King's College London (KQC) newsletter
Professor Stewart Sutherland named as Principal Professor Stewart Ross Sutherland, MA has been appointed as Principal of King's College London. He takes up the post forthwith in succession to the late Lord Cameron and, on the Appointed Day of August 1 this year, will assume the Principalship of the merged College. This is a Crown appointment and the official announcement of Her Majesty's decision camp from Downing Street on Tu~sday February 12. Professor Sutherland was born in 1941 and is a graduate of Aberdeen and Cambridge. He worked at University College of North Wales, Bangor and at Stirling before coming to King's in 1977, to take up the Chair of the History and Philosophy of Religion, the only one of its kind in the country. He has been Head of his Department since its formation in 1979 and Dean of the Faculty of Theology from 1980 - 82. His active involvement in the academic and administrative development of the College is demonstrated by his position as VicePrincipal. He has held the post since 1981 and during this time had led the College during periods of 1982 and 1984 'He has been Acting Principal since January of this year. Professor Sutherland has been at the centre of merger negotiations right from the start as he stood in for Lord Cameron during early discussion. He signed the agreement with GEC and was party to the informal and then formal discussions with Chelsea. He was Chairman of the Vice-Principals' Working Party, the group responsible for the initial Discussion Document which drew all aspects of the merger together, and for advising on the policy and approach to the adaptation of the Charter and Statutes. Since October 1984 he has been Chairman of the Academic Affairs Planning Group. His knowledge and understand路 ing of the task ahead and his
complete commitment to the College's future would be difficult to match. Sincere congratulations go to him on his appointment to this distinguished office. PRINCIPAL'S QUESTION TIME The next edition of Comment will carry
a more detailed profile of the new Principal. If you have any particular questions you would like to direct to Professor Sutherland, please put them in writing to the Editor, COMMENT Strand Campus. We will try to get some, if not all, of them answered as part of the profile article.
inform staff about the abortive attempt to merge with Bedford College, he needed all his calm determination and good humour to get his point across.
STAFF NEWS OBITUARIES
Lord Cameron played an active part in University affairs, being a member of the Court and Senate of the University of London and also a member of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals. Outside the University, he was active as Chairman of the RAF Museum Trustees and a member of the British Atlantic Committee and of several charitable bodies.
LORD CAMERON It was with deep regret that the College learned of the death on 29 January 1985 of the Principal, Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Cameron of Balhousie. His funeral took place at Halton on Tuesday February 5. The College Secretary, Myles Tempany, attended an otherwise private family gathering. There was a formal request for no flowers and donations could, and still can be sent to either the RAF Benevolent Fund (67 Portland Place, London WC11'1 4AR) or the Chest, Heart and Stroke Association (Tavistock House North, 1avistock Square, London WCl H 9JE). According to the wishes of Lord Cameron there will be no memorial services. An Appreciation Neil Cameron was born in Perth in 1920 and educated at Perth Academy. In 1939 he joined the RAFVR and In the outbreak of the Second World War the RAF. During the war he flew with fighter and fighter bomber squadrons in the Battle of Britain, the Soviet Union, North Africa and Burma, receiving both the DFC and DSO. After the war, his ability and devotion to his service earned him rapid promotion. He held a wide variety of posts during those years but he will probably be best remembered in the University of London for the year he spent in command of the University Air Squadron. In 1976 Sir Neil, as he had become, was appointed Chief of the Air Staff and in 1977 Chief of the Defence Staff. Appointed Princif}al of King's on 1 August 1980, Sir Neil found a College which had just undergone its greatest constitutional upheaval since the beginning of the century, but which despite the usual financial worries was in good heart. Almost immediately, the new Principal had to face financial pressures of unprecedented severity with the Government's 1981 cuts in u"iversity grants. Neil Cameron took on this daunting task with tact and diplomacy. It was inevitable that with less money to go round some interests would be hurt and it is a mark of his outstanding sense of fairness and probity that even the most unpalatable decisions were accepted by the College. When it became clear that King's on its own could not retain its position in the first rank of university institutions Neil Cameron welcomed the idea of a merger with Queen Elizabeth College and Chelsea College,
His last years were clouded by ill health which necessitated two major operations. All this he bore calmly and stoically, often keeping himself going by sheer willpower but giving little hint of the stresses he had to bear. We extend to Lady Cameron and other members of the family our deepest sympathy in their and our loss. P.G.
LORD WOLFENDEN
and worked unstintingly to create a larger and better College which would have a secure future. The Life Peerage and the Knighthood of the Order of the Thistle conferred in 1983 and 1984 respectively were greatly welcomed by all who knew him. The proposal of the Flowers' Working Party, which had reported shortly before he arrived, that medical and dental teaching should cease at King's aroused all his defensive instincts. He led a brilliant campaign demonstrating that King's, as 'one of only two multi-faculty medical schools in London, could offer a training in the basic medical sciences which was at least as good as anywhere else and at less cost than most other medical schools. Following on from this victory he pressed ahead with the merger between King's College and King's College Hospital Medical School, thus laying the foundation for an integrated School of Medicine and Dentistry. Neil Cameron was not one for the hist路 rionic gesture or the elaborate turn of ph.rase. He never raised his voice but was able to command attention by the force of his character. Meetings at King's are rarely disorderly but on one occasion -it a fairly boisterous meeting called to
Lord Wolfenden, the President of Chelsea College, died on January 18th and the College lost thereby a friend of long stand ing. The office of President was established by the College Charter, granted in 1972, as an honorary office with considerable potential influence, though lacking clearly-defined duties. It was essential to seek someone of standing to fill such a post, and the College was fortunate to find Sir John Wolfenden, as he then was, disposed to accept an invitation to do so. The College was already indebted to him for his support, as Chairman of the UGC, at the time when its accession to the University as a School was being considered, and he placed us further in his debt by the way in which he carried out his presidential duties. In 1976 a Times Profile stressed that John Wolfenden was a man who had played many parts with outstanding success. Oxford fellow, Headmaster of Uppingham at the early age of 27 and later of Shrewsbury, Vice-Chancellor of Reading University, Chairman of the UGC, Director of the British Museum and chairman of innumerable commissions and committees. He placed his own particular stamp on all these activities and the College Presidency was no exception. When advice and support were needed, he freely gave of both, and, on several occasions, his discreet interventions,on behalf of the College. On formal occasions when distinguished guests were present at layings of found-
ation stones, the opening of new buildings or conferment of Honorary Fellowships, he would preside with grace, wit, and an apposite turn of phrase. In spite of his manifold achievements, there was no hint of pomposity in his manner and he had a great gift for friendship. The College was fortunate in the choice of its first and only President, and we should have been hard put to find a successor to match him had the need arisen. He was looking forward to the extinction of his office since it meant the establishment of the new united College as a strong academic entity. We mourn his loss but rejoice in his great achievements. H.J.V.T.
