Cardiff Magazine Winter 2011 Lewis on tuition fees and ... use composites within the mechanical...

University Magazinefor Alumni & FriendsCardiff

MAKING A DIFFERENCEResearch at Cardi, University that a, ects the world

GETTING THE SUMS RIGHTMartin Lewis on tuition fees and understanding the fi gures

WINTER 2012

changing face the

OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Will your life change

someone else’s?

If these issues matter to you,

once you have taken care of

family and friends, please

consider making a gift to

Cardi University in your Will.

Cardi University is committed

to tackling major issues

and striving to transform

the lives of people worldwide

by undertaking

groundbreaking research.

Did you know?All donations make a di erence.

If every Cardi alumnus who

receives this magazine gave us

just £10, it would amount to

more than £12 million.

Cardi University is a

registered charity – one that

tackles the worst diseases and

the most problematic issues

in our society today. So make

your life change someone

else’s. Remember Cardi

University in your Will.

All donations in Wills are

tax-free. If your estate is liable

for inheritance tax, you can

reduce or avoid it altogether by

leaving a gift to the University.

Would you like to help us Þ nd...

the cure for cancer?

an e ective treatment for

Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases?

a sustainable way for future

generations to live?

For further information and a conÞ dential discussion, please contact Eleanor Hewett on +44 (0)29 2087 0372 or email hewette@cardi .ac.uk

www.cardi( .ac.uk 3

contents

CONTENTS

Cardi+ UniversityDevelopment and Alumni Relations Division,Cardi+ University,Deri House, 2–4 Park Grove, Cardi+ CF10 3PAT +44 (0)29 2087 6473F +44 (0)29 2087 0326E alumni@cardi+ .ac.ukwww.cardi+ .ac.uk/alumni

Welcome

Editor: Sarah Price

Print: The Westdale Press Limited70 Portmanmoor Industrial Estate, East Moors, Cardi+ CF24 5HB

Cardi+ University Magazine is produced in association with:Immediate Media Co Tower House, Fairfax Street, Bristol BS1 3BNT +44 (0)117 927 9009 www.immediatemedia.co.uk

Unless otherwise indicated, copyright in this publication

belongs to Cardi+ University. This document can be made

available in alternative formats upon request. It is also

available on our website at www.cardi+ .ac.uk/alumni. Views

expressed in Cardi% University Magazine do not necessarily

refl ect those of the University. The Editor reserves the right

to edit contributions received. While care is taken to ensure

accuracy of information, this cannot be guaranteed.

Wherever you are, stay in touch with Cardiff University

ON THE GO? SIMPLY USE YOUR SMARTPHONE

TO SCAN THIS CODE AND IT WILL TAKE YOU

STRAIGHT TO THE ALUMNI SECTION OF OUR WEBSITE

Thank you for your continued support.

Dr David Grant

CBE FREng FLSW CEng FIET

Vice-Chancellor Imag

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REGULARS

4 NewsAll the latest University news

24 NetworkA round-up of stories from

alumni around the world

30 First personWe talk to alumnus and

environmental lawyer

Paul Davies

FEATURES

10 The changing face of Higher EducationA new report reveals the latest

trends in Higher Education

13 Getting the sums right

Money expert Martin

Lewis alleviates

concerns about higher

tuition fees

16 Making a di: erenceHow research at Cardi( has an

impact on the world around us

20 Great expectationsStudents’ expectations are

increasing as tuition fees

rise, but Cardi( is responding

with better and more

extensive support

22 Foreign exchangeNews about the University’s

increasing links with

international students, with

a focus on the Middle East

23 Back to the classroomA scheme at the University’s

School of Welsh is set to help

many teaching practitioners

improve their Welsh language

skills and gain confi dence

10Universities play a crucial role in today’s global ‘knowledge economy’. More young people, and many of us who are not so young, want to gain the knowledge, experience, skills and challenges that leading universities – such as Cardi+ – are able to provide. Employers, too, want to recruit people with these skills, and increasingly seek graduates whose skills are developed in an internationally leading university. However, for UK domiciled students, their access to UK universities is no longer a matter assessed by students simply on academic or professional interest. Funding and fee arrangements, which follow di+ erent government policies in England and the Devolved Administrations (eg Wales), introduce new economic challenges, and some of these issues are discussed in this magazine.

Cardi+ University is strongly committed to educating students from all backgrounds and locations, who have demonstrated academic merit and will benefi t from the Cardi+ experience. Furthermore, the very high employability of Cardi+ graduates suggests that we are achieving an important objective for our students. Increasingly, however, Cardi+ University must use bursary, scholarship and other fi nancial interventions to help students who might not otherwise be able to study here.

Many of you have demonstrated your commitment on this issue too – by supporting the next generation of Cardi+ University students through the Cardi+ Fund. Your generosity is greatly appreciated – you are helping to add valuable funding to the package of fi nancial and academic support that the University has put together to inspire and support future students from a wide variety of backgrounds.

The feedback we get from our alumni and the stories we receive of your success and progress in every imaginable profession demonstrate very clearly that a Cardi+ University education has a great impact on the world around us long after the graduation ceremonies end. The cost of Higher Education may have increased, but the value of investing in a university education remains priceless.

4 Cardi% University Magazine WINTER 2012

news

A new groundbreaking research project, called Biodiversity Virtual e-Laboratory (BioVeL), is set to revolutionise the study of biodiversity worldwide. Alex Hardisty of the School of Computer Science and Informatics, coordinator of the three-year project that started in September 2011, says: “The outcomes will improve the study of biodiversity. All scientists will benefi t directly from the tools, knowledge and expertise assembled in this infrastructure, oN ering the promise of new opportunities to more easily research substantial biodiversity problems with societal impact.”

Biodiversity science is the study of the plants and animals that inhabit our planet, and the environments they live in. The project, worth £5 million in funding, will provide a vital service, improving the way scientists share, analyse and present information in this growing area of science. CardiN University experts will join with 15 partners from institutions across Europe in a timely project that addresses issues high on the political agenda, such as climate change and the destruction of natural habitats.

Biodiversity BOOSTUPDATE

FOR FURTHER DETAILS ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENING AT CARDIFF UNIVERSITY, AND THE LATEST EVENTS, VISIT WWW.CARDIFF.AC.UK/NEWS

The new Morgan-Botti Lightning Laboratory is set to make a big impact on the aircraft industry.

“On average around the world there is one lightning strike every second,” says Professor Manu Haddad of the Cardiff School of Engineering, “and there is one lightning strike to each aircraft every year. Reproducing such effects of lightning in the laboratory is so important to study the effects of lightning on materials and components for both ground and airborne structures.”

The facility will tackle the emerging trend to use composites within the mechanical structure of the aircraft. Use of such composites will make for greener transport, so it is vital to ensure such materials are tested thoroughly.

The laboratory is named after Rhodri Morgan, former First Minister of Wales, and Dr Jean

Botti, Chief Technical Offi cer of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), who were both instrumental in setting up the facility, which has received funding of around £1.6 million from EADS and the Welsh Government.

“Our new laboratory will generate controlled lightning, which will be used with advanced test and measurement methods to further understanding of lightning effects on materials, and ensure aircraft remain safe, as they are today,” says Philip Leichauer, Lightning Laboratory Project Manager.

Carwyn Jones, First Minister of Wales, adds, “This is a fl agship centre for aerospace research within Wales and will provide a magnet for industries developing composite materials, and will also encourage research and development investment into our country. I am delighted the Welsh Government has been able to support us.”

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LIGHTNING LAB STRIKES GOLD

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news

The employability of Cardi4 students scaled new heights in 2010. A survey conducted by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) found that 94% of 2010 Cardi4 graduates found

a job or entered further study within six months of completing their studies.

“Our approach to employability focuses upon building the skills our graduates will need once in employment, whether in the public or private sector, academia, a multi-national company, or a Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) here in Wales,” says Les Rees (above), Director of the University’s Careers Service. “Our students are valued for their academic ability, motivation

and resourcefulness. As one of the UK’s leading teaching and research universities, we prepare students for leadership and we are listed annually in the top 20 universities targeted by The Times Top 100 Graduate Recruiters.”

To ensure that graduates are as employable as possible, many factors are embedded into the student experience, including a dedicated and professional Careers Service, access to a Career Management Skills Programme, paid and unpaid work experience opportunities, support from our Student Enterprise Unit for students considering setting up their own business, and much more.

For more details about available support visit www.cardi( .ac.uk/carsv

JOBSEEKERS’ SUCCESS

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FINDING FUTURE ENTREPRENEURS

The results of Cardiff University’s i-Solve competition in summer 2011 offered much hope for the future, particularly for one team.

“This is not a business game or a simulation – it’s an opportunity to make a real impact on a real-life project and, as such, is exciting and challenging for all involved,” says Karen O’Rourke, coordinator of the initiative. Participants had to identify

commercial opportunities for technologies being developed by Cardiff researchers. Postgraduate students and research staff from a variety of academic schools applied their ingenuity and innovation skills to the i-Solve challenge. The winning group was Team Anti-Cancer with its recommendations for the commercial application of a biological therapy being developed in the School of

Medicine. Several weeks of preparation was followed by an intimidating ‘Dragons’ Den’ scenario, where competitors were quizzed by a panel of judges. The winning team was commended for delivering a professional, informative and creative presentation, displaying confi dence and business fl air.

“Team Anti-Cancer had some really interesting and informed recommendations and fully justifi ed their decisions. The students were able to handle the judges’ probing questions and all members came across as knowledgeable and enthusiastic,” says O’Rourke of the winning students.

The team members (see above left) were among 25 postgraduate students and research staff from across the University who took part with support from an industry mentor.

“This is not a business game or a simulation – it’s an opportunity to make a real impact on a real-life project”

Back row: Ataul ChowdhuryFront row, left to right: Raji Ramakrishnan, Jitka

Soukupova, Sabbir Ahmed, Muhammed Khan, Yun Zheng, Professor Hywel Thomas, Pro Vice-

Chancellor Engagement and International


news

INTERNATIONALProfessor Meena Upadhyaya of the University’s Institute of Medical Genetics, who is internationally recognised in the fi eld, was the inspiration behind The Welsh Asian Women Achievement Awards. The fi rst annual event was held successfully in November 2011 at Cardi@ ’s City Hall.

