GENDER EQUALITY –
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
Prof Jan Atkinson
j.atkinson@ucl.ac.uk
UCL Co-ordinator for Athena ASSET & Athena SWAN
Strategic Advisor: Gender Equality Scheme (GES)
Head, Developmental Science Dept, Division of Psychology and
Language Sciences, Life Sciences Faculty, UCL
(Past UCL Pro-Provost (North America) 2005-2008)
•
Visual Development Unit : UCL and Oxford
www.psychol.ucl.ac.uk/vdu
Website for UCL Athena SWAN:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/equalities/athena_swan.php
University College London
• Founded in 1826
• The original ‘University of London’
• The first to admit students regardless of
class or religion
• The first to admit women students on
equal terms with men
• The first to offer the systematic teaching
of Medicine, Law and Engineering in
England
Our Alumni
• UCL’s network of 100,000 alumni actively contributes to its future
• Notable alumni include:
– Mahatma Gandhi (Laws, 1889): Indian political and
spiritual leader
– Francis Crick (Mathematics and Physics, 1937) codiscoverer of the molecular structure of DNA
– Anthony Gormley (Slade, 1979): sculptor and
winner of the Turner prize
– Coldplay: Chris Martin (Greek and Latin, 1999), Will
Champion (Anthropology, 1999), Jonny Buckland
UCL’s Academic Standing
• A long, distinguished academic reputation in both
teaching and research
• 21 Nobel Prize winners (former students/staff)
• In top 3-4 Universities in RAE 2008 = UK Government
Research Assessment Exercise (decides public funding
level)
• One of the highest (top 4) research incomes of UK
• 4th in Times Higher Education World Ranking, 26th in the
Shanghai Jiao Tong University top 500 world universities
• Highest number of Professors in UK universities (N=648)
• Students 22,000, more than 1/3 graduate degrees.
• Students from 140 countries outside UK, 1/3 students
(http://www.ucl.ac.uk/about-ucl/facts)
• Sunday Times:“an intellectual powerhouse with a worldclass reputation”
RAE 2008
4* = world leading quality; 3* = internationally excellent
Some highlights in UCL departments (alphabetical order):
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Architecture/Built Environment -75% 3* or 4*
Chemical Engineering- 75% 3* or 4*
Cancer Research - 75% 3* or 4*
Computer Science/Informatics-80% 3* or 4*
Earth/Environmental Sciences- 80% 3* or 4*
Economics - 95% 3* or 4*, 55% 4*
History - 40% 4*(highest in UK = Cambridge)
History of Art/ Design - 80% 3* or 4*
Clinical Medicine(including Institutes- Ophthalmology, Child Health,
Women’s Health) 70% 3* or 4*
Infection and Immunology- 80% 3* or 4*
Law - 75% 3* or 4*
Philosophy - 75% 3* or 4* , 45% rated 4*
Psychology – 75% 3* or 4*
Endo Kinsuke
Director of Mint
Bureau, Osaka
Hirobumi Ito
Prime Minister,
1885-1901
Masaru Inoue
founder of Japanese
Board of Railways
Kaoru Inoue
Yozo Yanao
Secretary of
State, Ministry
of Industry
Minister of Foreign
Affairs, 1879-87
First Japanese students at UCL - 1863
UCL - F:M student numbers 2009
• remained fairly constant for the past three years and does
not match this trend nationally of increased female
numbers above 50%
• . There is significant variation across disciplines, between
home and international students, and between
undergraduate and postgraduate entry.
• For undergraduates, numbers of men and women are
almost equal for UK students; for other EU, over 57% are
female; for non-EU almost 56% are female (total 51% are
female).
• For postgraduates, around 53% of UK students are
female; 58% for other EU; 58% for non-EU. In total, 55%
are female.
• All these figures exclude international semester/year
abroad students.
UCL 2009 % female students by faculty
Faculty
u/g
UK
u/g
non
UK
p/g
UK
p/g
non UK
Arts & Humanities
60
72
62
75
Built Environment
43
56
43
64
Biomedical Science
(=clinical medicine)
74*
0
60
55
Engineering
23
31
26
34
Laws
57
69
55
62
Life Sciences
68
68
70
68
MBBS
44
66
Maths and Physical
Sciences
35
56
43
29
Social and Historical
Sciences
50
60
55
65
* = not u/g
medical
students,
n<50
Faculties in UCL
1.
