RETIRED STAFF ASSOCIATION
NEWSLETTER
January 2012
Issue 29
Happy New Year to all UWRSA Members
The Newsletter has a new editor and this is her first edition, thanks to all who have
my life easier by sending in contributions. The Committee wishes to thank Liz
Thompson for her work over the last three years in producing an interesting
newsletter so that members who were unable to attend the events and AGM were
able to keep in touch with University activities. She will be a hard act to follow.
Many of the members are well aware of the various activities of the University of
Warwick Retired Staff Association (RSA for short) but for those less familiar the
following gives a brief outline. The Committee and members of the RSA arrange a
number of events throughout the year allowing members to meet with friends and
keep in touch with the University. The best attended events are the lunches
arranged in the Spring, Autumn and Christmas. There is usually a guest speaker at
the Spring and Autumn lunches and this allows the members to keep in touch at first
hand with the work being carried out at the University.
All the events arranged by the RSA are reported in the Newsletter and information
about forthcoming event is circulated to the members several times a year. The
RSA provides bursaries so that students can carry out projects unrelated to their
studies. Many individual members also support the musical activities of students
and we are privileged to be invited to attend the concerts given by the students who
are in receipt of scholarships. Some of the scholars performed in the musical events
which took place just before Christmas.
The walks arranged by a small group of enthusiasts lead by Malcolm Wilding are
another popular activity. Last but not least, Alan Foster arranges a number of
outings throughout the year; these are very popular and well organised. A most
ambitious visit has been arranged by the Chairman, a four-day trip in June to
Floriade in Holland.
The Committee welcome suggestion from members for possible activities in the
future and offers to organise events.
Dates for your Diary
15th February - Walk: Leamington Spa pavement walk
17 April - Spring Lunch at the Sports Pavilion
The Committee are pleased to announce that the speaker will be:
Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya
Chairman Warwick Manufacturing Group
Spring Visit (date to be confirmed) Portsmouth and Historic
Dockyards, especially HMS Victory
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AGM and talk, 21 September 2011
Sixty six members attended the AGM and were informed by the Chairman of the
work carried out by the Association during the year and planned future events.
Other members of the committee also gave brief reports. It was agreed that the new
format of the AGM was an improvement and increased efficiency. After a hearty
Buffet lunch the attendees settled down to a presentation by the Vice Chancellor,
Professor Nigel Thrift.
Professor Thrift started by reflecting on what he said to the RSA in 2007. The topic
of conversation at that time was the nascent University strategy, Vision 2015, and
the consultation process taken to develop it. In retrospect what struck him was the
level of engagement of the Warwick community in the development of a vision for the
University.
Although much had changed since March 2007 and we were now in a markedly
different environment he did not intend the speech to be full of doom and gloom.
The University strategy of 2007 has become embedded in the day to day life of the
University. Since Vision 2015 was launched Warwick has continued to develop an
incredibly strong profile. The commitment to excellence is unstinting, aided in no
small part by the exponential growth in research income which has increased from
about £57 million in 2006/2007, to a record of just over £86 million in the past year.
The postgraduate research numbers have seen year on year growth and the
University is well on its way to doubling its numbers by 2015. On the back of an
excellent result in the RAE 2008, in which Warwick ranked 7th in the country, it is
building up to an improved REF (Research Excellence Framework) performance in
2014/15. The Institute of Advanced Study is now fully embedded in the University
structure and has raised the international profile significantly, with its new Junior
Research Fellowship scheme attracting applications of the highest quality from all
over the world. The quality of Warwick undergraduate students is also remarkable.
It was particularly pleasing to be ranked as seventh in a list of eight universities that
take in the very highest percentage of students with the highest A-level results, also
known as England’s Ivy League.
