Annual Review 2020
Inspiring
University signs the Race Equality Charter
In October 2020 the University signed up to Advance HE’s Race Equality Charter (REC).
Carbon neutral strategy
In response to the climate emergency, the Students’ Union joined the University’s senior leadership and colleagues to work together to establish a net zero carbon emissions target as a response to the Paris Agreement.
Broaden My Bookshelf
Broaden My Bookshelf is an initiative to increase the range of books in the Library written by people from a BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) background, and also books by and about LGBT+ people.
Athena SWAN Bronze Award for Gender Equality
In its continuing commitment to equality, the University was very pleased to announce the renewal of its Athena SWAN Bronze Award for gender equality.
Now is the time for a learning revolution
Professor Rupert Ward, is calling for a revolution in education, so that learning is tailored to the needs of the individual and society in order to help tackle our biggest global threats.
COVID-19 survivor praises student nurse on ITV
Emily Donaghy, a pre-registration student nurse was invited to appear on ITV’s Good Morning Britain to speak to a miracle survivor of COVID-19 who Emily and her colleagues had recently taken care of.
Healthcare students help battle against COVID-19
Over 400 students from the Department of Nursing and Midwifery spent the closing months of their courses on clinical placement in hospitals.
Black History Month
Our Black History Month programme was pulled together by the Students’ Union BAME Ambassadors in collaboration with the Students’ Union Voice and Events team.
University signs the Race Equality Charter
In October the University signed up to Advance HE’s Race Equality Charter (REC). The REC helps universities to improve the representation, progression and success of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) staff and students within higher education. It provides a comprehensive framework that institutions use to identify and self-reflect on institutional and cultural barriers standing in the way of BAME staff and students.
As part of its commitment, within the next three years, it will be applying for a Bronze Award by developing initiatives and solutions to improve race equality across the University. To do this, it will bring together a self-assessment team (SAT) who will look at the experiences of both staff and students covering the following: professional service and support staff, academic staff, student progression and attainment and curriculum diversity. Members of the SAT will explore these areas and then develop initiatives and solutions to improve any issues identified.
Professor Jane Owen-Lynch, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) and Chair of the University Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity Enhancement Committee said: “We are delighted to sign up to the Race Equality Charter. We are committed to the promotion of race equality as part of our wide-ranging equality, diversity and inclusion aspirations. The framework will enable us to work towards positive improvements in representation and narrowing of racial inequalities across the University community.”
Carbon neutral strategy
In response to the climate emergency, the Students’ Union joined the University's senior leadership and colleagues working in roles across the institution, to build upon the carbon reduction interventions already undertaken, and to work together to establish a net-zero carbon emissions target as a response to the Paris Agreement.
A steering group was established in early 2020, chaired by Professor Tim Thornton, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, with the Students’ Union and researchers in climate change plus representation from academic staff and support services including Estates and Facilities Management. The group of staff and students collaborated to produce the Carbon neutral strategy: A Ten-Point Plan for the Planet and it was adopted by the University Council on 25 November.
The plan reflects the strong commitment to achieving carbon neutrality across all areas of the University. It aims to address the breadth of sustainable development whilst establishing new net zero targets for Huddersfield. As part of this plan, Huddersfield will achieve net zero carbon emissions for scope 1 (emissions from sources directly owned or controlled by the University) and scope 2 (generated by use of energy bought from a utility provider) by 2030, and for scope 3 (occurring from sources that the University does not own or control, for example covering emissions associated with business travel, procurement, waste and water), by 2045. The plan covers research, curriculum, wellbeing, digital infrastructure and biodiversity.
This builds on the University’s long-standing dedication to sustainability and environmental improvement, and the University achieved its 2020 scope 1 and 2 carbon reduction targets.
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Broaden My Bookshelf
Broaden My Bookshelf is an initiative to increase the range of books in the Library written by people from a BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) background, and also books by and about LGBT+ people.
Broaden My Bookshelf forms part of a set of initiatives aiming to address the BAME attainment gap. At the University there is a gap between UK white students and UK Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students achieving a First Class Honours degree. Finding ways to contribute to tackling this issue is crucial and a library is in a central position within the academic community to help advocate and take positive action. The issue of diversifying library collections is currently a key question within the library and wider higher education sector. This is a response to the growing movement in Higher Education focused on questioning whiteness and the attainment gap. Huddersfield has recognised the importance of making steps towards change within the institution.
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Athena SWAN Bronze Award for Gender Equality
In its continuing commitment to equality, the University was very pleased to announce the renewal of its Athena SWAN Bronze Award for gender equality. The Athena Swan Charter is a framework which is used across the globe to support and transform gender equality within higher education and research. The charter guides institutions on how to achieve their gender equality objectives in terms of representation, student progression, career development and working environment.
This, like the Race Equality Charter, demonstrates how everyone at Huddersfield behaves towards students, each other, and everyone the University comes into contact with in its work. This award not only provides recognition of what has been achieved to date, but also the commitment to address the main gender challenges still faced in the under-representation of women in senior posts and the gender imbalances in specific schools and departments.
As part of this achievement, it was delighted to announce particular successes for the School of Music, Humanities and Media and the Business School.
The School of Music, Humanities and Media was successful in its application for an Athena SWAN Bronze Award. The award recognises the School of Music, Humanities and Media’s commitment to Advance HE’s Athena SWAN charter.
