Could you be the next PMSO?

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Hello Postgraduates,

As the outgoing officer, I would like to ask you to consider standing to be the next Postgraduate & Mature Students’ Officer (PMSO).

What is the Postgraduate & Mature Students Officer?

The Postgraduate & Mature Students’ Officer is the elected voice for postgraduates at our University. You will work with the Guild Officer Group and the Guild staff team to ensure that postgraduates have access to social events, development opportunities and academic support. You will represent postgraduate students within the Guild of Students, to the University and at a national level with the NUS.

What does the role involve?

You will be required to:

- Reply to messages sent to your Officer email account. This is how students can contact you with questions and suggestions.
- Attend the three Guild Council meetings, spread over the academic year.
- Attend the monthly Guild Officer Group meetings, where the full-time and part-time Officers meet to discuss wider issues.
- Write an Officer blog so students are aware of your activity.

You will also be expected to:

- Liaise regularly with the Postgraduate & Mature Students Association (PGMSA).
- Plan events and campaigns based on postgraduate and mature student issues.
- Attend the two-day NUS Postgraduate Conference in April 2011.

Ultimately, you are elected by the students and so your year in office can take whichever direction you wish.

What other positions can postgraduates apply for?

In addition to the Postgraduate and Mature Students’ Officer, there are also two Guild Councillor positions reserved for postgraduates. Postgraduate Guild Councillors are the main voices for postgraduates at Guild Council - the meeting that sets policy on key issues that effect students.

We are also looking for enthusiastic and ambitious students for the following roles:

- the Chair and Deputy Chair of Guild Council.
- academic School Guild Councillors.
- the Satellite Sites Officer, who represents the students studying at Selly Oak campus, Ironbridge, the Shakespeare Institute and the Medical & Dental Schools.

Why should I get involved?

The Guild of Students is the Students’ Union for all students that study at the University of Birmingham, representing both undergraduates and postgraduates. Getting involved in the Guild of Students is a great way to take control over your university experience while developing valuable transferable skills and meeting new people.

We hope that you will stand in these elections and become part of the team that will improve the quality of the education received and the wider experience enjoyed by you and other postgraduates.

How do I stand in the election?

For more information read the attached nomination packs or visit www.guildofstudents.com/elections. Also, you can visit the new Student Voice office on the ground-floor of the Guild of Students, where our staff will be more than happy to talk you through the election process and answer your questions.

Nominations for all positions close on Monday 11th October at 12pm.

If you have any questions then please contact me at pmso@guild.bham.ac.uk.
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DR Poster Conference - 17th September

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The Graduate School is hosting a Poster Conference showcase as part of the University of Birmingham's British Science Festival.

Date: Friday 17th September

Time: 11am-3pm

Venue: Marquee by the Clock Tower

Price: FREE with a free lunch (see right)

This is a great opportunity to discover the exciting research that is being carried by our doctoral researcher community and talk to the students themselves.

For the uninitiated, each student has condensed their research onto a well-presented, A-zero sized poster. You can then walk around (much like an art exhibit) to read the posters and learn about the world-changing research conducted at the University of Birmingham.

The doctoral researchers themselves will be at hand to answer your questions and explain their research further.

Definately not to be missed.

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Mastering Postgraduate Study

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Making the leap from undergraduate English Literature study to postgraduate English Literature study was more challenging than I expected. It was a similar course and I opted for a taught Masters, so I anticipated a year very much like my final year.

In reality, this was not the case. There was a huge change in the nature of study and these differences were both exciting and demanding.

For starters, the standard is certainly raised. As a Masters student, there is a much higher expectancy of your performance as a student. The workload is greatly increased and I rarely have fewer than eight books in my bag!

Furthermore, the entire year is assessed by essays. This is great in one respect because it means that we have no exams and no revision. However, it requires much more independent study and vast amounts of research. This can be very lonely, especially over the summer when campus is almost empty. But these are useful skills in foreshadowing PhD study. Our essays are also scrutinised more carefully and original thinking is essential.

To balance these challenges, there are many perks. The postgraduate community is excellent and the lecturers treat you as colleagues, as opposed to just students. We interact with them in the Senior Common Room and occasionally see them at the Bratby Bar.

In addition, the study environment is very stimulating. The lecturers give us freedom to pursue areas that interest us and so we pick our own essay titles, such as my dissertation on His Dark Materials. Equally, all postgraduates have actively chosen to pursue further study, as opposed to just following the conveyor belt of education. Therefore, there is a level of enthusiasm that goes further than that found in undergraduate study and this makes for passionate seminar discussions.

