The Sussex Education Awards 2024 took place on 18 April at the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts (ACCA). These awards commend the academic and professional services staff of the University of Sussex who have significantly contributed to the academic community and impacted students’ lives through innovative teaching. The event was hosted by Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost Michael Luck and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Students Kate O’Riordan.
This year, there was a record high of 600 nominations for the award, with 450 submitted by students themselves. Professor Michael Luck, highlighted in his introductory speech the central role played by students in these awards and acknowledged the staff’s role in shaping world-leading citizens and changemakers emerging from Sussex. There were a total of five awards, four of which were open to all staff. The Teaching to Disrupt Award was open only to staff with teaching roles.
The Teaching to Disrupt Award recognises teaching staff who have a different, innovative, and pioneering approach to teaching. There were seven award winners in this category, including Dyuti Ailawadi from Global Studies, David Berry from Media, Arts and Humanities (MAH), Elizabeth Mills, Lucila Newell, and Nat Arias from Global Studies, Pablo Iglesias-Rodrigues from Law, Politics and Sociology, and Warrick Roseboom from Engineering and Informatics.
The World Readiness Award recognises those who help prepare and empower students for life after graduation. Both individuals and teams received this award. Carole Becker from Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Luis Ponce Cuspinera, Helena Joyce, and Luke Mitchell from Engineering and Informatics, Kathryn Mountford and Luke Mitchell from Careers and Entrepreneurship, and Graziana Di Pede from the Business School were among the fifteen recipients of this award.
The Better World Award is for staff actively engaged in efforts to make a positive impact in the local community and the wider world through entrepreneurial and creative ways. Atusa Saeipour from the School of Psychology, Chris Baker, Becki Cook, Anna Farlow, Jamie Smith from the School of Life Sciences, and Janine Thorogood from Student Experience received this award.
The Learning Together Award celebrates collaborations between staff and students working together on a research project or redesigning the curriculum. There were four teams who won in this category. The first team was The Informatics Peer Assisted Learning Team from Engineering and Informatics. The second team consisted of Doran Amos, Apichaya Luathairattanametha, Kiran Lalli, Milly Rose-Wheatley, Nik Mylona, Soliana Markos, and Sophie Thorne from the School of Life Sciences. The third team to win this award was the Engineering and Design Mentors team from the School of Engineering and Informatics. Finally, the last team was from the School of Global Studies, consisting of Rebecca Prentice, Amy Breij, Lizzie Burtenshaw, and many more.
Finally, The Inclusive Sussex Award recognizes those members of staff who put into practice at least one of the university’s five core values of kindness, integrity, inclusion, collaboration, and courage within the context of teaching at Sussex. The recipients for this award were Amanda Griffiths from Counselling Wellbeing and Residential Life, Ayomikun Idowu from the Business School, Ambra Moroncini and Emily Baker from Media, Arts, and Humanities, and several others.
It was with great sadness that an award in the Inclusive Sussex category was also presented to Victoria Marrache, a member of staff who passed away earlier this year. Victoria worked in the Student Advice and Guidance team, showing extreme empathy and patience while approaching students. She supported students and honoured their needs. Victoria’s partner joined the ceremony and accepted the award on her behalf with a heart-warming speech that made the entire auditorium teary-eyed.
“Tonight was amazing – it was a fantastic celebration of the achievements of our staff at Sussex and what they’ve done for our students and their educational journey,” Professor Michael Luck said.
Professor Kate O’Riordan said, “The award categories are all amazing, but the two that spoke to me the most are the Better World category – particularly the awards that reflected LGBTQ+ inclusion, running the University’s food bank, and also doing outreach with the local schools. Also, the Inclusive Sussex Award shows an amazing array of activity and themes across that.”
The award ceremony was followed by drinks and canapés in the ACCA café.For the full list of awards and other information on the event, head over to https://student.sussex.ac.uk/news/article/64382-sussex-education-awards-celebrates-staff-dedication-and-innovation
