Liverpool Hope's Inaugural Professorial Lecture Series 2008/09 concluded on Wednesday 17th June, with Frank Wood's lecture ‘Where are they going, these children of Cain?’.

Frank Wood, MDiv, PhD, is Professor of Neuroscience and Society at Liverpool Hope and Programme Director of the University's Archbishop Desmond Tutu Centre for War & Peace Studies. Click HERE for more information about Professor Wood's long and distinguished career.

In his Lecture, Professor Wood discussed how contemporary neuroscience and ancient religion converge to a common understanding: at its best, human nature is often defined by long journeys through wide spaces toward far destinations. The mental equipment enabling such journeys is also the equipment for peacemaking.

Some of the world's leading authorities on conflict come to Hope on 17th June to discuss and debate the global impact of war in the 21st century.

From 17th–19th June, The Cost of War conference will see an array of experts examine a range of conflict-related topics. These will include the impact of warfare on life and culture in the Middle East, how war has shaped relationships within the international community, and the treatment and support of war veterans, civilian casualties and returning troops.

The three day conference will feature more than 30 experts, including:

·         Dr Stuart Gordon, The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, UK - former leader of Coalition reconstruction efforts in Iraq, and expert on the responsibilities of military occupation forces.·        

Professor Juan Cole, University of Michigan, USA – scholar of Middle Eastern history, religion and politics.  Delivering keynote speech on the lasting threat to world peace from the Middle Eastern conflicts.·        

Professor George Gericke, Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa – paediatrician and geneticist who is delivering a lecture on the risks of ‘Genetic Damage to the Children of Soldiers and Civilians in War Zones’.

·         Dr Naeema Al-Gasseer, World Health Organisation representative for Iraq – directs a staff of over 100 persons, addressing physical and mental health consequences in Iraq.

In addition to speeches, presentations and discussions The Cost of War conference will also be running public workshops covering areas as diverse as peace advocacy through the internet, how to defuse conflict at work, and caring for victims of violence.   

Professor Frank Wood, Programme Director of The Desmond Tutu Centre for War and Peace Studies at Liverpool Hope University, said:  “This conference will be the first time the UK has seen such a wide-ranging group of international experts from different backgrounds coming together to count the full costs of the wars of this century—and at the same time letting those who have borne these costs know they are not forgotten." 

The University is saddened to hear of the death of writer and poet Matt Simpson on 8th June. Matt was a senior lecturer in English at Hope and founding chairman of the Windows Project. He was also a member of the Merseyside Poetry Festivals Committee.

His poetry expresses the tension in the experience of a Bootle boy who went to Cambridge University and then became a respectable academic. Matt’s way of using everyday language and painting everyday pictures is really what he was special for.

Terry Phillips, Dean of Arts & Humanities said: "Matt was part of the original Christ's College English Department and then became part of the new federated department in the early 1980s. He worked at Liverpool Hope in its various manifestations for more than 30 years.

"Matt was a recognised Poet who had written a collection of publications including Making Arrangements, In Deep and November Song. He also published a Children's poetry collection called The Pig's Thermal Underwearand I can remember sharing these with my children when they were younger. He was extremely witty and was very much part of the local scene.

"He was a long-serving member of staff at the University and I am sure he will be very much missed by all who knew him."

Former Chair of Hope's Governing Council and Pro-Chancellor, Sr Eileen Kelleher has been awarded an OBE in the Queen's 2009 Birthday Honours List.  The award acknowledges her voluntary service to education.

The Queen's Birthday Honours List recognises outstanding achievement and service across the whole of the UK. More than 70 per cent of awards have gone to ordinary people – local heroes from a range of fields – who have made a real difference to life in their communities. Most of the awards are for those who have gone the extra mile to make a difference to the lives of people around them.

Sister Eileen Kelleher, a Sister of Notre Dame, was the Pro-Chancellor and Chair of Liverpool Hope University Council, having been a Governor since 1994. She is also a Trustees of Christ's and Notre Dame, one of the founding Colleges of the University.  Her responsibilities at Liverpool Hope have included working for five years with students from across the Irish Sea and Sr Eileen has always had the interests of all the University’s students close to her heart.

All her life, Sister Eileen has been totally dedicated to the education of young people through teaching in schools in Leeds, London and Liverpool. Over a period of twenty five years she was Headteacher of three secondary schools in Liverpool, ending with her retirement in 1993 from Notre Dame High School, Everton Valley, Liverpool.

Since 1994 Sister Eileen has been involved almost daily with the University and she has become a much loved and well respected member of Hope's community making a tremendous contribution to the life and work of the institution.  Friends and colleagues at Hope extend their congratulations to Sr Eileen on her latest achievement.

For further information about the Birthday Honours List, please click here >