Biomedicine
2.
3.
Life Sciences
Laws
4.
Arts & Humanities
Classical World, Dutch,
English, European Social &
Political Studies, Fine Art,
French, German, Hebrew &
Jewish Studies, Italian,
Language & Culture,
Philosophy, Scandinavian
Studies, Spanish & Latin
American Studies
5.
Social and Historical
Studies Anthropology,
Archaeology, Economics,
Geography, History, History
of Art
6. Engineering Biochemical,
Chemical, Civil and Environmental,
Computer Science, Electronic/
Electrical, Geomatic, Mechanical,
Medical Physics/ Bioengineering,
Naval Architect./Marine Engin.
7. Mathematical & Physical
Sciences Astronomy, Chemistry,
Earth Sciences, Information
Management, Math, Natural
Sciences, Physics, Science and
Technology, Statistical Sci.
8 Built Environment
Architecture, Project Management
for Construction, Urban Planning/
Design/Management, Urban Studies
Some UCL highlights - Biomedicine
Health and
Inequality
• Prof Marmot’s
‘Whitehall study’
shows how status
differences between
civil service
employees links to
risk of
cardiovascular
disease
Prof Sir Michael
Marmot
• The new
International
Some UCL highlights - Biomedicine
Cognitive Neuroscience
• The UCL INSTITUTE OF COGNITIVE
NEUROSCIENCE
and the FUNCTIONAL IMAGING
LABORATORY are world centres
for studying brain function
• A now classic study by Dr
Eleanor Maguire showed
how the hippocampus of
the brain grows larger as
London taxi drivers learn
‘the knowledge’- city streets
Some UCL highlights - Technology
LONDON CENTRE FOR
NANOTECHNOLOGY
• Partnership: UCL < > Imperial College
•
Interdisciplinary:
engineering < > IT < > molecular < > bioscience
•
manipulations on atomic scale
•
exploit quantum properties for
computing
•
proteins: ‘nature’s nanomachines’
•
human tissue engineering
•
environmentally friendly materials & catalysts
Some UCL highlights - Architecture
Bartlett School of Architecture and Planning
UCL alumnus
Angus
Campbell is
lead architect
for the new
Wembley
Stadium
‘Space Syntax’ developed at UCL
analyses how people flow through
streets, offices and hospitals
Some UCL highlights – Environment
Environmental Change Research Unit
Prof Rick Battarbee’s research team uses
diatoms – micro-fossils that enable UCL
researchers to trace the acidity,
temperature, and ecology over centuries
of lakes worldwide
Global Deserts Outlook Report
for the UN: Prof Andrew Warren
(UCL Geography) finds threats from
salinisation and climate change ...
but opportunities for aquaculture
and solar energy
Some UCL highlights - Law
Institute of Global Law
• teaches and analyses law
through a comparison across
national systems
• comparative law of privacy
• anti-terrorism and human
rights
• compensation for injury in
different national systems
Some UCL highlights – Social Sciences
School of Slavonic & East European Studies
• Economic and
social transition
in the post-Soviet
era
• Literature and
cinema of Eastern
Europe and
Russia
• Centre of
award-winning new building for SSEES
Some UCL highlights –
Archaeology/ Egyptology
The Institute of Archaeology
has nearly 200 graduate
students engaged in projects
worldwide ..from seafaring in
Arabia 7,000 years ago.. to
evidence of African-American
plantation life in Louisiana UCL’s Petrie Museum contains
over 80,000 objects from
ancient Egyptian culture
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
LONDON
University Preparatory
Certificate for Science and
Engineering (UPCSE)
An intensive 1-year foundation
course for international
students of high academic
potential who are aiming to
gain access to undergraduate
degree programmes in science
and engineering for at
University College London
(UCL) and other top UK
universities.
Students combine study of two
science subjects, Academic English
and Science and Society.
