A day torememberInstalling our newChancellor – Page 6

THE

IndependentAutumn 2010

www.buckingham.ac.uk

Interview:Karol SikoraPage 8

Dickens DinnerAn invitation tocelebrate 150 yearsof Great ExpectationsPage 5

ALUMNIA n n u a l F u n d

2 Autumn 2010

AnnualFund

Help us remain No 1 in the National StudentSurvey by donating to the following projects:

• Multimedia Centre

• Video Equipment

• Bursaries & Prizes

• Hardship Fund

To Donate Go Tohttps://extranet.buckingham.ac.uk/alumnet/ubf-aaf.aspx

Thank you to everyone whose donations haveenabled the Annual Fund to successfullycontribute to the following projects:

• Campus Radio Station

• Memorial Garden

• The Cellars, Verney Park

• BSc in Business Enterprise Prize

• University Minibus

• Wellness Centre

• SU Music Equipment

Autumn 2010 3

ContentsWelcome

CommentFrom the Vice-Chancellor

University NewsGreat Dinner Expected;Most Satisfied Students;Afternoon Tea at the Houseof Lords; At Home with yourVC; New Faces; Leavers

Looking to the FutureInstallation of the newChancellor

Feature – Escape from theDay JobInterview with Karol Sikora,Dean of the Medical School

UBAA UpdateA special day for alumni;Laying strong foundations

Alumni News“How I learnt to loveresearch”

Alumni in the NewsRichard Stein; Lost Alumni

Alumni at WorkChukwuemeka AnyaeneJohn Paul

CelebrationsWeddings; Births

ObituariesWilliam Martin;Shulian Zhang;Dr Anabela Bravo;Canon Alan Doyle

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Welcome to theautumn issue

This year, 2010, has been a goodone for the university becausefor the fifth year runningBuckingham hit the top spotfor student satisfaction in theNational Student Survey. It is aspectacular achievement andour thanks go to students andstaff for the support and effortinvolved in keeping us atNumber One.

The university is changing allthe time and experienced a surge in student numbers in September,doubling its intake compared with last year. Part of the reason, wethink, is our position in the league tables - we entered the league tablein The Independent newspaper for the first time this year coming in at20th position, and we also appear this year in the teaching trainingleague table, in fifth position. But the rest of our appeal is down tothe fact that government-funded universities had to cap theirnumbers; we are not restricted in this way.

With numbers now at 1,200, we have to up our game to meet theneeds of students. We need to provide our undergraduates with goodsocial and sports facilities and with up-to-date spaces in which theycan learn and study. This is where you can help. As you will have readin previous issues of this magazine, we have bought a six-acre siteon the other side of the river close to Hunter Street for a new campusdevelopment, and Prebend House is being renovated in stages. Newhalls of residence are needed. The Vice-Chancellor describes how wehave coped with our accommodation problems this year on Page 4.The law school and libraries will come together on the new campusdevelopment, but it will take time - and rather a lot of money.

To help with this initiative, our new Communications Director LucyHodges is working to bring together the alumni, fundraising and PRfunctions. There will be challenging times ahead and we will beapproaching you for your support. But, if we can join together, withthe UBAA, our alumni, staff and students, we hope to upgrade theuniversity’s physical infrastructure so that it can compete with otheruniversities in the UK and around the world. Our new Chancellor,Lord Tanlaw, wants to be closely involved with the fundraising effortand we are very fortunate to have his backing.

It is, once again, the time of year when we ask for your assistancewith the Annual Fund. We have had great support for this since itbegan in 2006 and last year, with your help, we managed to raisemoney for a campus radio, equipment for the Wellness Centre and amixer for the SU Music Group. We are setting our sights higher nextyear and hope to help with the purchase of a multimedia studio andcameras that students can use to record life at Buckingham. Wewant to buy a video camera to film the experiences of students at theuniversity. These small films would be used on websites around theworld to promote Buckingham in a range of languages. We hope youwill be able to help.

Anne Matsuoka

4 Autumn 2010

A University That Grows. That could almostbe our dictionary definition.

Since 2005 our student numbers havegrown at 10 per cent a year, and 2010has seen the same rate of growth. Indeed,September 2010 was almost comical in itsintensity as we were driven to house ournew students every which way. By the timethe new students arrived we had alreadysigned leases for every available rentableresidence in town (for some reason, notevery landlord will rent to students) but thetown could not accommodate the sizeof our new entry so we had to put newstudents up temporarily in mobile homesor hotels.

No student will have to stay in temporaryaccommodation for more than a term, andone reason for that is that the Council, ourgoverning body, has agreed to buy 14 newfour-bedroom houses that are being built onan estate in town, which will give us another56 rooms to deploy. By so doing, as someof our alumni may recall, we are revertingto an earlier pattern by which we housedstudents in Page Hill. We eventuallyreplaced those houses with residences oncampus, and again today we have plansto build new residences on campus.

The growth in new students has come inhome students. International numbers arebeing maintained, but the growth is in homestudents. Indeed, the admissions on thefirst day of this term were two thirds home,one third international. This is a wholly goodthing for our international students as it

offers them more of a British experience,but it is also a good thing for Buckinghamas it reinforces our relevance to the Britishscene.

The sources of our growth are rooted –paradoxically for an independent university– in Her Majesty’s Government. It wasTony Blair personally (see his 2010autobiography A Journey) who appreciatedour long-championed view that universityindependence correlates with quality andwho therefore introduced top-up fees intothe public sector, which thus reduced thedifferences between ourselves andthemselves. And it was the Government’sHigher Education Funding Council forEngland that, following on Professor LenEvans’s skilled negotiation, admitted us intoits National Student Survey. The rest asthey say is history.

