A new sporting future
A stunning new £26 million sports facility is being built to replace the existing City Campus sports centre. Due to open in
June 2010, it will feature some of the most outstanding fitness and training facilities in the country, a six-lane swimming pool,
a three-court sports hall, a 40-metre sprint track, a 150-machine gym and even a glass-enclosed climbing wall projecting out
over Northumberland Road.
Sport at Northumbria has had one of its most successful years – the women’s basketball, football and rugby teams
all reached their BUSA finals and the men’s fencing team beat Cambridge to be crowned National Champions.
Recent releases available for purchase include:
Alan Beith: A
View from the
North. These
memoirs of Rt
Hon Sir Alan
Beith, MP for
Berwick look at
political life and
follow his 35
years as an MP
and a leading
figure in the
Liberal
Democrats.
The book
covers key
stages in the
party’s
growth, his work overseeing Britain’s intelligence
and security services for more than a decade, and
the need to make Parliament more effective.
Northumbria University Press is the university’s publishing arm and features a range
of publications, including language, photography, biography, travel and music books.
An A-Z of Franz
Ferdinand. This
highly illustrated
biography is
based on
exclusive and upto-date interviews
and pictures from
the internationally
acclaimed indie
band Franz
Ferdinand. The
book was compiled with the help of fans from
around the world.
Coalfield, and the posthumous publication Fishing
and Folk: Life and Dialect on the North Sea
Coast in August 2008.
Also published is a trilogy of books written by the
late Dr Bill Griffiths, as part of the Heritage Lottery
Fund sponsored ‘Wor Language Project’, which
included the popular Stotty and Spice Cake; The
Story of North East
For further details and pricing visit
Cooking, the nationally
www.northumbriauniversitypress.co.uk or phone Sophie White,
acclaimed Pitmatic: The
Publishing/Marketing Assistant on +44 (0)191 227 3382 or email
Talk of the North East
sophie3.white@northumbria.ac.uk
In Touch is produced on behalf of, and edited by Northumbria University Alumni Association. Northumbria University
is the trading name of the University of Northumbria at Newcastle.
Every effort is made to ensure the information given in this publication is accurate. No legal responsibility is accepted
for any errors, omissions or misleading statements.
240845J/09/08
Bookmark
www.northumbria.ac.uk/alumni
intouch
Issue 3
Autumn 2008
magazine for alumni and friends of northumbria university
Northumbria at Beijing
Northumbria Sports graduate
Victoria Pendleton stormed to
victory in the women’s cycling
sprint final to claim Britain’s sixth
track gold medal at the Beijing
Olympics.
Victoria Pendleton, Chris Cook, Stephen Miller
and Martin Boatman
Victoria arrived on the sprinting
scene in 2001 with four silver
medals in the national cycling track
championships, but it wasn’t until
after graduation from Northumbria’s
Sport & Exercise Science degree in
2002 that Victoria, now aged 27,
became a full-time cyclist. She was
selected for the Athens Games in
2004, finishing sixth in the time trial
and 9th in the 200m sprint. Since
then she has powered her way to
seven gold medals at World
Championships events.
Fellow Northumbria Sports
graduate, Chris Cook, also
represented Team GB at the 2008
Olympics Games in the swimming
pool, although he failed to make the
finals in either of his favourite
events – the 50m Breaststroke and
100m Breaststroke. Chris, who
comes from South Shields, made
his Olympic debut in Athens after
missing out on selection for Sydney
Games and the Manchester 2002
Commonwealth Games. His big
breakthrough came in 2006 with
double gold at the Commonwealth
Games in Melbourne, Australia with
victories in both the 50m and 100m
Breaststroke events and a silver in
the 4 x 100m Medley Relay. He also
picked up an unexpected bronze at
Inside
• Graduates feature film gets
world premiere at Cannes
• Honorary Graduates
• Reunions and Events
• Working with HIV/AIDS
in Africa
the World Short Course
Championships in Shanghai in the
50m Breaststroke event.
Three-times Paralympian gold
medal winner Stephen Miller –
a graduate of Northumbria’s
Business Information Systems
degree course – will be going for
his fourth gold medal in the Club
event at the Beijing Paralympics.
The dedicated Newcastle United
football supporter has dominated
the club discipline for more than a
decade, winning Olympic gold at
Atlanta, when he was just 16 years
old. He invented a new over
shoulder throwing technique rather
than the traditional front-on throw,
which helped him to secure gold
medals at the Paralympics Games
Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004).
Newcastle-born Martin Boatman,
who graduated with first class
honours in July from Northumbria’s
Geography degree has been in
Beijing helping to coach the six
sailors who make up the British
Paralympics Sailing
team. Martin
returned to
Newcastle in
September to start
his PGCE teaching
qualification at
Northumbria’s
Coach Lane
Campus.
Welcome
Dear
graduates
and
friends.
Welcome
to the
second
2008 edition of your
dedicated magazine
and a warm welcome
to new members of
Northumbria Alumni
Association who
graduated recently.
Going Green
Northumbria is committed to
supporting the environment. Your
magazine is printed on paper from a
sustainable source. In recent
months some members have
requested that we email electronic
copies of the magazine rather than
post printed one. So, if you’d prefer
us to do this, simply let us know.
Have your say
We’re always keen to hear from our
former students and friends with
contributions for future issues, so
send us your photos or tell us about
your university memories, recent
news and achievements. You might
also want to comment on the
magazine or the Alumni services.
Either way, we’d love to hear
from you.
With best wishes from your
alumni team
Natalie, Gemma, Andy and Anne
When you have finished with
this magazine please recycle it.
Contact
Northumbria University
Northumbria Alumni Association
1st Floor, Trinity Building
Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST
United Kingdom
T: +44 (0)191 227 4837
F: +44 (0)191 227 4561
E: ca.alumni@northumbria.ac.uk
W:www.northumbria.ac.uk/alumni
City Campus East
is officially opened
Northumbria University’s
iconic City Campus East
was officially opened in
July with the unveiling of
a sculpture to mark one
of the most significant
developments in the
University’s history.
