Excellence in ED&I Award 2021

November 2021.

The Warwick Institutional Athena Swan Self-Assessment Team (chaired by Professor Kate Seers) and the Gender Task Force (chaired by Professor Jo Collingwood) launched a new award to acknowledge commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion and to share best practice.

Warwick is committed to developing an environment which promotes equality of opportunity, values diversity, and where students and staff can work and study free from discrimination and harassment. This award recognised an individual or team who contributed to the enhancement of ED&I at Warwick by delivering a specific project, initiative, and/or by actively demonstrating a commitment to building more inclusive work/study environments and experiences through their everyday behaviours.

The judging panel was chaired by the Provost, Chris Ennew, and the winners were announced by Kate Seers from Warwick Medical School at a ceremony on 3 November 2021. Claire Algar from Social Inclusion and Jo Collingwood from the School of Engineering presented the certificates.

It was a fabulous occasion and very inspiring to see so much innovation and commitment to excellence in ED&I.

Results

Thank you to everyone who submitted for the ED&I award and/or who entered the competition to design the award. Thanks to the ED&I Award judging panel, chaired by the Provost. And thanks to Martin Millson in the School of Engineering for making the trophy.

Award Design Competition Winner

There was a competition to design a trophy for the Excellence in ED&I Award winner, which was won by Ant Brewerton, who presented this trophy to the winners.

Speaking about the trophy, Ant said "ED&I at Warwick supports us in our differences but unites us in the values that we hold in common. This is what my design hoped to capture."

Learn more about Ant in this interview: 5 questions with Ant Brewerton – Trophy designer.

^{Photo: An image of the trophy based on Ant's winning design.}

Award Winners

Active Bystander Initiative, led by Jane Bryan and Puja Laporte – Office of the Dean of Students.

This is part of the Community Values Education Programme.

This is an intervention designed to provide a campus environment in which all members of our community feel safe and are respected. Taking part in this course is a positive way to contribute to efforts to build a community that embodies our values, tackling issues such as sexual violence, misconduct, and abuse.

The judges said:

“important initiative with significant impact across campus, high profile undertaken in a thoughtful and creative way."

Learn more about Jane and Puja in this interview: 5 questions with Jane Bryan and Puja Laporte – winner of the ED&I award.

^{Photo below: Winners of the inaugural Excellence in ED&I Award, Puja and Jane, accepting their certificate and trophy from Ant.}

The judging panel also recognised a number of other people for the award, as detailed below:

Commended

1. Student-led MBChB Sub-Group, led by Charlotte Simms – Warwick Medical School.

Providing a student voice on ED&I issues, including peer support networks, rainbow badge initiative, and Athena Swan beacon internships.

The judges said:

“level of student engagement and leadership is impressive and some really positive developments. Says much about the school wide commitment.”

2. Wellbeing, Equality, Diversity, and Gender Group – Department of Economics.

Developed set of values and expectations about how people behave.

The judges said:

“This is important work… making community values very visible. This will be important in engaging staff and driving culture change.”

3. Philip Young – School of Life Sciences.

Developed a quantitative intersectional framework to address the attainment gap.

The judges said:

“Integrating and embedding ED&I activity into the broader T&L agenda; using a diversity of skills...”

4. Kirsten Harris – School for Cross-faculty Studies.

Led on a successful Athena Swan Bronze submission, and embedded principles of gender and racial equality.

The judges said:

“well articulated case and clear evidence of important and impactful work driving forward the Athena Swan agenda.”

^{Photos: Commended winners - from left to right: Charlotte accepting their certificate from Jo Collingwood (Chair of Gender Taskforce); Lisa Hayes and Michela Redoano accepting thier certificate for the Department of Economics from Jo; and Philip with their certificate in the School of Life Sciences building.}

Highly Commended

1. Menopause and Women’s Health initiative, led by Sarah Hillman, Rosemary Cragg, and Marsha Hughes – Warwick Medical School.

Developed emergency sanitary initiative, a menopause café every 2 weeks, and training for managers on menopause.

The judges said:

“This was a great idea – a grass roots initiative that was taken forward across the School. Very clear and concrete outcomes and brings together different groups. It is an area that has been neglected and sometimes these can be more difficult to challenge and change.”

Learn more about Sarah, Rosemary and Marsha in this interview: 5 questions with Sarah Hillman, Rosemary Cragg and Marsha Hughes – highly commended.

2. Zhiyan Guo – School of Modern Languages and Cultures.

Developed an environment to foster inclusion, including cultural events.

The judges said:

“This is an important issue that has not always had the attention it deserves; a valuable individual initiative that is having a clear impact and one that reinforces the need for more work in the area.”

^{Photos: Highly Commended winners - from left to right: Sarah, Rosemary, and Marsha accepting their certificate from Claire Algar (Social Inclusion Associate); Zhiyan accepting their certificate from Kate Seers (Chair of Athena Swan Self-Assessment Team).}

Very Highly Commended

Johannes Boltze – School of Life Sciences.

For leading the SLS ED&I Committee.

The judges said:

“Recognised real enthusiasm, dedication and leadership. Someone who was clearly going beyond what might reasonably be expected... and genuinely catalysing change.”

Learn more about Johannes in this interview: 5 questions with Johannes Boltze – very highly commended.

^{Photo: Very Highly Commended winner Johannes with their certificate in the School of Life Sciences building.}