Warwick’s international profile has become a rich mix of world class scholarship and
research, as well as a commitment to the outside world. In the past few years
Warwick has developed a number of initiatives. IGGY, the International Gateway to
Gifted Youth, an international network for young people aged between the ages of
11-19 is firmly established and hugely popular. Warwick in Africa sends well over
100 students per year to Ghana, Tanzania, South Africa and Botswana to teach
Maths and English, and has recently gained accreditation from the Clinton Global
Initiative. Warwick has had two very successful Warwick Commissions, which dealt
with the topics of international trade and international finance and gained
international media attention. Plans for a third Commission are in place.
In the past three years, the web of relationships with core partners across the world
has strengthened further. Chief among these are Boston University in the US, and
Monash University in Australia. There are numerous research collaborations
happening including a major Boston-Warwick conference in the autumn. Following
on from an Expression of Interest in setting up an Applied Sciences facility in New
York City, a full bid with a consortium that includes a number of eminent international
partners is in place.
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In the past three years the financial sustainability of the University has been the most
important part of Warwick’s armour. Professor Thrift recalled that during the
consultation process, he noted (almost prophetically) that financial sustainability was
going from being a ‘supportive goal’ to a ‘core goal’. As a result, the University has
become a more effective generator of income. The annual turnover has risen from
just over £310 million in 2006, to an estimated £420 million in the past year, with a
surplus of about £20 million.
This result has been achieved by Warwick’s historic ability to keep government
income low, and self-generated income high. Warwick receives about 23 per cent of
its income from government the remainder coming from research grants and
contracts, commercial activities, and student fees. Success in securing philanthropic
income has improved and there are plans to increase this significantly. The
campaign, 50 Forward, to raise £50 million in development income by 2015 was
launched earlier in the year and £24 million has already been raised.
The historically close relationship with industry continues to thrive. Earlier this year,
WMG opened an Advanced Technology Centre with Jaguar Land Rover, bringing
170 JLR employees on to campus. Through the partnership with Cisco five
telepresence suites have opened on campus, giving Warwick world-class video
conferencing facilities. The partnership with GE Healthcare allows academics in the
Medical School, WMG, and the local university hospital to link into GE’s global
campaign to use research, education and strategic partnerships to deliver improved
healthcare.
Professor Thrift was sure RSA members would have followed the debates - and
protests - about the increase in tuition fees and be aware that Warwick has decided,
after extensive consultations, to set fees at the top rate of £9000. Partly this was to
do with the cuts in public sector funding – a decrease of about 70% in the teaching
budget in the coming academic year. The decision to charge £9000 is not without
other consequences; most obviously the expectations the government has about the
expanded role that universities should play in widening participation and opening up
access to a broader, more representative student cohort. Warwick can already hold
its head high in terms of widening participation and access, but there is more that
can be done. Warwick’s access agreement was signed off by the Office for Fair
Access earlier in the summer. The University aimed for a balance of ambition and
realism in setting the targets – ensuring the Access Agreement reflected a feasible
blueprint for how to go about widening participation. Packages of fee waivers and
bursaries worth up to £4500 for students from the lowest income households have
been developed. Outreach work in schools flourishes in parts of the University and
will continue across the whole campus.
What Next?
The future is uncertain and the University faces many daunting tasks. One is the
size and shape of the University. Recent government announcements have
declared a freeing up of constraints on home student numbers for students with the
highest A-Level tariff. As a result of this decision, a serious discussion about the
future size and shape of the University is underway especially as somewhere in the
region of 82 per cent of Warwick students are in that high-achieving bracket.
Second, and related, is the ‘student experience’, a catch all term for the broader
experience students have when they come to Warwick, such as how they develop in
other ways – career planning, internships, languages, volunteering, overseas
experience – all essential components of the preparation for life that students
increasingly expect from a degree. Shortly all students will have the opportunity to
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undertake diplomas in areas like languages or entrepreneurship. Ways to increase
contact time with academics, and to enable students to get the most out of their
interactions with top faculty members are being investigated.
Third, is what might be called the institutional status of the University. In this world of
contradictions and frustrations, Warwick has started to discuss the possibility of notfor-profit private ownership and to explore what some form of employee ownership
might mean for the University.