Jonathan Ive CBE, a Design for
Industry graduate and now Senior
Vice President of industrial design at
Apple, marked the official opening of
the new campus by unveiling a
sculpture by Fenwick Lawson, former
Head of Sculpture at Newcastle
Polytechnic, our predecessor
institution.
“I am honoured to be a part of this
milestone in the University’s history,”
Ive said. “My time at the School of
Design was particularly important to
me, forming the basis for much of my
approach to design.”
This state of the art development
means Northumbria now has one of
the best inner-city campuses in the
whole country. City Campus East
gives us a unique advantage in being
able to attract and retain the very
brightest students which can only be
good news for the University and the
North East in general.
Jonathan Ive pictured with the new sculpture at the official opening
The sculpture, titled Prisoner of
Conscience, is carved in wood and is
currently being cast in bronze before
being returned to City Campus East in
the Autumn where it will be
permanently installed.
The new multi-million pound campus is
part of a £136 million investment by the
University in its City Centre Campus
and it has already picked up a host of
regional and national awards for its
iconic design and sustainable features.
It is now home to 9,000 staff and
students from the School of Law,
School of Design and the Newcastle
Business School. Work is now
underway on the transformation of
Northumbria’s original campus
development, now known as City
Campus West. This includes a new
multi-million pound sports centre (see
back page) which will be open early in
2010 and is already being included on
the list of possible training sites for the
2012 Olympic hopefuls.
Medical Law graduate awarded
prestigious professorship
Law School graduate Kayvan Shokrollahi has been awarded with the ‘Hunterian
Professorship’, a prestigious award bestowed by the Royal College of Surgeons.
A plastic surgeon, Kayvan has a first
class honours degree in Cellular and
Molecular Pathology, a degree in
Medicine and an MSc in Clinical
Engineering. He then studied a
Master of Law in Medical Law with
commendation at Northumbria
University on a flexible, distance
learning basis. His basic training was
undertaken in Bristol and he gained
Membership to the Royal College of
Surgeons of England in 2002.
PUP – bedside pet
for sick children
Interactive cuddly toy to give sick children a get-well boost.
Kayvan was presented with the
Hunterian Medal at a ceremony at the
Royal College of Surgeons and wins
the title of Hunterian Professor for one
year. He has recently returned from
Ireland where he was asked to deliver
his ‘Hunterian Oration’ lecture as the
guest speaker at the Irish Association
of Plastic Surgeons.
This is the first time that the Hunterian
Oration has been awarded on a
purely legal subject. Famous
Hunterian Professors include
Alexander Fleming (1919), who won
the Nobel Prize for discovering
penicillin and Lord Darzi (1997), who
delivered the Hunterian Oration on
key-hole surgery.
In Brief
We’re on Facebook!
Over 1,500 former
students are already
members of our Northumbria
Alumni page on Facebook. It’s easy
to add yourself. Go to
www.facebook.com click on
Pages and search for Northumbria
University Alumni.
Research into
breakfast benefits
Researchers from the School of
Psychology and Sport Sciences are
working on a £50,000 project with
Kellogg’s to investigate the
effectiveness of breakfast clubs
on school children.
Internationally
speaking
The number of international
students choosing to study at
Northumbria has increased by 6%
year on year, and continues to
outperform the market and other
regional universities. Our main
countries for international
recruitment include China, India,
Korea and Vietnam.
Sophie Haynes with her Pup
‘Pup’ is the brainchild of Sophie
responses the child has expressed
Haynes, a final year Design for
to get a better understanding of
Industry student. Designed to
how the child is feeling both
enable poorly children in hospital
physically and emotionally.’’
to administer their own pain relief
and share their feelings, ‘Pup’ is a
puppy shaped cushion linked to a
“PUP is a child-friendly way of
enabling youngsters to better
mini computer connected to a
cope with a hospital stay as well
syringe at the end of the bed.
as a valuable tool for enabling staff
to keep an eye on children’s
All the children have to do is to
physical and mental health.”
squeeze a pad on Pup’s paw to
send a message to the computer,
In creating her project, Sophie
allowing them to self-administer
worked with a supportive team of
pain relief, call staff or record how
pain specialist nurses at the
they are feeling. Nursing staff are
Freeman Hospital who reported
automatically alerted, allowing
very positively on her design.
them to respond if necessary.
Kayvan Shokrollahi (pictured left)
Sophie’s design was displayed
Sophie, 22, who is from
along with those of other
Huddersfield, said: “It’s an attempt
Northumbria graduates at New
to humanise the experience of
Designers 2008 at the Business
patient-controlled analgesia
Design Centre in London. The
systems for children, parents and
New Designers exhibition is the
nursing staff.
foremost event in graduate
“On one side of the computer
design and the event marks the
screen, a child-friendly message is
emergence of the year’s brightest
relayed while on the other side the
talents, presenting their unique
medical team can see all the
and fascinating degree work.
Student is UK’s first
Arabic referee
Trainee student teacher Khalid
Elshahaway has become the UK’s
first Arabic football referee. Part of a
cohort of Egyptian students
undertaking the Advanced Diploma
in Professional Teaching Practice at
Coach Lane Campus, Khalid has
been a referee since 2000 and
regularly takes charge of games in
his native Egypt. After contacting
the Northumberland Football
Association, Khalid is now able to
combine refereeing with his studies
at Northumbria.
www.northumbria.ac.uk/alumni
In Brief
Alumni profile
Pioneering work with
catalysts
Applied Sciences researchers are
working with Proctor & Gamble
on a pioneering project on the
development of new catalysts –
the vital components found in the
manufacture of many of the world’s
most commonly
used products.
