Celebrating our Long Service Award recipients 2023

Long-serving colleagues from across the University were joined by Stuart Croft, Vice-Chancellor, at a special awards ceremony in October 2023 to celebrate contributions over the past  20, 30 and 40 years. Stuart said:

“It's a privilege to be able to recognise and celebrate colleagues for their dedication and loyalty to Warwick and our community.

Everyone here at Warwick has a part to play, and our continued success is all down to our people – including our longest serving colleagues. Congratulations to all of them on these special milestones and I want to thank them again for their contributions to the University”.

We spoke to some of the Long Service Award recipients who shared some of their special memories of their time at Warwick with us, along with their tips for making the most of working here.

Transcript

Yvonne: I think Warwick is more than just a job. So you've got the wonderful community atmosphere, you have got the wonderful facilities on campus, and yet it's just a great place to work all around.

Paul: Why Warwick? The people, it's the students, the staff. I've met so many amazing people during my time here.

Lesley: Before I graduated, I came for interviews in lots of places and Warwick struck me as a beautiful campus back in 1982. It was such a lovely campus.

Helmut: My department has the, one of the best, if not the best working environment and working atmosphere that I've seen and I've, when talking to other people, so I never had a reason to leave.

Paul: I think the most memorable moments have been when we've run open days and just to be able to talk about the work that we do to such a variety of people from children to parents, to politicians to industrialists, and just seeing them really engaged and enthused about what we do here at Warwick. That's always really memorable.

Yvonne: I remember working on the international orientation programme in 2009 and welcoming over a thousand international students onto campus and being involved in their first week, was something that was really, really memorable for me and I really enjoyed it.

Helmut: There was one particular year which had the most extraordinary resonance with each other and with the staff.

Lesley: I got married here. I got married in the chaplaincy on campus, so that was my most memorable moment and I think I was the first person to get married on campus.

Make the best of the campus. It's beautiful for walks. There are the beautiful sculpture trails.

Paul: To get the most out of Warwick I think you need to engage with all the opportunities here. Whether that's to do with the academic disciplines or the sports opportunities or the arts opportunities and speak to people. Everybody's really keen to speak and to engage and to collaborate.

Lesley Harvey-Smith

Technical Support Manager

School of Life Sciences

Service: 40 years       

‘The beautiful campus’ is what first struck Lesley when she applied for her role back in 1982. Lesley’s most memorable moment at Warwick was when she held her wedding here:

"I got married in the chaplaincy … and I was the first person to get married on campus."

Professor Helmut Schmitz

Professor of German

School of Modern Languages and Cultures

Service: 30 years

Helmut is proud to work at Warwick, stating:

"My department is one of the best, if not the best, working environments and working atmosphere that I’ve seen when talking to other people, so I’ve never had any reason to leave."

Yvonne Ramskill   

Student Recruitment Operations Manager

Marketing, Communications & Insight

Service: 20 years 

Talking about why she has worked at Warwick for 20 years, Yvonne said:

"Warwick is more than just a job. You’ve got the community atmosphere, the wonderful facilities on campus … it’s a great place all round."

Professor Paul Jennings         

Pro Dean Research

Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG)

Service: 30 years

30 years of continuous service, Paul says:

"To get the most out of Warwick, you need to engage with all the opportunities here; whether that’s to do with the academic disciplines or the sports opportunities or the arts opportunities. Speak to people, everyone is keen to talk, to engage and to collaborate."

Kate Seers, Professor of Health Research and Director of Warwick Research in Nursing, Warwick Medical School, had a tip for making the most of Warwick:

“Seize every opportunity that comes your way, and develop networks with colleagues in your department and from across the University.”

If you’ve worked at the University for a long time, what would your top tip be for making the most of working at Warwick? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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