Coventry University has picked up the title of University of the Year at the Times Higher Education Awards 2015.
Judges praised the West Midlands institution for being willing to take calculated risks to help its students succeed, citing the establishment of its lower-cost offshoot Coventry University College as a notable example. They said the college opened new avenues for individuals who might otherwise have been excluded from accessing higher education.
THE editor John Gill said: “The judges were impressed with Coventry’s achievements across a range of activities and, in particular, by its novel approach to improving access.
“We’re always looking for pioneers who make bold attempts to tackle the issues facing higher education locally, regionally and nationally, and Coventry is to be congratulated for doing it so successfully.”
Other winners announced at the ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London included the University of East Anglia, which won Research Project of the Year, the University of Leeds, which picked up Entrepreneurial University of the Year, and King’s College London, which won International Collaboration of the Year.
Laurie Taylor, the broadcaster and writer behind THE's famous Poppletonian column, and former professor of sociology at the University of York, won the Lord Dearing Lifetime Achievement Award, while Momodou Sallah, senior lecturer in youth, community and education at De Montfort University, claimed the title of Most Innovative Teacher of the Year.
The ceremony was attended by more than 1,000 people and hosted by comedian Rory Bremner.
Read the winners' booklet and view some pictures of the event.
Times Higher Education Awards 2015 winners
University of the Year
Coventry University
Most Innovative Teacher of the Year
Momodou Sallah, De Montfort University
Entrepreneurial University of the Year
University of Leeds
International Collaboration of the Year
King’s College London
Most Improved Student Experience
Southampton Solent University
Outstanding Employer Engagement Initiative
University of Portsmouth
Outstanding Contribution to Leadership Development
University of Huddersfield
Widening Participation or Outreach Initiative of the Year
Keele University
Business School of the Year
Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University
Outstanding Digital Innovation in Teaching or Research
Bournemouth University
Outstanding International Student Strategy
University of the West of England
Outstanding Support for Students
Newcastle University
Outstanding Contribution to Innovation and Technology
Cardiff University
Research Project of the Year
University of East Anglia
Outstanding Support for Early Career Researchers
University of Nottingham
Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community
Royal Holloway, University of London
Excellence and Innovation in the Arts
Royal Northern College of Music
The Lord Dearing Lifetime Achievement Award
Laurie Taylor
