The University’s commitment to gender equality and career progression has been further recognized with five Departments achieving Athena SWAN awards in the latest round.
The Departments of Architecture and Civil Engineering and Chemistry have received prestigious Silver awards. This is fantastic news for both Departments and for the University. In addition to the future planning required for Bronze department recognition, Silver department awards recognise that the department has taken action in response to previously identified challenges and can demonstrate the impact of the actions implemented. Architecture and Civil Engineering and Chemistry join existing Silver award holders – Departments of Pharmacy and Pharmacology and Mechanical Engineering - and increase the total number of Departments with Silver awards from two to four. This is a tremendous achievement for the University in 5 years, from achieving its first Bronze Department award in 2014 (Pharmacy & Pharmacology), and will be invaluable for our Institutional Silver submission in April 2021.
Dr Marion Harney, Senior Lecturer, who led the Department self-assessment team’s successful submission that built on their previous Bronze Award commented: “I am delighted that achieving this prestigious Silver award recognizes the hard work and commitment in the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering (ACE) to engage with Athena SWAN principles in embedding a positive, inclusive culture in the Department that benefits staff at all levels.”
Speaking as a member of the University Self-Assessment Team, Marion agreed this should give us all confidence to continue to work toward the positive impact required for a successful Silver university award in 2021.
The Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering and the School of Management received Bronze awards at the very first attempt. This is a great achievement and recognizes the high quality of these submissions. It is increasingly difficult to be awarded Bronze due to growing expectations aimed at those new to Athena SWAN.
Professor Adrian Evans, Head of Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, said: ‘Achieving a Bronze Award at our first attempt is a fantastic achievement and is a testimony to the hard work and commitment of our Departmental Self-Assessment Team’.
Professor Veronica Hope Hailey, Dean of the School of Management and University Vice President, said: ‘The award means a great deal to the School and to me personally. This is just a starting point. We have committed to a five-year plan of initiatives in gender and diversity’. Veronica quoted Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who said “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.”
Department of Physics continue to demonstrate their ongoing commitment to support gender equality and have once again been awarded with Bronze too.
‘I am delighted that Chemistry and Physics have been successful. There are some particular challenges in addressing gender representation in the physical sciences but these awards recognize that Departments are making significant progress which the Faculty of Science as a whole can learn from’ said Sarah Bailey in her capacity as Athena SWAN Faculty Champion.
Finally, Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences Professor David Galbreath, who recently took over the leadership role of University’s Self-Assessment team that leads Athena SWAN at University of Bath, is very pleased with the results:
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