1. HEADLINE NEWS

FUNDING CUTS TO HIT PART-TIME STUDENTS
In September Government announced that it will no longer provide grant monies to institutions for those students taking a qualification equal to or lower than one they already hold. This will cover those who have a degree but want to continue with their education, to develop their skills, to improve their employment chances or further their careers but not necessarily at a post-graduate level. In my opinion this runs contrary to the government's own agenda for lifelong learning. Institutions will no doubt have to increase fees for these students. The policy change hits the part-time sector very hard with some part-time teaching institutions losing up to 40% of their teaching income. The Open University is threatened with a loss of well over £31m. We are pressing ministers to review this policy. I will write to you in the next two weeks to update you on our progress and to ask for your practical support.
Professor Brenda Gourley, Vice-Chancellor

2. OPEN EYE BULLETIN

What's it like to work in the world's last great wilderness? Environmental scientist Mark Brandon explains why his research in the Antarctic is important to our understanding of climate change, in the latest edition of Open Eye, the bulletin for the Open University community published in the Independent newspaper on Tuesday 6 November. And if you've ever wanted to understand more about the law, a new paperback by a Law professor will not only make it clearer, but more entertaining. Plus latest news from the OU.

If you are unable to get a copy on the day, please note that the stories from Open Eye Bulletin will also be posted on our website under 'News and Events' at http://www.open.ac.uk/alumni

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3. OU NEWS

HAPPY FIRST ANNIVERSARY TO OPENLEARN
One year since the launch of OpenLearn, the website has seen over 900,000 learners and educators use our open educational resources. This initiative was made possible by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation who have supported it with a generous grant of £2.6 million. The website has grown from 900 learning hours to over 3,600 learning hours in the LearningSpace and 6,105 learning hours in the LabSpace. A brochure 'Creating a new world of learning' shares stories from the project and is available to download from
http://www.open.ac.uk/openlearn/abou...ur-story.php#3

4. COURSE NEWS
For these courses, and many others, see http://www.open.ac.uk/courses/ or call 0845 300 6090. When booking, please quote ALHWAA.

NEW! SDK122 CHALLENGING OBESITY (May 2008) This course focuses on the challenges raised by global increases in human obesity, beginning with an overview of these issues followed by an examination of biological, psychological and social aspects of eating behaviour, exercise and their implications for overall energy balance. You'll examine different strategies for weight control, from diet and exercise to more medically oriented options including surgery and drug treatment. You'll also consider how governments, and others, might develop policies that prevent the continuing escalation of the obesity epidemic. For full course details see http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?C01SDK122

NEW! A181 ETHICS IN REAL LIFE (Apr 2008) This course is for those interested in ethical problems. It deals specifically with the end of life, with issues of plagiarism and copyright, and issues concerning the responsibilities of companies and shareholders. These discussions are set within a theoretical framework, which is designed to make us better decision-makers. For full course details see http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?C01A181

NEW! KE312 WORKING TOGETHER FOR CHILDREN (Jan 2008) This course will examine common policy, legal and practice frameworks now emerging across universal and specialist services, focusing on listening to children, promoting children's well being and multi-agency working. Study of this course will contribute to the development of integrated, coherent services for children and a highly skilled and effective workforce across the UK. For full course details see http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?C01KE312

NEW! B324 MARKETING AND SOCIETY (May 2008) This course addresses some of the new areas of social marketing and the interrelated areas of corporate social responsibility and marketing ethics. It examines the impact of established marketing techniques and practices on the promotion of social well-being and behavioural change. It identifies key ethical issues involved in marketing decision-making and the responsibilities of organisations to their stakeholders, including the wider community. For full course details see http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?C01B324

