University Alliance and our partner TechnologyOne are delighted to announce the shortlists for our fifth annual Alliance Awards.
Each of the thirty-two shortlisted nominees has made a significant contribution to their university and wider community, going above and beyond to deliver impact. The nominees span the full range of university life, including student unions, business partnership teams, academics, teaching staff and administrators.
The shortlists for each award were selected by an independent panel of judges from across the higher education and research sector. Some awards received over thirty nominations, and the judges commented, as they do every year, on how high the quality of nominations was, and how difficult they found it to select a shortlist. You can read more about the selection process in our ‘How are the Alliance Awards winners chosen?’ blog.
Each award recognises one of UA’s values, and the judges were asked to score each nomination based on how relevant it was to the category, the extent to which the nominee had gone ‘above and beyond’ and how impactful their work had been.
This year, for the first time, the TechnologyOne Lifetime Achievement Award was open exclusively for nominations for Vice Chancellors for just one exceptional member of staff who has served their university over a number of years, and every nominee automatically made the shortlist.
University Alliance Chair and Vice Chancellor of the University of Greenwich, Professor Jane Harrington, said:
I want to extend my congratulations to all those who have been shortlisted for an Alliance Award, and indeed to everyone who received a nomination.
This year’s nominees have all had an enormous impact on their institutions and wider communities. The nominations include stories of teams and individuals going above and beyond to support students, encourage student entrepreneurialism, help local businesses to grow and drive progress in healthcare, technology and social justice.
What I see across the Alliance is a community of people who are committed to working in partnership with employers, industry and the public and charity sectors to make a difference not only to their students but also to the wider community. That is the very essence of our group of universities: employer partnerships and public service.
University Alliance CEO Vanessa Wilson said:
The Alliance Awards have once again been highly competitive this year, with almost 150 nominations across the seven categories, all of an extremely high standard. I want to congratulate everyone who was nominated: it is a significant achievement to be recognised as extraordinary by your colleagues, and every single nominee has had a clear and demonstrable impact through their work.
We are very proud of the many achievements of the Alliance community, and the hard work and talent that exists across every department in every single one of our member universities. This year, in recognition of the high standard of nominations across the field, we will be launching a ‘stories from the Alliance’ publication alongside our awards ceremony in September, containing all of the nominations we have received.
For now though, massive congratulations to those who did make the shortlist and I very much look forward to celebrating with you all in September.
The winners will be announced at the Alliance Awards ceremony on 10 September, which will be hosted by the University of West London
To view descriptions of each shortlisted nominee and their work, go to our meet the nominees page.
The shortlisted nominees are…
The TechnologyOne Lifetime Achievement Award
With thanks to our judges:
- Leo Hanna, Executive Vice President, UK, TechnologyOne;
- Stephanie Harris, Director of Strategy, Insight and Member Engagement, Universities UK
Shortlisted nominees:
- June Hughes, University Secretary and Registrar, University of Derby
- Professor Joy Notter, Professor of Community Health Care, Birmingham City University
- Reverend Vaughan Rees, Chaplain & Director of Chaplaincy Services, University of South Wales
- Fiona Suthers, Head of Clinical Skills and Simulation and Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education, Middlesex University
- Professor Aletta Norval, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Anglia Ruskin University
- Alison Griffin, Head of Study Support, University of West London
- Bill Somerville, Director of Estates and Property Services, Robert Gordon University
- Christopher Abbot, Head of Estates and Facilities, UWE Bristol
The DTA Alumni Award, supported by the Doctoral Training Alliance
With thanks to our judges:
- Daniel Moore, Associate Director Insight & Engagement, Research England;
- Tamsin Mann, CEO, Praxis Auril;
Shortlisted nominees:
- Dr Pablo Duro, Senior Medical Writer, Bionical Emas, Manchester Metropolitan University
- Dr Ana Ferreira, Product development scientist at Arxada (former Lonza ingredients), Nottingham Trent University
- Spyridon Gavalas, DTA/MSC COFUND PhD Researcher, University of Central Lancashire
- George Milev, PhD Researcher and Hourly Paid Lecturer, Nottingham Trent University
The Innovation Award, sponsored by Duolingo English Test
With thanks to our judges:
- Andrew Disbury, Chair of Duolingo English Test’s UK Advisory Group;
- Hetan Shah, Chief Executive at the British Academy;
Shortlisted nominees:
- Ben Bushell, University of West London
- Entrepreneurship and Innovation Group (EIG), Robert Gordon University
- Innovation Partnerships Team, Kingston University
- Psychology Digital team, Kingston University
The Braveheart Award, sponsored by UCAS
With thanks to our judges:
- Alison Johns, Chief Executive of Advance HE;
- Sander Kristel, Chief Digital & Data Officer, UCAS;
Shortlisted nominees:
- Nanna Blomquist, Senior Environment and Sustainability Adviser, University of Hertfordshire
- Dr Myrtle Emmanuel, Senior Lecturer in HRM & Organisational Behaviour, University of Greenwich
- Wyn Griffiths, Senior Lecturer in Product Design and Engineering, Middlesex University
- Dr. Elizabeth Lloyd-Parkes, Senior Lecturer in Marketing and Supply Chain Management, University of South Wales
The Star Award
With thanks to our judges:
- Sandra Booth, Director of Policy and External Relations, Council for Higher Education in Art & Design (CHEAD)
- Alex Stanley, National Union of Students’ Vice President Higher Education
Shortlisted nominees:
- Professor Mike Duncan, Centre Director, Centre for Physical Activity, Sport and Exercise Sciences, Coventry University
- Middlesex University #HearMyVoice team, Middlesex University
- RGU:Union, Robert Gordon University
- Student Enrichment team, Kingston University
The Alliance Award
With thanks to our judges:
- Ceri Nurshaw, Chief Executive, National Centre for Entrepreneurship in Education;
- Rose Stephenson, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI);
Shortlisted nominees:
- ARU law clinic, Anglia Ruskin University
- Inter faith network, Middlesex University
- Menopause and menstruation group, Oxford Brookes University
- Oxford Brookes and Sobell House Ox Trail Team, Oxford Brookes University
The Professionals Award
With thanks to our judges:
- Joe Marshall, Chief Executive Officer, National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB)
- Anne-Marie Graham, Chief Executive, UK Council for International Student Affairs
Shortlisted nominees:
- Mrs Samantha Forbes, Project and Business Manager, Teesside University
- Future Students Team, University of South Wales
- Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) Team, Teesside University
- University of South Wales Students’ Union, University of South Wales
With thanks to our partner TechnologyOne and our sponsors: UCAS, Duolingo English Test, The Doctoral Training Alliance, Minerva and AHZ