Ultimately, the transition really tested me but it has been a great experience and I have obtained lots of new skills. I highly recommend taking on a Masters!

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CAL PG Careers Conference

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Adept are working closely with the College of Arts and Law to organise its first Postgraduate Careers Conference on Tuesday 22nd June. It is hoped that this initiative will help boost the employment prospects of University of Birmingham postgraduates.

The schedule for the Conference is below:

10.00 – 16.30 Arts First Floor Landing
Ø Bring along your CV for tailored advice
Ø Drop in careers advice
Ø Meet the employers and alumni: networking opportunities
Ø Coffee and tea available
Ø All attendees entered into prize draw for two Alton Towers tickets

Drop in sessions: Arts LR3

Session One: 10.30-12.00
Chairs: Holly Prescott and Sarah Parker, Doctoral Researchers in School of English, Drama and American and Canadian Studies

10.30
Beyond Academia: Alternative Research Careers
Christopher Packham

11.00
Career Opportunities in Publishing and Literature
Alan Mahar, Publishing Director, Tindal Street Press

11.15
Funded Business Development Opportunities in Arts and Law
Gino Bellavia

11.30
'For the love of it!' - Careers in the Heritage Industry
Tim Jenkins, Museums Manager, Shrewsbury Museums and Much Wenlock

11.45-12.00 Questions

12.00 – 13.00: Lunch and Refreshments

Session Two: 13.00 – 14.30
Chairs: Alex Standen and Claire Peters, Doctoral Researchers in School of Languages, Cultures, Art History and Music

13.00
University Administration Careers
Dr Catherine Mills

13.15
Funded Widening Participation Opportunities in Arts and Law
Dr Lisa Alberici

13.45
Careers in the Cultural Sector
Clare Mullett

14.00
Careers in the Theatre Industry
Elizabeth Kay, Freelance Production Manager

14.15-14.30 Questions

14.30: Tea and coffee break

Session Three: 15.00-16.30
Chairs: Emma Southon and Rebecca Day, Doctoral Researchers in the Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity

15.00
Careers in Academic Publishing
Fiona Bowler, Publishing Editor, Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Group

15.15
Careers in Academia
Dr Gareth Sears

15.30
Public and Private Sector Marketing Careers
Carly Machin and Jacqueline Donaldson

15.45
Careers in Local Government and Summary of Alumni Destinations
Dr Marion Fleming Froy

16.15-16.30 Questions

16.30 End of Day
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Postgraduate Mentor Scheme

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These past fews weeks, I have been working closely with the Postgraduate Recruitment department to implement a Postgraduate Mentor Scheme.

We have recruited forty-two current postgraduates to act as Mentors. Each has been assigned a unique bham email address and these contact details, along with a short profile of their experiences, will be sent to offer-holders who are thinking about coming to our University.

It is thought that the best people to provide advice and address the concerns of future postgraduates are our current postgraduates. These concerns could involve: accommodation, embarking on a research project, adapting to life in the UK, studying with dependents, finding a part-time job and so on.

The email addresses and profiles are being finalised as I type and this information will be sent to offer-holders by the end of next week.

The Postgraduate Mentor Scheme is an exciting initative and we hope it ensures incoming students feel comfortable about their transition to postgraduate study at the University of Birmingham.

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Postgraduate Tips

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The University of Birmingham is currently putting together a new newsletter for postgraduates called Postgraduate Tips.

This is a project headed by the Postgraduate Recruitment department and I have been assigned as the editor for the first edition.

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The newsletter is written by postgraduates, for postgraduates. It will be sent to offer-holding postgraduates to give them insight into life at the University of Birmingham. Meanwhile, current postgraduates will be given a copy so they can gain some insight into the different experiences of their fellow postgraduates.

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As the name suggests, Postgraduate Tips allows postgraduates to offer other postgraduates advice on various areas of University life: teaching, publication, sports, societies, employment and studying as an international student or student parents.

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The content is currently being finalised for the summer 2010 edition and you will be sent a copy in the next few weeks.

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Lastly, Postgraduate Tips is always looking for new writers. Therefore, if you have a unique postgraduate experience with lots of advice for fellow students, then please send your articles to s.fairbanks@guild.bham.ac.uk. We pay £25 for each article.

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Happy reading!

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NUS Postgraduate Conference 2010

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In addition to the Mature conference, I also attended the NUS Postgraduate Students' Conference 2010. Again, this allowed me to represent the views of our Postgraduate Students on a national level.

Similarly, during the two-day conference we:

• discussed the issues that affect postgraduate students across the board.
• learnt how we could represent postgraduates better within out Union.
• elected the National Postgraduate Students' Committee.
• wrote, debated and voted on motions to decide national NUS policy.

