Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
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Achieving Excellence Awards
Our Achieving Excellence Awards celebrate the commitment and contribution of colleagues in every area of our University life. Members of staff and students have nominated colleagues who have demonstrated excellence over the course of the past year; those who have won an award, received highly commended or received a nomination are listed below:
Course Leader of The Year
An individual who has demonstrated effective leadership, organisational and teamworking skills to ensure that their course attracts, retains and engages students and meets the highest quality standards.
Winner: Katie Peck
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Health & Social Sciences
Katie has worked creatively and innovatively to produce an increasingly high quality course valued by students and employers, with a reputation for thoroughness in student training and support and 100% employment among its graduates. Seeking new opportunities, she has introduced imaginative assessment which meaningfully links nutrition to enterprise, driven online delivery including early use of e-portfolios, and promoted ways of working that received outstanding external examiner feedback. Students value Katie's input, encouragement and motivation to maintain consistently high standards, and she inspires both students and her course team.
Highly Commended: Janine Lee
Associate Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Health & Social Sciences
Janine has used her exceptional organisational, team-working and communication skills to both manage her own course and refocus another, liaising with stakeholders and involving students in the process. Caring for both the academic and more personal needs of her students, she has also provided them with much valued support during difficult times, in particular, following the tragic loss of a student on her course. Described by one student as 'an inspiration and an example of the nurse I strive to become', Janine's infectious energy and drive makes her an excellent colleague and role model.
Nominated:Tim Briggs
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Health & Social Sciences
Tim has worked creatively to produce a high quality course which produces outstanding student satisfaction outcomes and attracts an international reputation. He has established and maintained excellent relationships with employers, who value the course as contemporary and relevant, with graduates continuing to achieve high levels of employment within a challenging job market. Tim also provides great personal support to his students, receiving their praise for both the quality of the course and its success in preparing them for employment.
Enterprise Initiative of the Year
An individual or team who have maximised opportunities to develop high calibre enterprise initiatives or projects which have generated income and increased revenue both independently and through engagement with the local or wider community.
Winner : Steve Jones, Alex Kenyon, Jackie Mulligan, James Musgrave & Simon Woodward
School of Events, Tourism & Hospitality, Carnegie Faculty Enterprise activity within the school has increased significantly over the past year - above expectations and targets - in terms of bidding for, managing and delivering successful projects. The client focused approach has secured a number of projects from Meeting Professionals International, generating increased enterprise income and producing significant outputs including white papers, conference presentations and research reports. This has led to significant industry impact and engagement, increasing the profile and reputation of the UK Centre for Events Management (UKCEM), International Centre for Research in Events, Tourism & Hospitality (ICRETH), and our University within the meetings, events and hospitality industries.
Nominated: Claire Bowles
Project Co-ordinator, Faculty of Arts, Environment & Technology
Leading the Centre for Knowledge Exchange (CKE) project, Claire has led a small team into a self-sustaining industry engagement project which is bringing together businesses and academics, and tackling some of the region's key issues within the construction industry. Claire's recent key achievements include establishing the Green Vision conference series, promoting awareness of the low-carbon agenda; leading a project which helped to establish our University as a regional leader in digitising the construction sector and led to a refocusing of our built environment courses; and a series of successful projects within the lifelong learning network, raising awareness of science, technology, engineering & mathematics (STEM) in schools.
Excellence in Customer Service Delivery
An individual or team who have demonstrated outstanding commitment and professionalism in delivering a high quality service to our staff, students or partners.
Winner: Kelly Allen, Jeremy Bradshaw, Gemma Gore & Karen Smith
Conferencing Team, Campus & Residential Services
Within a challenging economic environment, the Conferencing Team have not only met their target but also achieved their best year to date. Friendly, calm and hard-working, they work with external clients, partners and colleagues across our University to deliver memorable events for our customers and the best in customer service, receiving excellent feedback. It is through their hard work that Well Met Conferencing has achieved AIM Gold - an industry standard for delivering customer service excellence.
Winner: Claire Chapman
Quality Assurance & Governance Officer, Faculty of Health & Social Sciences
Claire provides invaluable and responsive support to academic colleagues within the faculty. Courteous, calm and diplomatic, with 'second to none' liaison skills, she gives direct and helpful advice allowing others to work more effectively, even in challenging situations. Within her area, she has both anchored the Periodic Review and made a great contribution to its curriculum refocus. Well organised, hard-working and thorough, Claire is someone who others learn from and say that they 'could not ask for a better quality colleague'.