Graduate
is Spain’s
youngest
minister
From corporate UK to a
remote village in Africa
After twelve years
of working in the
corporate world,
graduate Rick Hall
decided that ‘…just
earning money was
no longer enough…’
so he left the
comforts of England
and headed for
Africa, where he set up a project in a remote
village in Botswana supporting children
whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS.
International
Business
Administration
graduate, Bibiana
Aido Almagro, has
been become
Spain’s new
Minister for
Equality – aged
just 31 – the country’s youngest
minister in recent times.
According to UNICEF figures,
Botswana has one of the highest
HIV/AIDS rates in Africa. The virus
affects nearly a quarter of the adult
population and more than 18,000
people died from AIDS in 2005. Some
14,000 children under the age of 15
are themselves HIV-positive.
I always wanted to do humanitarian
work. After spending 3 months living on
the edge of an African desert, with a suit,
a motorbike and a rucksack packed with
a tent and sleeping bag I couldn’t go
back to England.
Rick explains, “I always wanted to be
involved in a humanitarian project:
something that would give me the
chance to actually make a bit of a
difference. I ended up in Botswana
doing HIV/AIDS awareness and spent
3 months living on the edge of a
desert, with a suit, a motorbike and a
rucksack packed with a tent and
sleeping bag. After that, I knew I didn’t
want to return to England, so I worked
out a way to offer the support that
orphans and vulnerable children
actually needed. That concept was
TOP Banana.
“TOP’ stands for ‘Tshesebe Outreach
Project. Tshesebe is the village in the
north east of the country where the
project is based and ‘Banana’ is the
Setswana word for ‘Youth.’”
The northeast region of Botswana –
which includes the village of Tshesebe
– has the highest HIV rate in the
country. According to Rick, the nurse
at the local hospital reckons that the
rate in the village is well above 50%.
Rick says there are two root causes
for the spread of the virus – poverty
and a lack of education about the
virus. The main aim of TOP Banana is
focussed on providing children with a
safe environment in which they can
develop positive attitudes and
personal qualities, gain an education
and new skills so they can become
integral members of society.
Rick explains more about the charity;
“The TOP Banana philosophy is
based on the Setswana proverb that
‘it takes an entire village to raise a
child’. We began by getting the kids
involved in after-school activities. Now,
during the school holidays we
regularly get 150 children each day.
We also have community events and
activities like beauty contests, the
gym, the playground and the
vegetable garden. We’ve almost
finished building a youth centre which
will give the children somewhere safe
to play and provide facilities for
HIV/AIDS education.”
A Positive Living Club has been
started to support the people that are
infected with, or affected by, the virus
and TOP Banana have employed a
counsellor to provide individual and
group counselling.
A drip irrigation system has been
donated to the project enabling them
to set up a vegetable garden. People
who join the food growing club can
opt to eat the crop themselves or sell
it as another source of income.
There is also a sewing club where
(mainly) women can make dresses,
skirts and other clothing either for
themselves or for sale. Now, this is
being expanded to a full-scale factory
so they can start a business making
school uniforms and overalls.
Rick hopes that by generating a
regular income for local people, the
project will enable youngsters and
adults to begin changing their
behaviour, attitudes and have a
positive influence on the next
generation.
“now my
rewards are
so much
greater than
any salary”
To learn more about the work of
TOP Banana go to
www.botswanabanana.com or
www.topbananatours.com
Alumni profile
In Brief
A different kind
of Dragon’s Den
Wanted:
External Trustee for
Students’ Union
Having
graduated from
Northumbria
three times in
the last twenty
years, Susan
Brownless is
now a
published writer
of children’s books, poems and
short stories.
Northumbria University, she says, has
helped her to achieve a lifelong
ambition. Susan was first a student at
Northumbria in the 1980s completing
an undergraduate Bachelors degree
in Accountancy, encouraging her to
go on to qualify as a Chartered
Accountant and work in business and
the accountancy profession. Nearly
twenty years later she returned to
study for a postgraduate Diploma in
Information Technology Practice,
graduating with distinction in 2004.
Then in 2007 Susan celebrated being
awarded her third Northumbria degree
– a Masters in Creative Writing.
This September saw the realisation of
her dream – the publication of her first
book – a story she has co-written with
another local writer under the name
‘Kelsey Drake.’ Her creative talents
don’t stop at words: Susan also drew
the sketch for the front cover!
Aimed at 9-12 year olds, and
dragonfriends of any age, the book,
entitled ‘Scordril’, is part of the Lothian
Dragon series
(www.lothiandragons.co.uk) and tells
the story of two children whose
summer holiday camping trip turns
into a real adventure when they come
face to face with a powerful and
fiery dragon.
As most of us can only imagine,
becoming a published author is no
mean feat, but Susan has achieved
this in spite of suffering from Multiple
Sclerosis, a degenerative disease that
affects the central nervous system.
gaining my MA, I’ve joined a writing
group and have had some of my short
stories and poems published.”
Northumbria Students’ Union
(NSU) is currently seeking to
appoint an external non-student
Trustee, with a specialism in
finance (preferably a qualified
accountant) to help drive its
future development and shape
the Students’ Union’s strategic
direction and will effectively
scrutinise it as a charity.
Susan is a true inspiration. Another
book in the Lothian Dragons series is
planned and she is getting close to
completing her first solo children's
novel, which she started during the
MA at Northumbria. Even with all this,
she still finds time to enjoy gardening,
watching aircraft and of course
keeping an eye open for dragons!
The external trustee will have an
empathy with the work of the
Students’ Union; possess the skills
to be effective in decision-making
and a commitment to the Nolan
Principles of Public Life:
Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity,
Accountability, Openness, Honesty
and Leadership.
