The Exeter team receiving the award.

Exeter secures respected university HR award

The University of Exeter has received a prestigious award in recognition of one of its most innovative and forward-thinking HR initiatives.

Exeter secured a coveted prize at the Universities Human Resources (UHR) awards, held at a special ceremony at the Discovery Museum in Newcastle.

At the ceremony, the University was bestowed with Learning & Organisational Development award, which celebrates projects that address and achieve culture change, for its pioneering ‘Exeter Academic’ initiative.

The inventive project was launched to attract, support and retain world-leading academic talent, and offer clear development and support for researchers.

Speaking after the ceremony, Jacqui Marshall, Deputy Registrar and Director of Human Resources at the University of Exeter said: “We are thrilled to have received this award. It is a testament to the hard-work, enthusiasm and dedication of those involved in setting up, and establishing this pioneering project since its inception two years ago.

“The University is deeply committed to nurturing and sustaining our high-performing, immensely talented academic community and support them through their careers. This collaborative project achieves these key aims, while also supporting the University’s long-term strategic ambitions.

The Exeter Academic project was founded in 2015, and formed a central strand to the University’s key strategy of ‘attract, support and retain’ the very best academic staff. As a joint HR and academic venture, Jacqui stressed that its success has largely been due to the support and input from many academic colleagues in co-creating the award-winning initiative.

It was officially launched in April 2016, since when it has already successfully achieved a number of successes, including a successful recruitment campaign to support the expansion of crucial academic communities within the University, including the flagship Living Systems Institute.

It was one of a select group of projects tackling issues such as building a strong academic workforce, tackling bullying and harassment and succession planning which were hailed at the UHR Awards.

UHR chair Sandra Heidinger said: “Higher Education is a complex, demanding and changing sector. But we should all be proud of what we deliver and the impact it has on people’s lives.”

Date: 18 May 2017