Or 0 Ivor JOHN Dr Ivor John, Lecturer in Organic Chemistry, died aged 49 on Dec 8 1984 following a heart attack in mid-November. His funeral took place in Morriston, Swansea on December 13th 1984. He was above all a family man, who was devoted to his beloved wife Margaret, his daughters Nerys and Bethan, and his widowed mother Morfydd. To most of us he was a congenial friend and respected colleague. He made and retained friends easily, and was always happiest when in the company of others. He greeted both friends of long standing, as well as people he was being introduced to for the first time, with the same cheery smile, warm handshake and welcoming words. Dr John had been a member of the Academic Staff of the Chemistry Department since 1963, joining the College after Ph. D. studies under Professor C H Hassall at University College Swansea, and postdoctoral research at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology with Professor J C Sheehan and at Imperial College London with Professor Sir Derek Barton. He was a good lecturer who delighted in conveying some of his own enthusiasm for his subject to students. As a tutor he quickly gained the confidence of students and was always prepared to spend many hours counselling a student in difficulties. Over the years Dr John made a number of useful research contributions; fi rstly in amino acid and peptide chemistry and then more recently in pencillin chemistry. In collaboration with Dr E J Thomas and Beechams Pharmaceuticals a number of patented compounds were synthesised and several highly regarded papers published. In the last years of his life, when he was achieving the greatest success at research and increasing recognition by his peers, he had discovered some novel rearrangements in penicillin chemistry,
At the time of his death he was working on the consolidation and publication of these important discoveries. Dr John was the first Safety Officer of King's College (1968-73) and in this period struggled against the usual College apathy to make the College more safety conscious. For this we all owe him a profound debt. He also made a major contribution to the design of he benches and fittings for the Chemistry laboratories in the Strand Building. Dr John was a keen cricketer and was a regular member of the King's College Staff Cricket Team. He was a very effective offspin bowler, but his main talent was as a courageous close to the wicket fielder. His bravery and keen eyesight, coupled with suprising agility, in spite of his bulk, enabled him to take some amaz ing catches, often with one hand. As a Welshman Dr John greatly enjoyed and appreciated the culture of his native land. He was a very proud of his Welsh origins and was fluent in both the written and spoken language. He liked nothing more than to attend the Welsh National Eisteddfod whenever he could. Dr John loved music and had taught himself to play the violin, but it was in Choral Singing that he gained the greate6t pleasure - firstly with the London Welsh Choir and then with the Royal Choral Society, in whose concerts he regularly participated. Dr John, like so many university teachers he found the present uncertainties and continual changes in government policy towards the universities exceedingly stressful. He was concerned about the KQC Chemistry Department and his place in it, although he would undoubtedly have been a valued and respected member of the new Department. Latterly Dr John had felt he was working under great pressure, and because of his time consuming methods of work, the only answer for him was to work longer and longer hours at the expense of his family life. That Dr John was highly regarded and greatly loved by so many people was evidenced by the College Chapel being packed with his family, colleagues and friends from so many walks of life, for his Memorial Service on January 18th 1985. T:-,E choir for the Service was provided by some 62 of his fellow member~ of the Royal Choral Society conducted bv tt'l:ir distinguished musical director, Mr Meredith Davies. Dr John will be greatly missed by all who
knew him. He was a good man, a very special person. D.I.D.
EUROPEAN HONOUR Professor F G Jacobs, Professor of European Law, has been awarded the decoration of Commander of the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg for his contributions to European Law.
