BUILA Conference 2009
5th Annual BUILA Conference
Tuesday 14 th and Wednesday 15 th July 2009
Programme of Events
Tuesday 14 th July
| 07.30-09.00 | Breakfast |
| 09.00-10.00 | Registration |
| 10.00-10.30 | Kick-off (Plenary Session) Welcome, introductions to current Executive Committee and programme outline |
| 10.30-10.45 | Refreshments |
| 10.45-12.00 | PBS Has Arrived! (Plenary Session) |
| 12.00-12.50 | Preaching to the converted (Parallel Session) Developing an effective conversion strategy Rhys Evans, Cardiff University OR Procedures for staff travelling overseas: a case study (Parallel Session) Kim Hadley, Portsmouth University |
| 12.50-14.00 | Lunch |
| 14.00-14.50 | How broad is your remit? (Parallel Session) Managing the internationalisation process within your institution Jo Purves, University of Northumbria OR Fresh in? (Parallel Session) Getting started in an international office Adrienne Clarke, University of East London, & Dr Sue Piggott, Oxford Brookes |
| 14.50-15.10 | Refreshments |
| 15.10-16.00 | But I thought we’d agreed! (Parallel Session) Negotiating skills in a cross-cultural context Jo Bloxham, thinkingpeople OR As dodgy as they come… (Parallel Session) Identifying fraudulent applications Beth Sutcliffe, Durham University, & John Waller, WMG, Warwick University |
| 16.00-16.10 | Leg stretch |
| 16.10-17.00 | Tweeting and poking the masses (Parallel Session) OR Don’t mention Tier 4! (Parallel Session) |
| 17.00 | Close of day |
| 19.00-19.30 | Are we getting it right? Pre-dinner drinks and an opportunity to collar the Exec |
| 19.30 on | Conference Dinner (drinks kindly sponsored by DJG) |
Wednesday 15 th July
| 07.30-09.00 | Breakfast |
| 09.30-10.30 | Til Death Us Do Part (Plenary Session) Launch event for the new UK HE International Unit-commissioned Legal Guide for International Partnerships Alan Mackay, University of Edinburgh, & Glynne Stanfield, Eversheds LLP |
| 10.30-11.00 | Refreshments |
| 11.00-12.00 | The Education UK Web Strategy (Parallel Session) OR One in, one out (Parallel Session) |
| 12.00-13.15 | Lunch |
| 13.15-14.05 | Emergency situations overseas (Plenary Session) Feedback from the two BUILA workshops held earlier in 2009 Adrienne Clarke, University of East London & Dr Sue Piggott, Oxford Brookes |
14.05-14.15 |
Legstretch |
| 14.15-15.15 | Visible Thought (Plenary Session) What your body language says about you Professor Geoff Beattie, University of Manchester |
| 15.15-15.30 | The Final Whistle (Plenary Session) Round up of conference and fond farewells
|
15.30 |
Conference close |
Caveat: Please note that while we have made and will continue to make every effort to ensure that the programme will run as advertised and have confirmed each of the speakers, we cannot be held responsible for any cancellation.
Session and speaker notes
PBS has arrived!
Latest update and forthcoming issues
Does what it says on the tin!
Target Audience:
All delegates
Catherine Marston (UUK)
Catherine Marston is a Policy Adviser at Universities UK with responsibility for international issues, sustainable development and community cohesion. She represents Universities UK on the Joint Education Taskforce on immigration. She has worked at Universities UK for nine years in a number of roles. Before joining Universities UK Catherine worked for the Arts and Humanities Research Board.
Preaching to the converted
Developing an effective conversion strategy
Target Audience:
All delegates
Rhys Evans, Cardiff University
BIOG TO FOLLOW
Responding to applicants needs
Developing an effective conversion strategy
This session will provide an introduction to conversion strategy for new international office staff. The workshop will consider the challenges facing international offices in trying to convert enquirers into registered students.
Target Audience:
Anyone undertaking admissions or marketing roles.
Rhys Evans is a Senior International Officer at Cardiff University. Rhys has worked for Cardiff University since 2001 and has worked in the International Office since 2005. He is primarily responsible for recruitment activities in West Africa & the Middle East. In addition to his market responsibilities, Rhys also manages the International Office's admission function.
Procedures for staff travelling overseas: a case study
How the University of Portsmouth established university-wide procedures for staff travelling overseas to fulfil insurance requirements and the institution’s duty of care. The presentation covers risk assessments, emergency procedures, health & safety issues and general travel planning advice.