IN BRIEF

Innovative teachingProfessor Chris Webster, School of City and Regional Planning, and Ms Julie Price, Cardi8 Law School, have each been awarded a National Teaching Fellowship by the Higher Education Academy (HEA) in support of their innovative ways of teaching

students and improving the student experience. Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Students, Professor Jonathan Osmond, said: “I was privileged to be part of the University’s selection process for nomination to the awards and was struck by the strong commitment of sta8 to improving their students’ educational experience. We were unanimous in our selection.”

Engineering excellence Dr Gemma Whatling CEng MIMechE has been named as the winner of the 2011

Karen Burt Memorial Award. The award is made annually by the Women in Engineering Society to a woman engineer of high calibre who has recently become chartered, to encourage more women to aim for Chartered Engineer and corporate status across all engineering disciplines.“The award is looking for a woman who goes above and beyond being an excellent professional engineer. Gemma has been recognised for her depth of expertise, and also breadth of input and infl uence. She is a great role model for future engineers,” says Penny Taylor, representing the Institution’s Professional Review Committee.

Outstanding contribution Professor Antony Manstead of the School of Psychology has been recognised for his outstanding contribution to social psychology, joining a list of eminent individuals who are Fellows of the British Academy. He was honoured for his contribution to the study of social psychology, with a focus on emotion, prosocial behaviour, attitudes and attitude change, and social identity.

Academics in the fi eld of Social Sciences at the University had plenty to celebrate in autumn 2011 when four professors were honoured with appointments as Academicians of the Academy of Social Sciences. Professors Andrew Pithouse and Amanda Co8 ey from the School of Social Sciences, and Professors George Boyne and Hugh Willmott from Cardi8

Business School (all pictured above, left to right) were nominated by their peers and are recognised as distinguished scholars and practitioners who have signifi cantly contributed to the fi eld of social sciences.

“Cardi8 has one of the largest totals of Academicians of any UK university,” says Professor Graham Hutchings, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research. “The recognition underlines our strength in a wide range of disciplines, and the relevance of our work in social sciences.”

Including these four appointments, 31 Cardi8 University academics have received this accolade. For more details of the winners go to ‘Recent News’ at www.cardi( .ac.uk/news/sta( .html

“The recognition underlines our strength in a wide range of disciplines”

STARS FROM SOCIAL SCIENCES

WHAT AN HONOUR…A round-up of the people at Cardiff who have recently been honoured

www.cardi( .ac.uk 7

TOMORROW’SWORLD

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Professor George Boyne talks about the Thrive campaign and how the University is encouraging students to choose Cardiff

“Thrive was designed to generate excitement, via digital and social media, about what Cardiff can offer”

With UK undergraduate students entering a new era of responsibility for higher tuition costs, all universities need to innovate. Admission fi gures released in February 2012 underscored this message. Compared to 2011, the number of UK applicants for undergraduate courses fell by 8.7%. UK newspaper headlines spoke of “snubs” or “slumps” for universities, although the position was rather more nuanced.

The number of 18-year-olds applying fell by 3.6%. Given that the total UK population of 18-year-olds had fallen by 1.8% anyway, higher fees appear not to have aO ected the desire of many school-leavers to attend university. Young people understand that Higher Education still oO ers lifetime benefi ts. However, they are spending more time than ever considering what is best for them before deciding where to study.

In Wales, many universities, including CardiO , fared better than the UK average. Applications by all Welsh students fell by only 1.9%. This is not to diminish the challenge facing Welsh Higher Education. In particular, we saw a 12.3% drop in English-resident students applying to Welsh institutions. Meanwhile, Welsh students applying to England rose. As a sector, we have to show young people that opting for university education in Wales is as attractive a decision as anywhere in the UK. We are committed to ensuring that a CardiO University education remains possible for any student who excels academically, whatever their background or situation, so we have developed a range of bursaries and scholarships and continue

to stress the return on investment that university can bring in terms of career and life opportunities.

Students also want to know that they will be attractive to employers at the end of their degrees – two-thirds of those applying to university this year see employability skills as a key consideration; over half have completed a work experience placement before they start university and the vast majority will have done so by the end of their fi rst year of study. CardiO is ranked third in the Russell Group for graduate employability, with more than 94% of CardiO graduates

in employment or further training within six months of graduation. The latest UCAS fi gures confi rm we remain one of the most sought-after universities in the UK, with more than six applications per undergraduate place. To continue to raise awareness of the long-term life value of a degree at CardiO University, our challenge is to communicate with students from all backgrounds on their own terms and via media where they feel at home.

THRIVING TO SUCCEEDOur 2012 undergraduate recruitment campaign, Thrive, was designed to generate renewed excitement, via digital and social media, about the possibilities that CardiO University can oO er. The

campaign was launched to engage with the UK’s highest calibre students and raised CardiO ’s national profi le in the undergraduate recruitment market, leading to thousands of extra visits to the University’s website. Another enticement is the ‘Ultimate Scholarship’ – the oO er of free tuition for life, more details of which can be found at www.thrive.cardi( .ac.uk. This is a life-changing prize for a student who has the passion and commitment to succeed.

Thrive’s approach goes beyond traditional student recruitment methods as we are no longer in a traditional

student recruitment market. Students, their parents and advisors are asking harder questions about what degree courses will deliver for them. We welcome this – after all, that spirit of enquiry, testing and research is what we are trying to inculcate in all our students while they are with us. Universities will need to respond with imagination to this new era if the best students are to continue to enter Higher Education and leave with the best degrees and employment prospects possible.

Professor George Boyne is Chair of the Undergraduate Recruitment Campaign Steering Group and Dean of the Business School


news

UPDATEA ROUND-UP OF THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS MADE POSSIBLE THANKS TO THE SUPPORT AND GENEROSITY OF OUR DONORS

Caribbean BURSARY LAUNCHED A pioneering criminologist has inspired a new bursary to help support Caribbean and Guyanese social scientists.

Caribbean and Guyanese students at the School of Social Sciences are being o? ered a grant named after a pioneer of criminology research in the region. Professor Howard Jones was a leading researcher into crime, punishment and social conditions in the Caribbean, and played an infl uential role in developing probation services in Barbados, Guyana and Jamaica.

Professor Jones died in 2007 and a new PhD studentship has been created in his memory. The Professor Howard Jones Bursary is available to applicants from the Caribbean and Guyana who wish to conduct high-class criminology and criminal justice research.

“Howard had a very strong sense of attachment to the Caribbean,” says Professor Mike Levi, who worked closely with Professor Jones. “His widow, Bess, wants to continue that link by encouraging research in the region. She and her family have made an extremely generous donation to support this opportunity for a promising new social scientist.”

The bursary commenced in September 2011 and will provide the successful student with an annual allowance of £13,590 for one year of a Research Masters and three years of PhD study.

Development

Santander has renewed its existing agreement with Cardiff to provide £225,000 worth of funding over the next three years. The bank will fund scholarships and awards for students and staff to study in the UK and abroad. In addition, it will provide support for the Student Hardship Fund, for the School of Welsh, the Cardiff School of European Studies, the Cardiff Business School and the Student Development Unit.

Ana Botin, CEO of Santander UK, and Dr David Grant, Cardiff

University’s Vice-Chancellor, signed the agreement at a ceremony attended by University staff and students and members of the bank. Ms Botin also took the opportunity to offi cially open a new Santander University branch on campus.

Dr Grant says: “Cardiff University is delighted to continue its mutually benefi cial partnership with Santander Universities. We welcome Santander’s generous support for students and researchers, which will allow the

University to develop a variety of academic projects, many of them building on our existing strong links with Spain, Portugal and Latin America. The new agreement will also offer opportunities for students wishing to start business or social enterprises, and to develop other key employment skills.”

Santander has been allied with various universities since 1996, in 15 countries worldwide. The UK network launched in 2007 and Cardiff joined in 2008.

SANTANDER SUPPORT CONTINUESThe UK’s fi fth largest bank agrees to further funding

“Cardiff University is delighted to continue its partnership with Santander Universities”

Left, Vice-Chancellor Dr David Grant, and Lewis Ryan and Ana Botin from Santander

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news

Cardi) ’s 2012 Call Campaign is running throughout February and March, and with the generosity of Cardi) alumni, the Cardi) Fund, which the campaign is raising money for, aims to provide support to many Cardi) students. Here are just a few of the things that the 2011 Call Campaign helped make happen.

Cardi) Student Support Centre is helping students to improve their employability skills during their studies. Some voluntary and not-for-profi t organisations are willing to o) er work experience, but are unable to pay students, so the Cardi) Fund is supporting these students while they get valuable work experience.

Cardi) University Libraries has been able, with help from the Cardi) Fund, to buy extra

copies of the most frequently used e-books for current students whose feedback to the library service asked for more e-books to be made available to them.

The Cardi) Fund is also supporting the Students’ Union (right) through Student Volunteering Cardi) and the Student Development Unit. It has been given funding to enable students to help local community projects in Cardi) – from decorating a local community centre to helping in local primary schools and running co) ee mornings for local elderly residents in Cathays. The Student Development Unit is helping students with their interview techniques and employability skills with the extra funding.

TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

FIGHTING FOR THE CHILDRENA sad loss to the legal profession results in a valued scholarship

In August 2011, the University was touched to receive a large number of donations from the family, friends and professional colleagues of the late Mrs Trish Greenhaf (nee Whiting) – known as Trish Whiting – which has enabled it to establish the Trish Whiting Legal Services for Children Scholarship Fund.

Trish was a leading children’s lawyer in Wales and had a strong association with Cardiff University, professionally and personally, as a visiting lecturer in Cardiff Law School, and as the proud mum of a current Cardiff student. Having practised as a barrister and solicitor Trish became one of the founding partners of the fi rm Legal Services for Children, one of Wales’ foremost providers of public Family Law exclusively for children.