KING'S TECHNICAL STAFF Appointmen s 18.2.85 Miss J Biscomb, Trainee Technician, Audio Visual Unit 18.2.85 Mrs N Sheikh, Technician Education Dept. CHELSEA Appointments 2.1.85 Mr S Austin, Bar Assistant, Refectory 3.1.85 Miss D Carter, Secretary, Mathematics Dept 7.1.85 Mr R Davies, Technical Assistant, Animal H<;use 1.5.85 Miss C A Dawson, Research Assistant, CSME 14.1.85 Miss B DeCarle, Research Assistant, Nursing Studies 1.1.85 Miss J A D Hall, Senior Rc-search Officer, Educational Computing Section, CSME 3.12.84 Mr RAG Harms, Shift Porter Malcolm Gavin Hall 1.1.85 Dr H Kamminga, Lecturer, History and Philosophy of Science 1.1.85 Mrs V J Rhodes, Research Officer, Educational Computing CSME 3.12.84 Mr S J Thompson, Porter, Domestic Administration Resignations 11.1.85 2.1.85 31.1.85 6.1.85 6.1.85 11.1.85 31.1.85
Miss L A Butcher, Housing Assistant, Student Studies Mr J Cason, Technician, Geology Dept Miss J M Dawson, Research Assistant, Biochemistry Dept Dr K C Jones, Research Assistant, MARC Mr J V Rantell, Technician, Physiology Mrs E Verghis, pit Library Assistant, Ms J R Zielstra, Secretary, Building Office
1-COMMITTEE ON TRAINING FOR ACADEMIC STAFF TEACHING AND LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION COURSE 11 - 17 September 1985 at the Uni· versity of Surrey, Guildford This course aims to present to participants a range of teaching techniques and to discuss problems in teaching and learning in higher education. The course will comprise of lectures followed by group discussion, group activities and workshops, pnctice lecture sessions and an exhibition of books and educational aids. The course is likely to be suitablE' for more or less experienced teachers. Completely inexperienced teachers have been found to derive considerably less benefit from it. The course fee is £290 and application forms can be obtained from Ms Jackie Leeks, Course Administrator, Dept of Educational Studies (BlockAA), University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 5XH. Some assistance with the course fee can be provided by the
CHELSEA COLLEGE LONG SERVICE AWARDS 18 staff members of Chelsea College recently received long service awards in a presentation at Stanley House. In a ceremony attended by Sir Monty Finniston, the Chairman of Council, and Professor Tyrrell, the Principal,
College subject to negotiation and letters of application for subsidy should be sent to Mr Stephen Harrow, Assistant Registrar, Strand.
GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS Fulbright travel grants A number of travel grants are available to citizens of the UK and dependent territories to go to the USA to undertake lecturing or research. Grants to Visiting Lecturers will be confined to those who have received an invitation to lecture at a University or other approved institution of higher learning in the USA. Senior Research Scholars shou Id already have achieved some professional standing in their chosen field. Junior nesearch Scholars should not be older than 30 years and should have, or expect to have, a Ph D. No application forms will be sent after 3 May 1985. Details are available from United States - United Kingdom Educ-
certificates and gifts were given to each person to mark 25 years service with the College. Those who had completed 25 years service by December 1984 were: Or D.E. Ames Or A.J. Barber Or P.W. Barnard Or S.J. Biel
Sir Monty Finniston and Professor Tyrrell with members of staff at the long service awards presentation
ational Commission, 6 Porter Street, London W1 M 2HR Smuts Visiting Fellowship in Commonwealth Studies Applications are invited for the Smuts Visiting Fellowship in Commonwealth Studies for the academic year 198687. The emoluments of the Visiting Fellow will be a sum up to £6,000. Preference will be given to promising younger scholars from the overseas countries of the Commonwealth who have shown distinction in their field of study, but applications from candidates in the UK will also receive consideration. Further details are available from the Secretary of the Managers of the Smuts Memorial Fund, General Board Office, The Old Schools, Cambridge, CB2 HT.
CHANGED APPLICATION DATE FOR BRITISH ACADEMY GRANT LARGER PERSONAL RESEARCH GRANTS These are limited in number, non-renewable and available only to serving memOr J.H. Botting Mr R.F. Branch Or W.G. Britton Or R.A. Brown Miss A. Calveley Or S.R. Chant Or D. F. Evered Mr R.W. Hatherell Mrs J. Hirons Or R.O. Muir Or H.G. Pinsent Or B. V. Smith Mr D. Storer Or J. Thomas
bers of staff of universities, polytechnics, and other institutions of higher education in the United Kingdom. It is intended that these Larger Personal Research Grants will cover such costs as research assistance and grants of up to £10,000 will be awarded. The closing date for applications fur this new category of awards has now been changed to 30 April 1985. Further details and application forms may be obtained from the Secretary, The British Academy, 20-21 Cornwall Terrace, London NWI 4QP. Tel: 487 5966.
OVERSEAS TUITION FEES The Finance Committee, at its meeting 0[1 29 January 1985, approved the following fees in 1985/86 for overseas students (other than students continuing courses which began before I September 1980): Arts Courses Science Courses Clinical Courses in Medicine and Dentistry
£3,310 £4,350
£8,050
ACCOMMODATION WANTED A senior lecturer from the Western Australia Institute of Technology wishes to spend a sabbatical period at King's and would be interested in a house exchange for the period October 1985 - January 1986. His family consists of two adults and two children and his house is in the sun in Perth! Anyone interested should contact D.J. Malcolme- Lawes, Chemistry Department in the first instance. Or R.B. Miller, a visiting academic from the Physics Department at La Trobe University, Australia is seeking to rent a comfortable house, with at least three bedrooms, within reasonable commuting distance of Royal Holloway College. The house will be needed from May until January 1986. Or Miller can be contacted at La Trobe University, Bundoora Victoria, Australia 3083, te!. (03) 478 3122. Alternatively, Or lan Fleming (te!. Maidenhead 37464) can help with arrangements.
2149 2155
ORRISON, Or R. 121 Strand Building SKI ER, iss M. 113 Strand Building
2120 2153 2586
Amendments 2142 BATE MA , Professor J.B. 131 Strand Building 2119 BIDDLES, Mrs E. G30 Strand Building 2154 HEATHCOTE, Mrs G. 114 Strand Building 2715 HOLWILL, Or M.E.J. Q123 Quad. Labs.
