It’s been another big year at Regent’s. We celebrated outstanding student achievements, heard the latest insights, and appointed a new Vice-Chancellor. Here, we look back on some of the highlights.
Students and alumni
Our students and alumni were recognised for outstanding work across the board.
Fashion students put their best feet forward with two practical projects with leading brands Harrods and COS' Head of Womenswear.
Steven Dell, course leader, explains: ‘Live industry projects give students a taster of working for an international brand. We, as fashion educators, must maintain a close relationship between university and the continually changing industry.’
Shri Dhandhapaani, a student on the Harrods project, said: ‘It has been an eye-opener to the fast-paced environment of retail fashion. This is my first internship in London so it’s been the best experience I could have asked for.’
Screenwriting & Producing graduate, Isabelle Sieb, was nominated for Best Drama at the BAFTA Children’s Awards for her directing work on The Athena. The drama series, which follows the fortunes of a group of students who attend a prestigious college of visual arts in present-day London, was Isabelle’s TV directing debut.
Several film production students pitched their idea for a reality TV show at Cannes. Matt Graff, Production Manager at Zig Zag Productions, said the students – Kateryna Kononenko, Catherine Marcy, Delisa Hernandez and Olga Kobzar – had ‘done a better job’ of selling their concept than most professionals.
Of their win, Kateryna said: ‘This is a moment of celebration not only for all of us, but also for our University, and our film school. It all started here at Regent's and we are bringing the award back to where it all began for us.’
DPsych student Ute Liersch won the Student-Practitioner Award at the International Meaning Conference for her doctoral research on chronic pain acceptance.
Former BA International Business student, Francoise van den Abeele, returned to Regent’s after 23 years to inspire final year students. In 2016, Francois launched Sea2See – an eyewear company that designs and produces optical frames and sunglasses from recycled marine plastic waste collected with thousands of fishermen in Spanish ports.
Finally, third-year film students formed their own theatre company, Cult Arts, graduating film students held an outdoor screening for their final year projects, and interior design graduates showcased their work at the IE Summer Show.
Faculty
Once again, Regent’s faculty shared their big ideas around the world.
In February, Yossi Mekelberg co-wrote a briefing paper on how four Arab states could be influential in shaping the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In March, visiting professor Wilson Ng presented at the Organization of Science and the Disciplines Winter Conference alongside researchers from Harvard, Yale, Stanford and Chicago. He presented his research on work, environment and careers.
Dr Angie Cucchi presented her work on mental health at two conferences. In Kuwait, she argued we should adapt psychological models for the Middle East's unique cultural background. In Cambridge, she explored the role of emotions in eating and personality disorders.
Dr Cucchi said: ‘I am passionate about encouraging a more psychologically and relationally-oriented approach to mental health. Why not use a variety of approaches to conceptualise and address what’s going on?'
Later in the year, film lecturer Dr Ken Fero spoke about removing outdated barriers in media production teaching, at the International Documentary Education Forum in China. Dr Fero’s documentary, Justice for Joy, was screened on Channel 4 in as part of their Black British History collection.
Finally, one month after gaining his Doctor of Letters for his extensive work on Halal branding, Dr Jonathan Wilson was named on LinkedIn’s Top Voices list, which showcases the biggest thought leaders and innovators across the United Kingdom and the world.
Regent’s named best-in-class
Our programmes and campus were highly rated by students and the wider academic world.
Many of our business and management programmes were recognised by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI): the UK’s prestigious, professional body for managers and leaders. Plus, two of our creative programmes achieved 100% overall satisfaction in the 2019 National Student Survey (NSS), and a further three received ratings of 90% or above.
Dennis Maloney, Fashion Marketing Course Leader, said: ‘We try our utmost to create an individually orientated learning environment that challenges yet supports our students to achieve their full potential, while being part of an extremely close-knit community.’
Finally, Regent’s Park campus was named the Best Outdoor Space at the CN Academic Awards. Rachel Azzopardi, Head of Catering and Events, said: ‘Regent’s staff, students and visitors are fortunate to work, study and host events on our beautiful, historic grounds. This award recognises the hard work and success of our innovative events team.'
Some new faces
On the departure of Aldwyn Cooper, we were thrilled to welcome Professor Geoff Smith as our new Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive. Of his appointment, Professor Smith said: ‘The mission to develop tomorrow’s global leaders, in this fast-moving context, is important. Regent’s is uniquely well-positioned to rise to this challenge. I look forward to working on this and building on Professor Cooper’s outstanding achievements.’
Dr Diana Walford CBE, Chair of the Board of Trustees, also commented: ‘Professor Smith brings a very special blend of innovative leadership, strategic vision, creativity and depth of knowledge of the higher education sector. This is a winning combination for the future of Regent’s and the futures of our students.’
We also welcomed Ahmed Masoud as the new Director of Future Students and Partnerships (formerly Head of International Partnerships Office), and Katerina Kantalis as Director of Development & Alumni Relations.
Ahmed said: ‘I am excited to be joining one of the UK’s most international universities with a commitment to enhancing international education through various models of partnerships.’
Katerina said: ‘I’m excited to be a part of this vibrant and international group of alumni. No matter where you are in the world, you know that there will be someone from Regent’s to reach out to.’
Big ideas
We were proud to host some of the biggest minds and ideas.
In March, we welcomed university students from across the UK to compete in the 2019 Universities Business Challenge. In the same month, George Osborne – Editor in Chief of the Evening Standard – delivered the annual Hugh Cudlipp lecture on politics in journalism, and the role of the press in a social media era.
In April, Regent's hosted the fourth annual Desmond Tutu Peace Summit, in partnership with the Tutu Foundation (UK). A host of experts spoke about managing the hatred that drives modern conflict.
Towards the middle of the year, we heard fresh insights when we hosted several conferences:
- the fourth annual Learning and Teaching conference on all things AI, assessments and hyperconnectivity
- the sixth annual Youth Model United Nations Conference
- the 52nd Annual Conference of the Academy of Marketing
- the International Textile and Apparel Association on sustainability in fashion.
Finally, we welcomed the Commissioner General of UNRWA, Pierre Krähenbühl, for a round table discussion. He spoke about the importance of education: ‘When you invest in education, you don’t look at a person as a victim. You look at them as an individual with aspirations and everything that comes with that.’
As another year comes to a close, we’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all a restful and enjoyable break. We look forward to seeing you in the new year!
Events wrap-up for 2019
