have hair down to your ankles for it to show 10 years of drug use.
“Similarly, we don’t have any data to show what participants’ IQ scores were before they started using. There is a lot more work to be done before we can reach any definite conclusions. We know the relationship is there, we just don’t know the cause yet. We must be careful as the results could easily be misinterpreted.”
The results of the Edge Hill University study could have major implications for the future classification of drugs and the debate over the decriminalisation of illicit drugs.
“Drug classification is based on the “harm” a drug does, both to people and society,” explains Philip. “When cannabis was downgraded from Class B to Class C in 2004, the message went out that it was “safe”. It has now been reclassified as a Class B drug again as research is showing the long-term psychological harm caused by cannabis.
“Harm is not just about fatalities. Psychological effects of drugs are less tangible but equally important. If someone’s working memory is impaired would you want them in the control tower directing your flight?”
In the decriminalisation debate, Dr Murphy’s work brings him down firmly on the side of keeping illegal drugs illegal.
“I’m very much opposed to removing restrictions on drugs,” he says. “The implications – medical, social, economic – are too huge. There is an assumption that crime would be reduced, but what would take its place? We have no idea what the impact on society would be over time – unfortunately, we don’t have a control version of the UK to test it on.
“My concern is, once you let jack out of the box there’s no going back.”
Dr Philip Murphy is the organiser of this year’s national Annual Scientific Meeting of the Psychobiology Section of the British Psychological Society
I don’t think the system needs a “rethink” but I do think that the recent change (and change back) in classification of cannabis from Class B to C gave users and the public the wrong health message. The implication was that cannabis was safer because it had been “downgraded”.
In fact, more recent evidence has increased concern that cannabis use triggers the onset of severe mental health problems, or at the very least exacerbates symptoms in many who use. Smoking cannabis is also viewed as safer than alcohol or cigarettes, but as many users smoke cannabis with nicotine, their health risks are doubled. The quality of cannabis has also been improved and is now a lot more potent than previously. All these factors have to be considered.
A study currently being undertaken by a research team at Edge Hill University is exploring if coerced treatment approaches are effective in a range of treatment environments, including prison. The question of whether this type of blanket treatment works remains somewhat elusive. A more tailored approach might be more realistic as what works for one may not work for another.
Although the criminalisation of drugs is a good subject for debate and study, we must not forget these are people’s lives; users, their families and perhaps victims of crimes perpetrated to fund habits. All of them have to be given serious consideration when tackling drug use. Perhaps the simple answer is there is no single approach but trying has to be better than not trying at all.
Young people rebel. In a sense that’s their job and has been back to Socrates’ time. The fact that some young people today use drugs is no different than the fact that some of their parents and grandparents did. Alcohol, tea and coffee are all drugs. Parents often feed their children with cola and sweets, all of which have a noticeable effect on bodies and behaviours. Illegal drugs, though, tend to cause a major reaction.
In Portugal, where drug use has been decriminalised since 2001 (no prison time for personal possession of drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine), there has been a significant decline in drug use (around 4%) and in HIV infection among young people who use drugs. So maybe it’s a case of “if it’s not so rebellious to use drugs anymore why do it?”
In 15 years as a youth and community worker, I have worked with young people some of whom use drugs, mainly alcohol and cannabis, and many of them see it as the normal thing to do. It becomes a problem when getting hold of their drug of choice leads them into criminal behaviour. This can be the act of buying the drug or getting hold of the money through theft and so on. Drug use is often not of itself the main issue, however. Chronic use is often a sign that there’s something else going seriously wrong in the life of that young person.
The experience of prohibition in the United States, 1920–1933, highlights the pitfalls in using legislation to prohibit the use of commodities perceived as harmful to the public good. Millions of Americans regularly defied the law, drinking in illicit speakeasies, making alcohol at home or buying from bootleg outlets.
Driving the manufacture and sale of alcohol underground had other unfortunate consequences. Federal and state governments were no longer able to raise tax revenue from liquor sales or regulate the industry. New bootleg brands were often considerably higher in alcohol content than the labels that they replaced. “Squirrel whiskey” was reputedly so potent that it sent consumers climbing the trees. Bootleg supplies could also be lethal in other respects, often being laced with industrial alcohol or other toxic substances. Some estimates suggest that more than 50,000 Americans died as a result of consuming such products with countless others suffering paralysis or blindness.
The principal beneficiaries of prohibition were racketeers like Al Capone, who amassed spectacular power and wealth through their activities. Although Capone himself was ultimately jailed for tax evasion, most bootleggers were able to avoid prosecution by bribing government officials and law enforcement officers. This was reflected in the fact that during the prohibition era officials only managed to seize around 5% of the alcohol illegally smuggled into the United States; a figure depressingly similar to the 10% seizure rate achieved by the federal Drug Enforcement Agency in its war against the narcotics trade today.
Criminalising drugs causes more problems than it solves and does not mean that fewer people will take them.
Using drugs is normal. The latest British Crime Survey found that 37% of adults aged 16–59 had used an illicit drug. A similar US study reported that 45% of the population reported illicit drug use in their lifetime. These figures are likely to be underestimations of actual use of drugs in society.
A recent report by Transform suggested that a legalised, regulated drugs market could save the UK alone between £4billion and £14billion (the costs of policing, prosecuting and imprisonment).
UK prisons are hideously overcrowded; most often with those imprisoned for drug offences or crimes connected to drugs. Ex-prisoners are frequently unable to find work or housing because of their criminal record and often return to drug use and crime, resulting in a vicious circle.
The so-called “war on drugs” is essentially a war on the poor. UK prisons are home to thousands of the world’s poorest people imprisoned for drug transportation. The global nature of drugs markets has a hugely detrimental effect on their homelands too. The US-backed destruction of Colombia’s coca-growing areas has not stopped its production; drug cartels just moved to Mexico, where thousands die each year in drug-related violence. The system needs an urgent rethink. Criminalisation has not worked and, as The Economist recently suggested, surely legalisation is the least bad option.
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I have always felt like an outsider. My family moved from southern Italy to Alderney in the Channel Islands in the 1950s when I was five. We were pretty much the only foreigners on the island at that time. Alderney had been occupied by the Germans only recently and everyone knew the Italians had sided with Germany, so we were treated with suspicion.
I have always been interested in boundaries – cultural, psychological and physical. Not surprising when you come from a three-mile long island! I’m also fascinated by rules; I like to test rules, even if they are ones that I have imposed on myself. I’ve made myself quite unpopular in the past, particularly at school and college, by questioning the rules and boundaries set by others, but I don’t see the point of rules if they are only self-serving. I think this has influenced my academic career, which has focused on European law – how you can work within and around all those boundaries and find things that unite and unify.
My Italian heritage is important to me but I don’t consider myself an Italian. I also don’t feel like a Channel Islander or a British person. If anything, I feel European. My wife is French, we live in England, my children were born in France and Wales, we speak three languages and have family in six European countries. I feel very at home in this thing we call Europe. I don’t see the EU as a monster trying to oppress us or as a kind of cultural straitjacket, I see it as an interesting way of developing relationships. The EU might not be the sole reason there hasn’t been another world war, but it has to help, surely.
I have never watched The Sopranos. I am interested in the mafia partly due to my background and partly because of the rules that surround it. I find organised crime fascinating as a manifestation of the failure of the state. Anywhere where there is an absence of societal trust and a weak civic culture, mafia activity becomes systemic. But I’m not interested in anything that glamorises or attempts to normalise the mafia. There are places that are completely blighted by mafia activity, where people live in fear, violence and corruption rule, and the state does not have the courage, or the inclination, to stop it. That’s the reality of the mafia.
Internet piracy is the area of law that really excites me these days. There is a new area of law that has grown up around digital communications that is fascinating. How do you police petty piracy on the internet? There seems to be a gap in the rules and that’s interesting to me. If you download something for free or steal someone’s idea, what is the penalty – and, more importantly – who decides? If your access to the internet is cut off, is that a breach of your human rights? If it isn’t policed properly, will that stifle creativity as people become reluctant to share their intellectual property on the internet? The digital age has opened up vast opportunities and the law is now trying to catch up.
Mari Hughes-Edwards, author of a forthcoming academic critique of Duffy, is still in two minds about the once openly feminist poet. Her book, the first ever full-length monograph on Duffy, will focus in part on the poet’s writing about sexuality and how this seems to have changed over time.