THE STOTT REPORT
2715 2119 2556
ICHETTE, Or A.G. G27 Strand Building NESLE, iss S. 116 Strand Building PRICE, Professor W.C. Q127 Quad. Labs. SI LVESTE R, Or . R.S. Q125 Quad. Labs. SPRACKLlNG, Or M.T. G29 Strand Building WEISS, Professor R.J. 26B Main Building
Accommodation Plans for KQC
Careful consideration is now being given to the recommendations contained in a Report by the KQC Estates Accommodation Policy O:>mmittee, under the Chairmanship of Professor Peter Stott, on the short and medium term uses of KQC accommodation. BACKGROUND AND CURRENT STRATEGY In making its recommendations the Committee had the following major objectives in mind: - cohesion and vigour of academic activities - practicable reductions in running costs arising from buildings and from split site activities - generation of capital from sale of properties - longer-term strategy Current strategy is to establish a central campus based on the Strand, Cornwall House and part of Somerset House. The Government have agreed in principle to make Cornwall House available and acquisition of parts of Somerset House remains a possibility. However, although KQC must remain optimistic it should also realise that the earliest possible occupation of Cornwall House would be Summer 1987 (with 1988 being more realistic) and that as yet no date can be attached to Somerset House. Immediate solutions to pressing problems must therefore be arrived at now, but in a way that will not prejudice longer-term planning. BROAD OPTIONS Consideration starts with the Strand site. Arts are established there - it would seem sensible to continue this. Moves already completed (the consolidation of Physics, the location of Computing and a substantial Chemistry, Engineering and Mathematics presence) concentrate Physical Sciences there too and make it reasonable to progress towards complete integration. The space required to achieve such integration is, in the Committee's opinion, possible to find in the long and the short term. This is not the case with Life Sciences and the Committee feel that it would not be possible to achieve their integration on the Strand; Life Sciences would be ideally located at Cornwall House and in the short-term should consolidate away from the Strand site. Outside the Strand, moves already complete or in train .leave the Kensington site with hardly any spare space and some Chelsea sites under-occupied. With financial considerations in mind the intensive use of Kensington and the careful rationalisation of particular Chelsea sites must be the aim. RECOMMENDATIONS The Committee firmly proposed the following scheme:
STRAND CAMPUS INTERNAL TELEPHONE DIRECTORY Additions 2792 FREAKE, Mr A.J. 22A Main Building
a. b. c. d.
- full consolidation of Education at the King's Road - full oonsolidation of Mathematics, Physics, Cl"emistry and Computing on the Strand and some consolidation of electronics - full consolidation of Pharmacology in the Chelsea Chemistry building - full consolidation of biology (plant sciences, cell biology and zoology) at Kensington subject to additional plant growth facilities being vacated-
OR STOOOART LEAVES KING'S e. Dr Michael Stoddart joined the College as a Lecturer in Zoology. He had obtained his BSc and Ph D at the University of Aberdeen, and followed this by a year at Oxford, where he held a NERC Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Animal Ecology Research Group and at Worcester College. He was promoted to Reader in Zoology in October 1984. Mike's research interests were mainly concerned with the biological significance of the production of scent and pheromones (aerially transmitted substances that modify behaviour) by mammals. His studies commenced with work on the physiological control of scent production in the water vole in relation to its growth, development and reproductive biology. Over the next 17 years, these studies widened to include various aspects of mammalian ecology, and the possible use of olfactory stimuli in rodent pest control. In particular, Mike's recent work has suggested that much fundamental research on population numbers in small mammals has been fatally flawed because workers had not appreciated that the animals' behaviour can be greatly influenced by odours caused by the trap's use in previous trapping experiments. These research activities led to the publication of many scientific papers and a number of books. Mike also took a considerable role in the administrative life of the Department and College, and in both national and international scientific societies.
Half Moon Lane to be vacated - rationalisation of Chelsea space to vacate Bridges Place, Pulton Place and Hortensia Road, to include the consolidation of HES at Manresa Road.
This scheme is not an already negotiated decision but rather an attempt to lead and clarify discussions and consultation. Academic activities have been the principal consideration but ancillary requirements (libraries, lecture rooms, administration, cor-1puting, social) although probably adequately provided for, wi 11 need to be carefully checked. The Committee is quite clear that they r.egard this option as a positive response to current uncertainties and one that provides maxi mum practicable consolidation. Each component of the move has a multiple significance and any department that might feel disadvantaged should be encouraged by the knowledge that their move is a vital contribution to the best progress of the College. THE FOLLOW UP Departments have been asked to consider their reactions to the proposals in the Report and ,a number have already responded. At the same time the cost of the moves is being worked out. The College is putting a high priority on establishing its accommodation plat'l. It is now urgent to follow up the departmental moves which have already taken place or are in hand with other moves which will serve the twin objectives of academic consolidation and improvement of finances, looking always to the final objective of a single central campus.
In teaching, too, Mike Stoddart was an active and enthusiastic member of staff, and his courses in Vertebrate Biology, The Social Biology of Mammals and Applications of Ecology were always popular with students. His lectures were not concerned merely with transmitting factual information, but more with the training in scientific methodology that underlay the particular area of zoology. His breadth of knowledge of living animals was considerable and this, together with his lively personality, led to him being a regular contributor to scientific programmes on the radio and, more recently, also on TV. Mike Stoddart left the College in January to take up a new appointment as Head of the Department of Zoology in the University of Tasmania. His many friends in the College will miss him greatly, but be glad of the knowledge that their new life wi 11 offer many greater opportunities for Mike, his wife Brigitte and their three children. C.B.C.
Dr Michael Stoddart (left of the picture) at an informal reception held to wish him well in his move to Tasmania. photo by Alan Howard
STUDENT NEWS PLANS FOR RAG WEEK from the Rag Chairman, Catherine Charnaud May I firstly, as Vice-President( Internal) and on behalf of the Students' Union Executive, congratu late Professor Sutherland on his appointment as Principal of King's College. I would like now to give a brief account of some of the events planned for Rag Week this year. The Hit S(:uad will be operating all week from March 4-8 and a nominal fee of £5 will ensure total immunity from the effects of this lucrative venture - should you disagree with a fellow lecturer on certain topics I'm sure we can, with the help of your money, persuade them to change their minds! Street collections will be held in Westminster and Lambeth on Tuesday March 5 and in the City on Thursday March 7. This, along with collections
UNIVERSITY NEWS LORD FLOWERS Lord Flowers, Rector of Imperial College, is recovering from a heart attack which was sustained on 15 January. He is under medical supervision, and has decided with regret to retire a few months early from his chairmanship of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals, in addition to resting from College duties until the summer term. Professor Swanson, the Pro Rector of Imperial College, will act on behalf of the Rector for the remainder of this term, and Maurice Shock, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester will take over as Chairman of the CVCP earlier than originally planned. Lord Flowers will commence his duties as Vice-Chancellor of the University of London in September.
