The AUA Annual Awards are usually announced and presented as part of our Gala Dinner. As our Annual Conference & Exhibition has been postponed, we have had to rethink how we will recognise and acknowledge the hard work by our members and networks for this year’s awards.

Each weekday from Thursday 26 March, we will be publishing a short article about each member and network that has been shortlisted by our awards panel. This will lead into Monday 6 April, which would have been the date of this year’s Gala Dinner, where we will announce the winners.

Here you can read about the University of Bath, who have been shortlisted for network of the year! The Advocate team who lead the network at the University of Bath is Ann-Marie Hartland, Loretta Gibson and Rachel Acres.

What it means to be shortlisted

We couldn’t be more delighted to be shortlisted for the AUA Network of the Year 2020 award.  This recognition means so much to us. The AUA is an important part of our working lives and we are committed to ensuring our members and colleagues reap the benefits of the work that we do collectively. 

We have seen first-hand how the positive impact of the AUA has influenced us as individuals, as teams and as an institution.  Thanks to our AUA Network we have created a sense of community that will become even more important in the coming weeks and months as we support each other through uncertain times. We also see the opportunities presented to us now to make the most of the skills, experiences and different ways of thinking that our AUA activities have inspired. 

Why the University of Bath was shortlisted

The work done at the University of Bath is led by both the Advocates and the members in a supportive, collaborative environment. They are present at University induction events and have organised a range of sessions, including ‘Meet the Director’ talks and member-led workshops. They have hosted a range of sessions / events, including ‘Demystifying Project Management’, and have presence at University induction events.

The Advocate team developed a Step Up to Management course, designed around the CPD framework, which has seen distinct success. They have also launched the Faculty Going the Extra Mile award in two faculties.

They have worked hard to support AUA Accreditation Scheme applications. Since starting the scheme in 2018, 18 successful applications have been supported through this scheme. They have successfully acquired the AUA Mark of Excellence, and have been working to embed the framework more widely across the University.

The panel were particularly impressed by the Stepping up to management course and how it utilised the AUA’s CPD Framework. There was also praise for the range of events being ran, including for the scope they had. Membership was also promoted well, with a clear growth in numbers.