Women in leadership and management project
Prof Jan Atkinson
Visual
Development
Unit
adult vision in eye
and brain
adult
brain imaging
(fMRI) / infant
brain imaging
(structural MRI)
New behavioural /
electrophysiological
EEG techniques for
assessing eye-brain
development
Visual
developmental
disorders e.g.
Downs/Williams
syndrome,CP, autism
Developmental neuropsychology and developmental visuo-cognitive
neuroscience - basic and clinical, translational research and assessment
BRAIN IMAGING IN INFANTS
• Recording brain
waves safely and
non-invasively,
with a geodesic
net of electrodes
while the infant
looks at a visual
pattern designed
to activate
particular areas in
the brain
History of Athena ASSET and SWAN in UCL
• 2003-4 JA suggests to Provost that Gender Equality Issues are
incorporated into UCL White Paper
• 2004
JA joins UCL into Athena ASSET survey - 12 talks in depts /
PGIs, contacts 45 SET department administrators - good UCL
response ~ 500 SET staff (20% of total) highest in UK universities
• 2005 JA sets up AAG (Athena Advisory Group) & SWAN SAT (Self
Assessment Team)
• 2005
Provost ‘Champion’- SWAN Charter as Founder Signatory
• 2005-6 SWAN Charter (Bronze) submission and UCL SWAN award
• 2007 JA appointed by Provost to take strategic responsibility for
Gender Equality Scheme, submitted to Government
• 2008-9 UCL SWAN charter renewal (Bronze) & four SWAN Silver
awards: Div of Psychology & Language Sci (8 depts/institutes)
MRC Lab of Molecular Cell Biology
Dept Chemical Engineering
Dept Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering
• 2009- UCL Women in Leadership and Management Project
Prof Malcolm Grant, UCL Provost and President, and Prof Jan
Atkinson with UCL’s SWAN Charter Award (renewal) 2009,
first awarded 2006
Women in leadership and management project
From analysis of ASSET data, UCL Staff Survey
and National HEI data, there are three key areas
of concern for women’s career development:
• getting in (first academic post - moving from
post doc to lectureship)
• getting back (after career breaks maternity/paternity leave/ carer’s
responsibilities)
• getting on (promotion and leadership)
UCL has set up ‘relatively’ successful
initiatives to improve career
development (particularly for women)
in all of these areas over past few
years, e.g.
• flexi-time,
• life/work balance,
• paternity/maternity schemes,
• returner’s sabbatical term to catch up
on research,
• mentoring
Flexible working relates to two much
broader issues:
• Gender equality generally in universities
(UCL 50%+ F students, only 19% F profs)
• ‘Work-life balance’
Increasing problem in society – caring for elderly
(usually parents)
Many carers (mainly women) already look after family
members outside their working day – early mornings/
evenings/ nights/weekends- but need support during
the day in holiday periods and need respite care
Why is Flexi Working ever a problem in HEIs ?
• Many individuals would like to work full time with normal
working hours throughout their career
Report 2009 : Glasgow Cal Business School 3500 staff M+ F: academic women
sacrifice W/L balance to apply for better jobs, non academic staff more concerned with
W/ L balance
• but many with caring responsibilities face practical difficulties
(finding affordable ‘part-time’, often intermittent, care for
children and family members)
• - so many change to part-time work or drop out
• difficulties, particularly in London, of working some distance
from home (school often near home)
Current UCL policy on flexible working,
parental leave, work-life balance, equality
• Flexible W-L balance Policy allowing departments to
adapt different models according to their needs.
• Every UCL individual has right to request flexible working/
changes in work pattern.
• All Heads of Departments receive equality and diversity
training
• HR Policy Team is currently trying to develop improved
communication of WLB policy to all staff, and improved
corporate monitoring of flexible working
Current situation in UCL
• Many academics already have ‘flexible working’
• the extent of flexibility depends on discipline and career
positio (from postgrad to professor)
• extra flexibility is needed by many during and after career
breaks (maternity/paternity leave/ carer responsibilities)
• NEW POLICY: for sabbatical leave from teaching
commitments following return from maternity leave, to allow
research ‘catch-up’.