Fourth, and related to all of the above, is the international dimension. What will be
key to the success of any internationally minded university is the ability to develop
research capacity away from home. Warwick will shortly be signing a new
agreement with Monash University enabling it to enter into a more serious and
comprehensive collaborative relationship which will be quite unique in global higher
education.
Finally, there is the campus which Professor Thrift hoped the audience would agree
was an increasingly pleasant and impressive place to live, work and in which to
socialise. In the time since he last spoke to the RSA there had been numerous
developments: Digilab has been completed; WBS has expanded; the Students’
Union has undergone a huge renovation, as has the Butterworth Hall in the Arts
Centre. Student residences have expanded again, with a new 520 room building
nearing completion and another one in construction on Lakeside, and the Material
and Analytical Sciences building and Centre for Mechanochemical Biology almost
complete. Environmental sustainability is still very high on the list of priorities and
informs the decision-making about expansion, including a 50% reduction of carbon
emissions by 2020. In addition, work on a cycle path to Kenilworth is underway.
Concluding, Professor Thrift said it had been a challenging four years but on balance
the highs had outweighed the lows. He thanked the RSA for the opportunity to speak
and for maintaining such an active interest in the University. The members
enthusiasm demonstrated a commitment that clearly lived on beyond their time at
the University. He hoped they continued to inspire such commitment in retiring
Warwick staff.
After answering questions from the floor the Professor was thanked for a stimulating
speech and he continued to answer questions as the group dispersed.
Summary by Liz Prichard
************
Walk at Leek Wootton Wednesday 13 July 2011
Back to Front
It served me right really, if I’d have realised that I would be leading the walk I would
have paid more attention. And so it came to be that on Wednesday, 13 th July, in
Leek Wootton I led a ‘back to front’ walk.
I’d done the walk with my husband, Les. He’d written out instructions just in case he
wouldn’t be around to prompt my memory. As it turned out he was working in
Tanzania so I took the aforementioned instructions plus a small map and set off into
darkest Warwickshire. But it wasn’t dark, it was glorious sunshine and everyone was
in high spirits as we selected a gate to exit the churchyard adjacent to The Anchor
public house. Unfortunately it was the wrong gate, (there were three to choose from)
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and by the time I’d realised my mistake the group were in fine fettle and voted for
adventure rather than turning back.
We set off down a grassy slope and headed towards Leek Wootton golf course
where several men, all sporting red polo shirts, were teeing off. Circling the golf
course we were treated to glimpses of players, mature trees and a large, attractive,
house. We then worked our way across a series of fields planted up with crops and
others left fallow. The sun shone as we meandered through a patch of woodland
where rays penetrated the dense foliage casting patterns on the parched earth.
Jackets and coats were removed as we re-emerged into the light and crossed
another field before re-entering a wood. Along the route were several boggy pools
which,
no
doubt,
mature into ponds
after a bout of rain.
The stile free walk was
popular
with
the
trampers
as
we
passed
hedgerows
and yet more fields of
crops on our way back
to the golf course. We
passed a couple of
dog walkers as I read
backwards up from the
bottom of my crib
sheet and Malcolm
checked that we were
on the right road.
Indeed we were.
As Leek Wootton Police Headquarters hove into view I knew that we were near the
end of our adventure and that a welcome cool drink would be waiting in The Anchor.
The headquarters is housed in a beautiful old mansion framed by neat grounds. A
quick march up the side of the course and alongside some allotments brought us
back to where we had started.
I wouldn’t recommend following instructions upside down or indeed back to front, but
all was well that ended well.
Kay Rainsley
Walk from Lapworth, Monday 1 August 2011
The week prior to our walk on the 1st August the weather had been unusually hot so
I felt a little worried when it drizzled on the way to the Navigation Inn at Lapworth
where the walk was to begin. However, it stopped as the twenty six walkers began
to arrive and after ordering our lunch, we set off for the five and a half mile walk.