The Business School was also awarded the Athena SWAN Bronze Award, in recognition of their commitment to progressing equality within the School. Originally focusing on STEM subjects, the charter was expanded in 2015 to include areas such as arts, humanities, social sciences, business and law. The Business School joins a small yet prestigious group as only a select group of other University business schools to have achieved an Athena SWAN Bronze award.
Professor Jane Owen-Lynch, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) and Chair of the University Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity Enhancement Committee said: "We appreciate the recognition of our achievements so far and look forward to building on this success to deliver equality of opportunity for all."
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Now is the time for a learning revolution
Professor Rupert Ward, Professor of Learning Innovation and Associate Dean (International) is calling for a revolution in education, so that learning is tailored to the needs of the individual and society in order to help tackle our biggest global threats. In his new book Personalised Learning for the Learning Person he considers how this transformation could happen.
Professor Ward has had a varied career including as Project Lead for iDEA – Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award – a free online programme that develops digital, enterprise and employability skills. Launched in January 2017, iDEA has been adopted in over 100 countries around the world, and has been in particular demand during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Professor Ward sees the iDEA model, of incremental steps along the path of learning, as more suited to the world today. His view is that the online space is ideal for personalised learning that suits the individual, from early school age through to lifelong adult education.
A new approach to education will, in Professor Ward’s opinion, help current and forthcoming generations tackle more widespread threats, such as climate change and public health. This can happen, he hopes, by education producing people who have better physical and mental health and have more control over their lives.
Professor Ward wants learning to move away from the idea of being awarded a single grade, to something that can prepare students for a job market featuring an increasing number of bespoke, specialised roles.
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COVID-19 miracle survivor praises student nurse on ITV's Good Morning Britain
Sally Ann Hodson, a patient who was hailed as one of the most miraculous survivors of Covid-19 appeared on top-rated TV show “Good Morning Britain” to praise and thank another of the on-screen guests – nursing student Emily Donaghy.
Emily is one of the scores of students who are working on the front line in the fight against the virus. Based at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield, she was one of the team who cared for Mrs Hodson, leading to her recovery.
Quizzed on “Good Morning Britain” by Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid, Mrs Hodson – who appeared alongside her husband Philip – was eloquent in her praise for Emily and her colleagues.
Mrs Hodson’s husband told the programme that his wife would not have survived without the 24-hour care provided by the Pinderfields nurses, including the University's Emily Donaghy, who was seen on “Good Morning Britain” alongside ward sister Davina Corrigan-Taylor. She had special words of praise for the student, describing her as a credit to her university. After qualification she will be based in the respiratory ward at Pinderfields.
The sequence ended when Susannah Reid turned to Emily - a pre-registered nurse - asking about her “extraordinary training period”.
“It’s very bizarre. To join up for the Covid pandemic, I was hesitant at first, but seeing people like Sally made it all worthwhile,” said Emily, who also praised the support she had received from the NHS Trust and her mentor.
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Healthcare students help with NHS’s battle against COVID-19
With the agreement of the Government and various bodies in tandem with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, over 400 students from the Department of Nursing and Midwifery spent the closing months of their courses on clinical placement in hospitals. The Department Head, Professor Barry Tolchard, worked closely with NHS trusts so that the students were best deployed around the region. Many of the University’s experienced health tutors helped out as well. Although the students had not finalised their degrees, they all had experience of working in hospitals and other healthcare settings.
One element of the arrangement reached by the Nursing and Midwifery Council is that students who spend the last six months of their courses on clinical placement – to provide vital reinforcements for the NHS – will not be disadvantaged in any way when it comes to their degree classification and career prospects.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Tim Thornton said that he was proud of the role that the Department of Nursing and Midwifery and its students would play in rising to the challenge of coronavirus.
“We have been training a large cohort of excellent professionals who really will make a difference,” he added.
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Black History Month
Black History Month falls in October every year and is aimed at celebrating the culture, origins, histories and achievements of different black communities. In 2020, our Black History Month programme was pulled together by the Students’ Union BAME Ambassadors in collaboration with the Students’ Union Voice and Events team.
Each week of Black History Month was themed around a key topic to openly explore and, as Black History Month was kicked off with Nigerian Independence Day, the first theme was celebration. This made up the backbone of the month, with black communities having a dedicated space to be proud of their culture, heritage and history. The second theme put the spotlight on the work the BAME Ambassadors do under the headline “heroes.” This was followed by a discussion on finding the right language to navigate sensitive issues that can lead to learning from each other. As one of the most important ways to combat racism, the next theme was allyship. It is often difficult to know where to start to combat racism and this week focussed on how to be a good ally to black communities and learn together. Finally, as Black History Month drew to a close, the University community shared some stories of our own students.
The programme combined a full mix of virtual events with a series of online workshops, videos and webinars to allow all to celebrate and learn. As part of this programme, Tré Ventour addressed race issues, social justice and how to become anti-racist in his workshops. In an online exploration workshop hosted by the Students’ Union using the ‘We’re Not Really Strangers: Race & Privilege’ card game, hard conversations on race and privilege were facilitated with 25 questions and wildcards to dig deeper. Meanwhile student society HudMovies hosted a wide range of films to showcase and represent black culture.