The University and the Students’ Union have jointly won the “Outstanding Support for Students” award at the Times Higher Education (THE) Awards ceremony, hosted in Birmingham.
The criteria for this award stated it would be given to the institution with a programme that “helps students to gain the maximum benefit from their study”.
The University and the Students’ Union made its submission based on the £170 payment made to all students in the 2022-2023 academic year, as a response to the cost of living crisis.
The total package of support came up to about £10 million, with £9 million going towards the £170 payment made to all students.
Collecting the award were Lexie Baynes, the current Union Affairs Officer, Hannah Mortimer, the 2023-2024 Union Affairs Officer, and Sam Bronheim, the 2022-2023 Union Affairs Officer. Other Students’ Union staff were also in attendance.
Robbie Beale, the 2022-2024 Activities and Culture Officer also attended.
Bronheim was part of the team which led joint University and Students’ Union efforts to secure the cost of living payment, with her tweeting on X, formerly known as Twitter, “I’m extremely proud to have been a part of the team and effort that helped make this happen”.
Beale is cited as “key personnel” by THE in the submission, in addition to Anna Lamas from the University, who was Chair of of the Cost of Living working group.
At the time, the package of support was the largest and most comprehensive enacted by any university in England.
Other efforts by the University to support its community during that same period included a payment of £1000 to all staff members who earned up to £71,000 per annum.
In October of 2024, the University of Manchester hosted the Times Higher Education Conference which saw thousands of delegates attend from worldwide academic institutions.
The conference serves as the event where the organisation announces their awards.