Target Audience:
Delegates who have not attended either of the previously-run BUILA workshop sessions, Emergency situations overseas, especially those with responsibility for health and safety of staff and travel.
Kim Hadley, Portsmouth University
Kim has worked in the University of Portsmouth’s International Office for 8 years. Her role covers organising overseas travel for IO staff, providing consultation and advice for university-wide travel, processing risk assessments and managing three websites related to international students and overseas travel.
How broad is your remit?
Managing the Internationalisation Process within your Institution
Internationalisation within an institution will incorporate many activities which are outside the responsibility of the International Office, and yet it is often the International Office that is expected to deliver the outcomes of the strategy. This session will examine key issues of engagement in institutions which may hinder the development and implementation of internationalisation strategies. It will look at different approaches to internationalisation, and whether institutional governance structures are a help or hindrance to success, as well as some of the common pitfalls. Participants will be invited to contribute their own experiences to the discussion.
Target Audience:
Staff with experience in international recruitment, particularly at a more senior level.
Jo Purves, University of Northumbria
Jo Purves is a graduate of Durham University (Modern Arabic Studies) and Newcastle University (MA International Studies). After a few years in TV production and PR in London she returned to the North East and became involved in the operation of some of UK HE’s first franchise operations while working at Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University, in 1995. She subsequently moved to Durham University where she covered a variety of markets and management roles in the International Office before returning to Northumbria University in 2004 to take up the post of Director of International Development. Since then she has concentrated on the wider remit of internationalisation and business development, including setting up representative offices overseas, strategic partnerships with universities and private corporations and embedding customer service values in education marketing.
Jo is a graduate of the British Council/CIM Advanced Diploma in International Education Marketing and was Vice-Chair of BUILA (the association of UK International Officers) for two years. She is on the Executive and Operating Boards of the British Council Education UK Partnership and is a member of the DIUS Committee looking at changes in the application systems to UK HE.
Fresh in?
Getting started
A session for those who are relatively new to the world of UK HE international recruitment, hoping to to find out:
• what you know
• what you don’t know
• what you want to know.
Target Audience:
Staff with less than two years’ experience in international recruitment.
Adrienne Clarke ( University of East London)
Adrienne Clarke has been involved in international recruitment, and related activities, for almost 20 years. She first attended British Council events in Malaysia and Hong Kong in the early 1990s when she was a lecturer in the Business School at what was the Polytechnic of North London. Following the merger of the University of North London and London Guildhall University she was appointed Head of the International Office at what became London Metropolitan University. She joined the University of East London in 2006 where she is Director of the International Office.
Dr Sue Piggott ( Oxford Brookes)
Dr Sue Piggott graduated from Southampton University with a first degree in Physiology and Biochemistry and a PhD in Pharmacology. Sue has been Head of the International Office and now Assistant Director (Strategic Partnerships) for over 10 years at Oxford Brookes University. She was previously a Senior Lecturer in the School of Life Sciences and subsequently Head of Continuing Education prior to moving into the International Office. She has had many years experience of international marketing including membership and Chair of the Taiwan Panel and is currently a member of the UUK International Unit’s Advisory Board and as a co-opted member on the BUILA Executive she represents BUILA as is a member of the NARIC Advisory Board.
But I thought we’d agreed!
Negotiating skills in a cross-cultural contextNegotiating styles vary across cultures and it can be difficult in cross-cultural negotiations to understand how to approach the situation and also even what is going on. By the end of this session you should have explored some cultural differences in approaches to negotiation, with a particular look at E and SE Asia.
Content:
- Building rapport
- Who should go to negotiate? Who will negotiate with you?
- Knowing who the decision- makers are.
- How long will it take?
- Approaches to negotiating
- What does a contract mean?
Target Audience:
All staff, p-articularly those who are required to negotiate agreements and contracts.
Jo Bloxham, thinkingpeople
Jo is one of the 2 partners of thinkingpeople, a consultancy that specialises in cross-cultural competence and valuing diversity. thinkingpeople work with a wide range of clients from university teaching staff to occupational therapists, fashion designers to school students (see www.thinking-people.co.uk for more details).
Jo was a Geography teacher in Leeds before going to teach in China for 2 and a half years. On her return Jo did an MA in the Social Anthropology of Development, specialising in Chinese culture and society. She also worked in a South African township for 3 months with an international youth exchange programme. She then ran joint volunteer projects for VSO for 5 years, between the UK and the following countries: Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Cameroon, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand and India.
Jo has been a volunteer at Refugee Action for the last 3 years, volunteering alongside people from many countries, mainly Somalia, Pakistan and Iraq. She has also hosted people from Indonesia, France, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire and Belarus.