"If you closely scrutinise her 2005 collection Rapture, which charts the trajectory of a passionately doomed relationship,” says Mari, “you’ll see that it is a lesbian love story. But blink, and you’d miss it. I loved The World’s Wife, which takes the stories of famous historical and fictional men and looks at them through the eyes of the women hidden behind them."
Duffy has shunned publicity in recent years, granting only one interview after the publication of Rapture to the writer Jeanette Winterson. It was in this article that her shift away from lesbianism and feminism first became apparent.
"Duffy claimed that she didn’t want to be identified as a lesbian writer or icon, if the term was used to reduce her," says Mari. "She identified herself as a mother above all else – an essentialist stance, which is a little disappointing when you consider the effort she’s gone to poetically to get women recognised for more than their reproductive function."
"In that interview Duffy also said, rather unhelpfully for other women writers, that the gender issue on the poetry scene is ‘completely over’. For such a well-known public figure (even before the Laureateship Duffy’s work was on GCSE and A-level syllabuses) that’s a potentially dangerous thing to say. Surely the fact that it’s taken until 2009 to appoint a female laureate still speaks volumes?"
One argument is that Duffy’s writing has distanced itself from feminism and increasingly passed itself off as straight in the run-up to the Laureateship selection. Nevertheless, it is these "glorious contradictions" in Duffy’s work that have inspired Mari to undertake her critique.
"I’m intrigued by the distinction between the public persona she has created for herself and the feminist and lesbian voices in her earlier work. I don’t know whether it’s a conscious shift in order to be embraced by the literary establishment or deliberate ambiguity to protect her private life, which is fair enough, especially now she has a daughter, but my book will consider the extent to which Duffy has moved away from her old ideals. Frustrating as that is for feminists like me, it makes her a fascinating person to study."
Duffy’s rise to poetry’s highest echelons is an historic victory for women’s writing, making her the first female Poet Laureate in a long line going back to Jonson, Wordsworth and Tennyson. But the title is seen by many as a poisoned chalice.
"It’s great that we’ve finally got a woman in the post," says Mari, "but I’m not sure it will be good for Duffy’s work. Look at what it did for Andrew Motion, who suffered openly acknowledged writer’s block during his 10-year stint as Laureate. Writing poems to order, and for events like Edward and Sophie’s wedding, is surely a creative death.
"Duffy’s appointment is a positive step for literature. It breaks the male-only mould and will inspire women writers. It’s also great that she’s going to establish a poetry prize with her annual Laureate honorarium. However, we still have a long way to go before women writers get the full recognition they deserve."
Mari Hughes-Edwards’s monograph, Suffering, Sexuality and the Poetry of Carol Ann Duffy, will be published by Manchester University Press in 2012.
The Poet Laureate is appointed by the government to write poems for state occasions and other important events.
Historically, the Laureate was the official poet of the royal household. The position as it is known today was created by Charles I for Ben Jonson in 1617 but, prior to that, many notable writers of the day had been informally known as the “poet laureate” including Geoffrey Chaucer and Edmund Spenser.
Carol Ann Duffy joins an elite group of esteemed poets to be awarded the title including John Dryden (1668), William Wordsworth (1843), Lord Tennyson (1850), John Betjeman (1972) and, more recently, Ted Hughes (1984) and Andrew Motion (1999).
The position carries a nominal salary, which traditionally includes some form of alcohol. Duffy has announced that she is giving her annual earnings from the Laureateship to the Poetry Society to foster new talent.
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Dieticians are becoming overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people with nutrition-related illnesses or people just needing guidance on healthy eating,” says Sue English, course leader for the University’s new Nutrition and Health degree, which starts in September 2009.
“There just aren’t enough people out there to meet the government’s health targets. We saw the need for a specialist role within the health workforce, someone who could work across disciplines on the key policy-drivers of health promotion and prevention.
“As well as the obvious benefits to society, more specialists in this area could save the NHS a great deal of money in the long term.”
The new undergraduate course uniquely combines an understanding of both the science behind nutrition and food and the psychological and cultural factors relating to health. In the multicultural society we live in, knowledge of different cultures and their attitude to healthy eating and exercise is vital for those working in the health system.
“In the first year, all students take a module called Nutrition, Lifestyles and Cultures which puts health into a wider context,” says Sue. “If you don’t know about kosher food or the value system attached to it, how can you advise on an appropriate diet for Jewish people? Attitudes to health and eating vary so much between cultures. Research into increased levels of diabetes and obesity in the South Asian population in Bolton, for example, found that previous attempts to improve health through free gym membership had failed.
“The health professionals in that situation hadn’t factored in the Muslim belief that exercise should only be done to improve health and not to make yourself more attractive. They were also reluctant to use a gym with members of the opposite sex and had issues with appropriate clothing for exercise. On top of that, Muslims refuse to use anything that could be seen as a by-product of gambling so they wouldn’t use any facility built or maintained by Sport England, as this is funded by the National Lottery. “If you don’t know the reasoning behind people’s health behaviour, you’re setting yourself up to fail,” adds Sue.
In Year 2, students look at illness and diseases related to poor diet and also nutrition across the lifespan, reinforcing the ‘cradle-to-grave’ approach of the new course. “Our graduates will be able to support people at every stage in life, from newborn babies to old people,” says Sue. “Nursing concentrates on a “sickness model”, treating people who are already ill, whereas this course takes a “prevention model” as its approach. Healthy eating, ideally, should start at birth but if we can’t catch them there, hopefully health promotion will stop people deteriorating further later in life.”
As with all Edge Hill undergraduate courses, the BSc in Nutrition and Health equips students with essential transferable skills such as communication and study skills that will increase their employability. There is also the option in the third year for students to undertake a 20-day work placement to gain experience, make useful contacts and boost their CV.
The opportunities for graduates with this kind of specialist knowledge are increasing as more and more attention is being given to preventing nutrition-related disorders.
“Anyone who is able to apply practical guidance and support to a range of people across a variety of settings will always be in demand,” says Sue.
It’s not just the NHS that needs qualified nutritionists, either. Graduates could find themselves based in local authorities working on health promotion, in schools, food cooperatives, children’s centres, charities or parenting groups. They could choose to work with particular populations such as ethnic minorities, people with mental health issues, disabled people or any group with nutrition-related health needs.
“Anyone who has a passion for food, nutrition and health would benefit from this course,” says Sue. “If you are good with people and want to help halt the spread of diet-related illnesses, this course is for you.”
As well as bidding farewell to students, the University ended a long-standing tradition with Lancaster University, as the last Edge Hill graduation ceremony was held on its campus. The University was also delighted to welcome new members to the Edge Hill family, with the award of four honorary degrees.
An Edge Hill University student danced her way across the Atlantic this summer after landing a prestigious work placement in the US.
Leah Wainwright, 21, from Preston, headed Stateside to complete an internship at the National Museum of Dance in Saratoga Springs, New York, where she helped coordinate an international exhibition on superstar dancer and actor, Patrick Swayze.
Leah, who graduated from the University with a degree in Dance, said: “A major part of my internship was to research a new exhibition for the museum, which will be a homage to Patrick Swayze, who died recently and who contributed a lot to the US dance industry during his career.”
Leah has a particular interest in the theory and teaching of dance, something which she was able to pursue on her degree due to the varied nature of the Edge Hill course, which offers students both theoretical and practical aspects in equal measure.
She added: “The course would be a great choice for anyone who, like me, has an interest in dance theory. It really keeps up with the times and is very much geared towards the modern dance industry.
“There was always the opportunity to explore different styles of dance too – rather than just contemporary, I was able to study ballet and specialised styles like traditional African dance and Capoiera, a Brazilian discipline.”
After graduating, Leah plans to undertake a Masters degree in Dance Anthropology in Roehampton and hopes to return to the US for the opening of the exhibition later this year.
An Edge Hill graduate has become one of the first ever students to gain a first-class honours degree on her course.
Polish student Justyna Szczyrvowska, 27, who lives in Liverpool, studied on the University’s Public Relations programme and was one of two students to earn the coveted top mark.
“I am delighted and honoured that I’m one of the first students to gain a first. I was expecting a 2:1 and would have been happy with that, but when I found out my mark I couldn’t believe it – I thought it was a joke!”