Another problem – the lab work culture
Unconscious belief or bias –’
“scientists should work normal working hours
(9 to 5 at least - and go to the pub with the lab
after work/ after seminars! ) and only take annual
leave outside term/semester teaching time”
Solutions?
• Work part-time flexible hours and live (deal) with the biases
(sometimes ‘unconscious’) of the ‘lab culture
(this may mean that you accept that your career prospects
in the current climate may be compromised)
• Arrange and pay for extra care as best as you can (this is
what a lot of us do, and forget good W/ L Balance!)
• don’t have children or take on caring responsibilities:
women having children at older age (sometimes more
heath risks)
• try to reduce the culture biases or work around these
biases
Extra evidence of the culture biases:
• Almost 50% of fathers in UK fail to take up paternity leave
rights (2 weeks paid leave)
• 40% of men afraid to ask for flexible working arrangements
which they think would harm their career prospects
• fear that flexible working arrangements would question
their job commitment and affect their promotion chances
• In most households women continue to take responsibility
for childcare, even where both parents work full time
(Research report: Equality and Human Rights Commission
2009)
Another ‘real’ problem (particularly in sciences):
research teams may suffer when the PI or an integral
specialist team member takes a career break
• sometimes possible to fill post with temporary person,
but unlikely to be as well qualified/ trained/
experienced as the individual on leave and usually the
PI cannot be substituted
• If all team members are on one grant of fixed duration ,
grant cannot easily be suspended and extended to
accommodate the career break
initiatives underway in UCL
• increase acceptance of flexitime through managerial training/
include WLB discussion in appraisals / extend mentoring/
advisory schemes/ one-term ‘sabbatical’ after career break to
aid research ‘catch-up’
• try to change ideas of the ‘working day’ - accept good
productivity of part-time work/ meetings in‘family- friendly’ times
• Run events celebrating female ‘champions’ -successful
combination of career breaks/flexible working with career
• Aim for ‘critical mass’ of these champions - women reaching
the top in universities
However,
• there are still rather few female professors
across the whole of UCL, compared to
women at earlier stages of their career.
• There is a low % of women on most of the
main executive committees of UCL and
only a small increase over the past 3-5
years.
Women in leadership and management project
Professors
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
2005
2006
15
17
% female
2007
19
Women in leadership and management project
Provost asked JA to lead on project :
‘Women in Leadership and Management’ :
The aims are:
•
To work towards a Athena SWAN Charter Silver award for UCL as a
whole in the near future
•
To increase the number of women across the whole of UCL (SET &
non-SET) with the aspiration, knowledge, skills and experience to
progress to senior posts
•
.
•
To identify any organisational or procedural barriers to the
appointment of women to management and leadership roles in
order that they can be addressed (immediately ?)
Women in leadership and management project
Methodology
Consultation across UCL to gather experiences and
perceptions and to understand the key issues affecting
women in the University.
JA will discuss these issues and initiatives with :
• Faculty Deans and their Senior Management Teams
• Women currently in senior academic management
positions
• Researchers whose work relates to gender in the
workplace (e.g. Prof Virginia Valian: F/M leadership
styles, consider Business/Economic Case for diversity
and gender equality)
• Lay members of Council who are themselves
distinguished women who can add insights and be
supportive of the project.
Women in leadership and management project
Areas of potential focus (1)
• Creation and leadership of an advisory group
interested in improving the number of women at
senior levels within UCL.
• Consider developing champions/ambassadors
in each faculty to lead the examination of
women’s issues locally.
• Review the work in the departments/divisions
which were successful in SWAN Silver Award
applications – identify the lessons learnt and
support new depts for SWAN submissions
Women in leadership and management project
Areas of potential focus (2)
• Identify any barriers in UCL’s recruitment, promotion
or work-life balance arrangements that may militate
against women progressing their careers or lead to
bias in decision making.