As dodgy as they come…
Identifying fraudulent applications
Purpose : This workshop will provide an overview of the size of the fraud problem as experienced at Durham and Warwick, plus guidance as to what to look for when checking student's applications and supporting documents. It will focus on the particular problem of fraudulent documents submitted on behalf of Chinese nationals and the agencies that facilitate this.
Objectives :
- To raise awareness of the incidence of fraud within student applications.
- To examine the fraudulent agency market in the UK
- To provide advice and guidance to staff involved with pwhere they might encounter fraud
- To provide advice and guidance about how to verify the authenticity of documents.
- A brief look at fraudulent applications and PBS
- To discuss the possibility of a verification service for UK Universities.
Target Audience:
Anyone fulfilling an admissions role.
Beth Sutcliffe
Beth Sutcliffe has worked for the International Office of Durham University since 2004. She currently works as country manager for the UK, USA, China and Japan. Prior to working in the International Office at Durham she worked as Marketing and Recruitment Officer for Teesside Business School and also worked for Teesside University’s Schools Liaison team
John Waller
John Waller joined WMG (formerly Warwick Manufacturing Group) in the School of Engineering at Warwick University in the mid 1990s; he was previously employed as an IT Manager at Rover Group (Longbridge). He is currently the Admissions Tutor for the full-time MSc programmes run by WMG in the UK and a Course Leader for the e-Business MSc programme.
Tweeting and poking the masses
How international offices can develop an effective e-marketing strategy
Online profiles, twitter tweets, blogs, video blogs...
Our potential students are increasingly interested in creating and reading user-generated content and spend less time surfing the official pages that corporations, including universities, have created. What are the implications for international recruitment and how can we turn the "meMarketing" trend to our advantage?
Target Audience:
Anyone fulfilling a marketing role, particularly using e-comms and Web 2.0 media in their marketing.
Barry Sullivan, University of Wales Newport
Barry Sullivan has been an International Officer at the University of Wales, Newport since July 2007. He is primarily responsible for Africa & the Middle East. In addition to his market responsibilities he has also been trying to establish an effective eMarketing campaign for the International Office. Prior to moving to Wales, Barry worked at Bentley University ( Boston), Stony Brook University ( New York) and Syracuse University ( New York) where he also got his MSc in Higher Education Administration.
Don’t mention Tier 4!
UKCISA and the international student experience
Dominic Scott has spoken at previous BUILA conferences on some of the highlights but also pitfalls and frustrations of the Student Experience project within the PMI. This year, with much more funding agreed and for two years not just one and with a number of projects now really motoring and others, such as the new TALIS initiative on teaching and learning, getting off the ground, he has every intention of being more positive…
According to the I-Graduate PMI Barometer it also looks as though students’ satisfaction ratings in general and in a number of areas targeted by the PMI are, in fact, improving, so there could well be some good news stories for BUILA folk to integrate into their marketing messages - if you can just keep him off commenting on Tier 4 of the PBS!
Target Audience:
All delegates
Dominic Scott, UKCISA TBC
Dominic Scott has been Chief Executive of the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA, formerly UKCOSA), since 2004. Prior to that he held a number of senior positions with the British Council including postings to Norway, Egypt and India where he was Director of Education Promotion from 1995-2000. He is a member of the UK Border Agency's Joint Education Taskforce (JET), the UCAS International Board, the British Accreditation Council, is Chair of the UK NARIC Advisory Council and was, until recently re-configured, a member of the Prime Minister's Initiative (PMI) Strategy Group,.
UKCISA promotes the interests of international students and those who work with them. It has over 500 institutional members including every university in the UK and the majority of further education colleges that are active internationally. It liases with government and advises on all aspects of the international student experience including legislation, regulations and policy which relate to fee status, visas, immigration, employment and other rights, restrictions and entitlements. It also now leads for the UK on the PMI 'Student Experience' strand.
The International Student Experience
An update on progress
Target Audience:
All delegates
Dominic Scott, UKCISA TBC
BIOG TO FOLLOW
Til Death Us Do Part
Launch event for the new UK HE International Unit-commissioned Legal Guide for International Partnerships
This session will serve as the launch event for this new publication, which was commissioned from Eversheds LLP by the UK Higher Education International Unit. The legal guide to international partnerships is designed as a practical 'route map' for those at universities who are charged with setting up and running various types of collaborative ventures with counterparts abroad.