Justyna spent two years at London Metropolitan University studying advertising and marketing communications before transferring to Edge Hill.
“I looked around lots of North West universities and it was Edge Hill University that really appealed to me. Right from the first contact I had, staff were helpful and I felt valued immediately, like they really wanted me to come. Then when I visited, I knew I had chosen the right place.”
After studying for one month at the University, Justyna had a big surprise – she found out was pregnant with her now one-year-old son. However, determined Justyna studied right up until the birth and was back working on assignments within a week of her son being born.
“After moving from London, changing courses and moving house, it was such a shock, but thankfully, my tutors were really flexible and supportive to my circumstances – they were great and made the transition very easy.”
A female footballer, a childhood expert, an NHS leader and an international humanitarian were all chosen to receive honorary degrees from Edge Hill University this year.
The diverse foursome are all distinguished in their chosen field and reflect the areas in which the University itself excels.
One of the UK’s leading thinkers on childhood, Dr Tim Gill’s work focuses on children’s play and free time. He has written widely on the subject and his often controversial views have sparked much interest and debate in the media.
As well as advising political parties and think tanks across the political spectrum, Tim’s consultancy clients include Barnardo’s, the Forestry Commission, the Mayor of London and the National Trust. He is also on the international advisory board for the academic journal, Children’s Geographies, and was director of the Children’s Play Council (now Play England) from 1997 to 2004.
Liverpool-born Dr Anne Merriman is a pioneer of the international hospice movement. She has devoted close to a quarter-century of her professional life to developing affordable and culturally appropriate end-of-life care in Africa. She is a founder member of the African Palliative Care Association and the Hospice Care Association of Singapore.
In 1990, Anne was invited to be the first medical director of the Nairobi Hospice in Kenya. This led to the “Merriman Model”, which drove the development of affordable and locally accessible services for the African subcontinent and introduced a system of terminal care customised to developing countries with limited resources.
Edge Hill graduate Sue Smith is a professional footballer and former captain of the England Women’s football team. She has amassed 79 international caps and scored 14 goals for her country, including one against Germany on her debut. Sue has been voted Nationwide International Player of the Year twice and was the sole England representative in the FIFA XI vs US showpiece match in 1999.
Alongside playing for Leeds Carnegie Ladies, Sue also has a burgeoning career in the media, commentating on women’s games for BBC Sport and Sky Sports, and is an active member of Sport England’s Sporting Champions programme, which encourages young people to get fit and play sport.
Executive Nurse Moya Sutton has 30 years’ extensive NHS experience and is currently responsible for the leadership of nursing and allied health professionals at Alder Hey Hospital. She is the executive lead for partnerships and safeguarding and has led the organisation to be uniquely accredited by WHO as a health-promoting hospital.
As Assistant Director of Health and Social Care in Knowsley, Moya is the only nurse to have managed children’s social services. She led Knowsley to achieve an “excellent” rating for children’s social care and also Beacon status. Moya was also nurse advisor to St Helens & Knowsley Health Authority and held a national role regarding the health contribution to crime and disorder.
You grew up in Australia in the 1950s – what influence did that have on you?
The Australia I grew up in was ultra conservative; anyone with liberal views was considered a communist. Abortion and homosexuality were illegal and divorce was difficult and stigmatised. Although my father had been a shop steward and Labour voter, my mother and stepfather (who I grew up with from the age of four) were Christian fundamentalists with conservative views. I didn’t have any other reference points so I grew up thinking these opinions were normal and right.
When did you start to think and feel differently?
I remember being about 11 and seeing a story on the TV news about the bombing of a black church in Alabama by white racists. Three girls about my own age died. That first triggered my awareness of racism and I quickly realised this wasn’t something that only happened in other countries. My own country’s treatment of Aborigines at that time was abhorrent. They were virtually invisible: either in ghettos in the inner city or on reservations out of sight.
What turned you from concerned observer to active campaigner?
I had a major awakening in 1967 when Ronald Ryan was due to be hanged for shooting a prison warden during an escape attempt. The case was very shaky and, at the age of 15, even I could see that it was almost impossible that Ryan fired the bullet. I did my own one-man protest, going round the streets painting “Save Ryan” on the walls. He was executed anyway and that completely destroyed the trust I had in the government, police and judiciary. Ryan’s hanging was the real beginning of my human rights campaigning.
You’ve become best known for your gay rights activism. When did that start?
My first job doing design and display in a department store brought me into contact with openly gay people for the first time. They completely blew apart my preconceptions. My first gay relationship started at work. It opened my eyes to the reality of being gay in 1960s Australia. Because it was illegal and carried the possibility of a jail sentence and/or compulsory electric shock treatment, I had to be discrete about my relationship. Gay bashing was rife and the police were often the worst offenders, so you had no protection. It made me realise that gay people are also an oppressed minority.
Did you start actively campaigning for gay rights in Australia?
I did, but on a small scale. There weren’t any gay rights groups in Melbourne at that time; people were scared to put their heads above the parapet, which was understandable. I used to write anonymous letters in support of gay rights to local papers. As my confidence increased I started to put my name on them. My friends all had the same concerns as me but were afraid of arrest and homophobic attacks. I just felt somebody should stand up and be counted. I joined the Gay Liberation Front when I moved to England in 1971 which gave me the first organised, collective outlet for my desire to campaign for queer freedom.
You founded OutRage! in 1990 which has been responsible for many high profile and controversial campaigns. Do you think they’ve been successful?
The media is a vital weapon in all struggles for human rights. A public meeting or protest reaches very few people apart from those attending. It’s common sense that the more media coverage you get for an issue the more awareness is raised, the more you can provoke debate and put the authorities under pressure. Our “outing” of 10 bishops, for example, was more effective than years of polite lobbying. It forced the Church of England to begin a serious dialogue with the lesbian and gay community for the first time.
Your name has become synonymous with the campaign for gay marriage. Why is that issue so important to you?
I don’t want to get married myself, but I will defend the right of others to make that choice. Civil partnerships are not marriage equality. People think gay people should be grateful for this supposed step forward for gay rights but civil partnerships just reinforce discrimination. No one would allow a law that said black people couldn’t get married and were forced to have civil partnerships instead. Civil partnerships are tantamount to sexual apartheid: one law for straights and another for same-sexers. It’s insulting to the LGBT community. I advocate marriage equality, not separate laws for gay and straight people and, according to a recent Times poll, 61% of the public agrees. It’s heartening to see that public opinion is moving forward even if legislation is not.*
Do you really think the denial of gay marriage is on a par with other human rights issues you’ve campaigned on, such as the brutality of the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe?
Homophobia is just one aspect of a broader denial of human rights. If I see any injustice, I want to fight it – whether that’s campaigning for gay marriage, or against the war in Iraq, or advocating devolution for Cornwall. If people’s human rights are compromised, I feel compelled to act. I care equally passionately about all human rights abuses – against anyone for any reason. Seeing others suffer distresses me. That’s my motivation to keep campaigning and if my health holds out, I’ll still be doing it when I’m 90!
You were on typical controversial form at the CLPS Summer School with a lecture on the dangers of multiculturalism. How did that go down?
It went down pretty well, although there was some criticism. I warned that in advocating tolerance and understanding of different cultures, we are sometimes in danger of condoning human rights transgressions within those cultures. In particular, it can lead to a shameful betrayal of women’s rights, here and abroad, in the name of respecting ethnic diversity and cultural difference. Some interpretations of multiculturalism seem to reject common standards of rights and responsibilities; demanding that we make allowances and show sensitivity with regard to the prejudices of some people in ethnic and faith communities. Certain liberals and left-wingers argue that we have to understand bigots from racial and religious minorities; yet few of them ever urge the same understanding of white working class bigots. It’s double standards.
Do you ever worry that your outspoken views will get you killed?
I’ve lived with violent attacks and hate mail for 30 years now, including assaults by supporters of the National Front and the BNP. In the 90s the police uncovered a plot to kill me by the neo-Nazi terrorist group, Combat 18. More recently I’ve been targeted by Islamic fundamentalists and agents of the Mugabe regime. Violence goes with the territory. It’s hard to cope with but by comparison with the brutalities inflicted on protesters in Iran, for example, it’s a small price to pay.
So, do you have any regrets?
(hesitates for a second) No. I stand by everything I’ve done. My only regret is that I didn’t do more.
