Leeds Trinity University wins award for diversity and inclusion work during the pandemic

The annual awards - taking place for the eighth time - highlight the work done by institutions to support their students, and celebrate resilience, innovation and diversity within higher education.

Uniquely, the nominees and winners are selected by students themselves, and judged by a specially chosen panel made up of prospective and current university students.

A nationwide review collection conducted alongside the awards showed that more than 70 per cent of students agreed that their university course represented ‘value for money’ over the past year, even with the challenges presented by the Coronavirus pandemic.

Leeds Trinity triumphed in the “Diversity & Inclusion” category, after impressing judges with initiatives including the introduction of a compulsory module on race equality for all first-year students, as well as the establishment of safe spaces for students to discuss issues related to discrimination and inequality.

Simon Emmett, CEO at IDP Connect, an organisation which partners with institutions to engage with student communties, said: “The past twelve months have been incredibly difficult for universities and their students, and the Whatuni Student Choice Awards are a chance to recognise those institutions who have excelled in supporting their students even in the face of a global pandemic. This year has thrown up some real surprises, with some smaller institutions winning across all categories.

“Leeds Trinity University’s commitment to championing diversity and inclusion with creative programmes and campaigns - despite the challenges of Covid-19 - make them worthy winners of the Diversity & Inclusion category at this year’s awards”.

Each winning institution will receive £10,000 to be awarded to 5 eligible students as Whatuni Bursaries in 2021/22 (£2,000 each).

Whatuni were determined to keep the awards on track even in a global pandemic and so, adapted their nomination and judging processes. This ensured that excellence was still rewarded in 2021, but without placing additional burdens on universities and colleges.

With the traditional WUSCAs gala ceremony on ice due to current restrictions, this year’s awards were announced in a virtual event held on Whatuni’s Twitter channel last Tuesday.