We began on the tow path of the canal alongside the Navigation Inn, it was good to
see the occasional barge making its way along the canal and the residential bargees
with their tables and chairs set out in their small garden plots.
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After a short road walk we crossed into the leafy Packwood House Millennium
Walkway, stopping at the
House for a group photo,
followed by a short walk
through Packwood Copse,
which has been modified
to be used by the
young scouting community
for country adventures.
After a short road walk we
joined up again with the
canal tow path this time
passing by the locks and
watched with interest a
barge navigating its way
through, apparently one of
22 in two days.
And
seeing barges turn around in the middle of the canal with such precision, only put off
by a group of walkers waiting for something exciting to happen! We grouped again
at the beautiful Kingswood Junction where the Grand Union and the Stratford-uponAvon Canals merge and where many barges are docked, it's a lovely spot to sit and
watch it all going on. We walked the final short stretch of canal with lovely hedgerow
and flowering bushes, before arriving at the pub for a much needed drink and
refreshment. To make it more enjoyable the sun came out before we finished the
walk. I enjoyed putting the walk together and the several times I walked it prior to
this day but it was far more enjoyable this final time with friends, so thank you all for
coming.
June Clarke
Report on Charlcote Visit, Thursday 18 August 2011
A Rainy Day – for once
After what seemed like weeks of continuous blue skies, a dire weather forecast
appeared the previous night on the BBC. For one day only, rain was expected,
perhaps welcomed by the farmers and gardeners but not by the RSA. Nevertheless,
a party of 29 members plus a couple of grandchildren gathered at the car park in a
light drizzle, and following a bit of admin., we walked down to the house to be met by
our guide Janet. Entering the west park, the drizzle turned into a steady downpour,
and umbrellas were deployed. We heard about an old village which had long since
been deserted as the previous owners of the house had diverted the road to
consolidate the parkland, and a history of the house and the Lucy family. A herd of
deer was also quite obligingly near. We were able to view the house from an
unusual viewpoint, and after an hour or so, the orangery restaurant was very
welcome for lunch.
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Following lunch, a number of members toured the house, and enjoyed a talk on
Elizabethan costume. A special effort had also been made by the volunteer cooks in
the Victorian kitchen where typical food of that era was being prepared for us to
sample. Altogether, a most interesting and enjoyable day, and our thanks are due to
the volunteers who turned out to talk to us.
Malcolm & Carolyn Wilding
Walk from Burton Green, Monday 26th September 2011
Seventeen members and friends gathered in the car park of the Peeping Tom at
around 10 a.m. on a cloudless sunny day, with a few puddles by the road as a
reminder of the overnight showers. Having ordered our lunches we crossed the road
and took a footpath to the south, encountering an inquisitive but friendly horse, and
then swinging round over fields with golden-brown cattle to cross the planned path of
HS2 and then join the trackbed of the old Kenilworth - Balsall Common railway line.
After walking this for several hundred yards towards Kenilworth we turned south on a
road and then on paths to follow a loop that brought us back to the old trackbed at
the same point where we had left it. We now walked away from Kenilworth until we
picked up a footpath that took us back past the cattle and the horse to the pub and
our lunches. Many of us chose to have the good-value carvery lunch.
Had a time-traveller from a hundred years ago joined us on the walk, they would
have noted the houses along Cromwell Lane as new, and probably would have been
surprised at the loss of hedgerows dividing many of the fields and the absence of
track on the railway trackbed, but otherwise would have found the countryside little
changed.
Chris Hall
Walk on Thursday 20th , October 2011
The Phantom Coach, at the junction of Charter Avenue and the A45, is not an
obvious place to start a walk, but the member who originally intended to lead an
October walk was injured, and there was little time to research an alternative. The
replacement leader designed a route that was on local paths already familiar to him.