But the pressure to grow will increase.The British Government will be making cutsin its budget for higher education, and LordBrowne’s report is preparing the populacefor significantly higher fees in the publicuniversities, so the benign trends willbecome even more benign. Nonetheless –such are the plasticities of the market -we now face a new challenge from the for-profit sector, which is looking at the newopportunities in higher education, sowe will have to maintain our quality.

Like the for-profit companies we too areindependent of the state, but unlike themwe are also independent of shareholders!We are proud to be a charity, so our

mission will always focus on the studentand the scholar not the share price or thequarterly report, so we are squaring upto that new challenge with a measureof confidence.

The campus is looking smarter these days.Thanks to the much-appreciated donationfrom the Linbury Trust, the exterior ofPrebend House is being restored, andbecause of the pressure on space, fustycorners such as the ex-postroom are beingupgraded and occupied. We are nowlooking with an interior decorator’s eyeat Hailsham House and the Anthony deRothschild Building: they could be sprucedup. And of course the six acres we bought– thanks in part to an important donation -on the Tingewick Road site remain thefocus of intense planning as we seekto meet the needs of the next decade.

Elsewhere in this issue we describe theinstallation of our new Chancellor, LordTanlaw, who has succeeded Sir MartinJacomb, and elsewhere, too, we describesome of the other campus developments.These are exciting times for Buckingham:we’ve won the arguments, we’re winningthe markets, now we have to win the realestate to provide our students and staffwith the facilities they deserve.

From theVice-Chancellor

Dr Terence Kealey

Comment

Autumn 2010 5

Most Satisfied Students – Five Years in a rowThe University has once again topped the table for Student Satisfaction within the National Student

Survey conducted by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the Government’s Higher Education FundingCouncil.

Buckingham students gave an overall 95 per cent satisfaction rating, with St Mary'sUniversity College second on 94 per cent and the Open University, Oxford Universityand St Andrews all on 93 percent.

Dr Terence Kealey, Vice-Chancellor of Buckingham, said: "To achieve top place againin overall satisfaction indicates our lack of complacency about our performance over thelast five years. During this period student expectation has increased, as has the awarenessby other universities of the importance of caring for students.

We will continue to address every aspect of the survey to ensure that our studentscontinue to enjoy the best experience available in the UK. Students joining the University

through Clearing later this week can be assured that we will continue to put the interests ofstudents as our top priority."

University News

Charles Dickens was the most popularBritish novelist of Victorian times. Heremains popular and is responsible forsome of English literature’s most engagingcharacters including the story of Pip in hismasterpiece Great Expectations, whichwas published in instalments in the weeklymagazine edited by Dickens called All theYear Round.

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of thebirth of this masterpiece, the University ofBuckingham Press and Dickens JournalsOnline have organised a Gala Dinner. It willbe held on 28 November at Lincoln’s Inn,one of the ancient Inns of Court in whichPip and his friend Herbert take lodgingsin the novel. The dinner itself will be in theOld Hall, described in Bleak House where“Michaelmas Term lately over… the LordChancellor” sits “in implacable Novemberweather”.

All alumni and Friends are invited to theevent in what will be a perfect setting forour Dickens celebration.

A full afternoon and evening of presentationsand delectable refreshment is planned,combining improvement with entertainmentin time-honoured Victorian fashion. You willbe treated to a themed Great Expectationsmenu!

There is unlimited parking available atLincoln’s Inn on Sundays, and no congestioncharge for driving into Central London.Readers of The Independent are warmlyinvited to join guests from the academy, artsand media for the celebration, raising fundin the process for Dickens Journals Online.

Founded in 2007, Dickens Journals Onlineis creating a scholarly web-based editionof two hugely successful weekly magazinesedited by Dickens between 1850 and 1870.These weeklies were Household Wordsand All the Year Round and the aim isto complete the task by February 2012to celebrate the bicentennial anniversaryof Dickens’s birth.

The online edition will be free, accessible toall readers, from scholars to schoolchildren,and will offer new resources to help usunderstand and put in context thewonderfully rich contents of these neglectedjournals. Notes, essays, video-clips and

audio-files of key articles will help to bringthe material alive.

Date: Sunday, 28 November, 3-9 pm

Venue: Lincoln’s Inn, Old Hall, Old CourtRoom and Grounds

Programme: Presentation, Guided Tour ofLincoln’s Inn, Champagne Reception, three-course Great Expectations themed menu,raffle, charity auction of rare 19th-centurybooks and prints; toasts by guest speakers

Bookings: Contact djo@buckingham.ac.ukor Dr John Drew 01280 814080

Tickets Nominally £150 but Independentreaders are eligible for a reduction to £115.The full price includes life-time enrolmentas a Friend of DJO and named sponsorshipof a weekly magazine in the online edition

For more information go towww.buckingham.ac.uk/djo

Great DinnerExpected

NEWFACES

After a lifetime in journalism, LucyHodges has been appointed to the newpost of Communications Director withoverall responsibility for publicity andfundraising. For the past 11 years shehas worked for The Independentnewspaper where she specialisedin writing about higher education andedited the paper’s weekly Educationsupplement.