For further information, an informal
discussion or to register interest
please contact Martyn Williams
(NSU General Manager) email:
martyn.williams@northumbria.ac.uk
or phone: 0191 227 4757
My whole life and
future changed in
an instant, but I
was determined to
take it as an
opportunity to
focus on my writing
Student volunteering
In 2004 Susan had become so ill that
she had to give up her career. She
said, “My reaction to the MS
diagnosis was one of shock, my
whole life and future changed in an
instant, but I was determined to take
it as an opportunity to do what I had
always wanted - focus on my
writing.
“The time since my diagnosis
certainly hasn't been easy, but with
support, especially from family and
friends, including people I've met at
Northumbria, I am pressing on with
my life and my ambitions. As well as
Scordril
is published by Matador.and
can be ordered online and
from all good bookshops.
ISBN: 978-1906510-817.
Graduates feature film gets world premiere at Cannes
Three former media production students have
collaborated on a feature film which has had its
world premiere at the 2008 Cannes international
film festival.
Better Things, which was one of only two British feature
films to be officially selected to be presented at Cannes,
is set in rural England and explores the theme of
intersecting lives, losses and loves. The film was
produced by Samm Haillay, written and directed by
Duane Hopkins with cinematography by Lol Crawley.
‘Better Things’ has been featured at the Toronto Film
Festival in Canada and will be released in the UK this
Autumn by Soda Pictures.
Since graduating together in 1997 from the Media
Production degree, Samm, Duane and Lol have worked
together on several projects and they all still live in the
North East. Samm has collaborated with two other
Northumbria graduates on a number of other film
projects, including Sean Conway and also Daniel Elliott
whose short film ‘The Making of Parts’ won Venice
The Northumbria Student
Community Action group have
carried out a huge range of
voluntary projects including
revitalising Brandling Park, walking
homeless dogs, running a pamper
day for patients at St Oswald’s
Hospice, reading to children in local
schools, running a speed dating
session for people with learning
difficulties and hosting tea dances
for local pensioners.
in 2006.
www.northumbria.ac.uk/alumni
In Brief
Alumni profile
£6.2 million grant
Baby business
The School of Computing,
Engineering and Information
Sciences is part of a consortium
that has received a £6.2 million
grant towards the Supergen PV-21
project which will eventually
reduce the cost of solar thin-film
cells by up to 93%.
Top Rank for
Nursing Retention
Nursing Standard, the UK’s main
nursing journal, has named
Northumbria as one of the top
10 universities in the country for
retaining nursing students.
Northumbria in
Top 10
Recently released UCAS figures
show that Northumbria University
is leading the field against its
competitors, with a massively
increased number of applications
and acceptances from potential
students. The University is in the
top 10 in the country for growth in
applications with a 5.5% rise in
applicants against an average
decline of -7.4% in the sector.
Northumbria is the only university
in the North East to record a rise.
Rachel Hollis
and Jonathan
Phillips met as
badminton
partners at
university and
have been
working as a
team ever
since! Now married with three
children they are also partners
in business.
Rachel Phillips tells her story. “The day
we arrived at Newcastle Polytechnic in
1989 feels like ‘forever ago.’ I was
studying for a Media Production
degree and Jonathan did Estate
Management. We met via the student
Badminton Club and have been
together ever since.
After graduating in 1993, we both
worked in business management with
large blue chip organisations (IBM,
BBC, Shell) as well as government
agencies. Then, in 1998, when I was
eight months pregnant with our first
daughter Jessica, Jonathan decided
to abandon the regular pay check and
set up his own marketing consultancy,
Inchima. The timing was interesting (!)
but with a great deal of hard work we
built a solid marketing agency
providing strategic planning and
guidance.
Around 2001 the agency started to
specialise in social networking and
online communities and is currently
providing online media and coaching
solutions to sports associations such
as BADMINTON England with
www.badminton.tv.
When our daughter
was diagnosed with
baby reflux we had
no idea how much
we would be tested
as parents or that it
would lead us to a
new business
venture.
After the birth of our second daughter,
Chloe, I wanted to do something
creative and ‘hands on’ and landed
my current day job at a video games
publisher near London publishing
games for Sony Playstation, Xbox 360
and Nintendo DS & Wii.
When our third daughter Willow
arrived in 2007, neither Jonathan nor I
had any idea just how much we would
be tested as parents. Soon after
Willow was born she was diagnosed
with a common but misunderstood
disease called Gastroesophageal
Reflux Disease/GORD or for short
‘baby reflux’. She would bring up her
stomach acids with feeds as projectile
vomit, woke every two hours during
the night and had permanent
coughing and poor weight gain. She
was distressed all the time with acid
burning in her throat. We had no idea
this was even a recognised disease,
but it affects as many as 1 in 5 babies
worldwide.
We were exhausted and the whole
family began to suffer, so we looked
for help. Willow was prescribed various
drugs but they weren’t very effective.
We did find a way to manage Willow’s
reflux with careful positioning and
handling. We sourced sleeping
positioners and products from USA
and Europe where there were none
available for reflux in the UK.
Being entrepreneurial types we took
advantage of these contacts and
started importing the products in bulk
for the UK market. This led to a new
business venture called babyREFLUX
(www.babyreflux.co.uk) which is now
going from strength to strength.
So, Newcastle Polytechnic is where it
all began for us and we hope to
arrange a reunion of some of the
badminton club who played between
1989 and 1993 sometime soon. It’ll be
great to return once again after all
these years.”
Polar explorer
Sport and Exercise Science
graduate Andy Stephenson is
linking up with expedition experts
at the Fuchs Foundation to go on
the trip of a lifetime to Greenland in
the Arctic in March 2009.
with excellent credentials and total
commitment to the project. He will have to
draw on all his resources, both mental
and physical to succeed in the expedition
and hopes to go on to inspire students
with his experiences.
Andy, who is now a lecturer at
Newcastle College, and three other
teachers will carry out science
projects looking at the effects of the
environment on the human body and
how it copes with extremes.
The run up to the expedition will focus on
the vigorous preparation of undergoing
expedition and polar training. When he
returns to the UK, Andy and his
colleagues will produce teaching
materials which will be used in their
classrooms and will also be available on
the Fuchs Foundation website.