Highly Commended: Melanie Hirst
Payments Officer, Financial Services
Melanie has a busy role, providing a front-of-house service for the Payments team following a restructure within Financial Services. She liaises effectively with staff, students and suppliers on a regular basis, maintaining a pleasant, friendly and approachable manner, during a time of increased pressure on the team as other areas of our University adapt to the new finance structure. Melanie has been complimented on her work by colleagues from other teams, who have praised her customer service, helpfulness and attention to detail.
Inspiring Teacher of the Year
An individual who has demonstrated their commitment to enriching the learning experience through creative and stimulating teaching, learning and assessment methods. This category was open to nominations from both staff and students.
Winner: Tim Briggs
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Health & Social Sciences
Tim has played an influential role in ensuring that his students' experience at our University has been both enjoyable and productive. Regularly updating and communicating his industry knowledge through a wide range of media, he has also given his time and used his professional influence to enable students to secure employment upon completing the course. Making himself available to ensure that all his students receive the right support and prioritising their interests over his own, Tim has been a role model and an 'inspirational character' to his students, with his enthusiasm and expertise setting an example for them to follow.
Nominated: Sunita Morris
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Health & Social Sciences
Sunita's students are motivated and inspired by the enthusiasm and passion she demonstrates for her subject, and value her 'exceptional' innovative and interesting teaching style. A supportive and approachable tutor, she shares her own experience and also encourages student participation, supporting them to express opinions and draw on their experience and knowledge to solve problems. Students also value Sunita's unique approach to assessment, and her individual and timely feedback, which helps them to further their achievement on the course. Her students describe her as both an excellent teacher and mentor, and 'a credit to the nursing profession'.
Personal Tutor of the Year
An individual who has demonstrated their commitment to academic and pastoral support of their students. This category was open to nominations from both staff and students.
Winner: Sunita Morris
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Health & Social Sciences
Sunita has been nominated for her passion and dedication in ensuring that her students receive the best support possible. Approachable, enthusiastic and motivated, Sunita is always available behind the scenes to help with queries and problems, and her teaching methods create enjoyable practical support sessions with a good atmosphere and positive outcomes. Showing understanding and encouragement towards her students, Sunita has been described as an outstanding personal tutor, who demonstrates the role perfectly.
Nominated: Belinda Cooke
Principal Lecturer, Carnegie Faculty
Going out of her way to help and support her students, Belinda has been described as 'one in a million'. Despite her busy schedule, she is always available for her students when they need her, responding to emails promptly and providing valued advice and support, referring them to other sources of help as needed. Belinda was nominated by one of her students, who felt that without her help - which went 'above and beyond' expectations - she would not have stayed on her course, and that Belinda deserves more than just a thank you.
Researcher of the Year
An individual who has demonstrated research excellence over the course of the past year through research outputs, income generation and/or evidence of esteem as well as a commitment to promoting a research culture through active collaboration and support for colleagues seeking to expand their research horizons.
Winner: ShiNa Li
Senior Lecturer, Carnegie Faculty
ShiNa shows an incredibly disciplined approach to her research, which has enabled our University to enhance its profile in economic impact specialisms. Working with colleagues from other universities to collaborate on her research area, she has an excellent track record, rapidly achieving publication in highly-ranked journals and presenting at international conferences. As an expert in researching the economic impact of events, ShiNa's achievements include estimating the total economic impact of the 2008 Beijing Olympics using modelling techniques, and her current focus is researching the economic, social and environmental impact of conference centres in Korea.
Nominated: Pinki Sahota
Professor, Faculty of Health & Social Sciences
Pinki has made a significant impact on our University this year. Successfully securing grants totalling almost £400,000 for research projects with Nestle and Slimming World, she is working on a number of projects examining nutrition in toddlers, schools and families. She recently hosted the National Association for the Study of Obesity conference, and has been invited by the Department of Health to be an expert adviser on developing guidance for the commissioning of weight management services. Pinki has also contributed at an international level to the World Health Organisation, and her work has been cited by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
Nominated: Jane South
Professor, Faculty of Health & Social Sciences
Jane has an extensive record of publications and conference presentations, with an impressive yearly grant income from prestigious funders, and her work has international reach. Her reputation around public engagement is at the vanguard of public health practice. She has hosted a national expert symposium on offender health, and regularly receives personal invitations to contribute to Department of Health 'think tanks'. Jane's research was recently showcased in an NHS Factsheet on community health, and through her depth of understanding she has also secured a bid to evaluate the Department of Health's Social Care Volunteering Fund.
Team Colleague of the Year
An individual who has demonstrated effective team working skills in the way that they support and communicate with colleagues and work with others to achieve shared goals.
