Hon Grads
There is still time to nominate people as next year’s Honorary Graduates. If you can recommend a candidate who has demonstrated outstanding merit and personal distinction please submit nominations online before 23 Sept.

Sunday Times Top 10
The University’s status as a top 10 university has been confirmed by our new ranking in The Sunday Times University Guide 2012. The University of Exeter now ranks 9th in this league table, up from 17th last year, and has also been named runner-up University of the Year. Exeter has been shortlisted for the University of the Year award four times - more than any other university. The guide calls us “this most dynamic of institutions” and says “by next year £300m of new facilities will have come on stream”.

Impact awards
The deadline for entries to the Exeter Impact Awards is fast approaching on 30 Sept. All researchers can submit their projects to 7 categories, whether they are the project lead or not. The awards will be presented at a gala dinner celebrating the impact of research throughout the University on 7 December 2011.

Term dates
The changes to the Academic year have now been approved, and from 2012/13 onwards the autumn term will have an extra week, creating two terms of equal length before and after Christmas. The terms will follow a 12 + 12 + 7 week pattern. This will reinforce the intellectual and academic rigour in the first term. We are also exploring the potential for an inspirational two week summer programme in the third term. Task and finish groups have been set up and will develop these plans in consultation with academic staff, students and ASA membership. For more info see the update issued by Janice Kay, DVC Education.

Top of class
The University of Exeter is the best in the country for primary teacher training according to the Good Teacher Training Guide 2011. The Graduate School of Education has also sustained an overall third-place position for teacher training for the last five years.

Welcome Week app
A new Smartphone App to guide new students through their first week at the University of Exeter has had over 1000 downloads within a few days of release. With over 400 events taking place across three campuses in just 10 days, the app has been developed by our e-Innovation team.

Let’s celebrate
More than 1,200 staff will attend the staff celebration events on Thurs 22 Sept at 3pm to celebrate the University’s Top 10 achievements and Professor Sir Steve Smith’s Knighthood, as well as launch the new Staff Association. If you’ve not sent your RSVP, please do. Please enter the Great Hall from the new piazza.

Marketing Head
David Miller joined us late August as Head of Marketing. With a career spanning advertising and direct and digital marketing, he will bring a fresh perspective to how we face the market of 2012 and beyond. Among his early priorities is the development of a reputational platform which differentiates Exeter from other Top Ten universities, which we will then use to guide all our communications and programme development.

Open days
Pre-application open days are coming soon for prospective 2012 students. More than 10,000 visitors are expected on 17 Sept in Exeter, for more info email Emma Stephenson or call 01392 722316. Cornwall Campus will be welcoming more than 500 prospective applicants on 1 October, email Jo Thacker on 01326 371808.

Bridging the gaps
The next closing date for applications to the University’s Bridging the Gaps research pump-priming fund is 14 Oct. This development fund aims to promote a culture of cross-disciplinary research across the University and support novel ideas to a point at which external funding can be sought.

Conference success
The Streatham campus and many of its new facilities played host to the EARLI conference from 30 Aug to 3 Sept. The conference was the largest academic conference on education ever hosted in the UK with over 1600 delegates from 40 countries. It was a great success as a result of a fantastic team effort from staff across the University including the College of Social Sciences and International Studies, the Event Exeter team, Campus Services and Exeter IT.

Wellbeing
An integrated Wellbeing Service is being formed under the leadership of Mark Sawyer, Head of Wellbeing Services, who has joined us from UWE. The Counselling Service and the Mental Health team are now joining together and will move to a new Wellbeing Centre at Reed Mews in spring/summer 2012. There are plans to extend support for students and advice and guidance to staff, working in partnership with others in the University who support health and wellbeing.

International Travel
From 3 Oct all international travel must be recorded on the International Travel e-Form, not the old risk assessment form. By using the new form you will automatically be emailed your travel insurance documents and by booking your international travel through one of the University’s preferred suppliers you can guarantee that, wherever you are, assistance and support will be provided when needed.

Learn a language
Online enrolment at the University’s Foreign Language Centre is now open for the Evening Language Programme. Courses are offered in Arabic, British Sign Language, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Turkish. Courses begin week commencing 10 October in Queen’s Building. Staff discounts are available.

CALM launches
The pioneering £2.6 million Centre for Additive Layer Manufacturing will be launched on 16 Sept. This new production technique can create complex or bespoke parts and complete products by building them up one layer at a time in specialist machines.

St Luke’s sports
The major refurbishment of both sports changing rooms at St Luke's will complete on 3 Oct. The new changing rooms will be unrecognisable with a complete upgrade on facilities and decor. During the closure the reception area and fitness suite have been repainted and some new carpets laid. For info on the Sports facilities at St Luke’s see the Sport website.

Fri 16-Sun 18 Sept
The William Golding Centenary Conference at the Centre for South West Writing, Cornwall Campus

Includes free public events:
16 Sept, 3pm
Judy Golding talks on “The Shadow of the I: First-person Narrative in the Novels of William Golding”
Location: Chapel lecture theatre, Cornwall Campus

18 Sept, 11am
John Carey talks about recent book William Golding: The Man Who Wrote Lord of the Flies the first biography
Location: Chapel lecture theatre, Cornwall Campus

Fri 16-Sun 18 Sept
Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival
Professors Helen Taylor, Malcolm Cook, and Martin Sorrell are chairing writers’ panels, Prof Jeremy Black talks on James Bond and the University Arts and Culture Fund is supporting Poet Laureates Carol Ann Duffy and Gillian Clarke at Exmouth College.

Mon 19 Sept, 10.30am-2pm
Research and Knowledge Transfer Cornwall launch
Location: Rooms H, I, M and in Daphne du Maurier Building, Cornwall Campus
Info: Colette Defoe

Fri 23 Sept
Bill Douglas Centre symposium
The University’s cinema museum is marking the 20th anniversary of the death of Bill Douglas, the great British film maker whose collection founded the museum. Admission is free but pre-register via bdc@exeter.ac.uk

Wed 28 Sept, 4.45pm
POSReF seminar
Dr Torsten Burkholz,PMS: "Oxidative stress and chronic human diseases: Selective organochalcogen based redox catalysts against tumor cells and inflammation" and Dr Glyn Steventon, Uni of Surrey on "Post-translational activation of phenylalanine monooxygenase from an endobiotic to xenobiotic enzyme by free radical species".
Location: the Lavender House Hotel, Ashburton
Contact: susan.westoby@pms.ac.uk

Tue 4 Oct, 9am-2.15pm
Bridging the Gaps - Water @ Exeter
A one day workshop to identify Exeter’s strengths in water research across the disciplines and how they can be better integrated.
Location: Matrix Lecture Theatre, Building One, Business School

Fri 7 Oct, 9am – 2pm
Farmer’s Market
Location: the Piazza, Streatham campus – new location
Contact: Matt Blee

Exeter Northcott event:
Tues 20 – Sun 25 Sept
Mr Stink live on stage
Family ticket offer for staff – get 4 tickets for £45 (min. 1 child per group) at the following performances:
Tues 20 Sept 7pm
Fri 23 Sept 7pm
Sat 24 Sept 7pm
Sun 25 Sept 11am
Call the Box Office on 01392 493493 and quote ‘University of Exeter Family Ticket offer’.