UNIVERSITY ORCHESTRA PLAYS TO SAVE THE CHILDREN A concert by the University of London orchestra at The Queen Elizabeth Hall on Monday 4 March will be given in the presence of the University's Chancellor, HRH The Princess Anne. All proceeds from the concert will go to the Save The Children Fund, of which Princess Anne is President.
at specified tube stations, should be our greatest money-spinner and any help, no matter how small, will be much a,::preciated. Collecting tins and information can be obtained during Rag Week from the 3rd floor of the Macadam or directly from me. We hope to have events going on all day around the boroughs to help any collectors enjoy themselves. The Rag March around the Aldwych will be on Thursday March 7, Bow Street Police permitting! Posters of events will be available soon and I hope that staff will enter into the spirit of Rag This year the money received will be going to the Greater London Fund for the Blind and to St Mary-Ie-Strand. Please give generously (eight A grades in my exams will be fine!), Don't forget Rag - March 4 - 8. I hope that the next COMMENT can carry a report of the large sums raised. REMEMBER RAG- MARCH 4-8 The programme includes Debussy's L'Apres midi d'un Faun and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 6 (PathetiqueJ, as well as works by Chabrier and Honneger. Founded in 1955, the University of London Orchestra now draws its 80 players from students at some 25 of the University's colleges and institutes. The bulk of the members are not specifically studyi ng music. In 1980, the Un iversity of London Orchestra celebrated its 25th anniversary and the conductor, I an Reid, was appointed the first Director of Music of the University of London Union. Since then, the orchestra has identified closely with the performance of modern music. It has twice commissioned works, from the composers Nicola Lefanu and Judith Weir. Of the performance by the orchestra of Judith Weir's The Ride Over Lake Constance in 1984, the Times wrote: 'They gave the piece with the kind of spirited confidence that most composers only dream about: The orchestra has also given the first British performance of Cantus Arcticus by the Finnish composer Rautavaara.
LIBRARY NEWS Library Opening Hours in the Easter Vacation Chelsea From Wednesday 20 March to Tuesday 23 April, the Library will open 0900 1800. The Library closes for Easter at 1700 on Thursday 4 April and reopens at 0900 on Wednesday 10 April. Kings From Wednesday 20 March to Tuesday 23 April, the Library will open 0930 1630. SBI, SB4 and Laws will remain open until 1745. The librnry closes for Easter at 1545 on Wednesday 3 April, and reopens at 0930 on Tuesday 9 April. Because of staff shortages, reading rooms will be closed as follows: SBI Tuesday 1230 - 1630 SB2 Friday 1230 - 1630 SB3 Wednesday 1230 - 1630 SB4 Monday 0930 - 1330 SB5 Friday 0930 - 1330 Earth Sciences Wednesday 0930 - 1330 Engineering Tuesday 0930 - 1330 Thursday 0930 - 1330 Music Old Library Monday and Thursday 1230 - 1630 (access for reader places via Laws Library. SB5, Earth Sciences, Engineering and Music will close daily between 1230 and 1330. Biophysics and Plant Sciences will open at all times when the Department is open. The French library will be closed throughout the vacation. The Old Library staff will fetch any books required and accept returned books. KCSMD Normal opening hours will operate. The Library closes for Easter at 1700 on Thursday 4 April and reopens at 0900 on Tuesday 9 Apri I. GEC From Thursday 21 March to Tuesday 23 April, the Library will open 0930 1730. It will close for Easter at 1530 on Thursday 4 April and reopen at 0930 on Tuesday 9 April.
The orchestra is based at and funded by the University of London Union.
COURT GRANT OF £50000 FOR THE LIBRARY ,
Tickets for the concert are available from the Royal Festival Hall Box Office (928 3191) or from the Concert Manager at ULU (590 9551 x238). Prices range from £2 to £5.
The Court of the University of London has recently awarded a grant of £50,000 to the Library for use in converting a large part of the library catalogue on to the University of London Shared
Cataloguing Scheme. The grant will be used mainly to employ staff to implement the project which will concentrate on subjects where the merger is causing the movement of departments to new sites. It is hoped that ultimately the full catalogue will be available online to all library users.