Sadly, Trish lost her battle with breast cancer in May 2011, aged only 50, but before her untimely death, she discussed her wishes with her family and expressed a wish that perhaps funds could be raised in her memory that could be used towards scholarship support for Cardiff Law School students specialising in Family Law.

A LASTING LEGACY

Howard Greenhaf, Trish’s husband, said: “Trish was very passionate about giving children that found themselves in extremely diffi cult circumstances the best possible chance in life. She was determined to make sure that the child, or children, she acted for had what was in their best interest. That is why she really wanted to help other law students with a similar attitude to continue where she left off – fi ghting for the rights of children who were unable to help themselves.”

Jonathan Furness QC, Head of the Family Division at 30 Park Place Chambers in Cardiff, said: “The families and the children of South East Wales are much the poorer for the loss of Trish; the legal profession is the poorer too.

She will live on in our memories and through the bursary that is being set up in her name for a law student at Cardiff University. How appropriate that something should be set up to help a young person into the law. Her legacy will live on also in the families she represented: families who have been kept together because of Trish’s hard work and diligence, and even in the families who although split up managed to do so with dignity because of Trish.”

Howard added: “I’m sure that there are many students who would wish to benefi t from the fund set up in memory of Trish with the help of so many people, and that they can go on to emulate her approach to Family Law and even surpass what Trish achieved. I know that is something she really wanted.”

If you would like to make a contribution to the Trish Whiting Legal Services for Children Scholarship, you can do so by sending a cheque made payable to ‘Cardiff University – Trish Whiting Scholarship Fund’ to the Development & Alumni Relations Division, Cardiff University, 5th Floor, Deri House, 2-4 Park Grove, Cardiff CF10 3PA.

“She was determined to make sure

that the children she acted for

had what was in their best interest”


As a revealing new report into UK Higher Education is published, we delve into the major trends of the last 10 years

WORDS: ANNA BRITTEN

trends in higher education

The changing face of Higher

Education

hat do architecture,

postgraduate students and the

Chinese have in common? According

to the report Patterns and Trends in UK Higher

Education 2011, published last October by Universities UK, all are drivers of today’s thriving university world.

The report, which draws on data collected annually since 2001, examines the trends that have developed over the past decade, unearthing a period of signifi cant expansion and change. While the headlines continue to be dominated by funding cuts and job losses, the report proves to be a more optimistic read, demonstrating how Higher Education institutions like Cardiff University continue to make a vital and valuable economic and social contribution to the UK.

BILLION-POUND INDUSTRYAccording to the report, UK Higher Education is one of the economy’s most important industries, pulling in a combined turnover of £26.8 billion. Cardiff University’s impact on the Welsh economy in particular is estimated to be around the £760 million2 mark.

This billion-pound turnover has been fuelled by a dramatic increase in student numbers, says the

report. In the last 10 years, there was a 28% increase in student numbers with 2.5 million students studying at a UK Higher Education institution in 2009-10. Of these, 127,885 were in Wales and 28,0001 at Cardiff University.

But it’s not just on home soil that we’re seeing the benefi ts of UK Higher Education – it’s also one of the country’s most valuable exports. Nationally, over 400,000 students come to the UK from overseas – double the amount in 2000-1. China (excluding Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao) continues to provide the highest numbers of international students, with India running second.

Of course, Cardiff welcomes and thrives on its own diverse intake, teaching more than 3,000 international students from more than 110 countries – in fact, 42% of its business students are international, 27% of its medical students come from overseas, and a quarter of its architecture students travel here from different countries1. (For more on Cardiff ’s international successes, turn to page 22.)

As student numbers have increased, so too has Cardiff University’s commitment to investment, with numerous exciting new capital developments taking shape over recent years. Alongside the world-class £20.8 million Optometry & Vision Sciences Building, which opened in 2007, the University has invested £18 million into the Cochrane Building, a state-of-the-art new focal point for all its healthcare schools situated on the Heath Park campus.

FACTS &FIGURES:A snapshot of life at Cardiff University4

4,500 University places per year

34,000 Applications for places

21,250 Undergraduates

8,000 Postgraduates

1,700 Research contracts in operation at any one time

8,200Students graduate each year

94%Percentage of graduates going on to employment/further study

www.cardi( .ac.uk 11


An artist’s impression of the development of the

new Maindy Park campus



“China continues to provide the highest numbers of international students, with India running second”

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Kristian Dando studied at the School of Journalism from 2006-7 and still lives and works in Cardiff

My fondest memories of Cardi2 University are the people – it’s a very fertile, close environment. Because of its proximity to the Valleys and the Brecon Beacons, there is so much for students to draw upon – during my course I spent an evening in a haunted pub and hunting for big cats. You couldn’t do that in central London!

I still live here because it’s a city the size of an average small town but there’s so much condensed into it, and you can get everywhere on foot. It’s very unpretentious too. I sometimes consider leaving, but I can’t. It’s my home. Why would I want to leave? It’s brilliant.

The impact on the city of the student community is a constant sort of regeneration – you have a steady stream of young, inquisitive and optimistic minds coming through.

The number of overseas students adds to the vibe. I was sitting in my local recently and there were three or four languages being spoken in the pub. I’m not surprised that Cardi2 University is attracting ever-greater student numbers. I’ve always been very impressed by it.

For more stories from Cardi, alumni go to www.cardi( network.cf.ac.uk/Netcommunity, Your Cardi, Stories

My Cardiff

Students and staff can also look forward to work beginning on the massive Maindy Park campus and the development of a postgraduate centre for Cardiff Business School, which alone is estimated to provide 10% of the University’s impact on the Welsh economy2.

POSTGRADUATE BOOMUK-wide, the number of postgraduate students has risen by a massive 73.1% in 10 years. Cardiff has responded to the swelling ranks of its own 8,000-strong postgraduate community with its dedicated Graduate Centre and University Graduate College, whose support package was shortlisted in the 2010 Times Higher Education Award for Outstanding Support for Early Career Researchers.

The mythical ‘Mickey Mouse degree’ so beloved of certain tabloids is nowhere to be seen in the list of the UK’s most popular degree subjects. In the past seven years, rigorous academic subjects such as the sciences, mathematics and architecture have all experienced a boom. Cardiff continues to attract students in all these fi elds, many of them no doubt impressed by recent successes. The Welsh School of Architecture recently worked on a project that won the Low Energy Social Project of the Year Award at the 2011 Sustainable Housing Awards. The School of Mathematics’ collaboration with the Offi ce for National Statistics resulted in the 2011 Innovation Prize, while members of the School of Earth &

Ocean Sciences and the School of Biosciences have received numerous honours and awards.

JOB PROSPECTSSomewhat refreshingly, there was good news for jobseeking graduates. According to the report, employment rates remain high across the university sector with eight out of 10 UK institutions showing between 86% and 94% of their students recorded as in employment or further study in the six months after graduation. While the recession may have decreased this fi gure slightly, graduates have been less affected by it than those with lower qualifi cations. Meanwhile, Cardiff continues to be a great launching pad for its own high-calibre graduates: each year around 90% of graduates enter employment or professional training/postgraduate study shortly after graduating3. A recent survey by the University also credits students themselves with being more career-driven, both with making the decision about where they want to go to university and how they boost their employability before, and while they are at university.

All in all, the report paints an interesting portrait of the ever-evolving Higher Education world – and gives Cardiff University even greater cause to look upon the future with optimism and excitement.

1. International Prospectus www.cf.ac.uk/for/prospective/inter/Cardiff%20University%20International%20Prospectus.pdf2. The Impact of Business Schools in the UK by Andrew Cooke & Vaughan Galt (Nottingham Economics, Nottingham Business School) 3. www.cardiff.ac.uk/about/facts/index.html 4. Figures rounded up

More students from China are welcomed

to the University every year


tuition fees

As head of a new UK government taskforce, Martin Lewis helps us look at the truth behind the introduction of tuition fees

WORDS: STEVE WRIGHT

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tuition fees

rom this September, UK universities are able to raise their annual tuition fees to

a maximum of £9,000 a year for UK/EU students, provided that they use some of the extra money raised to ease access for students from

poorer households. The controversial policy, backed by the UK Parliament in December 2010, is in response to major cuts to teaching budgets and will affect students entering Higher Education from September 2012 onwards. Needless to say, the fee increases have left students – and parents – feeling apprehensive. However, the changes are far less scary than they fi rst appear, and will certainly not tie graduates to a lifetime of poverty.

Martin Lewis, a Cardiff alumnus and founder of leading fi nancial advice website MoneySavingExpert.com, was appointed head of the UK Independent Taskforce on Student Finance Information in the summer of 2011. He expands on a core principle: you do not need cash to go to university.

“It isn’t a case of ‘pay up or you can’t go’,” Lewis explains. “Tuition fees for full-time,

fi rst-time undergraduates are automatically paid by

special Student Loan Company loans.

You will only start repaying

from the April after

your graduation – and then only if you are earning enough to do so.

“If you are earning under £21,000, you will not have to pay anything. And if your household income (either parental or your own) after tax is under £25,000, you’ll receive an annual £3,250 maintenance grant that never needs repaying.”

THE FIGURES IN FULLGraduates will repay 9% of any earnings above £21,000 per year – so, for example, a graduate earning £31,000 will repay £900 annually. And if your earnings drop, your repayments will drop accordingly. For students, this represents a better deal than the existing system: today’s graduates repay 9% of everything they earn above £15,000. This raised minimum threshold will mean that students from 2012 onwards could fi nd an extra £540 in their pockets each year after graduating.

Moreover, if and when repayment time comes, you needn’t worry about the debt collector at the door. Repayments will work like income tax, with employers deducting the money you owe from your salary. Lewis says: “Parents should think of it as a tax that your child will pay if they succeed in earning more, rather than a debt hanging over their head for life. Those who gain fi nancially from going to university will repay a lot: those who don’t will pay little or nothing.”

