BNU shortlisted for ‘Outstanding Support for Students’ in the Times Higher Education Awards 2024
Buckinghamshire New University’s (BNU) Student Hub team has been shortlisted for ‘Outstanding Support for Students’ in the Times Higher Education Awards 2024.
The Times Higher Education Awards, often dubbed the ‘Oscars of higher education’, gains hundreds of entries from universities across the UK each year, presenting an opportunity to shine a spotlight over the remarkable work taking place in the sector.
This year, BNU is being recognised for its exceptional record in providing outstanding student support through the range of academic and pastoral services available for students, which are accessible via the Student Hub. The Student Hub is the first point of contact for students providing a wide range of services and information for students. The diversity and expertise of the Wellbeing Hub team means that they can work with a range of student queries from issues with ID cards to hardship and mental health crisis queries.
The Hub’s Bursary team supported students with nearly £850,000 in financial support, bursaries and scholarships in 2022/23. In the same year, a new Report and Support tool was launched, which to date has received more than 610 student queries. The tool is used for raising pastoral queries which may be linked to mental wellbeing, physical health, safeguarding and/or socio-economic concerns.
BNU’s Student Hub has also increased community engagement by working in partnership projects with organisations such as Bucks Mind and Buckinghamshire Council’s Helping Hand to hold events at campus to increase awareness of external support.
Commenting on the shortlisting, Margaret Rioga, Director of Student Success, said “Being shortlisted in the THE Awards is a testament to the hard work, dedication and excellence of the Student Hub team. It is a wonderful accomplishment, and I look forward to seeing them achieve even more in the future.’
Karen Buckwell-Nutt, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (Student Experience), commented “We are so proud of the work we do in supporting our students through their journeys. Each journey is unique to the student and at times challenging on multiple levels. By understanding these challenges and what can positively impact their experience has enabled our amazing teams to deliver the support and interventions needed.”
Vice-Chancellor of BNU, Professor Nick Braisby, added “We are delighted to be shortlisted for the THE awards for Outstanding Support for Students. The newly located Student Hub in our spectacular Atrium has been a great success mong our learners, and we continue to build on this achievement as we plan even stronger support in the future. BNU is absolutely committed to providing the highest calibre of support to our students and we are enormously proud to receive this recognition. This is the 7th nomination the University has received in the past six years, a testament to the hard work of all our staff.”
This latest nomination follows BNU winning University of the Year for Student Support in the Daily Mail University Guide 2024, where BNU was praised for practical hands-on financial support provided to students throughout the cost-of-living crisis.
This year’s THE winners will be announced at an extra special 20th anniversary ceremony at the ICC in central Birmingham on 28 November.
The University is committed to supporting students with transition into, through, and out of higher education into graduate level employment that empowers each student to make a significant contribution to society. For more information on everything our Student Hub offers, please visit https://www.bucks.ac.uk/life/student-success-and-support/student-hub