The OU has launched three new short, flexible online courses:
DEVELOPING FOOD SCIENCE SKILLS: FOOD MICROBIOLOGY AND HYGIENE - This course provides an overview of hygiene in food processing, potential contaminants and routes of entry into food using industrially relevant examples. It identifies potential sources of contamination during food processing, describes examples of possible microbial, physical and chemical contaminants and outlines the main stages of a hygiene programme in food processing. This course would be particularly useful to new staff or those building a career in the food industry.
LEADERSHIP FOR PROFESSIONALS - This course will enable you, as a finance professional, to review your leadership style and identify how you could improve your leadership skills and effectiveness, and create, or contribute to, an environment that empowers others and encourages innovative thought. It also encourages you to review your decision making, how effectively you create and communicate a vision, and the networks that you can build and improve inside and outside your organisation. The course, developed in conjunction with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), will interest first-line and middle managers in large organisations; those with a leadership or management role in smaller organisations; organisations seeking to improve leadership.
SOCIAL MARKETING - This course examines the nature of social marketing and how the adoption of marketing concepts, frameworks and techniques developed for commercial marketers can be applied to the solution of social marketing problems. It will provide you with tools and ideas to help you apply social marketing in your own organisational context. The course will be of benefit to those working within organisations seeking to address specific social issues such as travel planning and health initiatives. It will also appeal to others in an appropriate professional context such as consultants working with organisations to effect social change. This course forms part of a Level 4 vocational Diploma in Travel Planning.

For more details of CPD courses offered by the OU and the 10% off CPD course fees offer for OU Alumni, visit http://www.open.ac.uk/cpd/p7.shtml
Visit the CPD Taster website to view samples of CPD courses and to try a work-based activity at http://www.open.ac.uk/cpdtasters/
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5. OU/BBC PROGRAMMES
See http://www.open2.net for full details of OU TV listings, as well as more information, activities and other course links.

Current BBC programmes during November and into December include:

THE NATURE OF BRITAIN
BBC1, Wednesday at 9pm

MORE OR LESS
Radio 4, Monday at 4.30pm

THE MONEY PROGRAMME

6. WHAT'S ON
For full details of the events below (and events not listed) visit our Events page on our website at http://www.open.ac.uk/alumni/news-ev...nts/events.php

6 Nov, Milton Keynes - Life in earth: new views of the underworld, talk by Prof Karl Ritz
7 Nov, Cambridge - Developing Change Readiness (OUBS alumni) 10 Nov, London - A Day at Shakespeare's Globe 10 Nov, Edinburgh - AOUG Edinburgh Group: Mansfield Place, Traquair Centre - Phoebe Anna Traquair Murals
12 Nov, Milton Keynes - Inaugural Lecture - Professor Alcinda Honwana, Director of International Development Centre
15 Nov, Milton Keynes - The annual Pavis lecture: "A Sociologist in Politics" by Professor Lord Giddens.
19 Nov, South Normanton - OU Geological Society, an evening at an observatory
1 Dec, London - OU Development and Environment Society, Peak Oil and Permaculture - Climate Change and Community.
1 Dec, London - OU Geological Society, behind the scenes at the Natural History Museum
6 Dec, Milton Keynes - Widening Participation Research Seminar
8 Dec, Edinburgh - AOUG: Scarlattiana, Georgian Concert Society, St Cecilia's Hall 10 Dec, Milton Keynes - Inaugural Lecture: Enrico Motta, Professor of Knowledge Technologies, Knowledge Media Institute
24 Dec, London - Christmas Eve Criminal Bloomsbury Walk (led by OU alumnus Alec Gifford)

OVERSEAS EVENTS
10 Nov, Paris - Workshop: The link between personal and organizational wellbeing and leadership, led by Ines O'Donovan, PhD researcher at Lancaster University Management School
27 Nov, Dublin - The Leadership Challenge - Peter Kennedy
6 Dec, Paris - Networking: Christmas drinks with alumni and students

Note for organisers of events open to alumni - email your event to alumni@open.ac.uk.
For full listing of MBA alumni events see http://www.open.ac.uk/oubs-alumni and click on events or phone +44(0)1908 659262 to book a place. Note: some events are open to all.