“I am excited to come to Buckinghamat such a critical point in its history,”she says. “With the university expandingand the government emphasizing theimportance of independent universities,Buckingham is able to make its markas never before. I am hoping to helpthe University to improve its competitive

position, recruit more students andburnish its reputation worldwide.”

The University is hoping to revamp thealumni magazine to make it more user-friendly - and to explain better how theUniversity is changing and how you, asalumni, can be involved. We hope youwill tell us what you think of themagazine. Buckingham has plans forgrowth. We told you in the July issueabout our ambitious plans for the six-acre site across the river behind HunterStreet and we have other proposals forthe future. We think it is vital that ourstudents have an up-to-date LearningResource Centre, new teaching spacesand a decent social venue – and weneed your help!

Ms Hodges has worked for a number ofnational newspapers including The Timesand The Telegraph and has seen massivegrowth and change in the universityworld. She understands the importanceof honing Buckingham’s message andcommunicating it to the widest possibleaudience. Having lived in East and WestAfrica and the USA, and having spent ayear teaching in northern Nigeria, sheappreciates Buckingham’s position asa global university and the value thatoverseas students bring to the campus.

You may contact her onlucy.hodges@buckingham.ac.uk

6 Autumn 2010

University NewsAFTERNOON TEA ATTHE HOUSE OF LORDS

There is something very English aboutafternoon tea, especially when it’sat the ‘Mother of Parliaments’!

Each year the Alumni Office holdsan Afternoon Tea at the Houseof Lords to say thank you to thenumerous people who havesupported the University and the

Annual Fund throughout the year.This year 50 alumni, students and staff

were able to attend and as well as a chanceto catch up with old friends and to make new ones, it was anexcellent opportunity to bend the ear of the new Chancellor,Lord Tanlow.

Finally, thank you to the former Vice-Chancellor Lord Luce and LadyLuce who very kindly hosted the event which allowed us to enjoyAfternoon Tea by the River Thames serenaded by the Scottishbagpipes.

AT HOMEWITH YOUR VC

A sunny September evening saw 21current students and membersof staff converge on the Vice-Chancellor’s garden to enjoytea and scones.

Twice a year, Dr Terence Kealey,Vice-Chancellor of the University,and his wife open their house and

gardens to all those who are oncampus during the break between

terms and is an excellent opportunity tochat about the issues of the day and enjoy the food and the latesummer sunshine.

This time we decided to provide tea and scones, ratherthan the usual wine and cheese, so that the students couldexperience an English Afternoon Tea. The conversation was,in many cases enlightening and everyone went away afteran enjoyable two hours.

LeaversBow-tiesandBicyclesYou may not normally expect a FinanceDirector to wear a bow-tie or to ride a bikebut Chris Wilkes, who retired from theUniversity at the end of June did both.

When he arrived 13 years ago, Mr Wilkesfound a university in decline with studentnumbers plummeting from 1000 in 1996 to600 in 2000. He introduced economies andhas left behind a university that has turnedthe corner.

In his leaving speech, Mr Wilkes said hehad secretly always wanted to be a lion-tamer. And he got his chance. After leavinghe visited South Africa for a safari in KrugerGame Park

Looking tothe FutureAt his installation Lord Tanlawcalled on alumni to return toBuckingham

It was a beautiful day on Saturday,4 September, the perfect day for theinstallation of the new Chancellor, BaronTanlaw of Tanlawhill. The sun shone as theacademic procession wound its way intothe church of St Peter and St Paul – and itwas still shining when they emerged an hourlater. Lord Tanlaw (formerly Simon Mackay)is a life peer who sits on the Cross Benchesin the House of Lords and is the fourthChancellor of the University. He succeedsSir Martin Jacomb who retired in March2010 after 12 years. Previous Chancellorshave been Lord Hailsham and BaronessThatcher.

Lord Tanlaw’s connection with Buckinghamgoes back to the creation of the Universityin 1974, so his installation is a sign of howclosely the University remains attached to itsroots. In fact the new Chancellor reconnectsthe University to its roots because he is oneof the few survivors of the original governingbody. His donation of £1m, when a gift ofthat size was a lot of money, enabled thefledgling University to get off the ground –and since then he has helped to lead thegrowth of the University through hischairmanship of the Buildings Committee.The student recreational centre, Tanlaw Mill,was named after him.

As a young man Simon Mackay worked forthe family firm, Inchcape. Later he becamea Liberal working peer and createdFandstan Electric, a railway and engineering

company which is based in Londonand employs more than 1,000 peopleworldwide. He has the distinction ofappearing in Management Today’s list of thetop 100 entrepreneurs of the last four years.

“We need entrepreneurs at Buckingham,”said the Vice-Chancellor Terence Kealey inhis address. “Thanks in no little part to thehelp we received from Sir Martin Jacomb,this University is flourishing as never beforeand educating more students than everbefore, and we’ll appreciate someentrepreneurial expertise from Lord Tanlawas we finance and manage our expansion.”

In his speech, Lord Tanlaw recalledthe words of Buckingham’s first Vice-Chancellor, which, he said, still stand fortoday’s students. There will be demandsupon the students themselves that arenowadays all too rare. It will be made clearthat at the University as later on or at work,achievement is the reward of effort.

It was hard to imagine, he said, that today’sbeautiful campus was once a collectionof derelict buildings which included twopigsties, a dairy, an old barracks, somecottages, a wooden woolshed with apreservation order, the vehicle weighingoffice and a greenhouse. Now the Universitycan look to the future with confidence withthe development of the Tingewick Roadsite.

