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No 10 - Spring 2002
The first day of Spring has come and gone - it must be time for the Spring Newsletter. There's loads to tell you so settle down, half close your eyes and imagine Buckingham on a warmish, wet day. The birds outside are busy building their nests and inside the Anthony de Rothschild Building, the departmental secretary is escaping her less enjoyable duties and beginning the build-up to the Easter holidays by writing to you. The academic members of International Studies are beavering away, looking after the students they have and planning how to attract more. Mr. Rees is celebrating the loss of seventeen pounds in weight; Mr. McCrostie is bemoaning the loss of fifty pounds in money - he was rash enough to bet Mr. Rees he couldn't do it. Professor Barry is off to Bowling Green for his study leave - yes, you've guessed it, he's writing another book; Professor Shaw is at the Civil Service College in London; Dr. Skinner has left the University for a well earned retirement - a fabulously stylish party in the Radcliffe Centre in December 2001, expertly choreographed by alumnus and professional party-planner, Jeremy Garson - and is perhaps sunning herself somewhere in California; Dr. Ridley, fresh from the triumph of her University Research Club talk on 5th March, 2002, 'What is History?', is busy checking the proofs for her eagerly awaited biography of Lutyens; Dr. Stringer is planning the new International Studies with English Language Studies degree programmes; Professor Ricketts, newly returned from the Faculty Sessional Meeting of the Institute of Scottish Actuaries, whom he addressed in February, is redoing the website and resting on his academic laurels after the recent publication of The Economics of Business Enterprise - if you missed the first two editions, here's your chance to catch the third - it's a snip at $50 - and Professor Clarke who was Master of Ceremonies at Graduation at the beginning of this month in his new capacity as University Secretary, is rounding off a triumphant study leave by preparing for next term's International Studies courses.
Graduation this year had a slightly different flavour, with four separate ceremonies, a disposition prompted by the small space available for seating in the parish church, given the extensive refurbishments which have been going on for more than a year. This gave a cosy atmosphere with nearly all the students graduating at 'our' ceremony on Friday afternoon being from International Studies, and led to the feeling that everyone in the church and marquee knew everyone else. The weather behaved itself quite well and Professor Patrick Minford, who gave a seminar in the International Studies series last year, and is due to give another on 11th September, 2002, so that we feel he's almost becoming part of the School, was awarded an honorary degree, with an address from Professor Ricketts. There was a good turnout with the graduands looking wonderful in their robes, as usual. Denitsa Nikolova arrived early, sporting a beautiful new hairstyle and took the time to tell us about her new job (check out the website www.stara-planina.com (external link) for details). Ana Kotova sent a sweet email afterwards. Elena (née Ukolova) and Alex Weber were there with Alex's parents, to celebrate his graduation. Of all the nice things at Buckingham, the very nicest is when two alumni students marry. Congratulations to you both!
International Studies has welcomed two new Professors since the last newsletter; Professor Dennis O'Keeffe from the University of North London, and Professor Chris Woodhead, formerly Her Majesty's Chief Inspector for Schools, both of them Professorial Research Fellows in Education at the University of Buckingham, both working to launch a new department and Master's degree course in education in the near future. Inaugural lectures from both will follow in the Summer Term 2002. Professor Tideman, from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and a Visiting Professor of Economics at Buckingham, is due in the summer this year, bringing with him his wife, Dr. Estill Putney, who used to teach Psychology at the University. They will be living in Oxford while Professor Tideman writes a Hobart Paper for the Institute of Economic Affairs on Economic Rent as a Source of Tax Revenue. Professor David Greenaway, Director of the Leverhulme Centre for Research on Globalisation and Economic Policy, from Nottingham University, formerly of the University of Buckingham, is coming on 15th May, to give a seminar. Do come along if you're in the vicinity.
And I know some of you are, or will be. Glen Greener is working in Milton Keynes and living in Buckingham (no excuse, then Glen!); Khalifa Al-Khalifa is living and working in Milton Keynes; Kamer Nahar is moving from Glasgow to London soon; and Paolo da Silva telephoned from Cambridge recently; we're hoping he'll drop in and see us. Dr. Mudambi came with Susan, his wife (also Dr. Mudambi) in early January, perfect timing to join the party to welcome our January intake - it was just like old times for a while there - and he came again at the beginning of March to give a seminar.