*As E42 went to press, the Quaker faith announced that same sex couples would be entitled to be married on the same basis as heterosexual couples. Peter Tatchell has applauded the announcement, calling it “an honourable, courageous, trail-blazing decision”.
A team of runners from Edge Hill University’s sports department put in an impressive performance at this year’s 5k Team Challenge race in Liverpool.
Researchers Dr David Marchant, Dr Andy Sparks, Dr Matt Greig, and Kelly Marrin from the Department of Sports and Exercise Science clocked a fantastic combined time of 86 minutes and 33 seconds, placing them in second place in their division. The team also ranked first out of other North West university teams.
Over 1000 competitors took part in this year's race, with Liverpool FC legend Phil Thompson starting the race and representing the race’s chosen charity, Nugent Care.
Dr David Marchant said: "This was a great event to take part in, and I would certainly recommend it. We were all really pleased with our times, and are looking forward to doing it again next year."
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-10-05 14:25:17";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-10-05";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-10-05 14:28:27";s:3:"url";s:54:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/10/keep-on-running";s:4:"tags";a:2:{s:5:"Sport";s:5:"Sport";s:20:"ehu:department=sport";s:20:"ehu:department=sport";}}i:81;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:56:"Fighting spirit of Chris is honoured with memorial prize";s:4:"slug";s:56:"fighting-spirit-of-chris-is-honoured-with-memorial-prize";s:7:"summary";s:161:"Edge Hill is to award an annual prize to a student who overcomes adversity during their studies in memory of a brave woman who achieved success against the odds.";s:7:"content";s:3973:"Edge Hill is to award an annual prize to a student who overcomes adversity during their studies in memory of a brave woman who achieved success against the odds.
The Chris Hope Memorial Prize will be presented to a second year student on either the BA Women's Health, BA Health and Social Care or Foundation Degree in Complementary Therapies.
Nominations of candidates will be made by course leaders during the spring and the first Prize will be awarded in October 2010.
Chris Hope's story will inspire generations of students facing challenging circumstances.
Chris, from Oxford, left school at 16 with just two O Levels. After a brief first marriage she was left to bring up her young son Matthew as a single parent.
Chronic back problems made life even more of a struggle for her but she was determined to get the necessary qualifications to enable her to find work and support her child.
Soon after enrolling on an Open University Psychology module, Chris developed a thirst for learning that would stay with her for the rest of her life.
She passed a GCSE in Maths and completed a year's course in A Level Maths before being accepted as a mature student at London Guildhall University. Despite the need to juggle her studies with her parenting responsibilities and a job at a care home, she gained a 2:1.
During this period she also saw a manipulative therapist who finally managed to cure the problems with her back. This led to a lifetime interest in alternative therapies.
After graduating, Chris decided to train as an occupational therapist and won one of only two scholarships awarded that year by the Royal London Hospital for the two year postgraduate accelerated training scheme.
On completion of her studies in 1995 she and her partner Des moved to the North West where she started work as an occupational therapist. The following year the pair sealed a 16-year romance by getting married.
With one eye always on the next challenge, Chris took a part-time course in remedial massage and set up a business for clients across the North West.
In quick succession she then trained in a number of diverse specialisms - pilates instructor, Manual Lymphatic Drainage, Hopi Ear Candles and the Lebed Method, a dance therapy for those suffering from breast cancer.
Soon she was working part-time as an occupational therapist in a medium secure unit whilst also running her own complementary therapy business in all of the above specialisms She had plans to run her business from the island of Corfu, where she and her husband had bought a house, when illness struck.
In April 2009 she fell victim to an infection that led to a physical collapse from which she never recovered. She died the following month aged just 59.
Chris' partner Des Hope, who works as a careers adviser at Edge Hill University, said:
"Chris would be delighted and honoured that this Prize was set up in her memory. I am sure that her story will not only touch the hearts of many students but will encourage those who come up against significant hurdles on the road to success. Chris was a very spiritual person and although she didn't belong to any denomination, she drew her values and beliefs from an eclectic mix that included the Quakers and Buddhism. On the wall of her study she displayed the following words of the Dalai Lama which sum up her courage, determination and fighting spirit. These were read out at her funeral."
No matter what is going on
Never give up
Develop the heart
Too much energy in your country
Is spent developing the mind
Instead of the heart
Be compassionate
Not just to your friends
But to everyone
Be compassionate
Work for peace
In your heart and in the world
Work for peace
And I say again
Never give up
No matter what is going on around you
Never give up
The new issue of Alumni magazine will be sent to all former students of Edge Hill University this week.
Alumni aims to keep graduates informed of university news and developments, whilst also showcasing the achievements and successes of our alumni.
The second edition looks at two significant Edge Hill milestones; our plans to celebrate our 125th birthday in 2010 and the 50 year anniversary of the first men to study at Edge Hill.
We also catch up with four former students who have gone on to enjoy highly successful and varied careers. They include the former England women's football captain, a senior Crown prosecutor, Edge Hill's Associate Dean of Health and our current Student Union's President.
Register with the Alumni Network to keep us up to date with your news and personal contacts so we can send you Alumni and let you know about exclusive offers and events.
If you have any comments, ideas for stories or memories you'd like to share with your fellow graduates, please contact us. We also welcome your feedback and suggestions on where we can improve and make the next edition even better. We'd love to hear from you.
Bill Hopkinson, Senior Lecturer in Drama at Edge Hill University, has been given the Writers' Guild of Great Britain award for his work with playwrights from the North West.
The award is in recognition of the lecturer's role as a dramaturg, German for "capturing the energy of a drama", working with Manchester-based playwright Jane McNulty, best known for her script writing on soaps EastEnders and Emmerdale.
Describing the impact that Bill had on the playwriting process, Jane said: "Bill proved an intuitive, wise, sensitive and understanding dramaturg to me, helping me immeasurably as part of the North West Playwrights' and in developing my play ‘Our Lady of the Goldfinches'.
"As a TV writer previously and someone who was fairly inexperienced in writing for the theatre, I found his help crucial in shaping my play. He understood what I wanted to say and his suggestions were never less than inspiring. His encouragement has meant that I have the confidence to move on - I hadn't been able to do this as bad experiences of writing soaps had dinted my confidence as a dramatist."
The awards, given by the Theatre Committee of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain, started in 2005 to highlight the importance of encouraging new writers. Members of the guild were asked to nominate individuals who had done outstanding and exceptional work to help new writing emerge during the previous year.
Bill Hopkinson said: "The first I knew of the award was when I received an email from the Theatre Committee of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain. When a writer works in a particular discipline for any length of time, they can become engrained and as a dramaturg, it is my role to help the writer to see their art and creativity afresh, allowing them to write for a different audience."
Jane McNulty, a visiting Fellow in Creative Writing at Edge Hill from 2006, works primarily as a television scriptwriter with screen credits for episodes of various long-running series including Doctors, Crossroads, Heartbeat and Peak Practice. She has also written for the theatre with over 15 years' experience of teaching creative writing to adults and children, including distance learning, through her creation, The Writers' Ark a web-based co-operative of published and broadcast writer/tutors. Jane also runs workshops throughout the North West and Scotland. For four years she was Senior Tutor in Creative Writing for the Open College of the Arts.
Dominic Dromgoole, Artistic Director, The Globe Theatre, will also receive an award from the Guild at the ceremony.
";s:6:"author";s:13:"Angela Samata";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-09-23 13:52:36";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-09-23";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-09-23 13:53:44";s:3:"url";s:72:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/09/capturing-the-energy-of-the-drama";s:4:"tags";a:3:{s:5:"Award";s:5:"Award";s:29:"ehu:department=performingarts";s:29:"ehu:department=performingarts";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:84;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:14:"Alumni Network";s:4:"slug";s:14:"alumni-network";s:7:"summary";s:77:"The university's first alumni networking event was hailed as a great success.";s:7:"content";s:1792:"The university's first alumni networking event was hailed as a great success.
The first in a series of alumni networking events was well attended by alumni, university staff, students and business colleagues and the Alumni Team have received great feedback from attendees.
The evening began with a talk from Martyn Best, Director of North West PR agency, Paver Smith, offering top tips on how to network and conduct yourself in a networking environment, followed by inspirational advice on how best to maximise your talents from leading consultant Gwen Coyle.