As part of his trip, Andy will have to
complete a 350 mile crossing of
Greenland. He’ll have to cope with
temperatures of -20 C whilst
travelling over 12 miles a day for five
weeks with the aid of husky dogs.
Andy was selected for the trip after
undergoing a gruelling three day
selection process and came through
The Fuchs Foundation was established
by Peter Fuchs, son of the late Sir Vivian
Fuchs (polar explorer and former Director
of the British Antarctic Survey), to take
practising teachers to Polar regions in
order to carry out science projects.
Andy is naturally excited about his
upcoming polar expedition. He said “I
can’t wait to go on this trip. It will be a
great experience and I hope that I can
feed back my time to the students in a
way that will inspire them. The Fuchs
Foundation provides vital information for
education and it will be exciting to be part
of the team that pulls it all together. I’ll be
working hard over the next few months to
raise the money for the trip and prepare
for the extreme cold!”
By bringing science and geography alive
and inspiring teachers it is hoped that
students will be inspired to pursue their
dreams. Each year, the Fuchs Foundation
has to raise £70,000 and Andy and his
fellow teachers will be working hard to
raise £10,000 each to participate in this
innovative scientific expedition.
For more information:
www.fuchsfoundation.org
Graduation Ceremonies 2008
Four inspirational people from the world of industry, religion and
health have been awarded Honorary Doctorates in Civil Law by
Northumbria University at the 2008 Graduation Ceremonies.
Director General within the
Department of Health for
Professional Leadership, including
Allied Health Professions, and for
Children and Maternity. She is also
the lead Director with responsibility
for reducing hospital associated
infections and improving
cleanliness.
The Archbishop of York, the Most
Reverend and Rt. Honourable Dr
John Sentamu is the second most
senior cleric in the Church of
England after the Archbishop of
Canterbury. Born in Kampala,
Uganda, he graduated from Makere
University, Kampala in 1971. He
practised law at the bar and the
bench in the High Court of Uganda
before seeking sanctuary in Britain in
1974, due to persecution under Idi
Amin's regime.
Dame Christine has engaged and
inspired nurses across the country
in leading service improvement and
contributing to change and
reconfiguration of clinical practice.
The cutting edge work with the
modernisation agency liberated
nurses, increased flexibility and
inspired innovation.
Dame Christine Beasley. As
England’s Chief Nursing Officer,
Dame Christine has led major
reforms in practice and the
education of nurses and midwives.
She has been in the ‘business of
nursing’ for over four decades
She is nationally and internationally
acknowledged as one of the most
influential women in health policy
and practice today, and is the
Haydn Biddle. Currently Chief
Executive at Batemans Breweries,
he is also Deputy Chairman and
Pro-Chancellor of Northumbria
University and a member of its
Board of Governors. He has enjoyed
a distinguished career in business,
initially with Procter & Gamble before
joining Scottish and Newcastle
Breweries as Marketing Director. He
helped establish Newcastle Brown
Ale as a strong ‘cult’ brand in the
USA, promoted Becks beer as a
premier brand in the UK and went
on to become Managing Director of
Newcastle Breweries.
MSc Physiotherapy
Studies
The School of Health, Community
and Education Studies has
developed a new Postgraduate
taught Masters programme for
international students, to enable
qualified Physiotherapy and
Rehabilitation professionals to
further their knowledge and critical
analysis skills.
The first intake, of around 20
students – many of them from India,
where there is a particularly strong
market for this kind of course – was
in September 2008.
Songwriter wins
special award
Contemporary Popular Music
graduate Marc Oliver impressed
judges in a national song-writing
competition – who included Guy
Chambers who has worked for
Robbie Williams and Cathy Dennis
who has written hits for Kylie
Minogue and Britney Spears – so
much that they created a special
£2,000 prize for him.
Dame Christine was awarded
‘Commander of the British Empire’
for services to healthcare in 2002
and made a Dame in the 2008
Queen’s Birthday Honours List. She
is Pro-Chancellor of Thames Valley
University and a Trustee of Marie
Curie Cancer Care.
He was ordained in 1979 and
worked as a parish priest in London
before being appointed Bishop of
Stepney in 1996, Bishop of
Birmingham in 2002 and then
Archbishop of York in 2005. He is an
Honorary Master Bencher of Grays
Inn, London.
Dr Sentamu is a tireless campaigner
for justice and has spoken out,
sometimes controversially, on a
range of issues including the plight
of young people, the importance of
the family, freedom from slavery,
injustice and conflict abroad. He
famously removed and cut up his
clerical collar during a TV interview in
protest against Zimbabwean
president Robert Mugabe.
Batemans – the family owned
specialist brewery in Lincolnshire –
he has been associated with a major
programme of change at the
company, with the building of a new
brewery, the development of a new
21st century business model and the
acquisition of a significant number of
new pubs.
In Brief
30 years for Library
Dr Trapp is a leading businessman
in the North East and has helped
establish the region as the world
headquarters of the offshore cable
and pipe-laying industry. He set up
The Engineering Business in Riding
Mill in Northumberland eleven years
ago with just three other people and
in his role as Managing Director, has
seen the business grow to one that
now has an annual turnover of £32
million and employs more than 150
people. He was presented with the
honorary degree alongside
graduates from the School of
Computing, Engineering and
Information Sciences.
The City Campus Library recently
celebrated the completion of an
£8million refurbishment and three
decades of learning support and
educational development. Since
opening in 1978 the Library has
seen dramatic changes, embracing
new technology and transforming
the way that students access
information. Twenty years ago, there
were only four computers and no
internet. Now, two million people
use its web resources each year,
giving students access to 30,000
online resources, including journals
and databases as well as access to
over half a million books 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week, from anywhere
in the world.
