Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence

This year, Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence will be hosting a small awards event in Eldon W1.11 on Wednesday 15 September at 3.00pm, inviting award and commendation winners, nominators and other guests! The event will also be live streamed virtually for other attendees.

2021 is the fourth year of the event and the awards are granted in recognition of staff and students who have made exceptional contributions during the past year.

Three groups at the Union have been nominated for awards, and they are:

• 2020/21 Elected Officer Team
• The BAME Ambassadors
• and The Union Advice Service Peer Advisors

Their nominations show how brilliantly students have worked over the last year and demonstrates their dedication to others. Read their nominations below!

Commendation winners

2020/21 Elected Officer Team

The team have worked tirelessly to represent the interests of Portsmouth students and drive forwards their campaigns. Their ability to engage with staff and students, in less than ideal circumstances, has stood out and the sheer range of their activity and impact is deserving of recognition.

BAME Ambassadors

The BAME Ambassador scheme was established this academic year to represent a diverse range of students from across Portsmouth’s BAME community. This was with the intention of developing and running student-led campaigns to help tackle the BAME Attainment Gap at the University of Portsmouth. So far the Ambassadors, ably supported by Officers Rama Hilouneh and Destiny Karakus, have devoted their attention to the themes of:

• Decolonising the curriculum;
• Diversifying the student experience;
• Proactively encouraging a more coordinated and better funded Black History Month;
• Supporting the student population and the community in the Black Lives Matter campaigns.

The Union Advice Service Peer Advisors

The Union Advice Service would like to nominate our team of Peer Advisors for this award. The Peer Advisors have contributed a massive effort to keeping the Union Advice Service running effectively through the pandemic and delivering an excellent service to our students. They have demonstrated resilience, leadership and a genuine passion for supporting the student community. Each of them have engaged in their own extracurricular pursuits to further contribute their skills and knowledge to the University and Students' Union, including being a Course Rep, running for an Elected Officer role, starting a Have Your Say campaign, and being the President of a student group, as well as working a second job. They have set an example over the past year of student leadership that will define the Union Advice Service for years to come.

University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Graham Galbraith, said: 

“I’m very proud of our students and staff who have accomplished some extraordinary things during an extremely difficult year. The challenges created by Covid-19 were unparalleled. Yet it’s quite amazing what has been achieved by students and staff who have gone the extra mile to keep each other safe, to deliver high quality learning through a blend of online and face-to-face teaching, and connect our diverse and inclusive community. I’m grateful to everyone who has made such exceptional contributions. They deserve every recognition.”

Don't forget: A celebration event on campus will take place at 3.00pm on Wednesday 15th September. The event will also be live streamed for friends and family to watch and celebrate the achievements of award and commendation winners.