Talks were then followed by informal networking with drinks and canapés on the landscaped roof garden of the university's new £8m Business, Law and Criminology building.
David Harrison, Harrison Business Services: ‘'The evening was very interesting and informative. I was most impressed by the facilities that Edge Hill has to offer the wider community and found the staff engaging and enthusiastic.''
David Poole, Nike (UK): ‘'I haven't been back on campus for over 15 years and it's amazing to see how it has developed! I can't believe I haven't been back sooner and am really looking forward to the next event.''
Caroline Mitchell, Affinity Officer: ‘'It was great to welcome back former students to the campus, along with the university's business colleagues, as we continue to help alumni get ahead in the marketplace. Having received such positive feedback I am looking forward to arranging further networking opportunities.''
Alumni can view a photo gallery and the talks from the evening online by logging on to the Alumni Network.
Details of our next networking event will soon be posted on the alumni web pages www.edgehill.ac.uk/alumni.
";s:6:"author";s:17:"Caroline Mitchell";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-09-21 14:55:45";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-09-21";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-12-02 10:22:14";s:3:"url";s:53:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/09/alumni-network";s:4:"tags";a:11:{s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:17:"ehu:news=business";s:17:"ehu:news=business";s:14:"ehu:news=dsaps";s:14:"ehu:news=dsaps";s:18:"ehu:news=education";s:18:"ehu:news=education";s:16:"ehu:news=english";s:16:"ehu:news=english";s:15:"ehu:news=health";s:15:"ehu:news=health";s:12:"ehu:news=law";s:12:"ehu:news=law";s:14:"ehu:news=media";s:14:"ehu:news=media";s:13:"ehu:news=ngas";s:13:"ehu:news=ngas";s:23:"ehu:news=performingarts";s:23:"ehu:news=performingarts";s:14:"ehu:news=sport";s:14:"ehu:news=sport";}}i:85;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:37:"A Rose (Theatre) by any other name...";s:4:"slug";s:32:"a-rose-theatre-by-any-other-name";s:7:"summary";s:170:"Shakespeare's classic story of star-cross'd lovers torn apart by bitter rivalry and misplaced honour comes to Edge Hill University's Rose Theatre on Monday, 28 September.";s:7:"content";s:2436:"Shakespeare's classic story of star-cross'd lovers torn apart by bitter rivalry and misplaced honour comes to Edge Hill University's Rose Theatre on Monday, 28 September.
Presented by the aptly named Love & Madness theatre company, Romeo and Juliet is the ultimate tale of teenage passion, revealing the joy and pain of a first romance and the desperate lengths people will go to for true love.
Separated by their warring families, Juliet and Romeo have to hide their love from all but a few trusted friends. But forbidden fruit is always the sweetest and the couple risk everything to be together, waiting through endless, scorching summer days until the secrecy of the night lets them be alone.
The young lovers marry in secret in the naïve hope that the union will reconcile their parents but, as the long hot summer drags on, passions boil over and violence brings a tragic end to their happiness. Lust turns to bloodlust, passion to fiery anger and Romeo and Juliet's innocence is lost forever.
Shakespeare's celebrated play combines romance, comedy and tragedy to create one of the most enduring love stories ever written. The couple's youthful passion is set in stark contrast against the corruption and violence of the adult world. Their devotion to each other and simple belief that love can conquer all only highlights the futility of the endless feud between the Capulets and the Montagues. A senseless battle that is only ended by a senseless death.
Romeo and Juliet is directed by Owen Horsley who joins Love & Madness from the Cheek by Jowl theatre company. Horsley's recent production of Edward II opened to critical and audience acclaim in London.
Love & Madness is one of the UK's leading touring companies. They are renowned for their fresh, accessible productions which aim to bring classical theatre to a younger and wider audience.
Romeo and Juliet is part of a double-header by Love & Madness under the title Pains of Youth. The five-strong ensemble cast are also appearing in 60s kitchen sink drama A Taste of Honey, a modern story of forbidden love and teenage angst which sits perfectly alongside Shakespeare's classic. A Taste of Honey will be showing at the Rose Theatre next season.
Performances at 1.30pm and 7.30pm and tickets £8.50/£6.50 concessions.
For more information contact the Rose Theatre box office on 01695 58 4480.
";s:6:"author";s:13:"Angela Samata";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-09-15 13:14:10";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-09-15";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-09-24 09:41:48";s:3:"url";s:71:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/09/a-rose-theatre-by-any-other-name";s:4:"tags";a:1:{s:12:"rose theatre";s:12:"rose theatre";}}i:86;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:26:"Sign of the (Sunday) Times";s:4:"slug";s:24:"sign-of-the-sunday-times";s:7:"summary";s:131:""Edge Hill University boasts some of the most satisfied students in the UK" according to this year's Sunday Times University Guide.";s:7:"content";s:1927:""Edge Hill University boasts some of the most satisfied students in the UK" according to this year's Sunday Times University Guide.
The 2010 guide, described as "the definitive guide for prospective students", has shown that over three-quarters of Edge Hill students are satisfied with the quality of their course, placing the University second in the North West and in the UK top 30 for student satisfaction levels.
The guide placed Edge Hill University in the top 10 nationally for "fewest unemployed", on account of 95.3% of students finding jobs or further study within six months of graduating and for "the cheapest place to live".
This year also saw Edge Hill climb eight places in the overall national rankings.
These successes follow improved rankings in The Times and The Daily Telegraph's 2010 University Guides earlier in the year, and ‘small tuition groups' and ‘helpful and interested staff' receiving five and four-star ratings respectively in this year's Virgin Alternative Guide to British Universities.
Edge Hill has a long-standing tradition of producing satisfied students, with previous national rankings in the National Student Survey which include first place for NHS Practice Placements and top 10 places for courses Law, Business, Management, Nursing, and Initial Teacher Training. The areas of Personal Development and Assessment and Feedback have also ranked top in the North West. ‘Courses and Lecturers' were also ranked in the top 10 nationally by Whatuni.com, an independent website based on students' reviews and ratings.
Vice Chancellor Dr John Cater said: "We are delighted in the University's continued improvement in the key national league tables. We are particularly pleased that our students rate their learning experience highly and are so successful in the labour market, and we look forward to sustaining our progress in future years."
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-09-14 10:04:03";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-09-14";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-12-02 10:22:02";s:3:"url";s:63:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/09/sign-of-the-sunday-times";s:4:"tags";a:12:{s:17:"ehu:news=business";s:17:"ehu:news=business";s:14:"ehu:news=dsaps";s:14:"ehu:news=dsaps";s:18:"ehu:news=education";s:18:"ehu:news=education";s:16:"ehu:news=english";s:16:"ehu:news=english";s:15:"ehu:news=health";s:15:"ehu:news=health";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:12:"ehu:news=law";s:12:"ehu:news=law";s:14:"ehu:news=media";s:14:"ehu:news=media";s:13:"ehu:news=ngas";s:13:"ehu:news=ngas";s:23:"ehu:news=performingarts";s:23:"ehu:news=performingarts";s:14:"ehu:news=sport";s:14:"ehu:news=sport";s:6:"survey";s:6:"survey";}}i:87;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:65:"Share your skills and experience, and help influence 18,000 lives";s:4:"slug";s:64:"share-your-skills-and-experience-and-help-influence-18-000-lives";s:7:"summary";s:121:"If you're missing Edge Hill and would like to give something back, why not get involved in our new Students' Union Board?";s:7:"content";s:1595:"If you're missing Edge Hill and would like to give something back, why not get involved in our new Students' Union Board? As a graduate of the university you already have the best qualifications for the job - an affection for Edge Hill and first-hand experience of being a student here.
We are looking for three people to become our first alumni trustees of the board, working alongside our elected student trustees to drive the SU forward.
The Students' Union is the voice of the 18,000 students who study at Edge Hill University; we campaign on the issues our membership are passionate about, from the quality of teaching and learning to campus improvements, from the environment to disability rights.
We need individuals with board-level experience for these unique roles - people who have the ability to challenge, monitor and support the board in a way that embraces our student-led, democratic environment. If you have knowledge of finance, legal and compliance matters, commercial development, change management or strategic leadership, that's even better.
While the role is voluntary, the SU will reimburse all reasonable expenses for attendance at board meetings. So why not give something back to the student body and have the excuse of coming back to campus four times a year for meetings?