GENERAL
EWS
CANTERBURY TO LONDON A CHANGING PERSPECTIVE A Report on a walk for charity from The Revd Christopher Moody Chaplain, KCL I would like to thank all the people who sponsored me on the Crisis for Christmas walk from Canterbury to London last term. As they know to their cost, the walk was 60 miles long and took two days. This year it attracted nearly 600 walkers mostly in their last year at school. This made the walk a mammoth feat of organisation and gave it a peculiar atmosphere - a cross between a school outing Aldermaston march and animal rights demonstration. Many people asked me before the walk 'Are you walking the Canterbury way?' The answer is 'No, the A2' - all the way that is to Rochester, where we switched to the A226. At frequent intervals along the route, we stopped at Church and Community Halls for hot drinks, food and first aid. There were always queues at these stops, especially as the walk progressed, for first aid. and I gradually developed the illusion we were participants in some kind of disaster. Never was this illusion more acute than on Saturday night in the Sports Hall at Northfleet where about 450 of us were fed and bedded down. By this time, my mind was run- . ning a film reel of 'Threads' which I had seen a couple of weeks before. The whole situation was so bizarre, I forgot the discomfort and began to enjoy it. Unlike most of the 15 or so students from King's who did the walk with me, I did not aquit myself well. I have always considered myself fairly fit and someone who enjoys a good walk; but we had to do 36 miles on the first day and at 9.00pm with some 3 miles still to go, I could resist the temptation no longer and collapsed into a pub settee with a pint. Once I was down, I could not get up. After 15 miles, the muscles in my thighs had already seized up and shortened my stride. By Saturday night I had lost all shyness and
received massage for the first time. The fourth time I asked for treatment at the St John's Ambulance station at Blackheath, two 12 or 13 year old girls were ordered to take a leg each, but after giggling nervously, they backed into a corner of the caravan and a grandmother with very strong hands took over. This was Sunday afternool1 by which time I was among the last of those still walking. We had all set off from Northfleet at 830am. The first walker arrived at St George's Southwark at l.00pm. I did not arrive until after 7.00pm. The walk taught me how much my idea of myself as a warm, kind, unselfish sort of person depended on my need for material comforts being met. I now know that very little divides me from the vagrant alcoholic in whose interests I had undertaken the walk. From now on I shall regard his efforts just to keep himself clean as worthy of my respect
MEETING TO COMMEMORATE THE SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVE MENTS OF SIR JOHN RANDALL
ERS
Sir Nevill Matt, FRS, Nobel Laureate and Professor Maurice Wilkins, CBE, FRS, Nobel Laureate, together with the Lord Zuckerman, OM, KCB, FRS were speakers at the Meeting to Commemorate the Scientific Achievements of Sir John Randall, FRS, on Thursday February 14 in ti,e Great Hall.
Sir John Randall was one of the most illustrious members of the College. Before he came to King's he had invented, with Or H A H Boot, the cavity magnetron which was to prOVide the key to the development of short-wave radar during the Second World War and thus led to the defeat of the German U-Boats in the Battle of the Atlantic.. Sir John was appointed Wheatstone Professor of Physics in 1946. He created and became head of the Department of Biophysics in 1961 and his work here established King's as a leading centre in pionaering the development of molecular biology.
ACU PUBLICATIONS The Association of Commonwealth Universities issues many more publications than the widely-known Commonwealth Universities Yearbook. Their current list of titles includes:
Research Opportunities in Commonwealth Developing Countries: A Register Technological Innovation: University Roles Awards for Commonwealth University Academic Staff Grants for Study Visits by University Administrators and Librarians Scholarships Guide for Commonwealth Postgraduate Students Financial Aid for First Degree Study at Commonwealth Universities ACU Bulletin of Current Documentation (A BCD) List of University Institutions in the Commonwealth Higher Education in the United Kingdom: A Handbook for Students and their advisers The Association of Commonwealth Universities: What it is and what it does British Universities' Guide to Graduate Study The Compendium of University Entrance Requirements for First Degree Courses in the United Kingdom Details of the above publications are available from ACU, John Foster House, 36 Gardon Square, London, WC1 H OPF
ATHLONE PRESS REQUEST MATERIAL
Sir Nevill Matt in conversation with Professor Maurice Wilkins in the Great Hall. photo by Fleur Chapman
The Athlone Press was the official publishing house for the University until 1979 and it preserves a strong relationship with the University through the body of an Academic Advisory Board composed of members of the University. Athlone continues to welcome manuscripts from senior members of the University, especially first books from younger academics. Submissions should be made to the Man-
aging Director, Mr Brian Southam at 44 Bedford Row, London WC1 R 4LY.
STUDY SKILLS SEMINARS Two seminars on Study skills arranged by the Student Counselling Service will take place on Wednesday March 6 and 13 in Room 8B (Ground Floor, Main Building, King's) from 1.00 -2.00pm. Items covered on March 6 will include: efficient note-taking tackling text books how to revise effectively how to prepare for exams and on March 13 how to avoid panicking how to cope with lack of concentration ti,e dangers of overwork These seminars are intended to provide students with a practical and realistic approach to studying and the taking of exams, so please jog their memories and feel free to come along yourselves. Notices will be put around the College.
CONFEX '85 Having returned from Confex feeling somewh<lt shattered, it was to discover in a letter from the organisers that' Last week London enjoyed (?) the lowest temperatures of any part of the civilised world'. The letter goes on to say that the Barbican heating system suffered a minor breakdown in trying to deal with this problem. I dread to think how cold it would have been with a major breakdown, as it felt like the arctic circle most of the time! Confex is an exhibition of organisations with conference space to sell, and in the case of the merging Colleges, holiday accommodation as well. We three, Joan Fennell (Chelsea College), Elspeth Young (GEC) and myself, spent three eight-hour days chatting to prospective buyers for all our worth and trying to convince them that a campus venue was most desirable from every aspect. It really is an eye-opener to see the stands of the conference towns, and also the stately homes and castles. The competition is very fierce, and some of the participants spend a fortune on presentation. KGC on the other hand had a very limited budget, but the stand looked very good and was the only one with a genuine Hall of Residence bed! Try before you buy! We walked the whole exhibition with trays of heart-shaped biscuits, and the
Richard Longhurst (with the beard), Joan Fennel! (right) and Elspeth Young (back) at the King's stand at CONFEX. The stand was organised in conjunction with the University of Leeds and seated to Richard's left is the Leeds conference organiser. penalty for accepting one was to take a brochure (which was actually out of sight when the biscuit was proferred). We were dressed in undergraduate gowns anc mortar boards, and really felt we couldn't compete with the two girls from the Canadian stand. Dressed as mounties in red coats the length of mini skirts, they were without trousers, but with black silk stockings. We have photos to prove it! Most organisers have made plans for 1985, but we all hope that by August of this year we shall reap the rewards of our labours in the form of masses of bookings for 1986 and perhaps '87 as well. Our special thanks to the Porters and
photo by Roger West Driver from Chelsea College for moving all of the furniture to the Barbican, to Brenda Brown for the very 'quici'fsupply of bedside cabinets, to Pam Jones and Frances Johnson for new photographs, and to Roger West for taking photographs at the exhibition. Thanks also to Peter Hoffman and Dennis Alien for obtaining 400 heartshaped biscuits, which were a great success and which tasted delicious, and finally to all of you who came to Confex to give us a bit of support. See you all again next year!