Once again, it was a valuable experience and I personally wrote seven motions relating to postgraduate issues.

More details to follow.

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NUS Mature Conference 2010

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I attended the NUS Mature & Part-Time Students' Conference 2010 last week to represent to views of our Mature Students on a national level.

During the two-day conference we:

• discussed the issues that affect these students across the board.
• learnt how we could represent these students better within our Union.
• elected the National Mature & Part-Time Students' Committee.
• wrote, debated and voted on motions to decide national NUS policy.

It was a very insightful and productive conference.

More details to follow.

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NUS Postgraduate Conference 2010

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The NUS Postgraduate Conference 2010 is taking place next week.

I will be attending along with Brigid Jones, Vice-President of Education & Access, to represent the views of postgraduate students at the University of Birmingham.

As your delegate, I will vote on national policy and speak on issues that affect postgraduate students.

If there are any issues or concerns that you would like addressed at this national forum then please let me know: pmso@guild.bham.ac.uk.

I will provide a full review of the Conference when I return.
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Guild Officer Elections 2010

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I haven't blogged for a while. This is because I was the Campaign Manager for the Johnny 'Bravo' Davis re-election campaign in the Guild Officer Elections 2010.

As always, this was an immense amount of hardwork with much painting, flyering, door-knocking and Facebooking.

Nevertheless, the campaign was a success and Johnny was re-elected with 62% of the vote. He is also the first re-electee in Guild history.

I truly believe in re-elected Sabbs and this is incredibly common at Students' Unions around the country. A re-elected Sabb is obviously loaded with experience and has feasible, achievable aims on his manifesto. More importantly, he will not require two months of training and one month of handover, ensuring that he can hit the ground running in his representational duties.

Most excitingly for postgraduate students is Johnny's promise to ensure the Guild provides tailor-made campaigns for postgraduates.

Check out his campaign video below to learn more about his plans for next year.

And thank you for voting!

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Question Time with the VC

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Last Wednesday, the Guild hosted a Question Time debate with Fabian Neuner and the Vice-Chancellor, David Eastwood.

Pre-submitted questions were submitted by students in the preceding weeks and these were then asked by the panel Chair, Steven Johnson, throughout the debate. Follow-up questions were allowed from the floor.

Around seventy students attended and I spotted various postgraduates around the room.

Two questions were asked relating to postgraduate issues:

1. The first was pre-submitted anonymously and related to the University deciding to refer to Postgraduate Research students (PGRs) as Doctoral Researchers (DRs). There was some concern that this removed the student emphasis and instead implied that they were part of the University staff team.

However, David Eastwood assured the room that this name-change was intended to make the PGRs feel part of the University academic community. Personally, I am skeptical about how much is achieved by name-changes and rebrands. However, I appreciate the logic.

2. The second question was asked by myself on the night.

I have long felt that there is a hierarchy of postgraduates at this University. I am referring to PGRs receiving lots of support and PGTs receiving very little. Most PGTs that I speak to feel like second-class citizens.

The Grad School offers training and development to PGRs but not PGTs. Plus, the new postgraduate employment initative Adept is only open to PGRs. PGTs are not even invited to the monthly Grad School networking lunches.

This is particularly unfair considering that PGTs comprise the majority (5000+) of the 8000 postgraduates at this University. As such, PGTs across the board feel undervalued and disenfranchised.

I addressed this concern to David Eastwood. I am pleased to say his response was very positive and I feel like I raised an issue he was not currently aware of. He reassured me that he did not want any PGTs to feel undervalued and he promised me that the University were working on it. I later discovered from Brigid Jones that the University is hoping to increase its numbers of PGTs and so my question has particular potency.

If nothing else, I had several students approach me afterwards to compliment me on my question, therefore at least awareness of this issue has been achieved.

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Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2010

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Are you a Postgraduate Taught student (PGT) at the University of Birmingham? If so, then you now have a unique opportunity to tell the University what it is like to be a postgraduate studying here.

The Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) 2010 is now open. This is a national survey run by the Higher Education Academy together with the University of Birmingham. It asks you about your experiences of your Postgraduate Taught programme. Your views are important and by completing the survey you will help improve the student experience for both yourself and future students.

So, if you are a Postgraduate Taught student, please take a few minutes to complete this influential survey. All responses will be treated anonymously and with confidentiality. The survey only takes around five minutes to complete.

Please check your University email, where you will have been sent a link to the survey. Alternatively go to http://www.survey.bris.ac.uk/bham/ptes2010

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Postgraduate Employment Survey - Results

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At the recent NUS Postgraduate Forum in Bath, the delegates were presented with the results of the NUS Postgraduate Employment Survey.