If you would like to find out more, please contact Paul Malone, General Manager, on 01695 584052 / 07780 963360 or paul.malone@edgehill.ac.uk. The closing date for applications is Friday 25th September 2009.
";s:6:"author";s:13:"Steve Johnson";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-09-10 09:32:16";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-09-10";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-09-10 10:09:55";s:3:"url";s:103:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/09/share-your-skills-and-experience-and-help-influence-18-000-lives";s:4:"tags";a:2:{s:6:"Alumni";s:6:"Alumni";s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";}}i:88;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:54:"Edge Hill researcher receives national media attention";s:4:"slug";s:54:"edge-hill-researcher-receives-national-media-attention";s:7:"summary";s:176:"Research looking at the type of exam pressure exerted on pupils by parents and teachers has received extensive national media coverage including both Sky and ITN news channels.";s:7:"content";s:4628:"Research carried out by academics at Edge Hill University and Manchester University, which looks at the type of exam pressure exerted on pupils by parents and teachers, has received extensive national media coverage including both Sky and ITN news channels.
Teenagers have for years told anxious parents to "back off" in the run-up to exams as the pressure they apply only makes matters worse. Now researchers have confirmed that their protests are justified.
Parents are not, however, the only ones who apply the wrong type of pressure, says a team of researchers from Edge Hill and Manchester universities. Teachers who try to scare students into swotting for exams should also rethink their tactics because higher anxiety usually leads to lower scores.
Dr Dave Putwain and his colleagues analysed the association between teachers' and parents' behaviour and the anxiety levels of 175 sixth-form college students. They also measured the anxiety of 224 GCSE candidates and compared them with their exam scores. Some GCSE students reported that they were suffering from headaches and muscle tension, and even had trouble breathing, as the exams approached.
"Parental pressure never really works," Dr Putwain will tell the British Educational Research Association Conference in Manchester. "Parents need to be very careful about the messages they are conveying. For example, they should be aware that comparing their child with other academically capable children can add to the pressure. They should make it clear that young people can still feel good about themselves even if they do not do so well in examinations."
Teachers should also emphasise the benefits of learning and achieving rather than the consequences of failure, he says. However, Dr Putwain, a senior lecturer in psychology at Edge Hill University, says that most schools do not take exam-related anxiety sufficiently seriously.
Some conclude that it is something that young people need to go through. "They reason that exams are stressful but that's part of life. Life is stressful," he says.
Some schools do make an effort to ease exam nerves. "I know of one school that gives anxious children chocolate and a pat on the head immediately before an exam," Dr Putwain says. "Pupils at another school I have visited can spend some time in a relaxation room that has soft lighting, comfortable furniture and soothing sounds.
"Our GCSE study showed that such relaxation exercises probably help, provided they are offered far enough in advance of the exams. But in general the stress-reducing tactics that schools employ are very hit and miss. I don't think there is much understanding that many teachers could reduce their pupils' anxiety levels by adjusting their own practice.
"They might also improve their pupils' performance in the process. Exam stress may not always have a big impact on exam scores but it can make the difference between one grade and the next."
Dr Putwain and his colleagues believe that schools should provide more guidance for parents on how to avoid increasing children's stress levels. They should also try to gain a "student's eye view" of examinations.
"For example, we know that many students do not like sitting examinations in a big hall -- they prefer small rooms. In large halls they can get the sense that everyone is working except them and panic can set in. They also dislike the impersonality of this type of exam-taking, particularly if they do not know the invigilator. Just having an invigilator who is familiar to them can help."
Clashing coursework deadlines is another common stressor in the lead-up to exams. "Some schools very sensibly try to ensure this does not happen but others say they cannot interfere with what individual subject departments are doing," Dr Putwain says. "I think they should."
View Sky News coverage | View ITN coverage
";s:6:"author";s:13:"Angela Samata";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-09-07 14:20:29";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-09-07";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-11-18 17:00:39";s:3:"url";s:93:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/09/edge-hill-researcher-receives-national-media-attention";s:4:"tags";a:5:{s:10:"Psychology";s:10:"Psychology";s:8:"Research";s:8:"Research";s:20:"ehu:department=dsaps";s:20:"ehu:department=dsaps";s:23:"ehu:department=research";s:23:"ehu:department=research";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:89;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:56:"Prof Bill Bruce takes up new role as Pro Vice-Chancellor";s:4:"slug";s:56:"prof-bill-bruce-takes-up-new-role-as-pro-vice-chancellor";s:7:"summary";s:148:"Edge Hill University is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Bill Bruce in the role of Pro Vice-Chancellor for the academic portfolio.";s:7:"content";s:2667:"Edge Hill University is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Bill Bruce in the role of Pro Vice-Chancellor for the academic portfolio.
Bill, who held the post of Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of Hull, joins Edge Hill at an exciting stage of its development. It was this, coupled with Edge Hill's burgeoning reputation in the HE sector that attracted him to his new role. Bill commented:
"Edge Hill is an extremely successful, well-run university with a strong and respected management team. It is an institution that knows what it wants to do and has set about achieving its goals with a great deal of energy and vigour.
"It has seen huge growth in the last decade, with applications increasing three-fold and an investment of over £100m on its campus, which, with a further £100m still to be spent, is on its way to becoming one of the best in the country."
With Edge Hill ranking second in the North West for overall satisfaction levels in the latest National Student Survey (NSS) and outstanding provision in education, health, and the creative arts, Bill is keen to build on these established successes.
"I'd like to see Edge Hill become the university of choice in these disciplines, something I think it is already close to achieving in the North West. There's also no reason why we shouldn't be pushing for a place among the top five or 10 English institutions in the NSS.
"Research capacity is also an area where Edge Hill is improving. The latest RAE outcomes were promising and the University is now in a strong position to build its research reputation and profile."
Bill is a pure mathematician, specialising in singularity theory, with over 100 research papers and five books to his name. He has chaired a range of committees for the EPSRC and is on the board of the Isaac Newton Mathematics Institute in Cambridge.
After a PhD and postdoctoral fellowship at the Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques in Paris, he held positions at the Universities of Cork and Newcastle and was Visiting Professor at the Five Colleges in Massachusetts before his appointment to a chair at his alma mater, the University of Liverpool, in 1990. From here, he went on to become Pro Vice-Chancellor at Liverpool before joining the University of Hull in 2004.
Speaking of his appointment at Edge Hill, he continued: "I am delighted to be joining a university with a total commitment to its students and to the quality of all it does. Edge Hill is an institution which has a clear vision and the energy and capacity to deliver."
Edge Hill Sports Therapy students had their skills put to the test recently as they took part in a national football tournament.
First and second year students on the Sports Therapy courses were invited to attend the Umbro National Championships that took place in Manchester.
Students rose to the challenge of providing sports therapy cover for the participants in the tournament, which sees over 400 male, female and youth football teams compete in matches at the week-long event.
This is the second year students have attended the tournament and it's hoped it will become a regular event in the Sports Therapy course calendar.
Lisa Hartley, Senior Lecturer in Sports Therapy said: "The organiser of the Umbro tournament approached the department due to connections with our staff. The feedback was fantastic from the players, coaches and organisers involved in the event - the students did really well.
"Events like this are great experiences for our students, as on-the-job training forms an essential part of the course as a way to improve clinical skills."
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-08-28 13:07:29";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-08-27";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-08-28 13:08:30";s:3:"url";s:50:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/08/good-sports";s:4:"tags";a:2:{s:5:"Sport";s:5:"Sport";s:20:"ehu:department=sport";s:20:"ehu:department=sport";}}i:91;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:32:"50 year anniversary celebrations";s:4:"slug";s:32:"50-year-anniversary-celebrations";s:7:"summary";s:114:"Edge Hill University is organising a reunion event to celebrate 50 years since opening its doors to male students.";s:7:"content";s:1265:"
It has been 50 years since Edge Hill opened its doors to male students and to mark this anniversary Derek Brearley, one of the first men to study at the then Edge Hill Teacher Training College, has organised a reunion event.
The four-course celebration dinner is open to those who studied at the college from 1959-1961. The event will be held at the Prince of Wales Hotel, Southport, on Saturday, 26September, 2009.
Derek said: ‘‘We are hoping to re-create those Stanley Hall dinners that we all enjoyed at Reeces Restaurant in Liverpool during our college days.