The practical purpose of the guide is to ensure the avoidance of common pitfalls and to maximise the educational and business benefits of international partnerships. The guide features a chapter on due diligence, others on staff and student issues, and one on what to do when things go wrong. It has notes on jurisdictions where UK universities most commonly encounter legal issues: Australia, China, India, Malaysia, the Gulf and the US.
The guide is aimed primarily at international offices, academic quality offices, SMT members responsible for external relationships, and university legal offices. It complements the existing Council of Validating Universities Handbook for practitioners which ensures partnerships are robust in academic terms. It also takes account of the quasi-regulatory status of the QAA Code of Practice on assuring academic quality.
Target Audience:
All delegates
Alan Mackay, University of Edinburgh
Alan Mackay is Head of the International Office at the University of Edinburgh with responsibility for international recruitment, student mobility, support and the University’s overseas offices. Alan works with the Vice Principal (International) to progress the Internationalisation strategy and is a member of the University’s International Executive Group. Prior to joining the University of Edinburgh in 2001 he worked for the University of St Andrews in admissions and recruitment, with a UK and international remit, and has experience in educational partnerships and initiatives across a range of countries in Central and Eastern Europe, North America and the Middle East.
Prior to his career in higher education he worked in professional support roles within the Scottish Government and Police Force. He is a member of the BUILA Executive, Universities Scotland International Committee, Universitas 21 International Directors Group and Chairs the British Council Scotland Group for Russia and the FSU. Alan is a currently member of the UK-US British Council Steering Group and the UUK Eversheds Steering Group for the International Partnerships legal guide for UK universities.
Glynne Stanfield, Eversheds LLP
Glynne is a partner in the education group. He read law at Jesus College, Oxford. He heads Eversheds Governance and External Relations practice and Eversheds International Education practice.
Governance: examples of recent work include: being the lead partner on the merger between the University of Manchester and UMIST; the creation of the University of Cumbria and the incorporations of the University of Chichester and Roehampton University. He is currently leading on the legal advice on the merger between St George’s Medical School and Royal Holloway, University of London.
He advised on the setting up of the QAA and OIA. He acts for the Russell Group and is its company secretary.
International: recent transactions include: advising the Washington Post Group on education institute acquisitions in the UK (including Holborn College), advising University of Technology Sydney on its joint venture in the UK with the University of Essex, advising Newcastle University on its arrangements with INTO, advising Nottingham Trent University and the University of Sheffield on their joint venture with Kaplan Inc., and advised the Open University on its Indian joint venture with NIIT (an Indian quoted company).
He has worked extensively in the Gulf and Asia including setting up a branch campus in China for Glasgow Caledonian University, advising Newcastle University on its medical campus in Malaysia and marine engineering campus in Singapore, acting for City University on its joint venture in Dubai and UCL on its Adelaide campus.
He was the lead partner in setting up Barnfield academies (sponsored by Barnfield College) and advising a number of education institutions sponsoring academies.
He is currently advising Apollo Global on its proposed takeover of BPP.
He is a member of the US organisation NACUA and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Corporate Finance Faculty.
He is recognised as a leading lawyer in the UK legal directories "Legal 500" and Chambers.
[Back to Wednesday's programme]
The Education UK Web Strategy
...or how I learned to stop worrying and love the web
Following customer and stakeholder research into the Education UK website and publications portfolio, the British Council have developed a new customer-orientated strategy for Education UK marketing communications on- and off-line. This session will focus on an overview of the online and print strategies andwhat they will mean for UK universities in terms of input into content strategy and advertising opportunities. A timetable of events and milestones will also be included.
Target Audience: All delegates, and especially those responsible for marketing activities.
Ginny Cobbett, Education UK E-Marketing Manager
Ginny Cobbett has worked as Education UK E-Marketing Manager for three years and has been active in British Council's international marketing of UK education for many more. Ginny is responsible for the development and implementation of the Education UK online strategy across the British Council's global network and is particularly looking forward to moving Education UK into mobile and social media.
Dr Hin-Yan Wong, Digital Consultant
Hin-Yan is an independent digital strategy consultant . He has developed online communication and engagement strategies for a wide range of private and public sector clients. He works regularly with the Central Office of Information on projects for the Department of Health, Department for International Development, the Qualification and Curriculum Authority and the armed forces. Previously, he was a senior strategy consultant at Rufus Leonard and worked for clients such as O2, Royal Mail, Shell and many others.
Hin-Yan holds a doctorate degree in operational research from the London School of Economics. He sings with the London Philharmonic Choir and performs frequently with leading orchestras in London.