Postgraduate Research students (PGRs) from across the UK, including many from Birmingham, were asked to complete the survey to aid the NUS research.

Many PGRs are employed by the University as teaching assistants and researchers but they rarely receive the support or wage that they deserve. As such, this survey is the starting point of a wide-reaching NUS campaign.

The full results can be found here.

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The University Strategic Vision: Workshop #1

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I previously mentioned on an earlier blog that I was participating in a workshop to help write a new Strategic Vision for the University. My workshop focussed on a National perspective, whilst the others looked at Regional and International.

The first of the two National workshops has now taken place. We used this workshop to mindmap a series of responses to three questions. The questions and some of the responses are as follows:

Q1. What factors and drivers will influence our strategy and capacity to position ourselves at a national level?

• political climate (especially the General Election).
• economic climate.
• review of HE Funding.
• green agenda.
• use of new technology.

Q2. What outcomes might we seek to achieve to position ourselves on a national level? What type of University do we want to be?

• to top the national and international league tables.
• to have diverse funding streams.
• increase our profile and blow our own trumpet!
• engage with stakeholders: students, public, media, alumni, etc.
• take pride in our heritage: industrial chic!
• take pride in our staff team.

Q3. What are the most important challenges we face in meeting our aims? How can we take control of how we define ourselves?

• communicating the strategy and getting the staff buy-in.
• making tough choices and sticking with them.
• clear vision: defining our strengths and weaknesses.
• managing expectations of staff.

No specifics will be decided until the second workshop. In the meantime, you can read the full summary of the first workshop here.

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Adept

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The University Careers & Advice Centre are working on a pilot scheme to develop PGR employability prospects. The scheme is called Adept.

Financed by Roberts Funding, the scheme will recruit an Adept Coordinator for each College (who themselves will be a paid PGR from within that College) and they will work to promote employability opportunities for students towards the end of their PhD.

The Adept Coordinators will work closely with both University Careers and academics from their respective College to ensure a mixture of both academic and non-academic post-PhD careers.

Two important upcoming dates for Adept are:

21st April - the next Grad School networking lunch with an Adept-focussed presentation.
21st-24th June - PhD Careers Week with five events, each specifically tailored to the different Colleges.

More information to follow.

It is hoped that if the pilot scheme is successful, the University will continue funding Adept after the Roberts Funding runs out in 2011.

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Vote For Students

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The NUS have launched a new website called Vote For Students in anticipation of the upcoming General Election.

Students from across the UK have been registering their details, along with non-students who equally want to show their support.

The NUS will then contact all of the registered students in the weeks leading up to the General Election with information about each political party's view towards Higher Education Funding.

Students can then make an informed decision about which party will look out for the interests of students, particularly in relation to whether the current cap will be lifted. As such, it is hoped that students will vote for the party with their best interests at heart.

With two million students in the UK, this could have a huge bearing on the result of the General Election and therefore the future of students across the country. Register with the website here.
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PGMSA Catch-Up

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I met up with the Postgraduate & Mature Students' Association (PGMSA) for a catch-up.

We decided that we would focus on one campaign and one event.

The campaign is going to be pushing the PTES Survey 2010. More on that here.

The event is going to be a potential Day Trip to Warwick/Bath/York/somewhere. We felt that this would be an inclusive social event, with much appeal to International Students' who make up a large proportion of our postgraduate population. Mature students would also be able to bring along their children. Details to follow.

There was also much discussion about putting together a Handover Folder for next year's PGMSA. We are all aware that the Association rarely has two active years in a row and it has been hard mobilising the Association this year. We hope to overcome this with a good handover in place and a possible Welcome Week publication specifically tailored for postgraduates.

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NUS Postgraduate Forum - Bath

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The second NUS Postgraduate Forum took place last Saturday in Bath.

Postgraduate representatives from all over the UK gathered to discuss postgraduate issues and share best practise.

The following took place:

• Professor Jane Millar, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Research at the University of Bath gave on talk on sustaining the postgraduate experience in a harsh funding climate.
• the results of the PGR Employment Survey were presented to the forum.
• we shared our practises and priorities in an interative plenary session.
• we looked into the economics of PGT study, the costs of different courses and how it is funded.
• we closed by discussing whether research should be concentrated into fewer Universities.

Many thanks to the NUS, Aaron Porter, Debbie McVitty, George-Konstantis Charonis and Richard Guthrie for arranging the forum.
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Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2010

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Are you a Postgraduate Taught (PGT) student at the University of Birmingham? If so, then you now have a unique opportunity to tell the University what it is like to be a postgraduate here.