Lord Tanlaw called on alumni to returnto Buckingham at intervals and to makea contribution to the future developmentof the University.

After the ceremony, students, staff andalumni, as well as representatives of thelocal community, repaired to the Beloff lawnfor a delicious lunch. Many thanks to allthose who made the event such a success.

Autumn 2010 7

After Lord Tanlaw's installation, HonoraryDegrees were conferred on Julian Barbour(Doctor of Science), Trevor Beedham(Doctor of Science) and AlexanderMcCall Smith (Doctor of Letters).

Julian Barbour studied mathematics atthe University of Cambridge and obtaineda doctorate in theoreticalphysics in Germanybefore becoming anindependent researcherin 1968. His work hasbeen on foundationalissues in dynamics. Hebelieves that time and motion are relativeand his work has concentrated on thisissue.

Professor Trevor Beedham worked atthe London and Westminster Hospitals andin 1981 was appointedconsultant in obstetricsand gynecology to theRoyal London Hospital.After working with theNorth Thames Deaneryand the Royal College ofObstetricians and Gynecologists’, hebecame clinical director in 2003 and thendeputy medical director at Barts and theLondon NHS Trust, from which he retiredin 2009. In 1984 he became an apothecaryand was elected Master of that liverycompany.

Alexander McCall Smith, who is bestknown as the author of the No. 1 Ladies'Detective Agency series,was born in what is nowZimbabwe and waseducated there and inScotland. He retired fromthe post of Professor ofMedical Law at the Universityof Edinburgh to concentrate on his writingcareer. He has written more than 60 books,including specialist academic titles, shortstory collections and children's books. Hehas written two Edinburgh-based series,The Sunday Philosophy Club, and 44Scotland Street, as well as an online dailyserial for The Telegraph newspaper, calledCorduroy Mansions.

For more information on the HonoraryGraduates go tohttps://extranet.buckingham.ac.uk/alumnet/graduationHon-10-2.aspx

The new Chancellor

8 Autumn 2010

What attracted you to studymedicine and cancer in particular?

I was attracted to medicine at the age of10 - I liked science and read about biologya lot. I was particularly inspired by LouisPasteur who of course was not a doctor.My father died from cancer when I was16 and it left an indelible impression onme. It's a truly fascinating disease. So whenI went into medical school at CambridgeI knew what I wanted to do right from thestart.

What achievement has givenyou greatest pleasure?

Building the new cancer centre atHammersmith! I still do a weekly clinic thereand I find it therapeutic - I no longer have todo the tedious administration of course.

How has cancer treatmentimproved over your lifetime andwhat do you regard as the greatestchallenges in cancer therapy?

Cancer is a growth disorder of our owncells - the enemy within. Identifying therogue cells and selectively destroying themis the greatest challenge. It's rather likedealing with terrorists in society. Inevitablyit's an uncomfortable process. Buttreatment with surgery, radiotherapy anddrugs has improved dramatically. I'vebeen a consultant for over 30 years andhave seen amazing changes. The next30 will be even more dramatic as ourunderstanding of the molecular processesthat result in cancer are better understoodand even more smart drugs becomeavailable.

How did you become Dean of theMedical School and what attractedyou to the position?

I first spoke with the VC Terence Kealeyfive years ago. There is clearly a need formedical schools - the world is changing sofast. It definitely will happen and we won'tbe the only one in Britain. There is a hugedemand for high quality medical educationto train a new cohort of far more personresponsive physicians.

There is a lot of work involved insetting up a new School. How didyou go about identifying whichprogrammes to run and whichhospitals you would work with?

We've been in discussion with over 30hospitals. The NHS and private sector areconstantly changing. All recognise that thefuture depends on innovative approachesto medical education. We are beginningto identify a handful of providers that willbecome UB Healthcare Partners for thedelivery of teaching across a widesocio-economic background.

The first intake to the Clinical MDprogramme is due to graduateshortly. Apart from the qualificationitself, what do you hope they willtake away from the course?

A much greater depth of knowledge ofinternal medicine and the ability to providefar better care for their patients as humanbeings.

How are the plans for theUndergraduate Medical Programmeprogressing and when do you hopeto have the first intakeof students?

We are in constant discussion withthe General Medical Council and theDepartment of Health. We will start thefirst B.Med.Sci programme in 2011 andhopefully the first clinical entry in 2013.

Medicine today faces considerablechallenges. How do you see ourprogrammes meeting these?

We have a good set of enthusiasts workingwith us to overcome the challenge ofbeing something very different to theestablishment. Through their efforts wehope to create something radically different.

What is your vision for the MedicalSchool and where do you see it infive years time?

I see it as a place where we teach studentsto see patients as valued customers notas bags of DNA with a hospital number.Treating the whole person not just thedisease is the hallmark of the well educatedphysician whatever their speciality. Someof the old values have been lost as we havebecome super-specialised. We can bringthem back.

In view of the economic downturn,do you think that NHS budgetsshould be protected?

I don't think they can be - it's all asmokescreen to fool the voter. All politiciansstruggle with healthcare. They know it's ofgreat concern to people. But our NHS is

The cancer specialist Karol Sikora, outspokenDean of the Medical School, talks to Dominic Randall

Feature

ESCAPE FROMTHE DAY JOB

cutting back by 20 per cent whatever therhetoric from the centre. Efficiency savingsare difficult with a public sector, overbureaucratised monolith such as our muchloved NHS. To listen to our politicians you'dthink it was a religion.