Also, that daunting top fi gure of £9,000 is not to be feared, as graduates’ monthly repayments are based only on how much

“It isn’t a case of ‘pay up or you can’t go’. You will only start

repaying from the April after your graduation”


to raise their able tannual tuition fees

a maximum of £9,000 ayear for UK/EU studentprovided that they use sof the extra money raisedease access for students fr

poorer households. The controversial polibacked by the UK Parliament in Decemb2010, is in response to major cuts to teachbudgets and will affect students entering Higher Education from September 2012 onwards. Needless to say, the fee increaseshave left students – and parents – feeling apprehensive. However, the changes are fascary than they fi rst appear, and will certanot tie graduates to a lifetime of poverty.

Martin Lewis, a Cardiff alumnus and founder of leading fi nancial advice websitMoneySavingExpert.com, was appointedhead of the UK Independent Taskforce onStudent Finance Information in the summof 2011. He expands on a core principle: you do not need cash to go to university.

“It isn’t a case of ‘pay up or you can’t gLewis explains. “Tuition fees for full-time

fi rst-time undergraduates areautomatically paid by

special Student LoanCompany loans.

You will only start repayin

from the April afte

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tuition fees

they earn, not their borrowing. You will simply pay back what you can over 30 years, with any remaining debt cancelled out after that time.

“The combination of lower repayments, higher interest and bigger fees mean that many graduates are unlikely to repay in full over the 30 years, even at the lower £6,000 level,” Lewis explains. “Even graduates with starting salaries as big as £30,000 won’t repay in full. So there is no additional cost to doing a £9,000 course.”

However, although you will pay less each year, a larger original debt will mean that you will owe money for longer and may – depending on your earnings – pay more back than you would have previously.

HOME ECONOMICSDevolved governments in Wales and Scotland will be charging up to £9,000 a year like England, but the governments will fund the increase for home students. For example, Welsh students going to university in Wales, England, Scotland or Northern Ireland will only pay an estimated £3,465: the equivalent of tuition fees today. The Welsh government will pay the remaining fees up to £9,000. However, English students, even if they study in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, will have to fund the full amount themselves.

There is good news for Cardiff graduates on the job front too. Investing in a Cardiff education has been proven to stand you in good stead. Over the last three years, 94% of Cardiff graduates entered employment or further study within six months of graduation.

WHERE THE MONEY GOESSo, why are higher fees required? For universities, much of the extra money raised will replace major cuts to teaching budgets, especially in arts and humanities subjects. For example, teaching grants were cut by 6% in 2011-12, with a further 16% reduction expected for 2012-13: this is all part of a four-year, 40% cut to the

Higher Education budget announced in the government’s 2010 spending review. Income from fees makes up about a third (29%) of universities’ total funding. A further 35% comes from government funding bodies, with the remaining shortfall taken up by research grants, endowments and investments.

Cardiff, for its part, will be charging the maximum £9,000 per annum for full-time home and EU undergraduates joining the University from 2012-13.

The fees will also allow Cardiff to maintain high-quality teaching and research across its courses – including its much more costly programmes in science, engineering and professional disciplines.

Dr David Grant, Cardiff University’s Vice-Chancellor, says: “We are committed to providing support for students throughout their time here, and to ensuring that students are equipped for life after university – not only with a sought-after qualifi cation but with the skills and attitudes that society and future employers need.

“We have worked closely with the Students’ Union and put a great deal of thought and consideration into our fee and support proposals. We are confi dent that by expansion and refocusing of our fl exible programme of bursaries and other investments we will be able to offer some of the best support available for UK undergraduates,” adds Dr Grant.

To read more about student fi nance, visit www.studentfi nance2012.com, www.studentfi nancecalc.com and www.studentfi nancewales.co.uk To view the online App go to www.unifees2012.com, or search for Uni Fees 2012 at your App store.

CHECKLIST: The key facts & figures

£9,000 The top fi gure a university can charge annually

£21,000 If you earn under £21,000 annually you pay nothing

94% The percentage of Cardi; graduates who enter employment or further study within six months of graduation

9% The percentage of earnings you’ll pay on earnings above £21,000 a year

30 Amount of years after which any remaining debt will be cancelled


making a di) erence

WORDS: LAURA DIXON

raditionally, university research institutions have been centred on the notion of academia, contributing

fi ndings to the already established great bodies of knowledge within them. Increasingly, university

research is different: with Cardiff departments investigating cures

for cancer and Alzheimer’s, sustainable development, the infl uence of media on society and much more, it is concerned with making a difference.

Professor Chris McGuigan chairs the University’s Research Excellence Framework (REF) Committee, which is committed to a national process that assesses excellence in Higher Education institutions. The REF process allocates projects, governs funding, monitors standards and demonstrates the benefi ts of public investment in research. Being able to demonstrate that the University’s research has an impact on society is a crucial part of this. In the most recent ratings (2008), almost 60% of Cardiff ’s research was deemed as world leading or internationally excellent.

“We hope that by the next exercise in 2014, we will have improved further,” he says. “In the past academics have been rewarded for doing well in the academic sphere. But the REF recognises that we have to go beyond that and have an impact. It’s a broad defi nition, but could include, for example, our medical research teams developing new medicines to market, or our social sciences teams developing strategies that have an impact on the economy. There are also new business developments, cultural infl uence, engineering breakthroughs and impact on defence – we work across so many different sectors.” Signifi cant developments for Cardiff research teams

are planned in the next fi ve years, which will include new buildings, institute directors and staff.

“Where Cardiff differs from non-research universities is in being a full-service University,” explains Professor McGuigan. “We have all aspects of excellence, full teaching programmes for undergraduates and post-graduates in all subjects, and we are also active in research across all subjects, from humanities, health and social sciences to science. Not all universities do this.

“We invest in research across our schools and typically have around £100 million of funding for the research – not staff salaries, just research – every year. This comes from a variety of sources, depending on the sector, including charities and industry. We are very active in commercialising the research with patents, and so on, and that can be another source of fi nance.”

The University launched three new research institutes in 2011: The European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute aims to identify cancer stem cells, develop ways to target them and ultimately create clinical trials and therapies and add to scientifi c understanding; The Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute builds on the University’s Medical Research Council expertise and is particularly focusing on genetic aspects of mental health; The Sustainable Places Research Institute is concerned with creating buildings and environments that are sustainable. Currently, £11 million is committed to the institutes, together with a brand-new building at Maindy Park.

“It’s a huge spend and these institutes don’t even have buildings yet,” says Professor McGuigan. “We are in the process of recruiting directors and staff. It will pay dividends in the future and just as we have literally broken ground on the project at Maindy Park last year, we will be breaking metaphorical ground in research as we go forward.”

Professor Chris McGuigan talks about the University’s commitment to research and its impact on the world, while we highlight some of its infl uential research

MAKING A DIFFERENCE


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“We invest in research across our schools and typically have around £100 million of funding for the research every year”


making a di) erence

Law and the Anglican ChurchProfessor Norman Doe of Cardiff Law School is leading a project that has changed the way the Anglican Church operates, altered global perceptions of the church, and stimulated worldwide debate. Before 2008 there was no legal framework uniting the churches, which have a combined membership of 80 million people, and when issues of confl ict arose, such as divisions over issues of human sexuality, it was diffi cult to fi nd unity within the church as a global institution.

The research compared the laws of the 44 autonomous churches to uncover similarities and differences in their legal systems, and drafted principles of law drawn from their similarities. His research has also encompassed how Anglican churches can operate autonomously but under the umbrella of the Anglican Church.

Professor Doe has improved inter-church relations, helped with confl ict resolutions and helped regulate relations between churches and the autonomy they exercise. A key principle proposed and elaborated by Doe, ‘The Communion guides, each church decides’, is the bedrock of the Anglican Communion Covenant and is currently being ratifi ed among the worldwide churches, and includes suggestions as to how to work together and how to strengthen the legal framework governing the church globally. To date eight have approved it and one has rejected it.

Curbing arson in the ValleysDeliberate grass fi re-setting costs South Wales Fire and Rescue Services (SWFRS) around £7m a year. From 2009 to 2010, Dr Sue Peattie led a team from Cardiff Business School in an innovative action research project using social marketing techniques to fi nd a solution. Working with SWFRS, Tonypandy Community College, the police, the Forestry Service and ASDA, Dr Peattie conducted qualitative research interviewing stakeholders, as well as evaluation research about its effectiveness.

This work identifi ed who was setting fi res and why – largely bored young males who were looking for thrills – and found that adults remembered fi re-setting in their youth too, and saw it as a social norm in Valleys communities. Additionally, it found that people overestimated the fi re service’s resources and underestimated the cost and damage of fi re-setting.

Awareness campaigns and projects as a result of the research fi ndings have had a huge impact, reducing incidences of fi re-setting by 46% – three times more than it had sought to do. It has also changed the way that the fi re service approaches problems with a behavioural aspect – they now seek to use marketing principles, such as research and awareness campaigns. Among other awards, in 2011 the research received the Chartered Institute in Public Relations Excellence in Communications award for the public sector category.

“We are active in research across all subjects, from humanities, health and social sciences to science. Not all universities do this”

IT’S A FACT

Over the last three years (2008-2011) Cardi) University has won new external research grants and contracts worth over £300 million.

At any one time the University’s researchers are generating data and results from around 2,000 live externally funded research grants and contracts.


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A clearer future for microscopyPaola Borri from the School of Biosciences and Israel Rocha-Mendoza and Wolfgang Langbein of the School of Physics and Astronomy spent 2006-9 engaged in research to make advances in microscope technology applicable to widespread use. They have invented and developed a technology called D-CARS, which reduces the complexity of microscopy, making it more amenable for more unrestricted usage. It has great implications in healthcare in particular, where its general application could benefi t skin cancer, obesity and cardiovascular disease diagnosis.

Their signifi cant development has been in the area of non-invasive light imaging of living cells by detecting the presence of biomolecules such as lipids and proteins without the need to stain them with dyes, through light which is scattered by vibrating bonds inside these molecules.

At the moment, the laser sources for this type of technique are prohibitively expensive and cannot be used for other microscopy techniques. The new product is being developed as a prototype to upgrade commercial microscopes, making this a viable solution. Further funding received in 2010 has ensured that work with this technology can continue on the project.