Students’ Union is
safe and sound
The Students’ Union has won a top
award for being the best run
nightclub in Newcastle – as judged
by Northumbria Police, Safe
Newcastle, Newcastle City Council
and Tyne & Wear Fire and Rescue
Service. It also took the silver medal
at this year’s Sound Impact awards,
awarded by the National Union of
Students (NUS) for best
environmental best practice.
As the first ever Chief Executive of
www.northumbria.ac.uk/alumni
In Brief
95% of graduates
Over 95% of Northumbria graduates
find work or go into postgraduate
education within six months of
completing their degrees.
Most IT-enabled
organisation award
Northumbria is leading the way in
Information Technology after being
named the country’s ‘Most ITenabled organisation’ in the
Computing awards. The Computing
awards are among the most sought
after accreditations in the industry.
Designs get top
accolades
The School of Design has had
another fantastic year for awards,
with students and staff receiving a
total of 39 top accolades. These
include the MPA Roses Creativity
Award, three RSA Design Directions
awards and two prestigious Yellow
Pencil awards. The School also
picked up three awards at Graduate
Fashion Week and two further
awards were presented to fashion
students by Fenwick and River
Island. The School also picked up
five awards at New Designers.
Visit the award winners gallery at
www.northumbria.ac.uk/design
Team prize for
distance learners
Six Information and Records
Management graduates, who work
for the European Central Bank in
Frankfurt, won the Records
Management Society’s Team Award
2008 for outstanding contribution to
the profession. The students all
studied the course at Northumbria
by distance learning.
Architectural
Students
Two final year students from the
School of Built Environment have
beaten off strong competition to win
top prizes. Paul Brown who recently
completed his BSc Architectural
Technology degree claimed the Best
Placement Award, while Stephanie
Rose, who graduated this summer
from her BSc Quantity Surveying
degree, won the Award for Best
Dissertation. The awards aim to
promote, recognise and reward
excellence in the fields of
architecture and are sponsored by
the leading specialist recruitment
consultancy, Hays.
New breed of IT
graduates are flying high
Five Northumbria students are among the first in the country to graduate from a new degree
course designed specifically to meet the IT and business needs of industry.
The Information Technology
Management for Business (ITMB)
degree course at Northumbria
University – the first of its kind in the
north - has been specifically
designed to meet growing industry
needs for graduates with a blend of
IT and business skills.
The degree, which requires a higher
level of entry than standard
computing and information systems
courses, aims to target high
achievers in order to produce
graduates ready for senior-level
careers in IT.
The three-year course has been
delivered in partnership with many
of the UK's leading employers,
including BT, British Airways, IBM,
Unilever, Ford and Fujitsu, who
have all actively given their support
to the programme.
Christine McKibbin, originally from
Carryduff in Northern Ireland,
graduated with first class honours
from the ITMB programme and is
now flying high after landing a top
job with British Airways. Justine
Broom also graduated with a 1st
class Information Technology
Management for Business degree
in July 2008. She has secured a
prime job at DEFRA (the
government’s Department for Food
and Rural Affairs) working within
the procurement department - and
believes her work placement with
British Airways was a key element
of the degree course which has set
her on the path to a successful
career.
Andrew Turnbull, Programme leader
for the ITMB at Northumbria says:
“Employers are increasingly seeking
business professionals who have a
thorough knowledge of Information
Systems and a sound grasp of
technology but who also understand
the business environment and can
hit the ground running. This degree
course was developed to ensure our
graduates are able to fill a crucial
gap in the market.”
Top honours for all-girl team
Three female students from Newcastle Business School, part of
Northumbria University, had cause for a double celebration
recently after scooping a gold medal in a national publicity
campaign and graduating with first class honours – all in the
same week!
who expressed an interest in career
areas, including medicine and
combat. It featured the slogan: “Take
on a world of opportunities. Take on a
career in the British Army.”
Undergraduates Caroline Holmes
(22), Ruth Carberry (22) and Michelle
Hardy (25) – who all studied together
on the BA Marketing Management
degree programme – won £1,500
when they came first in the IDM
National Student Competition, run by
And an all-male team, also from
Northumbria, took silver and an £800
prize in the same competition that saw
around 1,000 students from campuses
across the country pitch customer
relationship management campaign
proposals to the British Army.
Winning team - Caroline, Michelle & Ruth
the Institute of Direct Marketing.
The brief was to a design a publicity
campaign to attract youths to the
British Army. The winning team’s
proposal centred on introducing a
‘buddy scheme’, where army
members were assigned to people
Awards for
design gurus
Four graduates from Northumbria’s Design School
returned to the university where they began their careers
to pick up awards in recognition of their outstanding
talents and achievements in the fields of design
innovation, design advocacy, entrepreneurship and
emerging talent.
Nigel Cabourn, the internationally
renowned fashion designer, was
presented with an Entrepreneurship
award in recognition of the years of
support he has given the School
and to aspiring young menswear
designers.
only brand to be sold in Tesco and
Littlewoods. She also has 10
franchise stores across the country.
From humble beginnings, Danielle
now has a company which rivals
Lush and the Body Shop in the
marketplace.
Nigel began his career in the 1960s
at Newcastle Fashion College (one
of Northumbria’s predecessor
institutions) and set up his studio in
the distinctive former windmill in
Claremont Road, Newcastle. He
founded the successful Cricket
label and became a design
influence for Barbour and Rohan
and is now one of the top selling
designers in Japan. Over the years
hundreds of students have
benefited from his time, knowledge
and resources to help with their
projects and industrial placements.
The award for Design Innovation
went to Stephen Kyffin, who
graduated from Northumbria’s
predecessor institution Newcastle
Polytechnic in 1981. Stephen is now
director of design, research and
innovation for electronics giant
Phillips, having joined them in 1998.
Prior to that he headed up the
Design Masters programme at
Royal Collage or Art in London and
has also run his own design
consulting company.
