International Higher Ed in facts and figures

“Universities UK and the International Unit have collaborated to produce their annual overview of key statistics about international students and Higher Education.

‘International Higher Education in Facts and Figures 2016’ covers a range of areas, from where international students want to study, to which countries undertake most internationally-collaborative research. Again, these various measures show the UK to be one of the leading nations in the world in terms of global higher education.

Key points include:

• The UK attracts more international students than any other country outside of the USA

• The UK has the most satisfied international students”

Read more here!

From: http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/studentnews/772/International-Higher-Education-in-facts-and-figures

Tom Hartwell play @ The Edinburgh Fringe

Since graduating from drama school last year, Residence Life Supervisor Tom Hartwell has been developing a new play with fellow graduates from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. You Tweet My Face Space is a satirical comedy about the addiction to our new social world.

After an overwhelming response from theatre audiences, critics, FIE faculty and students alike, Tom is proud to announce a partnership with FIE as the play heads to the largest theatre festival in the world!

This is huge opportunity for FIE to reach a vibrantly diverse international community and by sponsoring the arts will bring FIE’s brand to new theatre schools from across the pond!

Upon returning from Edinburgh, the play will also be performed as part of the FIE London fall orientation.

Looking ahead to the future FIE hopes to bring actors, directors and writers into the classrooms to run workshops with students, engaging with our existing theatre programmes and developing new working relationships with accredited drama schools and local theatres, creating new enriching experiences for our students.

You can read more about Tom on his website: www.tomhartwellactor.com

Heidi James-Dunbar reading @ Waterstones

On 2nd June, faculty member Heidi James-Dunbar read from her forthcoming novel So the Doves at Waterstones Piccadilly as part of The Bluemoose Independent Road Trip.

Heidi joined two other Bluemoose authors (Sarayu Srivatsa and Anna Chilvers) to talk about their writing and books.

FIE signs Time to Change Employer Pledge and appoints Employee Champions

On 31st March 2016, FIE was proud to sign the Time to Change Employer Pledge.

Time to Change, a joint venture between Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, is committed to tackling mental health stigma and discrimination. The Employer Pledge demonstrates FIE’s commitment to mental health and wellbeing and to breaking down mental health stigma and discrimination within the workplace.

Our pledge statement is as follows: FIE: Foundation for International Education is fully committed to ending mental health discrimination in the workplace and is proud to pledge to Time to Change. Our organisational values include a focus on Diversity & Inclusivity, which underpins our promise to provide a safe and open environment for all employees and welcome those from diverse populations. FIE’s activities undertaken for the pledge include reviewing our policies and procedures, promotion of mental health awareness as an organisation, and providing support tools. Our working groups will develop an action plan relating to all areas of FIE’s accessibility, including disability and mental health. A wellbeing section will be added to FIE’s annual appraisal process and the sickness and absence policy will be reviewed as it pertains to those experiencing mental health problems. This plus many more activities will continue the conversation about mental health at FIE and guide our goals as an organisation.

Our pledge commitment includes an Employer Pledge Action Plan, which has been developed by a team of FIE staff and which includes our current initiatives and resources, as well as action items for 2016, 2017 and beyond. We thank all staff involved in developing the action plan.

As one of the first steps in the action plan, FIE has appointed Clare Woessner and Jessica Burbury as Employee Champions.

Clare and Jess will help in driving forward change internally, and help embed positive changes within the workplace. As a next step, they will undergo an induction with the Employee Champions Officer at Time to Change, covering topics such as boundaries, activities and managing expectations amongst others, as well as highlighting how Time to Change can support them fully as Employee Champions. We thank Clare and Jess for getting involved!

Summer visiting faculty and interns

This summer FIE is delighted to welcome 16 visiting faculty members to FIE London. You can check out all of their bios at the link below!

2016 Summer visiting faculty bios

We are also delighted to welcome several interns this summer:

• Andrew Bell, a graduate student in Higher Education Administration at Louisiana State University who will be working on communications projects as well as some Residence/Student Life projects from late May to mid-August
• Adam Janoudi who will be interning with the Facilities Department from early to mid-June
• Adam Rehman who will be on a work placement in the IT department for 1 week at the beginning of July

New book from Shara Rambarran

Music faculty member Shara Rambarran is delighted to announce her debut book The Oxford Handbook of Music and Virtuality (publisher: Oxford University Press, New York)

Co-edited with the late Sheila Whiteley, the book offers a kaleidoscope of interdisciplinary perspectives from scholars, musicians and writers around the globe on the way in which virtuality mediates the dissemination, acquisition, performance, creation, and reimagining of music.

Congratulations Shara!