As treatment and medicalequipment becomes increasinglyexpensive is it reasonable to expecttaxpayers around the world to pay?What are the alternatives?

All countries - rich and poor - arestruggling. New technology, agingpopulations - a good thing as longevityis one of the benefits of modern medicine -and huge consumer demand could leadto financial meltdown. I believe the onlyway forward is to liberate the delivery of

services into a free market just like anyother consumer good. Choice andcompetition leads to value and innovation.It’s just like evolution in biology wherewe see mutation and natural selection.Medical Darwinism is the only way forward.The World Bank knows it but the WorldHealth Organisation clings to old socialistmodels of equity. New providers which areglobal in scope will arise for cancer, heartdisease, arthritis and many others. Theywill deliver the best care, locally priced withhuge economies of scale. I've beenaccused of suggesting a McDonalds’ typeof operation for cancer care - but what'sreally so different? It's all about effectivelogistics.

What do you do to relax?

My wife is an extremely keen hill walker.She has escalated this somewhat. Irealised this to my cost when I was twothirds of the way up the Matterhorn withall sorts of gadgets I'd been given asChristmas presents over the years suchas crampons, a harness and an ice axe.I have a fascination for railways - just lookat the beautiful arches by the University.You can even see the remains of the oldplatforms of Buckingham Station behindthe Chandos Road car park. Railways area fascinating glimpse into societal trends.They are also evolving far faster than theNHS. I could spend a day walking alongthe forgotten railways nearby looking forsigns of our industrial heritage.

Autumn 2010 9

Mountain retreat: Karol Sikora climbing above Lake Como

10 Autumn 2010

UBAA Update

A special day for alumniA moment of déjà vu swept over me as the Vice-Chancellor andthe other professors of the University of Buckingham entered thechurch for the Installation of the new Chancellor, Lord Tanlaw. Allof a sudden I was nervously making my way toward Lord Hailshamto receive my degree and I have to say that, rather comfortingly,nothing has really changed.

The directors of the UBAA and other alumni had been invitedto attend the Installation and share this special day – a perfectoccasion for hosting the second Annual General Meeting ofthe fledgling alumni association. It was fitting alsothat one of the founders and firstbenefactors of the University shouldlend his support to the foundingmembers of the UBAA.

Lord Tanlaw kindly gaveup the whole of thislovely Saturdayafternoon inSeptember tobe interrogatedin a highlyinformativeQ & A session.This wasfollowed bya panel ofdiversepersonalitiesdebating thehot topic“GovernmentIntervention –Friendor Foe”. Ourpanellists were AllisonPhillips, OBE, anIndependent Member ofthe Thames Valley PoliceAuthority; Patricia Morgan,author and Visiting Fellow of theUniversity; Sara Sutcliffe, Legal Directorof the British Olympic Association and MartinRicketts, Professor of Economic Organisation andDean of Humanities at the University – the outcome, after whatproved to be a very lively debate, on balance, falling into the “Foe”side of the equation. The audience, which consisted of othervisitors to the University, threw themselves passionately into thediscussions and could quite happily have carried on for severalmore hours!

Having sorted out the alumni from the other guests, we movedon to the more serious matter of the AGM. I am delighted toannounce that three new directors were elected to the Board –Christopher Doe, Christopher Gibbs and Phillipp von Both all ofwhom are bravely volunteering to help us take the UBAA to thenext level.

One topic that the Board considered extremely important yet highlydebatable was the matter of the conflict or potential conflict of

interest of two of the directors, both of whom are theUniversity representatives on the UBAA Board.

In summary, if an issue arises at a BoardMeeting that involves the University

and some members of the UBAAconsider that it conflicts with

the purpose and generalbusiness of the UBAA,the Universityrepresentativesshould notbe allowed to voteor participate inany discussionson that issueotherwise theywill be in breachof their dutiesas directors ofthe UBAA. Thealumni voted toallow a waiverfor thosedirectorsin such a situation

but this will berevisited at the

next AGM.

Now on to the fun part!The UBAA was delighted to

host drinks and a dinner for thealumni at, rather appropriately, the

Old Tanlaw Mill. Guests were abIe toindulge in copious amounts of some wonderful

Portuguese wine, courtesy of Iuri Cortez and DavidRios, two Business Enterprise students – we wish them everysuccess in their new venture.

Finally, those of us who were still upright staggered into themarquee for the Students Party – another feeling of déjà vustruck me as it seemed that we had indeed come full circle.

Lorinda J LongVice-Chairman, UBAAAll Smiles: the UBAA Board pictured with Lord Tanlaw at his installation

The UBAA Board Members, Left to Right: Alex Johns,Suzanna Tomassi (Chairman), Lorinda Long (Vice-Chairman),James Baker, Marian Okunola, Lord Tanlaw (Chancellor),Anne Matsuoka

Autumn 2010 11

Laying strongFoundations

Even though all UBAA elected members areworking pro-bono, we have been very busybees. We have been working hard to createthe foundations for the Association.

During the past year there have been sixboard meetings, one AGM and alumnigatherings in London, Colombo, Beijing,Tokyo, Hong Kong and Bangkok with thefocus on creating Alumni Groups in thesecountries.

In addition, each UBAA board member hasbeen talking to staff members to identifyways in which UBAA can contribute to thedevelopment of the University.

In April we hosted the first in a regular seriesof year-specific alumni reunions in London.The first reunion was for those whograduated between 1983 and 1986 whilethe second one covered 1985 to 1991.Those who attended the reunions were

positive about them and more reunionsare planned in the near future, so pleasekeep your eyes open for further details.