The 2010 Postgraduate Taught Experience Survery (PTES) opens on 1st March. This is a national survey run by the Higher Education Academy together with the University of Birmingham and asks you about your experiences of your postgraduate taught programme.

Are you happy with your lecture content? Is your essay feedback substantial? Does your department charge you for any extra costs, such as books and travel? Your views are important and by completing the survey you will help improve the student experience for both yourself and future students.

So, if you are a PGT student then please take a few minutes to complete this influential survey. All responses will be treated anonymously and with confidentiality.

The PTES survey only takes around five minutes to complete and it will be emailed to you on Monday 1st March.

Have your say.

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Survey Season!

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It's survey time!

All students are opinionated but so few take the opportunity to voice their opinions.

Well, now's your chance! Below are three very important surveys and we would love to hear your views.

1. Your View
Conducted by: The Guild of Students
Prize: £500 (first prize) or 3 x £100 (runner-up prizes)
The Guild, as always, is striving to be responsive to your membership needs so let us know your thoughts about the Guild. Do you know what we do? Have you ever been to Guild Council? are the hoodies overpriced? Are the queues in Joe's too long? Have your say here.

2. PGR Employment
Conducted by: The NUS
Prize: £50 of Amazon vouchers
Many Postgraduate Research (PGR) students are employed by their institutions for research or teaching duties. The NUS hopes to ensure that they receive the support and pay that they deserve. To aid this campaign, they need PGRs to voice their opinions here.

3. Postgraduate Education
Conducted by: The University of Birmingham
Prize: £500 (first prize) and 17 x £100 (runner-up prizes)
The student body at the University of Birmingham are roughly 40% postgraduate students. As such, the University wants to learn more about our educational experience. Click here to have your say.

Happy clicking!
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The Democratic Structure Review (DSR)

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It wouldn't be a year in the Guild without a re-shuffle of the ol' democratic structures.

As such, the Guild Officer Group have proposed a Democratic Structure Review (otherwise known as the snazzily-titled DSR).

Tom Guise, Vice-President of Democracy & Resources, has blogged the proposals here.

Remember, the Guild is a membership organisation and therefore you all have a stake in this. It is important that we hear your views on the proposals.

Please contact Tom directly at vpdr@guild.bham.ac.uk with your thoughts and suggestions.

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The University Strategic Vision 2010-2015

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The University of Birmingham's Strategic Vision is expiring this year and so a new vision will be required for 2010-2015.

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As such, the Vice-Chancellor David Eastwood has put together three focus groups containing University staff, lecturers, undergraduates, postgraduates, Guild Officers and various other shareholders to decide upon a new vision.

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The three groups are divided as follows: Regional, National and International.

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I will be participating in the National workshops and will be ensuring that postgraduates needs are considered when the vision is created.

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If you have any opinions on how the University should be moving forward with postgraduate study then please let me know.

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The workshops are taking place on the 2nd February and the 2nd March.

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As ever, I will keep you posted.

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NUS Submission to the BIS Review

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After compiling responses from Students' Unions around the country, the NUS submitted their official response to the Department of Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) Postgraduate Review.

The BIS Review has been commissioned by Lord Mandelson to look into various areas of postgraduate study. Last semester, we spoke to various postgraduate students and sent their thoughts to feed into the NUS response.

You can read the full NUS response here.

Over the next few months, we will hear about the progress and results of the BIS Review. I will keep you posted.

For more information on the BIS Review click here.
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Grad School Networking Event - January

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Registration for the Grad School's January PGR Networking Evening is now open.

The evening is on Wednesday 27th January (4.45-7.00) and will introduce three doctoral researchers from the Schools of Business, English and Education whose work highlights how International Culture can be studied in different disciplines.

The presentations will be followed by an opportunity to get to know one another and enjoy a free buffet.

Find out more and register here.

2010 PGR Poster Conference

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The University Graduate School is offering the opportunity for three doctoral researchers to form part of the project team for the 2010 Research Poster Conference.

This role is designed as a skills development opportunity and would benefit those who have an interest in organising a conference or large event but have limited experience in doing so. As this role is a development opportunity part of the initial training will involve the completion of a skills development analysis.

Successful applicants will be offered event management training that will enable them to work effectively, to develop an awareness of the key stages involved in planning the event and to understand the range of issues that planning a large event will involve.

Pay: £13 per hour

Hours: 110 hours - part time/ flexible. Students will be expected to work up to 5 hours her week

Post duration: 25 January 2010 – 25 June 2010

Number of vacancies: 3

The deadline is Sunday 10th January (today!) and you can apply here.
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