‘'It would be great if alumni from this era would come along and help celebrate this special anniversary and take the chance to reminisce about our student days.''
Read more about the first intake of male students in the next addition of Alumni, our magazine which will be sent out in September, 2009. Please register with the Alumni Network to ensure your contact details are up to date to receive your copy.
If you are interested in attending this event or would like further information on how to organise your own reunion, please contact Caroline Mitchell on 01695 584861 or email alumni@edgehill.ac.uk.
";s:6:"author";s:17:"Caroline Mitchell";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-08-26 11:19:07";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-08-25";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-08-26 11:34:40";s:3:"url";s:71:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/08/50-year-anniversary-celebrations";s:4:"tags";a:4:{s:6:"Alumni";s:6:"Alumni";s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:21:"ehu:department=alumni";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:7:"reunion";s:7:"reunion";}}i:92;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:25:"Clearing up the confusion";s:4:"slug";s:25:"clearing-up-the-confusion";s:7:"summary";s:51:"The nerves… the excitement… the anticipation…";s:7:"content";s:775:"The nerves, the excitement, the anticipation...
As thousands of students across the country receive their A-Level results, they will be keeping everything crossed that they get the grades they need for their university course.
However, the day can lead to more stressing than celebrating for the many that don't get the grades they were expecting. Each year, Edge Hill has a team dedicated to Clearing, the system that students use to see which universities still have places available, to help those who have to change their university plans at short notice.
In this video, Anne Wilson, Head of Admissions at Edge Hill University, calms a few nerves and dispels some common misconceptions about Clearing.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-08-26 11:41:07";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-08-20";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-09-17 13:48:24";s:3:"url";s:64:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/08/clearing-up-the-confusion";s:4:"tags";a:1:{s:8:"clearing";s:8:"clearing";}}i:93;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:19:"The past is history";s:4:"slug";s:19:"the-past-is-history";s:7:"summary";s:110:"Alastair Crosby, 26, from Wigan, is indulging his passion for history at Edge Hill – all thanks to Clearing.";s:7:"content";s:1380:"Alastair Crosby, 26, from Wigan, is indulging his passion for history at Edge Hill - all thanks to Clearing.
Alastair has just completed the first year of a BA (Hons) History. Eight years ago he studied for a degree at Liverpool John Moores University but left the course in the first year after deciding higher education wasn't for him.
After working in retail for a spell he decided to return to his studies and was attracted to the stunning campus and location of Edge Hill. Alastair was also inspired by his mother Angela who graduated from Edge Hill last year with a degree in Geography and is now working at the University's Faculty of Health.
Alastair applied through Clearing, and found the support from the University's dedicated Clearing team a massive help.
He said: "Seeing my mum graduate was a big push for me - she spoke very highly of Edge Hill and she's never wrong!
"I was surprised at how helpful Edge Hill's staff were in finding the right degree for me. The process was pretty straightforward and I am really enjoying the course. It's great being on the one campus rather than having to visit several locations across a city centre for your lectures."
Away from his studies, Alastair has a keen interest in rugby and Archaeology. After finishing his course he hopes to pursue a career as a history teacher.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-08-26 11:52:33";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-08-18";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-08-27 13:49:44";s:3:"url";s:58:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/08/the-past-is-history";s:4:"tags";a:3:{s:7:"History";s:7:"History";s:8:"clearing";s:8:"clearing";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:94;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:44:"International praise for Edge Hill historian";s:4:"slug";s:44:"international-praise-for-edge-hill-historian";s:7:"summary";s:189:"The Zionist Masquerade, a book on Britain and the origins of the Zionist-Palestinian conflict by Dr James Renton, Senior Lecturer in History, has received high praise in the United States. ";s:7:"content";s:1089:"The Zionist Masquerade, a book on Britain and the origins of the Zionist-Palestinian conflict by Dr James Renton, Senior Lecturer in History, has received high praise in the United States.
A review in the widely respected journal of the Middle East Studies Association of North America, the International Journal of Middle East Studies, says ‘Renton's excellent new book clearly and concisely explodes many myths surrounding the Balfour Declaration of 1917.' The review refers to his ‘brilliant analysis', and praises Dr Renton for ‘putting scholarship ahead of partisanship, an all too rare achievement in the all too tortured historiography of the modern Middle East.'
The book was longlisted for the prestigious 2009 Longman/History Today Book of the Year Prize, and was described by a reviewer in The Middle East Journal (Washington D.C.) as a ‘fine piece of strongly evidence-based scholarship that ... will do much to provoke thought about British policies, the potency of propaganda, and the origins of the state of Israel.'
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-08-26 11:47:16";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-08-18";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-11-18 17:02:17";s:3:"url";s:83:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/08/international-praise-for-edge-hill-historian";s:4:"tags";a:4:{s:7:"History";s:7:"History";s:22:"ehu:department=english";s:22:"ehu:department=english";s:23:"ehu:department=research";s:23:"ehu:department=research";s:13:"ehu:news=home";s:13:"ehu:news=home";}}i:95;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:34:"Experiment in personal development";s:4:"slug";s:34:"experiment-in-personal-development";s:7:"summary";s:198:"Laboratory technicians are an essential part of science teaching in secondary and higher education, but many feel left out when it comes to career progression and personal development – until now.";s:7:"content";s:3532:"Edge Hill University is launching a new foundation degree in Laboratory Operations and Management to offer a structured and comprehensive programme for technicians at all levels, including those wishing to enter the profession.
With a nationwide shortage of laboratory technicians, not just in education but across all sectors, the situation is predicted to get worse because many are within ten years of retirement, and few younger candidates are coming through.
Dr Nigel Richardson, Head of Natural, Geographical & Applied Sciences at Edge Hill University, said: "I think part of the problem is that being a laboratory technician has not always been seen as a career in its own right. When we have held one day workshops for lab technicians they have been very well attended, and the view seems to be that this qualification is badly needed. As far as we know, only one other university has something similar, and there is nothing offered in the North West.
"Professional development is important for everyone, but laboratory technicians have to keep pace with the changes in the curriculum and are also expected to take on many more tasks than they did years ago. It's no longer a question of washing up test tubes and preparing laboratory equipment; an increasing amount of knowledge and practical experience is required as lab technicians are often called on to demonstrate to A level students."
The three-year, part-time degree is primarily aimed at technicians working in secondary schools and sixth form colleges, but may also be of interest to those working in industry. The North West's large pharmaceutical and chemicals sectors may find it a useful development route for their laboratory staff. People without prior experience but who are considering a career as a lab technician can also apply.
The programme, which will be delivered by St Helens College and Riverside College, Halton on behalf of Edge Hill University, is designed to update general science knowledge and enhance practical laboratory skills, develop IT, presentational and numeracy skills, and improve knowledge of health and safety in the classroom.
It features a wide range of modules, from anatomy to microbiology and the universe we live in. In the third year there is also a work-related project, and placements will be sought for those not currently working in a laboratory technician role.
The course will involve experiential learning in the workplace, and independent study will be supported through the use of a web-based learning facility.
Nigel added: "I think schools will be supportive and see the value of this programme. Technicians and teaching assistants often feel like the forgotten part of the school, even though their roles are becoming more demanding. But without lab technicians there would be no practical science lessons. This foundation degree should help give technicians the recognition they deserve and help them make informed career choices."
This new foundation degree is another example of the way in whch Edge Hill is working to bring professional recognition to certain key roles in the education and health sectors. As well as developing new qualifications for teaching assistants and early years practitioners, Edge Hill has recently pioneered the first DipHE in Paramedic Practice.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-08-26 13:40:19";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-08-14";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-08-26 13:41:07";s:3:"url";s:73:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/08/experiment-in-personal-development";s:4:"tags";a:2:{s:7:"Biology";s:7:"Biology";s:19:"ehu:department=ngas";s:19:"ehu:department=ngas";}}i:96;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:20:"Flood research award";s:4:"slug";s:20:"flood-research-award";s:7:"summary";s:109:"The Department of Natural, Geographical and Applied Sciences is carrying out vital research into flood risks.";s:7:"content";s:683:"The project, in collaboration with the University of Plymouth, Liverpool University and the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory, will explore how sediment arrives and is removed from our coastline, and how that information can be used to predict flooding events.