One of the aims of this Board is to raisefunds. This is why the UBAA is proudlysupporting the project of raising moneytowards a new Campus Radio Station,which is part of the Alumni Annual Fund.We don’t currently ask for any money forthe UBAA but we have asked people tosupport the AAF project.

As you may remember, it was originallyintended to hold the second UBAA AGMat the House or Lords. However, theannouncement of the Installation of thenew Chancellor opened up the opportunityto hold what turned out to be anunforgettable joint event in Buckingham.We were delighted to be a part of this andwe appreciate the support given in theseearly days.

The UBAA Forum entitled “GovernmentIntervention – Friend or Foe?” was athought-provoking debate and I wouldlike to publicly thank our speakers for theirsupport. Both, the Q&A session and theForum left us with a lot to think about andI hope we will have further opportunitiesto talk about the University and the wayforward.

It is our belief that events such as thiswill help to strengthen the role of alumni,increase networking opportunities, enhancefundraising and improve outside awarenessof the University. We have plans for thenext few months. We are hoping to organisefurther seminars and social gatherings, andwe look forward to seeing more alumniparticipating in them. The UBAA wascreated by alumni for alumni and we needyour full engagement and support now.

Suzanna TomassiUBAA Chairman(Pictured above)

12 Autumn 2010

Alumni News

I started the programme withreservations because my backgroundwas in technology and while I hada number of professionalqualifications, I lacked a fulluniversity education. In theevent, owing to the natureof the programme and thequalities of its tutors, thiswas not a problem.

It started withProfessors SaulDavid and GarySheffield explaininghow to undertakehistorical

research and writehistorical theses.

This was a necessary step giventhat some of us had last formally

touched history in the 1950s or early 1960swhen we finished our GCE ‘O’ levels.We enjoyed a first-rate series of lectures.

The subjects chosen by the ten guestspeakers were varied; some were excellent.With so many members of the programmebeing of mature years, successful in theirchosen fields, the question sessions wereinteresting. Phrases that I will alwaysremember include “You bring a whole newmeaning to the phrase mature students”;“I have read your book on [a famousperson] and had it been on my desk asa patient’s notes I would have had himsectioned”, and from one of the guestspeakers: “I have been warned that you arenot the usual group of graduate students”.The willingness of the speakers to continuethe discussions afterwards over dinnerwas another definite plus.

The dinners took place in the Cavalryand Guards Club in Piccadilly. It hasundoubtedly changed since QueenVictoria’s reign but the ambience of thattime can be easily imagined. It has to be

experienced and, of course, would beessential research for those writing aboutthe British Army during the late 19th andearly 20th Century! Having done an airpower subject, perhaps I should havejoined the club next door,the RAF Club.

That leads me to the research itself.It was immensely enjoyable. My supervisorwas splendid here not only suggestingaspects that I might research butessentially, dragging me back to theresearch questions when I wantedto explore topics that were interestingto me but not strictly pertinent.

There were three submissions. The firstwas a practice essay answering one of thequestions set by the University based onresearch into set books. The secondformed 20 per cent of the final mark.It gave further practice writing academicpapers and helped clarify thinking aboutthe sources, content and structure of thethesis. Finally, there was the thesis itself.Remember the problem of constrainingessays at school and college? Well,obviously with 40,000 words there wouldbe no problem. Not so! A variation ofParkinson’s law applied – “The words ina paper will always expand to exceed thepermitted size of the paper” and verysoon it became necessary to start somesignificant pruning. Also, after over 40years of writing business reports, I foundthe University did a valiant job teachingme to write academic papers.

Finally the health warning: I found historicresearch addictive. What started as ayear’s extension to one of my hobbies hastaken over. I am doing more academicresearch next year and one day I will findthat document that rewrites history.

A Satisfied MA Student

“How I learnt tolove research”A Masters student explains whyhis fears about his course wereunfounded

To All AlumniThis publication is for you and if youwould like input into the next issue,please send comments and ideas to

Anne Matsuokaanne.matsuoka@buckingham.ac.uk

The next publication we produce willcontain more information, updating youon where Alumni are these days and

what they are up to.

Please Note:Copy for next issue required by

1 February 2011

www.buckingham.ac.uk

Autumn 2010 13

Alumni in the News

Richard Stein, President of the executivesearch firm Global Sage, was quoted on thefront page of the New York Times (Sunday,11 July, 2010) commenting on the currentlevels of recruitment taking place on WallStreet.

He was quoted as saying “Everyonethought the ice age had returned, but the

thaw has come and we are in catch-upmode.” He went on to say “The [job] offersare not near where they where in 2006, butthere is still a war for talent”. He confirmedthat corporate clients had offeredcompensation packages worth more than$1 million annually to 12 candidatesin recent weeks.

Richard Stein(History, Politicsand EnglishLiterature 1984)

Alumniat WorkChukwuemeka Anyaene John Paul, willbe remembered by many alumni as anactive member of the Amnesty Society,Nigerian Society, and a member of theCatholic Youth Society. Since leavingBuckingham he has become theExecutive Director of Stella Maris Groupof Schools and Managing Director /Chief Executive of Patemax Projects Ltdwhich is well known for construction andremodelling in the Federal CapitalTerritory in Nigeria.

He has recently been involved in the“Nollywood” Film Industry as Co-Executive Producer of the film “Ije TheJourney” featuring Genevieve Nnaji &Omotola Jalade.