One in, one out: student exchange
Institutional Engagement - A clear path to increasing your numbers of outgoing students
Given the drive for internationalisation and the aim for larger numbers of students to have an international dimension as part of their degree, it is obvious that you need to do more than just target students when you want to increase the number of participants going abroad. From Facebook to academic advisors, returning students to student societies - there are plenty of opportunities.
Find out how staff from the International Exchanges Unit at the University of Sheffield have plugged into several of these options to increase the awareness of opportunities available and to make the institution as a whole more internationally focused.
The session will offer practical advice and tips that you can take away and try at your own institution. The session will consider various levels of engagement including:
- senior management
- faculty level
- individual members of staff
- students
Target Audience:
Anyone with responsibility student exchanges.
Dörte Stevenson, Head of International Exchanges Unit, University of Sheffield
Dörte Stevenson has been involved in academic exchanges and related activities for almost 15 years. Dörte joined the University of Sheffield in 2002 and has been managing the Erasmus programme since 2004. In 2007, she became Head of the International Exchanges Unit within Student Recruitment, Admissions and Marketing and now manages both the Erasmus exchanges and the Study Abroad Programme. Prior to that, Dörte worked within the area of work placements and exchanges at the School of Management at the University of Bath.
Becky Mathers, Study Abroad Administrator, University of Sheffield
Becky Mathers joined the University of Sheffield in 2002 and is the Study Abroad Administrator within the International Exchanges Unit. Becky is responsible for the day to day running of the Programme and works with both incoming and outbound students as well as taking responsibility for the website and making strategic developments to the Programme.
Emergency situations overseas
Feedback from the two BUILA workshops held earlier in 2009
Following the successful workshops on sharing experiences and establishing good practices in emergency situations overseas delivered earlier in the year, this session will focus on what we learnt from these workshops, what the issues are, what good practice is around and what challenges we face if we are to inform future health and safety thinking and risk management strategies within institutions and across the sector.
Target Audience:
Anyone with responsibility for staff health and safety, organising staff travel. .
Adrienne Clarke ( University of East London) & Dr Sue Piggott ( Oxford Brookes)
[Back to Wednesday's programme]
Visible Thought (Plenary Session)
What your body language says about you - the new psychology of body language
Target Audience:
All delegates.
Professor Geoffrey Beattie, University of Manchester
Professor Geoffrey Beattie is Head of School and Dean of Psychological Sciences at the University of Manchester. He obtained his PhD in Psychology from the University of Cambridge ( Trinity College) and is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society (BPS). He was awarded the Spearman Medal by the BPS for 'published psychological research of outstanding merit'. Geoffrey was President of the Psychology section of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (2005-2006).
Geoffrey has been a keynote speaker at many international conferences and is widely regarded as one of the leading international figures on nonverbal communication. He has published 15 books many of which have either won or been short-listed for major international prizes. One is a novel entitled 'The Corner Boys' and this was short-listed for the Ewart-Biggs Literary Prize in 1999. Another 'On the Ropes' is hailed as a boxing classic and was runner-up for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award. His autobiography 'Protestant Boy'
(Granta, 2004) has enjoyed enormous critical acclaim as has the most recent book on body language 'Visible Thought' (Routledge: 2004).
Geoffrey was the psychologist and presenter on 'The Farm of Fussy Eaters' (UKTV Style, 2007) and Channel 4's 'Dump Your Mates in Four Days' (2006/07) and psychologist on ITV2's series 'Ghost Hunting with Celebrities' (shown on ITV1, 2008). He was presenter of BBC1's 'Family SOS' (first series 2004; second series 2005) and co-presenter of BBC1's 'Life's too Short' in 2002 (25 programmes). Geoff was the resident psychologist on all nine 'Big Brother' series. His television credits also include 'Child Of Our Time' (BBC1) 'Diet Trials', (BBC1) 'Tomorrow's World', (BBC1) and numerous documentaries on ITV and Channel 4. On the run up to the General Election in 2005 he had a regular slot on the main ITV news at 10.30 called 'The Body Politic', in which he analysed the body language of all the senior politicians involved in the election. He is also a regular contributor to 'Richard and Judy', the 'Lorraine Kelly Show', 'GMTV', the 'Extreme Celebrity' shows, 'BBC News 24' and 'Sky News'.
His academic publications have appeared in a wide variety of international journals including Nature, Semiotica, The British Journal of Psychology, and the Journal of Language and Social Psychology. But he has been keen to show how psychology can illuminate many aspects of human experience and consequently he has written for a diverse range of newspapers and magazines including: The Guardian (over 250 articles), The Times, The Independent, The Sunday Telegraph, The Observer, The New Statesman, and Marie Claire.