Creating purer air Research to understand Hopcalite-based catalysts, carried out by Dr Stuart Taylor and Professor Graham Hutchings from the School of Chemistry, has resulted in the commercial creation of products that have changed lives. The research examined the preparation of copper manganese oxide (Hopcalite) heterogeneous catalysts. The research has resulted in a greater understanding of the link between the performance of the catalyst and the structure of the solid materials. The UK-based company Molecular Products identifi ed its potential and is now collaborating with the University in R & D.

This research has resulted in the development of new manufacturing routes for Molecular Products’ Moleculite and Sofnocat catalysts, advances in processing, and new supercritical antisolvent preparation methods for Hopcalite preparation that have signifi cant future potential. The advance in processing will have an impact as Sofnocat is used in the mining industry to create a safe haven in the event of an emergency, for example by purifying air in confi ned spaces – such as when a tunnel collapses. Molecular Products has also strengthened its business as a result of the R & D and various products developed using the research have helped (through air purifi cation) life-support applications in mining, medicine and military contexts.

Professors Michael Kerr and David Felce, along with Professor Helen Houston from the Cardi) Medical School, are responsible for research that will improve

the health of 40,000 adults with learning disabilities every year.

Their research tackles the specifi c health issues surrounding adults with learning disabilities:

as a group, they have higher morbidity and more disparate health needs than the rest of the population. And while most live in the community and use primary care

facilities, they may have diB culty understanding

and communicating about illness.

There is also evidence that their carers think

they are healthier than they are, and many illnesses go

undetected. As a vulnerable

sector of society, the question arose of whether regular health checks could help identify problems earlier and improve the health of all concerned. It was clear from other research that their needs were not being met by the standard primary care system. The research team has devised the Cardi) Health Check format where it recruited GP practices to conduct health

checks for adults with learning disabilities who had not previously undergone a health assessment. This seminal study was evaluated for impact, and a follow-up study was initiated to establish the impact of regular health checks and establish a recommended interval between checks, trialling checks of 28, 44 and 14 months.

The surveys revealed, as suspected, that: signifi cant numbers of adults with such disabilities are su) ering from unaddressed health problems. New health needs were identifi ed for 51% of the patients surveyed, with 25% having two needs identifi ed, and 12% more than two. Serious health issues arose for 9% of the sample, including breast cancer, asthma, dementia and diabetes, and as a result of the second survey, the team concluded that annual health checking could be justifi able.

A a result of the work, the Welsh Government and the UK Department of Health have provided funding for all adults with learning disabilities in Wales and England to receive an annual health check. Based on current data, it is estimated that 40,000 adults with learning disabilities will have new health needs identifi ed and treated every year. Focus groups have generally been very positive about them.

Internationally, the research has been widely praised and has been called ‘the most comprehensive study of repeated health checks to date’, with Australia and New Zealand adopting new health checking processes.

“40,000 adults with learning disabilities will have new health needs identified”

Creating a fairer health system for adults with learning disabilities

IT’S A FACT

The total value of the University’s external research grants and contracts portfolio exceeds £400 million.

In recent years Cardi) has experienced unprecedented success in securing research funding from European sources – £20 million in new European grants over the last two years, including a number of awards from the highly prestigious European Research Council.


student support

Dave Roylance looks to the future and the hopes

of students coming to Cardi% in an increasingly challenging environment

WORDS: JOE SPURGEON

edia coverage about changes to UK university

tuition fees over the last year has inevitably led to some misunderstanding fee structures and the level of student

support available (see page 13 for more).

The coverage has also lead to a marked shift in the expectations of students.

“The introduction of higher tuition fees has deterred some from applying to university this year, but most are philosophical about higher fees,” says Dave Roylance, Head of Undergraduate Recruitment & Widening Access. “They understand that a higher education continues to offer many lifetime benefi ts in terms of skills and career – indeed Cardiff has had record numbers at its most recent open days. However, student and parent expectations have also increased. We are getting more queries about what they will get for their money, about contact hours, employability and investment in facilities.”

As well as developing a more rigorous approach to their domestic university applications, UK

students are, according to a recent BBC article, beginning to look beyond their own borders in their quest to fi nd value for money in education. In the article1, Dr Anthony Seldon, Head of Wellington College in Berkshire, claims that within four years, a quarter of his sixth-formers will be heading for a well-funded university in the US.

AN EVOLVING EXPERIENCERather than rely on its existing reputation for excellence, Cardiff has been quick to recognise this shift in attitudes.

“Cardiff offers a fi rst-class university education and student experience,” says Roylance. “The University is in a state of continuous evolution, responding to changes in the lives and aspirations of our current and future students. In a challenging funding environment, we have made a number of new investments. Cardiff University Research Opportunities allows students to gain research experience while earning money over the summer vacation; The Cardiff Award will help students improve their employability. We’ve also developed an eLounge in the Arts and Social Studies Library, new study and IT spaces in the refurbished Trevithick Library, and a University App offering

As tuition fees rise so too will the expectations of university students. Cardiff shows how it is meeting their wishes

GREAT EXPECTATIONS


student support

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instant mobile information about student services. That’s alongside 24-hour library access, wider wireless access, an improved Students’ Union and greater investment in lecturer training and development.

“Financially, we have also put in place a package of scholarships and bursaries that at the least will ensure that all students joining the University in September 2012 (from families with a household income of up to £42,600) have a package of state/university funding worth around £7,000.”

INTRODUCING THRIVESo, in an era of increased tuition fees, fi erce competition for the brightest students and ever-more diverse communication channels, how does Cardiff go about reaching the students of tomorrow?

Roylance explains: “Alongside strengthening our Undergraduate Recruitment Team, we have also created Thrive (www.thrive.cardiff.ac.uk), a multi-faceted multimedia marketing campaign. Thrive talks to students in their own language and on their own terms. The campaign uses intrigue, innovation and an emphasis on social media to engage with the highest calibre students in a manner that goes beyond traditional recruitment techniques.

“One key feature is to give a greater say to the student voice in Cardiff ’s undergraduate recruitment process,” Roylance continues. “Current students will use Facebook and other social media to bring the University to life for potential applicants. We’ll ask alumni what their Cardiff University experience means to them. We’ll also have a micro-website that will guide applicants with updated information throughout their application, and we’ll also be providing a fl ow of stories to generate background buzz about Cardiff University.”

While a lot of this work is new, the response so far, and general on-campus mood, is buoyant. Within hours of Thrive’s launch at the beginning of December, visits to the campaign website had been numerous, spiked by noteworthy support across social networks, especially Twitter. Cardiff HonoraryFellow Stephen Fry tweeted that the University’s Free Tuition for Life competition was “The Ultimate Scholarship” to his 3.4 million followers, while rampaging Welsh rugby powerhouse (and Cardiff University medical student) Jamie Roberts also leant his support. Clearly the buzz is spreading.

1. www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15963688, published 1 Dec 2011, author Sean Coughlan

BRIGHT LIGHTSHere are some of the other ways in which the city supports its students

Cardiff & Co Charged with “promoting Wales’s capital city to the world”, Cardi< & Co comprises key representatives from the private sector and other local stakeholders (including the University). Their mission is to enhance the quality of investment, lifestyle, employment, events, academia and tourism for the city and its region, by sharing good news stories, celebrating Cardi< ’s many strengths, acting as a point of consultancy for the city, and more. www.cardi, andco.com

Cardiff Young ProfessionalsTargeting the young, newly-qualifi ed professionals in Cardi< ’s teeming talent pool, Cardi< Young Professionals aims to raise the profi le of local business and provide informal and social opportunities to meet and network with the like-minded. www.cardi, yp.co.uk

Lifetime ScholarshipA key component of the Thrive campaign, this opportunity has been creating much excitement among new students. Anyone from the EU and UK thinking of applying for full-time undergraduate study at Cardi< in 2012 will also have the opportunity to win unlimited free tuition by taking a series of challenges designed to probe the qualities the University expects from students: passion, commitment and intelligence. www.thrive.cardi, .ac.uk

The Cardiff AwardRecognised by industry (Ernst & Young is the principal sponsor), the Cardi< Award helps to give students an edge in the jobs market by supplying them with marketable business and social skills, as well as helping them build experience and confi dence by undertaking 70 hours of extra-curricular activities. www.cardi, .ac.uk/cardi, award

22 Cardi& University Magazine WINTER 2012

international

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eveloping international links at a university has become a vital part

of any development programme in a Higher Education establishment. Sandra Elliott, Director of Communications

and International Relations, and Helen Evans, Deputy Director of

Communications and International Relations, talk about the challenges of their roles.

“I enjoy talking to students, hearing where they have come from, why they chose Cardiff and what motivated them to study in their subject,” says Elliott. “There is also the opportunity to travel – I never tire of going to new places or meeting new people. Travelling for 14 hours is not glamorous, but visiting somewhere like Malaysia is amazing.”

With more international students coming to the UK than ever before, has there been a marked increase in the number of international students choosing to study at Cardiff in the last 10 years? “Numbers have almost doubled. We now have over 3,000 students from outside the EU at Cardiff,” says Elliott. “Eleven per cent of students come from overseas, from over 100 countries, including China, Malaysia and India (which provide the largest numbers) as well as signifi cant numbers from Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, the USA, Nigeria and Canada.”

“The number of students from the Gulf region in particular has increased signifi cantly over the last fi ve years,” adds Evans.

As increasing numbers of international students join in with others in the Cardiff experience, what can they as a group add to the University as a whole? “They bring a different set of cultures and experiences that add to the learning experience for all students,” explains Elliott, “and they also bring different approaches and ways of learning.”

These students travel thousands of miles to study – does this make them more disciplined or

WORDS: LOUISE CASSELL

How Cardiff University’s international links are becoming increasingly important

passionate than their UK counterparts? “They often have more at stake with regards to the expectations from sponsors or families and can be more committed to study,” reveals Elliott. “But international students have many opportunities for fun beyond their academic lives!”