Ije tells a tale of Chioma, a child growingup in the Nigerian countryside, whowarned her restless sister, Anya, aboutthe trappings of the American Dream.Now ten years later, Anya is accusedof killing three men in a Hollywood Hillsmansion, one of them her recordproducer-husband. Chioma travels fromNigeria to Los Angeles, and with the helpof a young, unproven attorney, discoversthat the dark secret her sister wants tokeep hidden might be the only thing thatcan win her freedom.

Mr Ibrahim Abu Sharar (MScTransformation Management, 2004)

Mr Jose Banus (BSc Business Studies,1987)

Mr Jose Carranza (BSc BusinessStudies, 1988)

Mr Edmund Dang (BSc Accounting andFinancial Management, 1990)

Mr Andreas Edvinsson (BSc BusinessStudies, 1998; and MSc ServiceManagement, 1999)

Mr John Fallon (BSc Business Studies,1992)

Mr Jietao Gao (BSc Accounting andFinance, 2005; and MSc Computing, 2006)

Mr Gary Hallam (MSc International HotelManagement, 1995)

Mr Filip Ivanov (BSc BusinessEconomics, 2005)

Mr Yoram Janowski (BSc Economics,1992)

Mr Christopher Kamanga (MBABusiness Administration, 2003)

Mr Fernando Laguna (BSc Economics,1991)

Mr Andrew Macdonald of Boisdale(BSc Business Studies, 1988)

Mr Kamer Nahar (BSc Economics, 1987)

Mr Brendan O'Flaherty (BSc BusinessStudies, 2005)

Miss Victoria Palmer (BSc BusinessStudies, 2005)

Mr Nicholas Read (BSc BusinessStudies, 1993)

Mr Algernon Sanders (BSc BusinessStudies, 1993)

Mr Graham Talbot (BSc EuropeanBusiness Management with French, 1999)

Miss Marijke Uhlenbroek (BScBusiness Studies, 1985)

Mrs Yajna Vadamootoo (BSc BusinessStudies, 1996)

Mr Thomas Wamwea (MBA BusinesAdministration, 20020

Miss Qi Yang (BSc Business Studieswith Information Systems, 2005)

Miss Si Zhao (BSc International HotelManagement, 2001)

Lost AlumniIf you know how to contact the following, please email theAlumni Office at alumni@buckingham.ac.uk

14 Autumn 2010

Celebrations

Weddings

Matthew Green (International HotelManagement ’99)

Congratulationsto MatthewGreen andJonathan Lyonwho were marriedin Ottawa,Canada, on 15October 2009.This ceremonywas followed bya blessing andparty for familyand friends inJersey on 24July, 2010

BirthsAlexander Richard Philip Jones

Johanna Jones (LLM 2004) and Richard F.Jones Jr. are delighted to announce the birthof their son Alexander Richard Philip Joneson June 3, 2010 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Saad Al-Maliky (English Literature 2010)Saad Al-Maliky and his wife Batool Al-Mayahyhad a baby son on 7 August 2010. He is abrother for Nooralhuda, Mohammedmusa,and Mohammedissa

Guido von Rohr (Business Studies 1994)Guido and Christina von Rohr (Politics andHistory 1999) are delighted to announce thebirth of Maria Sylvia and Cecilia Marie, twinsisters to Konstantin, and Antonius. Guidosaid that “this peaceful quartet lasted for

about two nanoseconds”

Léonie and Justus KleyserPhilipp C. Kleyser, (LLM 2001) and his wifeAmelie are delighted to announce the birth ofLeonie on 15 July 2010, a brother for Justus,who was born on 24 May 2009

Mateo PaterninaInigo (Business Studies1990) and AnaPeternina are proud to announce thearrival of Mateo in January 2010,a brother to Yago.

Leonid von BothPhilipp von Both (Business Studies2001) and his wife Stephanie areproud to announce that their thirdson, Leonid, was born on 19 June2010 at the John Radcliffe Hospital,

Oxford.

Autumn 2010 15

Shulian ZhangOn 28 September, 2010, Shulian Zhang (1979 – 2010) died unexpectedly fromleukaemia at the tender age of 31. After completing her MBA at Buckingham in 2004,Shulian achieved an MSc with Distinction at the Manchester Business School and washalf-way through her PhD at the same university when a swift illness took her awayfrom us. She left behind a two-year-old daughter, a loving husband Veselin Bandev(MBA 2004) and countless friends around the world.

Always eager to help, Shulian had infectious enthusiasm for life. Her artwork – insidebottle painting - was just one example of her passion for excellence. An amazing mother,wife and friend, she will be remembered as one of the kindest people, someone whobrought smiles and happiness to everyone who knew her and who definitely left theworld a better place than she found it.

A section of the Christies charity has been set up in Shulian’s name to support furtherresearch into leukaemia treatment.

Please logon to: http://hopefunds.christies.org/funds/shulianzhang

In memoriamOn these pages we remember former students andstaff of Buckingham. The Independent makes everyeffort to accommodate fitting tributes, and friends, familyand former colleagues are welcome to submit obituariesto alumni@buckingham.ac.uk. Occasionally, howeverwe may have to edit the entries.

Obituaries

William Martin a student ofBusiness Enterprise died tragicallyyoung at the age of 20 on 27September, 2010. Our heartsgo out to his friends and family.

