University in running for major national awards

The University of St Andrews has been shortlisted in three major categories of the prestigious Times Higher Education Awards 2016.

The categories are: Excellence and Innovation in the Arts, Outstanding Contribution to Leadership Development and, for Dr Julia Prest of the School of Modern Languages, Most Innovative Teacher of the Year.

For the second time in three years, the University’s Centre for Academic, Professional and Organisational Development (CAPOD) has been shortlisted for a THE Award.

This shortlisting for Outstanding Contribution to Leadership Development recognises CAPOD’s sector-leading ‘Passport to Management Excellence’ programme, which now has more than 100 graduates from across the University. This highly successful initiative has provided a model for other development programmes within the University and has also been replicated by other universities for their own development programmes.

In the Excellence and Innovation in the Arts category the judges were impressed by the production of Moana: The Rising of the Sea at the University’s Byre Theatre: in June 2015 a colourful troupe of Fijian dancers arrived in St Andrews to stage a performing arts spectacular to raise awareness of the plight of Pacific islanders facing climate change.

Over three days the Pacific islanders used a unique form of storytelling involving dance and song to portray their culture, family and values which are being lost through global warming.

The exclusive St Andrews performance came about through long-standing academic links between the University’s Centre for Pacific Studies (CPS) and the University of the South Pacific’s Oceania Centre for Arts, Culture and Pacific Studies.

Vice-Principal (Enterprise and Engagement) Professor Verity Brown said: “We are delighted that the University has been shortlisted in three different categories in the Times Higher Education Awards 2016 and, in particular, the role of the Byre Theatre in two of the three nominations.

“Bringing the Oceania Dance Company to St Andrews to perform Moana: The Rising of the Sea arose from a unique collaboration with the University of the South Pacific, highlighting the human cost of global warming through performing arts.

“Working with Byre Opera and the Theatre to perform a French Opera in translation was also key to Dr Prest being shortlisted for the award of the Most Innovative Teacher.

“We are immensely proud of all the teams and individuals at St Andrews who have been selected to go through to the final stages of these prestigious awards and we wish them luck.”

The winners will be announced on 24 November at an awards dinner in London.

Notes to news editors

Issued by the University of St Andrews Communications Office, contactable on 01334 467310/462530 or [email protected].