Attracting overseas students is a big part of the job and requires a constant investment of time and the use of varied media. “We attend fairs or exhibitions in over 20 countries, visiting schools and universities as well as developing relationships with overseas governments and other sponsors. We also use the web and many online tools to interact with students, for example, email, social and digital media,” explains Elliott.

GROWTH AREAS Students come from all over the world, but what countries are the team having most success in recruiting from currently? “We have seen a lot of growth from across the Middle East in recent years,” says Elliott. “Many students that study on our international foundation, for example, progress to undergraduate or postgraduate study at Cardiff. The students enjoy the city and recommend it to friends and family. North America and Central Asia are also both regions where we are seeing an increasing number of students coming to Cardiff.”

The challenges are sure to continue in 2012. “We hope to carry on increasing the numbers of international students studying at Cardiff and we have just revised our international strategy, so will be fi nalising those plans.”

“Perhaps the biggest challenge (in the teaching section) is helping students make the transition from high school culture in their own country to the culture of the British Higher Education system,” adds Evans. “Smoothing the path for hundreds of students to make it into Higher Education in the UK – that is very rewarding.”

Foreignexchange

The QATAR connectionHelen Evans, country manager of Qatar, talks about Cardiff’s links with the area

“We started with one student from Qatar in 2000. Five years ago we had 26 students and this year we have 53 students from all over Qatar, including the capital city Doha (above). We also have 12 diC erent sponsors in Qatar.

“Students have to work hard to achieve the high school grades indicated by the sponsor and then have to fi nd themselves a place at a Higher Education institution overseas, before applying to one of the sponsors for a scholarship. Sponsors keep in regular contact with us and most of them visit the University at least once a year to see their students and to meet with staC .

“Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser of Qatar has been instrumental in setting up centres of excellence to enhance opportunities for the people of Qatar and to build the nation’s resources in a number of areas, including education.”

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Welsh language sabbatical scheme

ardiff University’s School of Welsh is collaborating in delivering the new Welsh Language Sabbatical Scheme, a £6 million initiative for teachers, lecturers and classroom assistants who wish to improve their Welsh and gain confi dence in using the language.

The result, it’s hoped, is that more practitioners will be able to teach through the medium of Welsh in statutory and post-16 education.

The School’s links to the scheme stretch back to 2005 when it was approached by Canolfan Bedwyr (Bangor University) to collaborate on a project to develop provision in South Wales. This pilot scheme was extremely successful, with 162 practitioners completing the course in Cardiff.

Following a successful tender the School will now deliver Foundation-level and Entry-level courses in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan alongside Higher-level courses in Cardiff and the South East region. The Higher-level course is now a Cardiff University accredited qualifi cation, while the Entry and Foundation courses will be accredited by the WJEC.

There’s been a high level of interest in the scheme with the School hitting all its targets for the courses it offers. And judging by the comments from some recent graduates, this is unlikely to change. One such graduate commented: “This is by far the best professional development experience that I have ever had,” while another said: “Truly the best course and of the highest standard that I have ever attended.”

“The good thing about this course is that teachers are allowed a period away from their school or college to focus completely on improving their Welsh,” says Lois Roberts, Course Administrator in the School of Welsh. “The aim is to have a positive impact on the workplace and to change the linguistic environment in schools. We hope that the Welsh Government will continue to fund the scheme in the future.”

ae Ysgol y Gymraeg Prifysgol Caerdydd yn cydweithio ar gyfl wyno cynllun newydd - Cynllun Sabothol yr Iaith Gymraeg – menter £6 miliwn i athrawon, darlithwyr a chynorthwywyr dosbarth sydd am wella’u Cymraeg ac ennill hyder wrth

ddefnyddio’r iaith. Y canlyniad, gobeithir, fydd gweld mwy o ymarferwyr yn gallu addysgu drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg mewn addysg statudol ac ôl-16.

Mae cysylltiadau’r Ysgol â’r cynllun yn ymestyn yn ôl i 2005 pan gysylltodd Canolfan Bedwyr (Prifysgol Bangor) â hi a’i gwahodd i gydweithio ar brosiect i ddatblygu’r ddarpariaeth yn Ne Cymru. Roedd y cynllun peilot hwnnw’n hynod o lwyddiannus gyda 162 o ymarferwyr yn cwblhau’r cwrs yng Nghaerdydd.

Yn dilyn tendro llwyddiannus bydd yr Ysgol bellach yn cyfl wyno cyrsiau Lefel Sylfaen a Lefel Mynediad yng Nghaerdydd a Bro Morgannwg ochr yn ochr â’r cyrsiau Lefel Uwch yng Nghaerdydd a rhanbarth y De Ddwyrain. Mae’r cwrs Lefel Uwch bellach yn gymhwyster wedi’i achredu gan Brifysgol Caerdydd, a bydd y cyrsiau Mynediad a Sylfaen yn cael eu hachredu gan CBAC.

Mae lefel uchel o ddiddordeb wedi bod yn y cynllun gyda’r Ysgol yn cyrraedd pob targed sydd ganddi ar gyfer y cyrsiau a gynigir ganddi. Ac o ystyried y sylwadau gan rai o’r graddedigion diweddar, mae hyn yn annhebygol o newid. Dyma oedd sylw un a raddiodd yn ddiweddar: “Dyma o bell ffordd

yw’r profi ad datblygu proffesiynol gorau rwyf wedi ei gael erioed,” a dywedodd un arall: “Dyma’n wir y cwrs gorau ac o’r safon uchaf rwyf wedi bod arno erioed.”

“Y peth da am y cwrs hwn yw bod athrawon yn cael cyfnod i ffwrdd o’r ysgol neu’r coleg i ganolbwyntio’n llwyr ar wella’u Cymraeg,” meddai Lois Roberts, Gweinyddwr y Cwrs yn Ysgol y Gymraeg. “Y nod yw cael effaith gadarnhaol ar y gweithle a newid yr amgylchedd ieithyddol yn yr ysgolion. Rydym yn gobeithio y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn dal ati i ariannu’r cynllun yn y dyfodol.”

Welsh language teaching gets a multi-million-pound boost

Addysg cyfrwng-Cymraeg yn cael hwb gwerth miliynau o bunnau

Back to the classroom

YN ÔL I’R DOSBARTHWORDS/GEIRIAU: REBECCA EWING


network

Welcome to the Cardiff Network. You may have noticed an increased level of Cardiff Alumni activity on our website and online recently. We know you’re busy people with busy lives, near and far, so we’re trying to make it as easy for you as possible to stay in touch with us. As long as we have your email address, you will receive a monthly email newsletter, CardiffConnect, and if you’re not currently receiving it you can update your details through registering for our secure online alumni portal – Cardiff Network www.cardiff.ac.uk/alumni. You can also follow us on Twitter @CardiffAlumni, join us on Facebook at CardiffUniAlumni, get down to business on LinkedIn

through the Cardiff University Alumni Network, join Cardiff University Alumni on Google+, or view images on our online pinboard on PInterest.com by searching for Cardiff University alumni network.

With my very best wishes to you all,

Sarah Price

Deputy Director of Development & Alumni Relations Division

networknews

The University was happy to honour another distinguished group of individuals in the summer of 2011. Among those selected for Honorary Fellowships were a Liberal Democrat Life Peer, a journalist, a broadcaster and a Welsh entrepreneur. The fellowships are conferred on those who have achieved international distinction in their respective fi elds, and personalities are honoured by the University in recognition of these achievements from spheres as varied as academia, medicine, optometry, engineering, media and business and law. Honorary Fellows for 2011 include Baroness Jenny Randerson (bottom right), a Liberal Democrat Life Peer and a member of the National Assembly for Wales for 12 years; Fiona Phillips (top right), a TV presenter and broadcaster who presented GMTV for 12 years, and is also a columnist; Bettany Hughes, a historian, author and broadcaster who has written and presented a number of TV documentaries; and Sir Stanley Thomas, one of Wales’s most successful entrepreneurs and a prominent philanthropist.

HONORARY FELLOWS

NEW YEAR HONOURS The following CardiS alumni were recognised in the New Year’s Honours list:

Dannie Abse, CBEAfter qualifying in medicine at CardiS in 1940, Dannie Abse went on to become one of Wales’ most respected writers and poets. His memoir The Presence won the 2008 Wales Book of the Year. He said: “I am pleased because poetry is being acknowledged, honoured and valued.”

John Metcalf, MBEClassical composer John Metcalf, who completed his Masters in the CardiS School of Music in 1968, was awarded an MBE for services to music. He has written six operas and organised music workshops in more than 100 Welsh schools to help nurture talent.

Grenville Jackson, CBEAlumnus Mr Jackson was formerly Deputy Director of Skills, Higher Education and Lifelong Learning, at the Welsh Government.

Jim Mansell, CBE Professor Mansell, a student at CardiS during the 1970s, was recognised for his life-long commitment to raising awareness of the rights of people with disabilities.

Jonathan Jones, CBE CardiS Business School alumnus and Director of Tourism and Marketing for the Welsh Government, Jonathan described his honour for services to Welsh tourism as “a great privilege”.

network

Over 7,000 students graduated in the summer of 2011 from Cardiff University, but none received a more rapturous applause than an 85-year-old grandfather called Harold Jones. Harold was graduating over six decades after he completed his course in Mechanical Engineering in 1945, but was called away to report for training in the Navy at the tail end of World War Two before he could receive his degree.

Of the memorable occasion when he donned his robes and picked up his well-earned degree Harold says: “I was very much looking forward to it. I enjoyed my time at Cardiff – I wasn’t famous academically, but learned a lot there. I didn’t come out as the complete article, but the University gave me the proper grounding I needed. My mother would have been happy to know that I had enjoyed a happy and fulfi lling career in the profession she had chosen for me.”

Harold was brought up in central Wales in the Brecon Beacons, but his family moved to Cardiff when his father got a new job. The young Harold was keen on pursuing

rugby, but his mother steered him the way of the University at 16 years of age.