After a short walk along the A45 we proceeded along fields and pathways to the
university site, entering at Tocil Wood. Then along by the lake to Gibbet Hill Road
which we crossed to take a courtesy path at the bottom of the playing fields and
thence to Cryfield Grange Road. Walking for about half a mile along this road
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brought us to the path by Roughknowles Wood, where we turned back towards
Coventry. At the bottom of the slope we went along a bridle path alongside
Whitefield Coppice, and then through a gap in the hedge to re-enter the university
site. Our route brought us past the vice-Chancellor’s house, and then down the
sports pavilion road to Gibbet Hill Road, and across to walk between the old (whitetile) student residences and the (just-opened) Bluebell residences. The path by the
(other) lake brought us out onto the road near Tesco, and thence back to the pub.
Some members were surprised at the amount of recent development at the
university. There were also comments on how it had been possible to walk through
a largely built-up area walking almost all the time on paths or fields. Had this walk
been undertaken at the start of the last century the pub, Charter Avenue and the A45
would not have existed, and the largest settlement we would have been near would
have been at Canley Hall at the end of Shultern Lane with its two associated farms
and their buildings and cottages in the Cannocks Lane/Ivy Farm Lane area.
Chris Hall
Walk around Catherine de Barnes, Wednesday, November 23rd , 2011
Was it the promise of a flat walk with no stiles on minor roads of paths and only four
miles long that tempted the twenty walkers who turned out on this fine morning? Or
was it a sense of curiosity to discover where and what Catherine de Barnes was?
Whatever the reason it was really good to see so many familiar faces and a number
of new ones out with us for the first time. After a short introduction pointing out that
Catherine de Barnes was not a romantic heiress or abandoned mistress but in fact a
distortion of the name of some no doubt ghastly Norman, we set off in perfect
conditions. Half way round the walk we ran into a number of strange puns on the
term whale watching’ and eventually came to their source – the Whale tanker
factory. Their obvious commitment to improving the environment (a lake, a vast
number of newly planted trees and 70,000 daffodils promised for the spring) was
inspiring as was their commitment to the well-being of their workforce. After a short
but exhilarating stretch right next to the M42 we crossed the second ford of the walk
next to an old water mill and then returned to the deep peace of the Grand Union
Canal. Once back at the Boat Inn we were made very welcome and enjoyed an
excellent and very sociable lunch.
Godfrey Carr
*************
Visit to York, Wednesday 9 November 2011
Once we had cleared the local traffic congestion our journey was uneventful, arriving
at York mid-morning. The use of the local toilets in the coach park caused some
concern as the charge had increased from 20p to 40p per visit.
However, we soon dispersed and headed for the nearest gate to enter the city. Here
we were able to enjoy the delights that York has to offer. It was like entering a living
museum, ancient timbre buildings, narrow winding streets such as the Shambles,
and High and Low Petergate linked crooked squares where street entertainers
performed.
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Obviously, The Minster proved popular together with the numerous museums. In
particular the National Railway Museum was very attractive especially with a newly
restored CORANATION CLASS engine and tender on display.
A visit to “Betty’s”, the famous tea rooms was a must for most members for a
welcome coffee or lunch. However, with Christmas shopping and visits completed
we departed from York late afternoon.
Our next Spring Visit will probably be to Portsmouth and the Historic Dockyards,
especially HMS Victory.
Alan Foster
************
WURSA Bursaries 2011-12
This year 19 applications were received for the total of £1000 available for Bursaries.
The projects were of a high standard and it was agreed that three applications were
worthy of support, the amount awarded being a contribution to the expenses of the
project. The presentations of the awards were made by the RSA Committee at
University House on 30 November, 2011.
£500 to Carrie Hurst (3rd year MBChB student) to document photographically, for
exhibition, her experiences in observing clinical
practices in two very different healthcare settings in
Borneo (city and rainforest village). Carrie is a
trained and prizewinning photographer and has
been involved with WAMS (Widening Access to
Medical School), a group that organises school
visits and workshops in the locality as part of a
widening access programme. The bursary will help
meet the expenses of organising her exhibition of
photographs on her return from Borneo.