The research has been awarded a £673,000 grant by the Natural Environment Research Council's Flood Risk for Extreme Events (FREE) programme.
Dr Nigel Richardson, head of department, says: "This is a hugely important project and we are very proud to be involved. It will put the North West coastline back on the map in terms of coastal research."
The project is due to be completed in Spring 2010.
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-08-26 13:55:29";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-08-14";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-08-26 13:55:50";s:3:"url";s:59:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/08/flood-research-award";s:4:"tags";a:3:{s:9:"Geography";s:9:"Geography";s:8:"Research";s:8:"Research";s:19:"ehu:department=ngas";s:19:"ehu:department=ngas";}}i:97;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:13:"Euro law tour";s:4:"slug";s:13:"euro-law-tour";s:7:"summary";s:108:"Law and Criminology students swapped Ormskirk for Brussels recently in the Department’s annual study tour.";s:7:"content";s:2369:"Law and Criminology students swapped Ormskirk for Brussels recently in the Department’s annual tour of the EU institutions.
The trip included a visit to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, where the students were able to sit in on a legal case and experience first hand the mechanics of European law in action.
Students then travelled to Brussels, where they took a tour of the European Parliament and listened to a talk from Gary Titley, MEP for the North West, who has strong links with Edge Hill’s Law and Criminology department.
EU law is a key part of Edge Hill’s Law and Criminology courses, responding to the fact that future lawyers will practice in a global market and will need to have knowledge of national, European and international laws and institutions.
Adam Pendlebury, Lecturer in Law, said: “This trip takes place every year and is an important part of students’ learning, in that they can put the knowledge gained on EU law modules into context. It is also good to get students off campus for a while so they can get to know each other and staff better.”
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-08-26 13:46:52";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-08-14";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-09-24 13:58:31";s:3:"url";s:52:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/08/euro-law-tour";s:4:"tags";a:2:{s:3:"Law";s:3:"Law";s:18:"ehu:department=law";s:18:"ehu:department=law";}}i:98;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:15:"One of the boys";s:4:"slug";s:15:"one-of-the-boys";s:7:"summary";s:279:"Not many Premiership footballers can say they scored a goal on their international debut. Even fewer can boast putting one past Germany! But that was how a 16-year-old Sue Smith burst onto the international women’s football scene in 1996 – and she hasn’t looked back since.";s:7:"content";s:5718:"
For Edge Hill graduate Sue Smith, sport has been her life for as long as she can remember. As a football-mad child she was constantly in the park kicking a ball about with the boys, and even made the school team. This was when she realised being a female footballer was not going to be an easy ride.
Sue says: "I was allowed to train with the boys but I wasn't allowed to play in any competitive matches because I was a girl. It was very frustrating - for me and the boys, because I was a good player - but those were the rules and I had to accept them. However, it only made me more determined to succeed in women's football."
At 14, Sue was signed by Tranmere Rovers Ladies, which proved a tough initiation into football at club level.
"There was no youth structure like there is now so I was thrown in with the adult players at 14 years old," explains Sue. "I think my years of mucking in with the boys was good preparation! It made me pretty strong and, although playing for a professional club at such a young age was daunting, I was able to hold my own from the beginning.
"My parents were, and still are, very supportive and helped me fit my schoolwork around training and matches. I was so dedicated to football I didn't really go out like other teenage girls, I spent all my free time training, which I think secretly pleased my mum and dad!"
It was Sue's parents who also encouraged her to keep up her studies. "They had faith in my sporting abilities but wanted me to have something to fall back on just in case," says Sue. "I was only interested in one subject so the degree in Sports Science at Edge Hill was ideal. Being a local girl, I knew Edge Hill had some of the best sporting facilities in higher education so I was confident I could continue my training there."
In her first year, while her fellow students were getting used to being away from home and enjoying campus life, Sue was selected to play for England in the UEFA European Women's Championship, which meant leaving her studies and jetting off to Germany.
Sue says: "It was exciting but I was worried about how I would fit in my university work as well, but Edge Hill was so accommodating and all the staff were prepared to help me whenever I had a competition. I even took an exam abroad! It was hard to do both but Edge Hill was incredibly supportive.
"That's one of the reasons getting an Honorary degree means such a lot to me. I couldn't have achieved so much without the help I got from the University. I'm really looking forward to the ceremony - especially as I missed my actual graduation back in 2003 as I was away with the England team!"
Now playing for Leeds Carnegie Ladies, Sue is one of England's most successful women's football players with 74 international caps and 14 goals. She has twice been voted Nationwide International Player of the Year and was the sole England representative in the FIFA XI vs USA showpiece match in 1999.
Alongside her playing career, Sue is also building up a reputation as a bit of a media star. She has commentated on women's games for BBC Sport and Sky Sports and recently worked with Wayne Rooney, presenting the player's "Street Striker" series.
She said: "Kids have played football on the street for generations - and that's where both Wayne and I initially honed our skills. It was a great programme to work on - some of the kids had truly amazing skills - and Wayne was a lovely guy, really down to earth and great with the kids."
Sue is also an active member of Sport England's Sporting Champions programme, which encourages young people to get fit and play sport. Sue is one of 30 world-class athletes, including Olympians and Paralympians, who give up their time to visit schools and communities, inspiring children to participate in sport.
She added: "I've got such a lot out of sport so I wanted to pass on my experience and show what can be achieved. Not everyone is going to have a professional career or play for their country, but through sport young people can build confidence, learn skills and make new friends.
"I know kids have a lot of other options like computer games, social networking and TV now but it makes me sad when I see empty parks and playing fields on a lovely day. If I can inspire one child to get out there and play sport, then it's been worthwhile."
With the England Women's team recently climbing to ninth in the world rankings (their highest ever placing) and the 2009 European Championship Finals in Finland to look forward to in August 2009, the future is looking good for women's football.
A new FA ruling in May saw 17 international players, including Sue, awarded central contracts, meaning women footballers will be paid to play for their country for the first time.
Sue said: "It seems unbelievable that it's taken until 2009 for this to happen but it's a massive step for women's football. Until now many players were struggling with full-time jobs and families as well as their football commitments. These contracts not only mean we can focus more on playing and training but we will also get adequate rest periods between tournaments."
Despite her success to date, Sue still has some footballing ambitions left. She is hoping to be selected for the World Cup finals in Germany in 2011 and aims to reach 100 caps for England before she retires.
"I hope to be playing football for a while yet," adds Sue, "but if I can't, I always want to be involved in the sport, either coaching, commentating or promoting it. I can't imagine life without football!"
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-08-14 11:03:57";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-08-14";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-08-26 13:54:18";s:3:"url";s:54:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/08/one-of-the-boys";s:4:"tags";a:3:{s:5:"Sport";s:5:"Sport";s:20:"ehu:department=sport";s:20:"ehu:department=sport";s:10:"graduation";s:10:"graduation";}}i:99;a:11:{s:8:"headline";s:14:"Mooting around";s:4:"slug";s:14:"mooting-around";s:7:"summary";s:51:"Students battle it out in annual moot competition. ";s:7:"content";s:2464:"The final of the Law and Criminology Department’s internal mooting competition took place recently in the impressive new moot court room.
It’s the first time the competition has taken place in the department’s new £8m building, which opened in January this year. The moot court room, or a mock courtroom, allows students to experience the real set-up of an actual courtroom and facilitates great hands-on learning.
This year, students Denise Stapleton, Jonathan McGregor and Stephen Warren progressed to the final of the competition to face James Molloy, Elizabeth Wrathall and Joseph Davison. After great deliberation, the three judges awarded the moot to James, Elizabeth and Joseph (pictured).
Judge Adam Pendlebury, said: “I’d like to commend all students on behalf of the Department for their performances throughout the competition – both teams demonstrated an excellent court room manner throughout the moot and conveyed a clear understanding of the key legal issues.
“Both teams will be entering external competitions next year and we are confident that they will be admirable representatives of Edge Hill.”
";s:6:"author";s:11:"Mary Bernia";s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2009-08-26 13:42:31";s:10:"publish_at";s:10:"2009-08-14";s:9:"closes_at";N;s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2009-09-24 14:04:53";s:3:"url";s:53:"http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2009/08/mooting-around";s:4:"tags";a:2:{s:3:"Law";s:3:"Law";s:18:"ehu:department=law";s:18:"ehu:department=law";}}}