At a memorial meeting held on campus,Dr Jane Tapsell, Dean of the BusinessSchool, said “We were only privileged toknow William for a short time, but duringthat time William has made a lastingimpression on us all; both as a student anda friend.” She went on to say “William hadjust completed his third term at theUniversity. A term in which the descriptionused by one of his lecturers of ‘A Star’ didnot seem over zealous; Indeed, William wasan extremely bright and well liked youngman and was thought to have an equallybright future ahead of him.... Sadly thiswas not meant to be.”

William’s funeral was held on 8 Octobernear St Austell in Cornwall. In addition toreadings and the Eulogy, several students

from Buckingham talked about theirexperiences of William as a friend. After theservice William was buried in a beautifullocation overlooking St Austell Bay.

The burial was followed by a gathering ofhis family and friends at Porth Avallen Hotelduring which the Buckingham studentshanded to William's mother and fathera folder and CD of their memories.

Alexander Burgess, a friend and fellowstudent at the Business school, wrote:

“Will was one of the best mates anyonecould have had.

He was always smiley, happy and neverhad a bad thing to say about anybody.

He was a keen and focused student, ayoung entrepreneur and was dedicatedto succeed.

He will be truly missed. He is truly a legendand will never be forgotten.”

He was alwayssmiley, happy andnever had a badthing to say aboutanybody

’‘

16 Autumn 2010

Dr Anabela BravoIt is with very great sadness that theUniversity reports the loss of our friend andcolleague Dr Anabela Bravo, who finallylost her struggle against cancer and diedpeacefully on Thursday 15 July in Lisbon.She was only 47. Anabela was a Post-Doctoral researcher working in thePsychology Department and she had beena member of staff at Buckingham sinceOctober 2008.

Psychology Senior Lecturer, Dr Philip Fine,said: “Anabela first contacted me aboutcoming to Buckingham in July 2007, havingsuccessfully gained funding from thePortuguese government. She was dueto start here in January 2008, but wasdiagnosed with cancer in December 2007.Her treatment set her back 9 months, but itwas successful enough that she started herresearch in Buckingham in October 2008.Although she was never 100 percent wellduring her time here, she was still able tospend much of the following 14 monthscarrying out research which she presentedat a conference in New Zealand inDecember 2009. She then returnedhome to Lisbon for more treatment.”

She will be very sadly missed.

Canon Alan Doyle (Dphil ’94)

Professor JohnClarke recallsa smart andwell educatedclergyman whomhe taughtin 1994One day in the summer of 1994, I wasstanding in the car park of a hotel nearBuckingham. I had arranged to have lunchwith a former student, who had just sailedthrough his D.Phil viva: no corrections, norewrites, everything fine. As I waited, Inoticed a group of young men – obviouslyjunior executives, sharp suited and very‘yuppie’. A large, bright red BMW, the latestmodel, came in to the car park – rather fast– and ground to a halt. The yuppies wereimpressed and gathered round, clearlywanting to get a better look at the car andto catch a glimpse of its driver – surely amore successful version of themselves. Thedoor opened and the driver emerged - atall, handsome man, but grey haired andprobably rather older than the yuppies hadexpected. Some looked decidedly puzzled.Then, as the driver turned towards me, theymust have seen the black vest and the dogcollar. People sometimes doubt the truth ofpopular sayings, but jaws really did dropthen. The driver was Canon Alan Doyle.Alan kept a straight face. Smiled sweetlyat the yuppies but, once inside the hotel,had a wonderful fit of giggles.

Alan, who died in June 2010 at the ageof 82, was a remarkable man, but first andforemost he was a clergyman. BarbaraDoyle tells me that, when he was a little boyhe improvised a pulpit, standing on top ofa pile of books to deliver his first ‘sermon’.Alan was educated at Colwyn BayGrammar School in North Wales and thenjoined William Deacon’s Bank. He served inthe RAF in World War II and was ordained

shortly afterwards in the diocese of Sodorand Man – where he met Barbara. Aftertwo curacies on the Isle of Man, he becamechaplain to a School in Southern Rhodesia.On returning to England he was appointedto the benefice of Chaddeslay Corbett,in the Diocese of Worcester, becominga magistrate and Canon of WorcesterCathedral.

Alan’s thesis, on Clerical Justices in theDiocese of Worcester, is a fascinating pieceof work and reveals much about Alanhimself. He was able to prove that theconventional picture of the 18th centuryclergy – lazy, self indulgent and ratherindifferent to religion – was wide of themark. The clergymen he worked on werehardworking, deeply religious and above allready to shoulder the responsibilities of themagistracy. Alan was in no doubt that hewas following in their footsteps. Clericaljustices are a rare breed nowadays andmany clergymen feel that it is notappropriate for them to sit on judgement onthe laity, much less to impose punishmentson them. Alan would have none of it. Hebelieved that the Church and State neededeach other. He strongly believed in anEstablished Church – not perhaps afashionable point of view today but onethat Alan defended very ably. He alsobelieved that the clergy should be smart,(perhaps that explains the BMW) welleducated and socially accomplished.I think I rather shocked this man of theReformation by pointing out that his idealwas not far removed from that of theSociety of Jesus.

For three years, Alan drove over toBuckingham from his home at GreatMalvern almost every week. If he didnot make a wide circle of friends inBuckingham, those who did get to knowhim always looked forward to his visits.Angela Brown used to give a very good ideaof her estimate of my visitors by her choiceof coffee cups. The best china always cameout for Alan Doyle. Alan Doyle was a goodman, a clever man, a delightful man – andit was a great privilege for me to workwith him.

In memoriam

Obituaries