£250 to David James Coates (2nd year part-time PhD student,
School of Theatre and Performance) to bring the intriguing
histories of private theatricals back to life, with particular
reference to Chatsworth House which has a documented
record of the presentation of such performances including the
retention of original scenery. The theatricals will be staged
professionally before a paying audience and has the support of
the Head Curator of the National Trust. The events will receive
wide publicity and will offer the opportunity for an increased
involvement of the University Department with the National
Trust.
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£250 to Miranda Mylne and Thomas de Burgh
(Warwick
Medical
School)
to
document
photographically, and thus create, an up-to-date
picture of nomadic life in the Middle East (‘Empty
Quarter’ of Oman) at a time when such a culture is
under many pressures. The foci of study will be the
nomad economy, health systems and traditions,
subsistence and social organisation. Miranda has
gained degrees in Art and Design, and Pharmacology before coming to Warwick,
and has exhibited in photographic competitions; she was raised in Oman. Tom also
has photographic experience and he is currently an officer in RAMC as well as being
a graduate medical student at Warwick. They plan a photographic exhibition and to
write an article for National Geographic Magazine.
Terry Kemp
************
Christmas lunch Tuesday 13 December, 2011, Scarman House
A record number of 121 attended the Christmas lunch in Scarman house. As usual
the meal was excellent although some items ran out before everyone had been
served. However, everyone enjoyed the convivial atmosphere and there was ample
opportunity to catch up with old friends and chat to new members and their guests in
the lounge area where coffee and mince pies were served.
This was very good start to the festive season.
*************
WURSA Membership
At the end of 2011 the membership of the RSA was 260, during the year 12 new
members joined and there were 6 resignations and 6 who did not renew their
membership. Sadly 3 of our members died during the latter part of the year. In spite
of effort from the Committee and the members, staff are retiring from the University
unaware of the existence of the Retired Staff Association.
I would like to thank the 150 Members who have already renewed their subscriptions
for 2012. For those who put it aside for dealing with later but cannot now lay their
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hands on the form, just contact me and I will send you another by post or by email.
Closing date for renewals is 31 March 2012. Maybe we can all make an Olympic
effort to get the membership up to 300 in 2012.
Membership of the Association keeps you in touch with the University and gives you
many concessions; use of the Library, reduced membership fees for sporting
activities, discount in the Book shop and invitations to many social events throughout
the year. Currently for use of the Swimming Pool and/or playing Racket Games the
annual charge for Members is £49 and for each nominated family member the
charge is £65. If in addition to these facilities you wish to use the Fitness Centre, the
annual charge is £175 per Member or £198 for each family member. For those who
already have membership of the Sporting facilities please note that the renewal date
for this may not be January (it depends on the date your subscription started). For
those wishing to join please contact Esther Zaccarelli (Personnel Services,
telephone 024 7657 4467).
Bill Prichard
COMMITTEE 2011/2012 CONTACT DETAILS
Chair
Secretary
Treasurer
Membership
Secretary
Walks Co-ordinator
Visits Co-ordinator
Committee members
Newsletter Editor
Human Resources
support
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Steve Van Toller
Jean Norman
Colin Brummitt
Bill Prichard
svanto@ntlworld.com
norman467@btinternet.com
goddardmail@googlemail.com
william.prichard@btinternet.com
Malcolm Wilding
Alan Foster
Joan Cole
Georgie Hale
Pat Scott
Terry Kemp
Liz Prichard
Suzanne Keene
malcolmdwilding-rsa@yahoo.co.uk
joan_and_alan@yahoo.co.uk
colejoanm@aol.com
georgina.hale@tiscali.co.uk
jimscott1@btinternet.com
terry-sheila@ntlworld.com
elizabeth.prichard@btinternet.com
suzanne.keene@warwick.ac.uk