“I was happily starting fi rst year in the sixth form at Howard Gardens High School, in 1942,

when mother told me she had spoken to the registrar – Louis Thomas, who was a friend – and arranged

for me to study Mechanical Engineering, which I had previously not considered as my

preference was for Maths,” explains Harold.While studying, Harold also

completed duties in fi re-watching and for the Home Guard when he manned a radar plotting station to track German

bombers. He signed up with the Royal Navy in 1944, to start training in 1945, and it was at this point, with his degree completed, that he somehow missed out on receiving a degree certifi cate.

After the war, Harold’s career as an international engineer took him to Bahrain, London (where he met his wife Sheila), Holland and South Africa, and in 1966 he moved with his family to Madrid, where he has lived ever since, retiring in 1983.

The sprightly grandfather of eight stayed in touch with the University alumni programme, which was shocked when it discovered that Harold hadn’t graduated and immediately made arrangements for

him to attend the summer 2011 ceremonies as a special guest. Harold was more than happy to step into the spotlight.

“As I have lived abroad for most of the last 60 years, mainly in Madrid, it was especially interesting to revisit Cardiff and see my old haunts and walk around the University. It was made all the more special by having my wife and granddaughter Sarah Sanchez Jones – herself a recent law graduate from the Universidad Complutense in Madrid – with me for the ceremony and dinner in the evening. They were very proud of the old man,” recalls Harold.

“My family and many friends were pleasantly surprised to see me on television and to read the newspaper reports, so much so that a younger friend fell off his exercise bike while watching the news on the BBC!”

A HERO’S RETURNHarold Jones recalls his graduation day in July 2011, over 60 years after he completed his degree at Cardiff

“As I have lived abroad for most of the last 60 years, mainly in Madrid, it was interesting to revisit my old haunts”

Harold with his comrades from HMS Wren in 1945 (back row,

third from right) and, below, at his graduation last July

www.cardi@ .ac.uk 25


network young entrepreneurs special

Cardiff University has spawned many graduates who have been inspired to go on and start up successful businesses. Here some of these young entrepreneurs tell their stories…

Industry: Food and drink Company launch: 2011The people (degree course): Helen McAvoy, Naomi Kibble (both Business)

Helen McAvoy and Naomi Kibble met through AIESEC (an international leadership development organisation, and the world’s largest student organisation) while studying at Cardiff Business School. Naomi Kibble reveals the secrets behind Rocktails’ success.

Did studying at Cardi7 give you a good

grounding for setting up a business?

When I left I could tell you the mechanics and theory of business, but I couldn’t read a Profi t and Loss properly, or make a balance sheet balance. I quickly picked this up when it was business critical! University was a wonderful place to network and grow as a person and a great springboard into my short stint in London. However, university is comfortable, the entrepreneurial world is very uncomfortable,

and therefore you have to make a conscious decision to jump off the ledge into it!

How did you come up with the idea to

create frozen cocktails as ‘Rocktails’?

We loved living in London (after university) and spent a lot of time in cocktail bars. The problem was re-creating this experience at home. As a little summer money-spinner I tried selling alcoholic slush-puppies out of the back of an ice-cream van in Cornwall, which led to us thinking of actually creating a bar-quality cocktail for the home. We moved out of London to work full-time on the business and in September 2010 opened an offi ce in Cardiff.

What advice and fi nancial support did

you get when setting up your business?

We initially approached Venture Wales, who had great links into the Welsh Government, and are extremely well networked. They mentored us during the initial period and assisted us with our application for a graduate bursary. Over the fi rst 12 months we raised over £22,000 in grants and bursaries, which, on top of our own investment, helped us onto our feet.

When did you sell your fi rst Rocktails?

Our fi rst Rocktails went on sale online on 11 July 2011. The product went from concept to sale in less than 10 months. We are now distributing Rocktails in Sainsbury’s and have other multiples in the pipeline. We have aggressive sales plans over the next few years and are in the process of raising investment to be able to scale up signifi cantly. We already have new fl avours being developed, and pack formats, to ensure our consumers can get hold of and take Rocktails to any occasion.

What has been the proudest moment

of your career so far?

Visiting our manufacturer and seeing our fi rst product come off the production line, putting it in the freezer and a couple of hours later enjoying it! We make celebrating our success a priority – we have a list of milestones on the offi ce wall and have a bottle of champagne lined up for when we reach each goal.

What advice would you give to a

budding entrepreneur?

Setting up a business straight out of university is one of the most risk-free times of your life. For most, it means no mortgage or children and few outgoings. The further you move up the career ladder the harder it becomes. My three bits of advice are: 1. Make sure you have the time and money to launch your business; 2. Plan, plan, plan;and 3. Have fun. It’ll be harder than you imagined, so make sure you enjoy it or you won’t survive!

For more information visit www.rocktails.co.uk

Welshdragons

ROCKTAILS

Founders Helen McAvoy (left) and Naomi Kibble (right)

network young entrepreneurs special

Industry: Gaming Company launch: 2007The people (degree course): Mark Jefferies (Computing Science), Clint Oldridge (Astrophysics) and Sam Roads (Humanities/Music)

Mark Jefferies, Clint Oldridge and Sam Roads met while studying at Cardiff University in the 1990s. After running successful businesses in the Noughties, they launched Microcosm Games in 2007. Creative Director Sam Roads talks to us about the business of gaming.

Why did you launch Microcosm Games in

2007 when you were already having some

success in the gaming industry?

In the Noughties we acquired the rights to run turn-based games set in the world of The Lord of the Rings. We wanted to bring this brand to a wider audience so set up Microcosm Games. The plan was to release mobile phone gaming Apps, but when Facebook arrived in 2008 we could see how massive it was going to be for gaming, so changed course. I had talked about mobile phone gaming in 2001, but we agreed that the technology wasn’t ready, so it was six years between conception and application. We

are currently the number one Facebook developer in Wales, but in fi ve years we’ll be the biggest in the UK.

Does being based in Cardi? help?

We get strong support from the Welsh Government through a variety of mechanisms. We’re also surrounded by a good pool of student talent. In terms of investment, it’s a lot harder to get equity funding in Wales. London is better and Silicon Valley would be best of all, but we have no intentions of leaving Cardiff. It’s a vibrant city and we’re proud to fl y the fl ag for Cardiff and Wales.

Did your degree at Cardi? help you?

Your experiences at university teach you more than what might benefi t you vocationally. I learned about my abilities to knuckle down and self-motivate.

Do aspiring entrepreneurs really need

to go to university now?

I think so. I look for someone who has experienced enough of life to be worth employing. University gives you a turbo-charged three years where you meet people from different walks of life. It lets you work out who you are, and, as long as your course is reasonably rigorous, you learn how to organise large projects, relate to tutors, absorb information, and so on. I tend not to care about exact qualifi cations. I want to see that they’ve matured, especially in the area we work in. The rules change every few months and the knowledge you learned a few years ago is probably no longer valid, but learning how to learn is.

What’s next for Microcosm Games?

We’re working on a version of ‘The One Ring’, which lets players take on the role of a fi erce warrior orc in Sauron’s army!

For more information visit www.mgames.com

“We are currently the number one Facebook developer in Wales, but in five years we will be the biggest in the UK”

COVER-UP ACCESSORIES Industry: eReader/tablet accessoriesCompany launch: 2009The people (degree course): Jonathan Ling (Accounting)

Jonathan Ling left Cardi= in 2004. He tells us about Cover-Up Accessories, which produces eReader and

tablet computer accessories.

What is the company all about?We are passionate about providing our customers with high-quality, innovative products. We strive to give the best customer service, while retaining our small company feel. Our products are available across the globe and the company is rapidly expanding.

Why is the company a success?I’ve always been a follower of technology and late in 2008 I began noticing articles about the rapid growth of eBooks. I discovered that there were only a few companies o= ering a limited range of accessories. When Apple launched the iPad in 2010 we knew that there would also be a huge demand for accessories for tablet computers, so we quickly moved into that market too.

What advice would you give to a budding entrepreneur?A lot of people will be happy to o= er you advice, but when it comes down to it you need to make the important decisions. You know your business better than anyone! But hopefully you’ll have plenty of support too – none of what we have achieved would have been possible if it wasn’t for help along the way from family and close friends.

MICROCOSM GAMESFrom left to right: Founders Clint Oldridge, Sam Roads and Mark Je9 eries

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network: alumni share their stories

FROM SHEEP TO SYMPHONIESComposer Mark Thomas talks about his time at Cardiff, his relationship with Shaun the Sheep, and much more…“My job is to be a musical chameleon. You may have your own core style, but you will need to produce music in new, strange and sometimes wacky ways,” says composer Mark Thomas. The Welsh-born musician started his career as a professional violinist, but now is known for writing arrangements for a wide range of projects, including Aardman’s Shaun the Sheep, Episodes and Benidorm on TV and the fi lms Dog Soldiers and The Magic Roundabout.

Mark graduated from Cardiff University in the mid-1970s.

“It was a great music department, really cool to be

part of. All the tutors and staff were friendly and it was a happy environment to be in. The orchestra was of a very good standard and I played the violin,” he explains. “This was a very good practical experience as

well as an academic one. I loved

Cardiff too. It has always been a very friendly city, especially around the campus.”

Initially Mark was content to pursue a career as

a violinist, and followed his dream to London, where among other companies he played for The Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

“I often worked for session orchestras for commercial music too, especially fi lm scores, and with some of my heroes such as John Barry and Jerry Goldsmith. It drew me into that world,” says Mark.

AN EPISODE TO REMEMBER Mark started using the skills he fi rst learnt at Cardiff to write in the mid 1980s, and now is well known for his versatility, as despite his classical training he can adapt his work to many different styles including jazz, folk, rock and much more. Most recently he narrowly missed out on winning an Emmy for the theme tune to Episodes, the Matt LeBlanc comedy also starring Tamsin Greig and Stephen Mangan. It’s about a couple who have won a BAFTA for a successful show and are then enticed to Hollywood only to see their prized work taken apart by the US network.