Danielle Dunn, from Whitley Bay,
graduated from Northumbria in
2003 with a fashion marketing
degree and now runs her own
company Fresh Soap Deli, which
designs hand-made cosmetics, a
range of soaps as well as bathroom
and body products. Danielle started
out selling her products on a market
stall in Spain and spent several
years building up her business skills
before returning to Britain.
Debenhams launched her product
to the UK market through their
stores nationally and she is now the
The award for emerging talent was
presented to recent graduate Max
Lamb, who is making a name for
himself as a furniture designer and
maker. Max graduated from
Northumbria with a degree in Three
Dimensional Design and has
recently been featured by the
Design Museum. He has also been
highlighted by design guru Terence
Conran in the Independent’s ‘Best
of British’ and the Daily Telegraph
listed him as ‘One to Watch.’
The awards ceremony coincided
with the Reveal exhibition – a
display of works by the latest wave
of designers to graduate.
Professor
In Brief
Roy Stephens Far East for Art
After 14 years’ service with the
University, Professor Roy Stephens
has decided to retire. Roy originally
joined the University as Dean of the
Faculty of Health, Education and
Social Work and, following the
restructuring in 2002 he became the
Dean of the new School of Health,
Community and Education Studies.
He has been responsible for setting
the strategic direction and directing
the operation of the biggest School at
the University – which currently has
over 7000 students and 300
academic and support staff. He has
been the driving force in the
University’s successful relationship
with the NHS in an increasingly
difficult climate. Under his leadership
the School has also raised the quality
of its provision to new high levels,
gaining accolades from the QAA, the
TTA and in university league tables.
Five students from the Division of
Visual Arts have taken part in a new
sponsored exchange programme to
study art and culture in Japan. The
Fine Art students visited Osaka this
summer to join a Japanese Art
School for six days. The itinerary
was a packed one and included
events and excursions, visits to local
temples, a zen garden and Gion
district, as well as experiencing
cultural and art traditions such as
the study of Ikebana (the Japanese
art of flower arranging), Manga, and
even a Japanese Tea ceremony!
Sign up for our
e-newsletter
More than 11,000 former students
and friends have already signed
up to receive our e-newsletter
every two months. If you’d like
to get more regular updates from
the university just email
ca.alumni@northumbria.ac.uk
with ‘Email Newsletter’ in the subject
header or visit our webpages and
sign up for the e-newsletter via the
‘Keeping in Touch’ section.
Graduate nominated
for Turner Prize
Fine Art graduate Mark Leckey is
one of only four artists to be
shortlisted for the 2008 Turner prize.
He works in a variety of media and
explores contemporary ideas of film,
and film as sculpture and has
mingled images of Leonardo
DiCaprio, Disney cartoons and
Marge Simpson. He is currently
creating work for the Turner prize
show which opens to the public at
Tate Britain in October with the final
winner chosen in December 2008.
A law unto themselves
Three generations of one crime-fighting family are all studying law at the
university. Eighty-one-year-old Henry “Harry” Henson is sharing lecture
theatres with his son Michael, and pregnant granddaughter Ruth
Robinson. The part-time law degree has provided them with a qualifying
degree that gives exemption from the academic stage of legal education
to become a solicitor or
barrister. On completion of the
degree they will be eligible to
apply for the Legal Practice
Course (LPC), the vocational
stage of legal education to
become a solicitor, or the Bar
Vocational course (BVC), to
become a barrister.
www.northumbria.ac.uk/alumni
Diary Dates
Reunions and Events
30 October 2008
Event for Recent
Graduates
If you’ve graduated from
Northumbria in the last decade,
why not join us and your fellow
alumni for a catch up in
Newcastle this Autumn?
We will be in Tiger Tiger (at The
Gate, Newcastle) on Thursday
30th October 2008 from 6pm until
7.30pm. We would love for loads of
our graduates from 1998 – 2008 to
pop along. It’ll be a great
opportunity for you to meet other
Northumbria graduates and make
new friends, or maybe you could
use it as an excuse to start the
weekend early!
Come on, don’t be shy, the first
drink is on us! See you there.
Reunions, Events and Networking
Reunions are a great way to stay in touch with your old friends and classmates. Each year, the Alumni
Team helps former students to organise all sorts of reunions. We can help you to arrange a get together
with your friends. It’s what we are here for, so do get in touch!
Upcoming Events
Occupational Therapy Network (NOTN)
The Northumbria OT Network was launched in 2007, with a small grant from the
Alumni Fund, to provide current and former Occupational Therapy students with
the opportunity to learn about recent developments in the profession, debate
current issues, network with other occupational therapists and establish
opportunities for peer support and mentoring.
Autumn 2008 dates are:
Thursday October 16th and Thursday December 5th at Coach Lane Campus.
Further details are available from Samantha Shann
Samantha.shann@northumbria.ac.uk
October 2009
25 Year Reunion –
Calling past
students of HND
Business Studies
(Marketing),
1982-1984
Do you remember Brian Hodgson
from the course? We’re helping him
to arrange a 25 Year Class Reunion.
It’ll be in Newcastle in October
2009.
To register your interest, please
contact the Alumni Office.
Summer 2010
Class of 1968 reunited after 40 years
This summer a group of former
students of Rutherford College of
Technology came back onto
campus to mark the fortieth
anniversary of their graduation.
When Jeremy Clare and his
colleagues arrived at Rutherford
College of Technology in 1963 they
were pioneers – the first cohort of
students to enrol on a London external
BA degree in Sociology (there was a
Psychology option for the BSc). As
most students were living away from
home, they quickly became involved
in student societies. One of their most
notable achievements was that they
turned the Students’ Union (SU) into
the organisation we know it today, a
place run by the students, not by
university staff. It took two years to
force through the creation of an
independent SU.