Richard Longhurst
ProffSsor Norma Rinsler introduces Miron Grindea at the start of the ADAM Lecture.
Ronald Harwood who read poems from ADAM at the end of the Lecture.
Miron Grindea in conversation with Vanessa Davies, the ADAM cataloguer, at a Reception following the Lecture.
THE ADAM LECTURE 1985
quarterly has been, since its beginnings a rallying point for writers and artists of of all nations, some well established, some making their debut In this unique Review. The archives, which have now been offered to King's, represent a whole cultural hiHory of our time, with hundreds of autographed drawings, manuscripts and letters from promin· ent contributers such as Chagall, Cocteau, T S Eliot, Graham Greene and Stravinsky. In his lecture Miron Grindea paid tribute to the invaluable support and friendship of the French Department at King's and particularly
tt' the efforts of Proff'ssor Denis Saurat ill the early days of Adam and more recently et Professor Phi lip Ouston and Professor Norma Rinsler.
CULTIVATING ONE'S GARDEN:THE STORY OF 'ADAM' The Adam Lecture, which, it is hoped, will become an annual event, was held in the Great Hall on Wednesday 20 February with great success. In his inimitable style, Miron Grindea, Editor of the Adam International Review, gave a fascinating and highly entertaining account of some of the highlights in the journal's forty five years. Miron Grindea's Anglo-French literary
PRINCIPAL IS INTERVIEWER ON CHANNEL 4 Professor Sutherland is a major contri· butor to a new series of CREDO presented by John Stapleton and being shown on Channel 4 on Saturdays at 7.30pm. Some of you may have seen the first of the series of six programmes which went out last Saturday. February 23 in which the Principal interviewed the Archbishop of York. The new series has a new look, running for one hour and moving to Saturdays. Paul Neuberg, Editor of the series, says, 'John Stapleton and Stewart Sutherland between them bring a formidable range of talents to the task of presenting CREDO...The idea of moving CREDO in among the general run of programmes is to break dawn the sense a lot of people have that a show like ours is aimed at those who are religious. It is to bring it out of the ghetto which
the 'God·slot' has become in a lot of viewers minds.' Watch out for the rest of the series: future issues to be dealt with include THE POPE'S CAMPAIGN; FOR AND AGAINST ANIMALS; CHURCH AND GOVERNMENT; BRITAIN'S MORALS and MULTI-FAITH BRITAIN AND THE CHRISTIAN SALVATION.
RIVER RESTAURANT (The Strand Waitress Service Dining Room) Regular customers of this Dining Room will know that from time to time it is reserved exclusively for Conferences or Departmental Special Lunches. While these lunches are important for the Departments concerned and for the financial viability of the Catering Services, I appreciate that at times customers are not given sufficient notice of the days when these lunches take place.
Poems published in A dam were re::'.: by Professor Eric Mottram of the En~lish Department and by Ronald Harw0od, the autl,or and playwright. There was also an exhibition of some of the treasures of the collection. The next edition of COMMENT will carry a more detailed article on the history and future of ADAM. I therefore hope, whenever possible, to use Comment to advise customers of the relevant dates when the numbers attending these lunches mean we are un· able to accept further bookings, or indeed need to close the room. Over the next few weeks the room is likely to be fully booked on the following days: February: Thursday 28 Friday I, Thursday 14, March: Monday 25, Friday 29 There are likely to be a number of additional days during the Easter Vacat· ion when the room will be used solely for Conference lunches, and these dates will be notified to customers in due course. P. Hoffman Catering Officer
4
TIME TO THINK DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
PUBLIC LECTURES Mor-day 4 March 1.05pm - 2.15pm Rm 3B20, King's CONSENT TO MEDICAL AND PSyCHIATRIC TREATMENT OF MINORS by Mrs Brenda Hoggett, MA, Member of the Law Commission for England and Wales. Organised by the Centre of Medical Law and Ethics 7.30pm Rm Gc, King's THE ENCOUNTER OF HELLENIC AND HEBREW THOUGHT IN THE FI RST CHRISTIAN CENTURIES by Professor John Zizioulas, University of Glasgow. The final lecture in a series of five organised by the Hellenic Cultural Centre in association with the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies
Baroness Warnock in thoughtful mood during her visit to King's on Monday February 18. photo by Fleur Chapman
Strand Room 3B20 proved sadly inadequate to accommodate the amount of people interested in hearing the Baroness Warnock, DBE,MA,BPhil speak on the subject of LAW, MORALS AND SURROGATE MOTHERHOOD: The audience quickly transferred to the New Theatre and the l3aonejs spoke to a packed house. This was the third in a series of five lunchtime lectures organised by the King's Centre of Medical Law and Ethics.
QEC PROFESSOR'S PUBLICATION A "CITATION CLASSIC" The American I nstitute for Scientific I nformation have identified a publication by Professor Robinson, Professor of Biochemistry at QEC, as one of the most cited items in its field and have asked him and his coauthor, DI Etirling to provide morc information on the experiences of their research. The publication in question is N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidases in human spleen. Biochemical J. 107:3217, 1968.
