University of Lincoln – Student News

Uni Imps Scheme tickets for the last Lincoln City game of the season are now on sale from the SU reception in the Engine Shed.

The match will be Lincoln City vs Macclesfield on Saturday 22nd April, kick off 3pm.

Tickets cost £2 each, and to allow the club to maximise the home fan capacity these will be situated in the Stacey West stand.

There is a maximum purchase of six tickets per person and you may be required to show a valid staff or student ID card.

Don’t forget to tweet us on the night with your experience of the game @unilincolnhr.

If you have any queries please contact Rosie Damarell in HR rdamarell@lincoln.ac.uk.

The University of Lincoln has been named in the UK’s top ten for student satisfaction by postgraduate and international students in the Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2017.

The rankings recognise institutions for excellence in a wide variety of academic and social areas, and Lincoln has been ranked third place nationally for postgraduate student satisfaction and ninth for international student satisfaction.

These latest top ten accolades build on Lincoln’s success in the last National Student Survey and The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2017, which placed Lincoln in the top ten in the UK for student satisfaction, teaching quality, and student experience. The University of Lincoln has more than 100 nationalities represented on campus, and most postgraduate programmes offer the opportunity for students to undertake placement opportunities.

Elly Sample, Director of Communications, Development and Marketing, at the University of Lincoln, said: “We are delighted to receive such a resounding vote of approval from our students.

“The opinions of our students are very important to us. Indeed, students are engaged at all levels at the University of Lincoln. They sit on the key decision making committees, they help to shape courses, sit on interview panels and have the opportunity to work with leading researchers in the creation of knowledge.”

The Whatuni rankings take into consideration more than 27,000 reviews collected from up to 130 UK universities on a variety of topics. Students at institutions across the UK were asked to rate their overall university experience so far, selecting 1 being ‘not so good’, 5 being ‘awesome’.

Each category in the Whatuni Student Choice Awards is based on the aggregate review score submitted by students at that university, and the number of institutions in each category varies depending on the responses received.

Feedback in the survey of postgraduate students placed Lincoln in third position out of 36 institutions in the UK. International students’ views placed the University in ninth place of 49 institutions.

Designs for housing that could help older people live longer and more comfortably in their local communities have been proposed by students from the University of Lincoln in a unique collaboration with regional specialist housing association, LACE Housing.

The students were challenged with researching the housing needs of Lincolnshire’s ageing population and translating them into innovative design ideas for extra care housing –properties where older people can live in a home of their own, usually with additional on-site care, support and communal facilities.

They presented their ideas for change at a special event attended by Baroness Warwick, Chair of the National Housing Federation, on the University’s main Brayford Pool Campus today (Monday 10th April 2017).

Working with Dr Primali Paranagamage, from Lincoln’s School of Architecture and Design, five teams of students from the University’s schools of Architecture and Design, Business, and Health and Social Care took part in the project, which was sponsored by Lindum Group, Thornton & Firkin, Saunders Boston, and South Holland District Council in addition to the support of LACE Housing.

A major consideration throughout the project was the development of housing solutions that allow people to ‘age in place’, enabling them to remain part of their community, close to family and friends, resulting in better long-term health.

The ideas of all the groups were developed into a single report, ‘Ideas for Change 2017: Extra Care Housing in Lincolnshire’, produced by Dr Paranagamage, whose research explores housing, marginalised communities and social innovation.

Dr Paranagamage said: “As Lincolnshire’s ageing population continues to grow, a lack of appropriate housing stock and an increase in demand on the social care system becomes of greater concern. It is therefore of the upmost importance that creative solutions are sought to explore new models of housing and development in partnership with local health service providers.

“This project has been a terrific opportunity for the students involved, not only to engage in a real-world project and to collaborate with real external stakeholders, but to work within an interdisciplinary team as they will in their future careers.”

Nick Chambers, Chief Executive at LACE Housing, added: “We were delighted to receive Baroness Warwick and to have the opportunity to share with her our innovative approach to partnership working and the design and delivery of specialist housing and support services for older people in Lincolnshire.

“It was an honour to introduce the Baroness to the students of the University of Lincoln who have worked so hard on the report, which will no doubt have a large impact on what housing with care looks like in Lincolnshire in the future.”

Hoping to gain further insight into LACE Housing’s innovative approach to partnerships and research, Baroness Warwick’s visit also included an overview of the ENRICHME project (ENabling Robot and assisted living environment for Independent Care and Health Monitoring of the Elderly), another collaboration between LACE Housing and the University of Lincoln, through its School of Computer Science, which aims to develop and test the ability of robots to support ageing populations.