Winner: Angela Batty
International Projects Administrator, Carnegie Faculty
Angela has proved indispensable in the planning and organisation of numerous international events and activities organised by the School of Languages. Versatile, efficient, reliable, well-organised and approachable with high-level time management and problem-solving skills, she provides high-quality support to academic colleagues which help the school to achieve its goals. Regularly going beyond the call of duty, Angela constantly demonstrates foresight, professionalism, initiative and attention to detail, all with a friendly manner and a sense of humour - her colleagues say they can't imagine how they would manage without her.
Winner: Phoebe Megally
PA to the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Vice Chancellor's Group
Phoebe played a valuable role in supporting a colleague from another University team who had just started working for our University. She went out of her way to help and support the new colleague, who needed to organise a high-profile event while her line manager was on leave. Phoebe regularly provided advice, answering questions without hesitation and ensuring that her colleague understood what to do, without ever making her feel uncomfortable. She has been nominated in recognition of her kindness and help, which were much appreciated.
Nominated: Sue Halliday
Administrative Assistant-Incomes, Financial Services
Sue has proved to be a 'real rock of dependability' during a period of major transition within Financial Services, with her contribution providing continuity and stability within her team. She has shown energy, enthusiasm, knowledge and commitment - in many instances above and beyond what could reasonably be expected - and she has been of immense assistance to the team. Sue always steps forward to volunteer for tasks such as working on out-of-hours events and award ceremonies, and providing cover for other Finance teams, which is welcomed and appreciated by her colleagues.
Nominated: Andrew Key
Information Services Librarian, Libraries & Learning Innovation
Andrew has been an invaluable team player during an extremely busy year for Libraries & Learning Innovation. He undertook a pivotal role in co-ordinating the work of library colleagues on the Undergraduate Curriculum Review, showing dedication, ownership and oversight to ensure that the process ran smoothly and efficiently. Andrew appreciates his colleagues' work and is sensitive to demands placed on the team, quickly volunteering to step in and provide cover, all in a cheerful, patient, unassuming, and professional way. Andrew is a real asset to his colleagues, who feel lucky to have him as a member of the team.
Nominated: Adrian Richardson
Principal Lecturer, Carnegie Faculty
Adrian has been instrumental in managing the curriculum refocus process for the School of Events, Tourism & Hospitality through challenging times and under extreme work pressure. He has worked with colleagues across the school helping staff understand the requirements for refocusing the curriculum, helping them to meet challenging deadlines, and acting as a mentor when needed. Adrian is valued and appreciated by colleagues, who praise his encouragement, diplomacy and wisdom, as well as his willingness to get on with what needs doing.
Team Leader of the Year
An individual who has managed and motivated team colleagues to develop their potential and work together with purpose and professionalism to achieve high standards.
Winner: Russ Jones
i-Help Manager, Libraries & Learning Innovation
Russ provides energetic and supportive leadership to a large group of staff on the Library Help & Information points, bringing together colleagues from diverse professional backgrounds to deliver a high quality, customer-focused service which supports our students. He has played a key role this year in developing the service for the Student Hub, contributing both his customer and technical expertise. As a team leader, Russ sets clear expectations and supports his team to fulfil their full potential. He is appreciated by colleagues for being approachable and for leading by example, as well as for his vision, knowledge and positivity.
Nominated: Helen Welburn
Head of Communications, Marketing & Communications
Helen has been a constant source of support and reassurance to her team through a period of change. During some challenging times, she has been calm and centred, keeping her team informed and dedicating time for them to talk things through. Helen challenges her team to try new ways of working, looking for development opportunities which will bring them new expertise and knowledge. She always acknowledges and highlights a job well done to both the wider Marketing team and the Director, and has been described as a 'fantastic team leader, colleague and friend'.
Long Service Awards
An individual who has provided 25 years or more service to Leeds Metropolitan University.
Campus and Residential Service
Brian McLaughlin
Carnegie Faculty
Jeff Abrams
Neil Kenna
Guy Lincoln
Jonathan Long
Julia Tum
Susan Warren
Estates Services
Phil Pawson
Faculty of Arts, Environment and Technology
Alyson Brien
Maurice Calvert
Diane Kilbride
David Moore
Tony Rees
Alan Simson
Paul Staniforth
Faculty of Business and Law
Ann Allis
Brendan Sheehan
Martin Silberstein
Faculty of Health and Social Sciences
Joan Fishley
Gerry Lavery
Tim South
Financial Services
Susan Clarke
Lisa Dickinson
Information, Media and Technology Services
Beth Hillyard
Libraries and Learning Innovation
Janet Carr
Jashvanti Mistry
Dot Phillips
Philip Todd
Regsistrar and Secretary's Office
Deborah Senior
Services for Students
Pam Braithwaite
Gill Wright
Congratulations to all those who won.
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