Also in March, Helen Froggatt married Glen, whom she brought home with her from her round the world Clipper '98 Yacht race; Edward Wihardja and Sinwe told us of the birth of their son Oliver Adivarman Wihardja on 10th December, 2001. Rajnish Singh is in Pittsburgh; Arif Hanafi is working in Texas. Takashi Kurokoshi sent us his Christmas greetings, as did Marc Gené, ever faithful. John Dunlop and Chiho Hara keep on sending jokes. Thank you both - you brighten up the day. Piotr Maziarek, armed with his MSc (with merit) in Economics and Law, is hoping to work in the Securities and Exchange Commission in Poland, Xiao Wang, with her newly awarded MSc in Business Economics (with merit) has returned to Buckingham to read (together with Jenni Beard, the Learning Support Adviser at Buckingham,) for Dr. Ridley's MA in Biography. Xu Zhao, who is working for a venture capital firm in London, went to China at the beginning of the year to advise his firm on its Chinese operations. Jana Hlistova has been given an unconditional offer to study for her Master's at the London School of Economics and is in receipt of a Graduate Merit Award. Ruprecht von Heusinger, another former winner of the John and Sylvia Jewkes Scholarship at Buckingham, returned for graduation and spent some time discussing with Birgit Otto, Anne Matsuoka and Suzanna Tomassi, among others, arrangements for the German alumni association, Freunde der University of Buckingham. You can find more details in the latest issue of the Independent. The most recent winner of the £1,000 Scholarship, David Muir, is also featured in the Independent; you can find more details about him on our website too: www.buckingham.ac.uk/international/
Chris De La Puente, Vice-President and General Manager of
Proctor & Gamble (UK and Ireland) was featured in a long
article in the November 2001 issue of Marketing. We found it
fascinating to read about life at the very top of a company that is
described as being 'in the Ivy League of marketing training'.
Having digested all this, I shall never look again at a Pringle in
quite the same, dispassionate way. Natalya Gorbakovskaya, who is
currently working in marketing in Kiev, came to see us in January,
as did Tim Daoudov, who has made a career move to London from
Moscow. Tim brought with him up-to-date news of Zelim Abdulkadyrov
and Alexei Dioupine, among others, and a bar of Swiss chocolate so
huge and so smooth, I was tempted to renounce Cadbury's dairy milk
for good.
Ronel Lehmann was another visitor at graduation. Everyone is
obviously agreed that it's been too long since he was last here,
and rumour has it that he will shortly be prevailed upon to come
and give a University talk - public relations in the City of
London, as seen by the Chief Executive of Lehmann Communications
plc. If you know Ronel, you'll understand me when I say it's bound
to be explosive!
Philipp Spängler, a current Economics student, is hoping to work for Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. when he graduates next year. They've offered him a place in their New York branch; that's what I call an incentive to get a good degree. Max von Funck, who did his internship in 3M in Germany over the Christmas break last year, has also been offered a place with them upon graduation. Mindful of the fact that we may find it hard to manage without him, he's sending his brother, Nicolai to keep an eye on us. Nicolai will join the July entry 2002 to read for Economics, Business and Law. Asita Amighi, who graduated with a degree in Economics, Business and Law last year, writes from Frankfurt to tell us that it's standing her in good stead in the turbulent post-September 11th financial sector.
The Institute of Economic Affairs is hosting a Teachers' Conference for Economics teachers in Buckingham on 18th June 2002. Speakers will include the home team; Professors Ricketts and Barry and the Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Terence Kealey. We are delighted to report that Dr. Graham Dawson, who has a long association with Economics and International Studies at the University of Buckingham, and who has bravely taught the course in Economics of Europe to Europhobics, Eurosceptics and Eurofanatics alike, is going to teach the course in International Economics in the summer this year; Dr Dawson will be a worthy successor to Mr. Peter Ayre (formerly of SOAS) who retired last year and who is much missed.
There are no Open Days this year, as far as I know, but there will be a departmental presence at the Summer Alumnus event in London Friday 28th June 2002 at Lunasa, off the Kings Road - see the latest Independent for details. We hope to catch up with you there. Whether or not we are to meet in the near future, have a great summer. Enjoy yourselves and don't forget to keep in touch with International Studies at Buckingham.