“I pitched an idea, doing a bit of a jazz theme set in the 1930s or 1940s at the time of Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant and those screwball comedies. I got a phone call from Jimmy Mulville (who owns Hat Trick who produce the show) and he said he loved it, but wanted to lose the 1930s theme and add a more contemporary twist,” explains Mark. “Mulville loves his title sequences – think of the iconic Have I Got News For You – so I had to fi nd something more idiosyncratic. The Episodes title sequence has a script

being blown from a typewriter, out of a window to waft over the London skyline, across the ocean to America and fi nally to Hollywood where it gets ‘shot down’. I decided to use the typewriter as the rhythm of the track and he thought it was brilliant!”

How would Mark advise a young student who wanted to get into the business?

“You have to be very focused, committed and work hard. To paraphrase the famous American composer Nelson Riddle: ‘If you fall in love with every note you create, you may as well forget being a TV or fi lm composer.’ You have to be able to adapt musically to whatever constraints are placed on you artistically, and collaborate, while still creating a unique ‘voice’. Think John Barry and the James Bond theme. Or John Williams with Jaws and Star Wars – both brilliant but so different.”

Mark has more Shaun the Sheep in the pipeline, the next series of Episodes to do and a top-secret Aardman project.

“The guys at Aardman are so talented. It’s very exciting – I’d love to tell you more but they keep their feature fi lms under wraps!”

WORDS: Louise C

assell

“If you fall in love with every note you create, you may as well forget being a TV or film composer”

Image: © A

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network: alumni share their stories

Disabled rights campaigner Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds talks about her lifelong battle for equality

“If you can’t get over it, and you can’t get around it, just crash through it,” says Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds. It’s a mantra the inspiring Thalidomide campaigner has lived by for 50 years since the Thalidomide scandal of the 1950s and 1960s.

Rosie was born with severe disabilities and has fought for her rights, and those of other disabled people ever since with unceasing humour and tenacity. After battling for the right to mainstream education in the 1970s, she won a place at Cardiff University to read Psychology in the early 1980s.

“I think it was among the best three years of my life. Originally I approached another university, thinking that I was going along to discuss my academic prowess. But I met one lecturer who told me everything was on a split level, so there wasn’t any point in me bothering – a bit of a downer!” remembers Rosie. “I then had to hedge all my bets on Cardiff University, which fortunately had a totally different attitude. I met six people, which was a bit daunting, but they interviewed me while trying to work out a way to enable me to get there.”

GROUNDBREAKING Rosie’s enrolment was a turning point for disabled people’s rights. “I was the fi rst person to be accepted as a disabled person who started, fi nished and got a degree,” she says. “All the lecturers and department heads were very encouraging and when I graduated I felt a genuine warmth from everyone.”

Rosie now runs her own disability issues consultancy (www.rms-consultancy.co.uk). Last September she won the Owen Glyndwr Seren Award for people who make a difference in the community. “It was a great surprise to be nominated and a huge honour. It was a bit like being at the Oscars with all the ceremony, and the gold envelope!”

The tireless campaigner is involved in a long list of projects. “We’re trying to get a memorial plaque erected in London. We keep on coming up against brick walls, but we’re determined to get it. It’s in recognition of our parents, those that didn’t survive and those of us who have, so that future generations don’t make the same mistake,” explains Rosie.

A STAR IN THE MAKING“I’m also involved in making four programmes for BBC Radio Wales called Rosie’s World, where I interview people about disability issues – everything from childbirth to politics and from education to relationships. Then I’ll be in a play at the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff, will be hopefully speaking at the Cowbridge Book Festival in May, and I’m also compiling an oral history of Thalidomide.”

Rosie’s whirlwind of activities also includes a Thalidomide conference in London this May, with people from all over the world, and numerous other broadcasting and community projects. How would she advise a disabled student to have the same energy and courage as herself to aim for the sky?

“Don’t take ‘No’ for an answer, and strike ‘can’t’ from your vocabulary,” she laughs. “And work at least three times harder than your fellow students.”

What does the future hold? “In Rosie’s ideal world, I would love to have my own TV programme. That would be beyond my wildest dreams.”

But Rosie’s dreams seem to have a habit of coming true, so keep an eye on the TV schedules: ‘Rosie’s Way’ could be crashing onto a TV screen near you some time soon.

To read Rosie’s blog, or buy her inspiring book Four Fingers and Thirteen Toes, go to www.fourfi ngersandthirteentoes.wordpress.com

Rosie’s world

From top to bottom: Rosie receiving the Owen Glyndwr Seren Award; her autobiography, republished due to popular demand; and at her graduation ceremony

CALL THE MIDWIFE! Are you an alumnus of the School of Nursing and Midwifery Studies? This year the School celebrates 40 years of educating nursing and midwifery professionals.

As an integral part of this history, we would like you to join us to mark this signifi cant

milestone. Get in touch to take part in an alumni dinner taking place on Friday 18 May, followed by a 40th Anniversary Conference on Saturday 19 May 2012.

The conference will celebrate the School’s contribution to Nursing and Midwifery research, education and practice over the years. A commemoration of 40 years of excellence in

learning and teaching, the conference will also explore the School’s role in shaping health and social care for the future, including research currently being undertaken at the School, and you can enjoy all this from a range of distinguished speakers.

Be a part of our anniversary celebrations by registering your interest at alumni@cardiP .ac.uk

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fi rst person

Paul Davies is a solicitor at Macfarlanes LLP in London, where he heads the environmental practice. He graduated from Cardiff Law School in 1992 with an LLB and then stayed until 1994 to complete an MPhil in Law, looking at lender liability for contaminated land.

What or who at the Law School helped

shape you into the lawyer you are today?

Professor Lynda Warren was a real inspiration and mentor. She, more than anyone else, has shaped me into the lawyer I am today. Why did you choose to take up

environmental work as a speciality?

Environmental law is a fascinating area, which is continually evolving. I was lucky enough to be able to study this at Cardiff and even luckier

Legal eagle and Cardiff alumnus Paul Davies talks about his time at university and his work as an environmental lawyer

A man for all

Paul Davies in his student days at Cardi% , left, and, above, nowadays, the environmental lawyer enjoys a bit of action on a rugged mountainside

to meet Professor Warren who really sparked my interest in it. No two days are ever the same and it is this variety that really appeals to me.

How long have you been at Macfarlanes

and what is it about the fi rm that makes

you happy to stay there?

I joined Macfarlanes in 2002. Prior to that I was HSE Counsel for Northern Hemisphere Operations at Schlumberger [the leading oilfi eld services provider] based in Paris, and before that I was at Slaughter and May, an international law fi rm. Macfarlanes is a fantastic fi rm with great quality of work and excellent people.

In November you were recognised in Who’s

Who Legal’s Most Highly Regarded Firms:

Environment 2011 listing. Both fi rms and

practitioners who stand out worldwide are

identifi ed, and you were in the top 10 most

highly-regarded individuals – the only UK-

based person to be on the list. What does

this mean to you and your fi rm?

I was very fl attered to be recognised by Who’s Who Legal. However, it is as much a refl ection on my team and the fi rm as a whole.

Are there any cases that you remember as

being turning points in your career?

I have two highlights. The fi rst was acting for Alchemy Partners [a private equity fi rm] in 2001 when it bought CompAir [which specialises in compressed air and gas systems]. I worked with the management team until 2008 when it sold the business, making a signifi cant return on its investment. The other highlight has been working for Trafi gura [which trades in raw materials such as base metals and oil] in connection with a group litigation claim in West Africa. The original allegations were that our client was responsible for deaths and a number of serious injuries. Ultimately, a group of experts concluded that, at worst, the incident in question could have resulted in fl u-like symptoms.

“Cardiff Law School is important to Macfarlanes. We support the law fair and sponsor the law journal”

fi rst person


Image: Thinkstock

seasonsWhat motivated you to get to where

you are today?

I was very ill as a young child and it was touch and go as to whether I would live. Therefore I try and get as much out of every day as possible and try to live life to the full.

Who are the people that have inspired

you over the years – whether while you

were at university, or work, iconic legal/

environmental campaigner luminaries

from yesteryear, dead or alive?

There are a handful of people who have really inspired me over the years: Professor Lynda Warren who I have previously mentioned, Ed Keeble at Slaughter and May (a fi rst-class lawyer with a razor-sharp mind) and also my father. He had a fantastic sense of humour and was an amazing individual who has sadly passed away now.

Are there any heroes that you identify

with or admire from the media

or entertainment world?

Richard Burton reading from the drama Under Milk Wood – nothing compares! [Richard Burton

featured as the key ‘narrator’ in the BBC radio dramas of Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas in 1954 and 1963, reprised on radio in 2003, and in the 1972 fi lm. Ed]

What has been your proudest career

moment so far?

Probably the listing in Who’s Who Legal, closely followed by becoming a partner at Macfarlanes.

What do you hope to achieve in the

future at Macfarlanes and beyond?

Lots of things, but I am not going to tempt fate by telling you!

What makes Cardi= University such a

special place?

Cardiff is a very special place for so many reasons – not least because of the fact that I met my wife there in a constitutional tutorial.

Was it all work at Cardi= , or did

you enjoy some fun extra-curricular

activities too while you were there?

Cardiff was certainly not all work and no play. The extra-curricular activities were

second to none. I also had the privilege of living with David Roylance, who is now Head of Undergraduate Recruitment & Widening Access – a small world! Despite living together for fi ve years we have remained excellent friends! He is one of the few people who I can talk to and always end up laughing within fi ve minutes.

Do you have any links with the Cardi= Law

School and its students now?

Cardiff Law School is incredibly important to Macfarlanes in terms of recruiting and we now have Cardiff graduates at trainee, assistant and partner level. Our links are very strong and we support the law fair, sponsor the law journal and some of the law school competitions, and also the debating society.

What would be the best advice you

would give to someone who was

considering pursuing a career in the

legal profession today, particularly in

the environmental fi eld?

Enjoy what you do, be passionate about it and don’t be embarrassed or ashamed to admit that you are a lawyer!

Will your life change

someone else’s?

Cardiff Magazine Winter 2011 Lewis on tuition fees and ... use composites within the mechanical...

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