Daughter follows father in winning UK's top teaching award

Two geography academics have created a little bit of academic history after becoming the first father and daughter to win the UK sector’s highest teaching award.

Seventeen years after Mick Healey, then based at the University of Gloucestershire, was named by the Higher Education Academy as one of its first National Teaching Fellows (NTF) in 2000, his daughter Ruth Healey has claimed the same honour.

Dr Healey, a senior lecturer in human geography at the University of Chester, is one of 55 new National Teaching Fellows announced by the HEA on 31 August.

Dr Healey, who was 17 when she attended her father’s NTF ceremony, said that she was delighted to become the scheme’s first parent-child winners.

“I had said to my dad that it would be really nice, because of the 17-year symmetry, if my application were to be successful this year, but I didn’t really expect it to happen the first time as the process of becoming a National Teaching Fellow is so challenging,” she said.

“I suppose, with the next generation coming through, that things like this might occur as children follow in the footsteps of a parent career-wise,” Dr Healey added.

Dr Healey – whose grandfather Austin Healey was vice-principal of Writtle University College – has recently presented at the specialist land-based institution in Essex alongside her father, who is now a higher education consultant and researcher, as well as an emeritus professor at Gloucestershire.

Reflecting on his daughter’s success, Professor Healey said that she was “well ahead of me in that she’s received her NTF at an age when she’s almost 17 years younger than I was when I got mine”.

“I’m extremely proud of her, as indeed any parent would be, but being a National Teaching Fellow myself makes it that extra bit special,” he added.

In addition to the 55 new National Teaching Fellows, the HEA has also named 15 team finalists for the Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE). From the shortlist, six institutions will be selected for a £15,000 award to promote their learning strategies.

The winners will be named at a ceremony in London on 1 November.

“The new NTFs and CATE finalists represent some of the very best teaching in higher education, and I am sure they will inspire others as we share their innovative practice and ideas across the sector,” said Stephanie Marshall, the HEA’s chief executive.

“The UK is justifiably proud of its higher education sector, and its reputation is enhanced by the examples of excellent teaching highlighted by these awards,” she added.

National Teaching Fellows 2017

Fabio Aricò, University of East Anglia

Lerverne Barber, University of Worcester

Sue Beckingham, Sheffield Hallam University

Toni Bewley, Edge Hill University

Tim Birkhead, University of Sheffield

Victoria Bourne, Royal Holloway, University of London

Kim Bower, Sheffield Hallam University

Dominic Bygate, University of Hertfordshire

Caroline Coles, De Montfort University

David Comiskey, Ulster University

Elizabeth Dobson, University of Huddersfield

Sally Everett, Anglia Ruskin University

Suzanne Fergus, University of Hertfordshire

Sarah George, University of Bradford

Philip Hanna, Queen’s University Belfast

Catherine Hayes, University of Sunderland

Ruth Healey, University of Chester

Joanna Hendy, Cardiff Metropolitan University

Judith Holloway, University of Southampton

Alison Honour, Oxford Brookes University

Annie Hughes, Kingston University

Julie Irwin, Bucks New University

Ilona Johnson, Cardiff University

Hisham Khalil, Plymouth University

Ania Korszun, Queen Mary University of London

Andrew Kulman, Birmingham City University

Megan Lawton, University of Wolverhampton

Jacqueline Leigh, University of Salford

Colin Lumsden, University of Manchester

Lindsay Marshall, Newcastle University

Elizabeth McCrum, University of Reading

Fiona McCullouch, University of Nottingham

Samuel Messam, Bradford College University Centre

Elizabeth Miles, Coventry University

Jayne Mothersdale, Leeds Beckett University

Matthew Nicholls, University of Reading

Mark O’Hara, Birmingham City University

Ros O’Leary, University of Gloucestershire

Angela O’Sullivan, De Montfort University

Pamela Parker, City, University of London

James Pickering, University of Leeds

Samantha Pugh, University of Leeds

David Read, University of Southampton

Alex Ryan, University of Gloucestershire

Henrik Schoenefeldt, University of Kent

Michael Scott, University of Warwick

Gill Seyfang, University of East Anglia

M. Hasan Shaheed, Queen Mary University of London

David Smith, Sheffield Hallam University

Hilary Wason, Kingston University

Dawn Watkins, University of Leicester

Renate Weller, Royal Veterinary College

Judith Williams, University of Manchester

Dylan Williams, University of Leicester

James Wilson, University of Southampton

Finalists for the CATE awards

Cardiff Metropolitan University

Kingston University

Staffordshire University

The Open University

Ulster University

University College London

University of Bath

University of Bedfordshire

University of Bradford

University of Cumbria

University of Huddersfield

University of Kent

University of Leicester

University of Sheffield

University of South Wales

jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com