Jeremy, who was instrumental in
organising the reunion said; “Today’s
students would know Rutherford
College building by its current name –
Ellison Building. The facilities have
certainly changed dramatically, but the
structure is still the same. Seeing the
common room and walking through
the corridors brought back many fond
memories. It was fascinating to see
15 Year Reunion of
Psychology
Graduates –
Class of 1995
In Summer 2010, it’ll be fifteen years
since graduation, so what better
time to have a reunion. If you
studied with Mark Moss and are
interested in meeting up again in
Newcastle, do let us know.
Jeremy Clare (third from left) with his classmates outside Rutherford Hall
how the campus has evolved since
our student days.”
The reunion weekend culminated with
a dinner at which Professor Neville
Harris gave a talk. Neville was a
lecturer in the General Studies
department, home of sociology in
1963. He stayed on through the
evolution into the University until he
retired. (In 1969, Rutherford College
merged with a number of other
regional colleges to form Newcastle
Polytechnic, which became
Northumbria University in 1992). The
wine for the dinner was provided by
fellow alumnus, Irwin Thompson, who
runs Tyne Wines and afterwards the
group shared photographs and
memories of their time at Rutherford.
Since graduating many of the group
have been very successful reaching
senior positions in the fields of health,
social services, education and
research. Most notable from the group
being Sir Andrew Foster (Controller of
the Audit Commission and
Northumbria Honorary Graduate),
Professor Robin Smith (former Head
of Northumbria’s Carlisle Campus)
and Rodney Bickerstaffe (former
General Secretary of UNISON and
now President of the National
Pensioner’s Convention).
23 reunions in 23 years!
Wendy Sinclair started the BA
History of Modern Art, Design &
Film (HOMADF) degree course
at what was then Newcastle
Polytechnic in September 1985
along with around 40 other
students. Term by term and
year by year, following gruelling
essays and lengthy exams their
numbers dwindled. In the end,
eleven people obtained their
BAs, and of those, ten studied
an extra year with yet more
essays, a dissertation and
two 3-hour exams to achieve
their BA (Hons).
ranged from late teens to early
sixties but that wasn’t
important.”
“We built up a strong bond of
friendship, particularly during
the final year when we
exchanged notes, shared
library books and gave each
other moral support when it
mattered”, said Wendy. “Most
of us were working and
bringing up families, our ages
If this has inspired you to get together with your old course
mates please contact the Alumni Office to see how we can
assist you in organising your very own get together.
Alumni Gala Dinner - Hanoi, Vietnam
In August, seventy graduates
from across Vietnam joined staff
of Northumbria University for a
gala dinner.
Joanne Purvis (Director of
Northumbria University’s
International Office) signed a
Memorandum of Understanding with
the president of the Banking
Academy in Hanoi, which will enable
students to complete 2 or 3 years of
their business degrees in Vietnam
and then come to Northumbria’s City
campus for a further 1 or 2 years to
complete their degree. The signing
ceremony was witnessed by our
alumni, two television stations and
several newspapers.
Egyptian Teaching
Project
This October, for the fifth year
running, a group of around 100
Egyptian school teachers will be
arriving in Newcastle to study for
an Advanced Diploma in
Professional Teacher Practice at
Northumbria’s Coach Lane
Campus.
These strong links have
continued ever since and the
group are constantly in touch
with each other. The oldest
friends are now in their eighties
and most are retired. In July
Wendy hosted their ‘annual
event’ which saw seven of the
BA (Hons) group reunited at
her home in Darlington, County
Durham.
Since receiving her HOMADF
degree Wendy has returned to
Northumbria to undertake more
study, completing her MA in
Cultural History in 2003. Of her
experience at Northumbria
Wendy says, “I think what we
have gained through those
years of study was so much
more even than our valuable
Degree certificates.”
In Brief
The experienced teachers will leave
their homes and families back in
Egypt and come here for two
semesters to improve their
professional skills and learn
valuable lessons about Newcastle,
the North East and UK culture. The
project - which is of enormous
benefit to the Egyptian Government,
the teachers themselves and
school-age children in Egypt - also
generates significant income and
international exposure for the
School of Health, Community and
Education Studies and enriches the
Coach Lane Campus student
population making it very much a
global campus.
Malaysia – BBQ
A group of alumni met recently in
Kuala Lumpur for a barbecue at the
Jeumpra D’Ramo Guest House in
Kuala Lumpur, owned by a former
student.
CoCo Centre
A state-of-the-art research centre for
the new Cognition and
Communication Research Centre
(CoCo) has been officially opened
in the School of Psychology and
Sport Sciences.
Malaysian graduates recently started
their own Facebook group to help
them to stay in touch with each other
and share their memories of study at
Northumbria.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?
gid=13638113733
A presentation was also made at the
dinner to the Chair of the
Vietnamese alumni society, Do Tri
Dung, who completed an MSc in
Finance at Northumbria University
and who recently got married.
The CoCo researchers will use the
facilities to examine how both adults
and children communicate about
and conceptualise the world in
which we live,
Cool course to
combat climate
change
Beijing
Alumni from Newcastle Business School,
part of Northumbria University joined senior
university representatives and staff from
Northumbria’s China Office for a dinner in
Beijing in May. This is the second such gettogether since the founding of the Chinese
Alumni Committee (CAC) last December.
joined by regional leaders of the committee
CAC President, Professor Zhu Mingxia,
who says her dream became true when
she recently completed her Doctor of
Business Administration degree, was
the institution and its former students
from Henan and Shandong and graduates
from a range of Northumbria courses.
With support from the alumni relations staff
at the university it is hoped that the
committee will serve as the link between
A new part-time MSc in Sustainable
Development in the Built
Environment has been launched for
property and construction
professionals charged with
responding to growing demand for
sustainable buildings. Steve
Hodgson, Dean of Northumbria’s
School of Built Environment and a
Chartered Building Services
Engineer says: “We believe the
North East is ripe to become a
centre for sustainable design.”
across China, giving them many
opportunities to network and contribute to
the development of the University.
www.northumbria.ac.uk/alumni