Tickets for Lincoln City’s next two games will be available for sale from the Students’ Union reception from Thursday 6th April.

Tuesday 11th April – Lincoln vs Chester – 7.45pm kick off

Friday 14th April – Lincoln vs Torquay – 3.00pm kick off

Tickets are £2 each and are limited to a maximum of six per person. You may be required to show a valid staff card or student ID when purchasing.

To allow Lincoln City to utilise the stadium capacity in the last home games the tickets will be situated in the Stacey West stand. You may be required to sit in the allocated seat numbered on the ticket dependant on security decisions on the day.

Don’t forget to tweet us on the night with your experience of the game @unilincolnhr

If you have any queries please contact Rosie Damarell in HR rdamarell@lincoln.ac.uk

Students on the BA (Hons) Music course created a very special piece of music when they were joined by London-based quintet, Valia Calda, for a unique music masterclass last Friday.  

The band, which draws inspiration from Jazz, Free Improvisation, Electronic and Greek Folk Music, spent the afternoon with the students, introducing them to the concept of free improvisation where musicians refuse to constrain themselves by following set rules.

Following a demonstration by Valia Calda, the inspired students took over, developing their free improvisation skills to create their very own musical masterpiece which was recorded by fellow Audio Production students.

The workshop was arranged by Dr Cassandre Balosso-Bardin, a lecturer in the School of Fine and Performing Arts.

“I wanted the students to experience something completely different,” Dr Balosso-Bardin explained. “Most of the students play popular or classical music so I wanted them to break down the barriers and see what happened. By learning the techniques behind conducting for improvisation the students will have the skills they need to play an improvised piece, not just as an individual artist but as a group.”

Zach Pritchard (20) was one of the students who took part in the workshop. Speaking ahead of composing their own piece, he said: “The demonstration and whole concept of free improvisation is really interesting as we’ve not done anything like this before. It will take some getting used to but it’s going to be fun seeing what we can come up with.  As musicians we have a natural pull towards the limelight but it’s really important that we listen to each other, using our instruments to compliment and contrast with what is being played.”

Audio Production student James Capel (21) added: “When our tutor offered us the opportunity to get involved in the session I jumped at the chance. Extra-curricular activities and getting some hands-on experience is really important in this industry and it’s also fun for us to be able to mix the recordings and see what we can produce.”

Valia Calda led the workshop ahead of their free concert at the LPAC’s Zing Café on Friday evening as part of the regular Jazz Commuter Series.

To listen to the improvised compositions created by the music students during their workshop, recorded and mixed by the Audio Production students, click here. You can also watch a short video of the session here.

Vicki Phillips, an alumna of the University of Lincoln, who has helped to improve the lives of countless children across the United States of America, has been named as a winner in the British Council Alumni Awards 2017.

The prestigious awards, now in their third year, celebrate the outstanding achievements of international graduates of British universities and showcase the impact and value of a UK higher education around the world.

The US winners of the British Council Alumni Awards 2017 were announced today (31st March 2017). Vicki Phillips won the award in the Social Impact category for her exceptional contribution to creating positive social change and improving the lives of others.

Having completed an EdD Educational Leadership programme at the University of Lincoln in 2002, she returned to the institution in 2010 when she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate.

Since leaving Lincoln, Vicki has gone on to serve as a District Superintendent of Schools and State Minister of Education in the state of Pennsylvania, USA, where she led educational reform to benefit all children and raise achievement levels.

Most recently Vicki served as the Director of Education for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation where, alongside her team, she developed and executed the largest philanthropic investment in US education, worth over $2.8 billion.

Professor Mary Stuart, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Lincoln, said: “We are incredibly proud of Vicki and everything she has gone on to achieve since completing her studies here in 2002.

“As a University committed to promoting the transformative power of education, it is particularly pleasing that one of our graduate has gone on to be recognised for her own outstanding work in the field, breaking down social barriers and creating opportunities for all.”

Reflecting on her time in Lincoln and how it prepared her for her career, Vicki said: “The combination of rigorous coursework, practical application and an international perspective drew me to the University of Lincoln initially, but it was the innovative approach to leadership challenges, the encouragement of risk-taking and the knowledge of the world that made it different to other university experiences.

“The multiple lenses on leadership gave me a foundation for confidently tackling the leadership opportunities that have come my way and has enabled me to consistently step into significantly more impactful roles and achieve results in even the most challenging of circumstances.”