• Link with the work of the Research Staff SubCommittee of the Academic Appointment and
Promotion Committee on the career
progression/promotion of women researchers
• Learn from best practice in other universities,
especially amongst the Russell Group (top academic
Universities in UK)
Business/ Economic Case
the Business Case emphasises the need for equal
treatment to reflect diversity among potential
employees and an organization and the
organization’s customers- micro level
the Economic case is at a macro level - it stresses
the wider economic benefits that span individuals,
firms, regions and nations
Gender equality can contribute to
economic development by:
• Quantitative improvement in female participation (as
envisaged in European Employment Strategy) - through
more effective use of investment in human capital
• Women with greater economic independence contribute
more as consumers of goods and services (knowledge
of comsumers and alter items of consumption)
• Integration of women into the fiscal system as net
contributors to welfare state- ‘Smart Economics’ (pay
more taxes)
• through the establishment of a sustainable system of
social reproduction which is essential for economic
growth , labour supply (aging population problem) and
sustainable public finances
Debate: does Gender Equality give
higher profits ?
• Many studies claim a correlation between better M:F ratio (e.g.
board members in companies – University executive committees ?)
and profitability
• however, there is considerable debate over this correlation – it may
not be causal
• It may be that this correlation is positive in certain types of firms –
large, wide international recruitment market, better decision making
on selection, other added benefits in these firms
• The correlation can be negative in firms with better gender balance
(more diversity on board means more monitoring (more wellgoverned) , more chief executive officer turnover, more equity based
compensation
Catalyst - www.catalystwomen.org
Adler R D – Women in the Executive Suite Correlate to High Profits Rennee & Ferreira, J
of Financial Economics 2009
Women in leadership and management project
Conclusion : Can something be done to speed
up the process of gender balance and equality ?
Some possibilities (1):
• All ‘significant’ meetings/gatherings to be in ‘family- friendly’
hours (start: 10am or after, finish: 5pm) Does this make a
significant difference ?
• Create ‘Female Ambassadors’/Advisory teams in
faculties/institutes
• Adapt membership/terms of reference of major executive
committees – bring new female recruits to committees to
move more rapidly towards a 50:50 ratio
• Set out the Economic Case for Gender Equality : M:F grant
income , M:F publications comparisons .
Women in leadership and management project
Conclusion : Can something be done to speed
up the process of gender balance and equality ?
Some possibilities (2):
• Provide additional mentoring/advice/training to women at
intermediate levels on management and leadership
• .
• Lobby Government to extend subsidized nursery schemes to
before/after-school/ half term / holiday schemes for all
• .
• Lobby funding bodies to allow research grants to be
extendable in time to accommodate career breaks (absence
of specialised researcher)
Women in leadership and management project
Issues to discuss:
• Current senior staff reflect academic recruitment 15 years ago.
Should ‘positive action’ be taken for women to improve balance?
•
• Are men and women differentially prepared to put themselves
forward for promotion and management?
• Can/should senior roles reflect a more ‘family friendly’ culture?
- children at school – half the day, half the year
- senior staff may have caring responsibilities (on the increase)
•
• Do women bring a diversity benefit to decision and management
processes, apart from issues of equity?
• Is there a good ‘business/economic case’ for equity in Universities?
• Can mentors/circle of advisors help develop women for senior
management roles? Faculty ‘ambassadors’? Reverse mentoring?
Do these make a difference ?
Women in Leadership and Management
• I have prepared a short set of questions (a
brief 2- page survey- 7 questions) which has
been distributed by email to
academic/research staff (male and female) in
departments / institutes.
• It is anonymous, but will ask for gender,
position (grade) and faculty (Dept/Inst/Div –
optional)
Examples from Silver SWAN Depts in UCL
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/equalities/athena_swan.php
Example 1: UCL MRC Laboratory for
Molecular and Cell Biology (LMCB)
• SWAN SAT led by Dr SARA MOLE,
Reader in LMCB - research focus is an
inherited genetic children's brain disorder
(Batten disease)
2 school-age children (12, 7) - used
UCL's Nursery (9-5.30) for 10 years.
Parents/In-laws - late 70s & 80s,
Alzheimer’s - 24/7 care at home.
LMCB: female bias in gender balance except at senior level
• From results of SWAN Self Assessment Team :
• Flexible working practices operate informally at all levels provided core
responsibilities are covered. (but long hours of work at home)
• Most important LMCB meetings and seminars held during core hours (105), avoiding school holidays
• All formal requests for flexible working granted
• Prior to extended career break (maternity leave) discussion with HOD to
reach agreement as to how duties will be covered or cover for core staff.