Tuesday 5 March 4.30pm Rm IB06, King's Civil Engineering Colloquia 1985 A NEW LOOK AT OLD SKILLS - R & D FOR UNDERGROUND PI PES by M J Rouse, Water Research Centre 5.30pm Rm 3B20, King'5 LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE IN CAPE VERDE J ANGOLA AND MOZAMBIQUE by Professor Russell G Hamilton, Dean of the Graduate School, Vanderbilt University Thursday 7 March 5.30pm New Theatre, King's The Halliburton Lecture in Physiology 1985 INOSITOL TRISPHOSPHATE: A NEW SECOND MESSENGER IN CELLULAR SIGNALLING by Dr M J Berridge, FRS, University of Cambridge Tuesday 12 March 5.30pm Rm 3B20, King's THE UNIVERSITY BOOK TRADE IN THIRTEENTH CENTURY PARIS by Professor Richard H Rouse, University of California, Los Angeles. 5.30pm The Great Hall, King's Annual London Lecture of the Irish School of Ecumenics NO PETTY PEOPLE:The Protestant Experience in life in the Republic of Ireland by Senator Catherine McGuinness MA ' Wednesday 13 March 5.30pm Food Science Lecture Theatre, QEC
FOOD SAFETY - FACT OR FANTASY by Professor J Daniel, Life Science Resear路 ch Chelmsford Monday I April 6.00pm Wellington Hall Scientific Meeting of the British Microcirculation Society HERESY AND THE BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER by Hugh Davson, DSC LENT TERM POSTGRADUATE SEMINAR IN MODERN GREEK LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE All meetings will be held in the Burrows Library, Kings at 5.00pm Monday 4 Mar ch ATTITUDES TO BYZANTIUM OF THE 19TH AND EARLY 20TH CENTURY GREEK INTELLECTUALS AND WRITERS by Marianna Spanaki, University of Birmingham. Monday 11 March WITH THE DEEP DESIRE OF ALBANIA IN MY HEART: SURREALISM AND NEOHELLENSIM IN THE POETRY OF NIKOS ENGONOPOULOS by Yannis Karavidas, University of Essex and BBC External Services Tuesday 19 March TURKISH INCURSIONS IN CRETAN LITERATURE; 1570 - 1669 by Rosemary Bancroft - Marcus, Lausanne CREATION A One - Day Conference Thursday 7 March IO.OOam - 5.15pm The Great Hall, Kings 10.OOam - 1I.15am Session I GENESIS I AS REVEALED TRUTH by Professor R E Clements, King's College London RESPONSE by Dr Julian Baldick , King's College London 11.I5am Coffee 1I.45am - 1.00pm Session 1I THE MORAL LIMITS OF DOMINION by The Revd. Andrew Linzey, Chaplain University of Essex and Professor Keith Ward, King's College London Session III 2.15pm - 3.30pm ISAAC NEWTON CREATION AND THE NEW SCIENCE by Professor P M Rattan路 si, University College London DISENCHANTING THE UNIVERSE? by Dr E A Duffy, Magdalene College, Cambridge 3.30pm Tea 4.00pm - 5.15pm Session IV THE REDUNDANT CREATOR? by The Revd. D W Hardy, University of Birmingham and Mr P A Byrne, King's College London Admission is free with out a ticket
SEMINAR IN HUMANTIES COMPUTING Tuesday 12 March 6.00pm Westfield College COMPUTERISING THE DOMESDAY BOOK by Or John Palmer, University of Hull Please note Anyone interested in receiving regular details of the activities of the Seminar should write to rs Christine Brown, Computer Centre, King's College or to Mr Francois Crompton-Roberts, Computer Unit, Westfield College
COLLOQUIUM ON GREEK DRAMA in henour r,f Professor R P WINNINGTON-INGRAM This will take place at the Strand on SATURDAY MARCH 16 from 10am to 6pm. There will be a Reception for Professor Winnington-Ingram at 6pm. The day is organised by the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies and tic.l<l ts 2nd further details can be obtained from the Classics Department at the Strand.
THE GROSVENOR LIGHT OPERA COMPANY A Gilbert and Sullivan Double Bill of THE SORCERER and TRIAL BY JURY Wednesday 17 - Saturday 20 April in The New Theatre, King's College London at 7.30pm Tickets: ÂŁ4.00 and ÂŁ3.50 All seats numbered and reserved
The Rt Hon Earl Jellicoe, Chairman of the King's College Council, at his installation as Chancellor of the University of Southampton in January of this year. photo courtesy of Solent News Agency
King's comment ....
COMMENT is produced by the King's College London (KQC) Information Office on the Strand Campus. It is published for members of the College and extracts from COMMENT should not be reproduced without the permission of the Editor. NEXT EDITION
THANK YOU ALL FOR A SIMPLY SPI FFING DAY This was Lord Jellicoe's message to the many members and friends of Southampton University who gathered to celebrate his formal installation as Chancellor. BE kre the installation the honorary degree of LLD was conferred on Lord Jel/icoe. The Public Orator spoke of Lord Jellicoe's wartime gallantry which won him the DSO and MC for commando operations behind enemy lines - a suitable preparation, the Orator observed, for running a modern university. He then spoke of Lord Jellicoe's distinct careers after leaving Trinity with a first: a career in the diplomatic. ser'Jice in Washington, Brussels and Baghdad followed by a political rise to become Le?der of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal in Edward Heath's government: then followed a dfstinYL'ished business career culminating in the Presidency of the London Chamber of Commerce and the Chairmanship of Tate and Lyle: then a fourth career as a champion of scholarship and scientific research as Chairman of the King's College Council and of tl e Medical Research Council. Lord Jel/icoe's great grandfather had been three times Mayor of Southampton, his grandfather Marine Superintendent and his father, the first Earl Jellicoe, was born just down the road from the University. With the City so much in his blood, Lord Jel/itoe said it was a special pleasure to be asked to become Chancellor of the University.
Copy date: MONDAY MARCH 18 Publication: Last Week of MARCH
Report courtesy of the University of Southampton New Reporter