On return, appreciation of restricted working hours
• Although most said that they were impartial, there is a perception of
prejudice if they took a career break
• Work-Life Balance notice board raises issue about prejudice.
Sara’s SWAN-SAT pioneered chartering for
a SWAN award within LMCB
• Athena web page/notice board for the LMCB
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/lmcb/athena.htm
• Survey to find out what life was really like in
LMCB
Action plans:
• Promote flexible working at annual appraisal (via UCL and
MRC), notice board & web site, since survey shows it is not
considered as a serious option and is considered
discouraged by some. (Also not yet formally taken up by any
males)
• Vary times of social (networking) activities outside core hours
so that same people not excluded
• Promote successful careers of diverse (female) scientists
from LMCB; identify role models (of flexible working).
• Increase acknowledgment of caring responsibilities other
than for children (mainly elderly parents) .
Example 2: Division of Psychology and
Language Sciences:
(very large; 8 Departments/Institutes; high female
bias that decreases significantly with seniority)
• SWAN SAT led by Prof Kate Jeffery,
(Director, Institute of Behavioural
Neuroscience) - research focus is the
neural basis of spatial cognition and
navigation
Division of Psychology and Language Sciences
SWAN SAT found that :
• Teaching duties previously took into account part-time
working
• Staff are encouraged to work flexibly and this is widely taken
up, supported by IT, provided teaching responsibilities are
covered.
• Seminars and meetings are held at family friendly times.
• There is a one-term teaching sabbatical for maternity
returners (100% return after career break).
• Maternity returners have sometimes renegotiated their
working hours or agreed greater flexibility.
• Staff meetings held between 10.30 - 4.
• But Research Meetings held at 5 pm to allow clinicians to
attend (is this necessary ?)
Division of Psychology and Language Sciences
Action plan (1):
• Implement UCL guidelines to protect parttime staff from being assigned teaching
duties outside their days/hours.
• Record and monitor flexible leave requests.
• Record and monitor maternity leaves.
• Record and encourage paternity leave
requests.
Division of Psychology and Language Sciences
Action plan (2):
• Parenting web site to promote flexible working.
• Moving some seminars to 4-5 pm slot.
• Monitoring and changing times of workshops that have
been held at family-unfriendly times (especially
weekends) since these seem to be under-attended by
women with young children, compared to men with young
children. Timing of social gatherings to be assessed
• Record impact of Early Career Forum /meetings.
But things have improved a little :
• 30+ years ago I was pregnant with my first child in
Cambridge. I was a postdoc working in a small group with a
very traditional older male PI
• I asked about ‘maternity leave’ from the ‘ Old Schools’ (HRCambridge University)
•
• I was told that ‘academic ladies arrange their births to fall in
the Long Vacation’ (Summer - out of Term time)
• My 4 children were born in the Long Vacation , but it was not
planned !
Some ideas for discussion :
In universities :
• Collect evidence as to whether all ‘significant’ meetings in
family- friendly hours makes a difference to gender
balance.
• adapt membership/terms of reference of all major
committees to encourage move towards gender balance
• Include career advice/statistics in schools/universities on
women’s career prospects for different disciplines (e.g. a
civil engineering degree may have has better career
prospects than a psychology degree for a career as clin
psychologist)
• devise more interdisciplinary degree programmes (Arts &
Science/ multiple science disciplines)
• All government research grants should be allowed to be
extended in time to allow for career breaks (extra funds?)
End
Thank you for
your time
UCL highlights - new masters program
Dual Masters in Brain & Mind Science
UCL / Université Pierre & Marie Curie, Paris / Ecole
Normale Superieure
• 1 year UCL, 1 year Paris
• apply different disciplines/competencies (eg
engineering, mathematics, genetics)
• Select from themes:
A: Neuroscience - from molecules to systems
B: Clinical neuroscience
C: Language, linguistics and semantics
D: Cognitive psychology and neuropsychology
E: Cognitive neuroscience
F: Biology of neurons
G: Philosophy of sensation, emotion, action; mind
H: Computational neuroscience
Suggestions as to how you can support and assist in this project ?
• Disseminate this information in your department/institute (virtuallyemail or at group/department meetings)
• Discuss selection of ‘Ambassadors for women’- Senior women to
advise women in faculty and be part of the ‘Women in Leadership
and Management Advisory Group.
• If you are a SET department discuss the SWAN Charter scheme and
putting in for a Athena SWAN Charter Award (Sarah Guise and I,
plus departments already with SWAN Charter Award hopefully to
assist over this)
• Departments with a SWAN Award already, aim for a GOLD Charter
• Encourage members of your departments to feed back to me their
thoughts and ideas (in confidence if they would prefer) on the
issues raised.
Cont: . Some ideas for discussion after the talk
Generally in the whole of society :
• Government to continue schemes for subsidized nurseries but
increase schemes to help parents (with school age children) and
carers generally
• Should women , ethnic minorities/ disabled be ‘fast tracked’ to
move towards equality faster at all levels ?
• Keep on encouraging girls at all ages to have a science career
through effective widening participation schemes
• Set up more hands-on interdisciplinary museums/ centres for all
ages –babies to adults
(to include sciences/arts /culture/history/business/politics
economics/ maths/built environment)
Excellence in teaching
• Research-led teaching
• Study programmes developed and taught
by leading academics at the cutting-edge of
their disciplines
• More than 230 undergraduate degree
programmes
• More than a third of students in graduate
study
Opportunities for students from North
America in UCL
• undergraduate programmes (3 years)
• affiliated students (1 or 2 semesters-JYA)
• master’s programmes (1-2 years)
• Ph D programmes (3-4 years)
• diploma & short specialist courses
Affiliated Students- 300 from North America
• fall semester (Sep – Dec) or spring semester (Jan-June) or 2 semesters
(Junior Year Abroad)
• select from undergraduate courses
• popular courses in:
Psychology/neuroscience
Economics
History/ English
Politics / Law
Archaeology / Anthropology
Almost unique: Hebrew/Jewish studies
Coming up: Engineering (Civil/Mechanical)
•
including exchanges
Comments from Affiliated/JYA Students
“It is a very independent yet challenging environment. You are
constantly stimulated by your professors and your peers” - Ritu
Kuanna, Barnard College
“ London teaches you to open up your mind” - Amira Jadoon, U of
Iowa
“I took an Art History course that was taught at the National Gallery” –
Brian McTernan, Georgetown U
“At UCL, I met people from more countries than I knew existed” –
Devang Vussonji, Claremont McKenna College
“You’ve heard the rumours, and yes they are all true. The food in
England is bad. The men all have Austin-Powers style bad teeth …
but despite these factors, even a New Yorker like me manages to fall
in love with that quaint little place …”
Welfare and Pastoral Support for all
students
Personal Tutors
The International Office
Students Residence Office
Health Centre and Counselling Service
Rights and Advice Centre
International Students Orientation
Programme
Scholarships
• UCL offers over 170 general and departmental
scholarships per year at the graduate level
• These include a range of scholarships in partnership
the UK government, private industry, with individuals
and charitable foundations.
• Worth nearly £5 million per year
• Scholarships range in value from £1,000 per year to
full fees, return airfare and a living allowance of up to
£14,000 annually.
• The scholarships are awarded for 1 – 3 years
• www.ucl.ac.uk/scholarships
An example of the range of teaching :
Institute of Neurology, UCL- Current Teaching
• Undergrad- Clinical Neurology (medical students)
• Postgrad- Ph. D (doctoral) training (3/4 years)
• Postgrad- MSc courses (12/24 months) :
1) Clinical Neuroscience 2) Clinical Neurology 3) Joint London-Paris,
Mind and Brain Science 4) Advanced Neuro-imaging (starting October
07)
• Postgrad Short Diploma Course in Clinical Neurology
• 10 short specialist courses (e.g. postgrad medical training)
• one-off courses (e.g. MRCP- Membership of Royal College
Physicians, GP- General Practitioner courses)