The Faculty of Arts and Humanities has been awarded a highly regarded Athena Swan Silver Award, becoming only the second faculty of its kind in the UK to receive this distinction. This milestone acknowledges the significant progress made in advancing gender equality across all departments and highlights a firm commitment to continued improvement through to 2030.
This Faculty-level award reflects a strategic and collaborative approach to reducing gender disparities, fostering inclusivity, and embedding sustainable change.
“An Athena Swan award does not suggest that we have solved every challenge, but that we understand what the challenges are and have a long-term commitment to addressing them,” said Professor Alexandra Harrington, Deputy Executive Dean (People and Workplace Culture) for the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and Professor in Russian Studies. “It is also a product of the dedication and insight of a wide range of staff from across the Faculty - both academic and professional services colleagues - along with valuable contributions from our students.”
The Faculty’s submission involved the collaboration of all seven departments to consolidate existing Bronze and Silver action plans into an overarching one for the whole Faculty and to identify a set of future priority areas. The award allows us to share and implement best practice and make collective progress against shared objectives, working within our new Faculty People and Workplace structures.
Professor Janet Stewart, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, expresses pride in the collective achievement: “This award is a tribute to the dedication of our entire community - academics, professional services colleagues, and students. It recognises the progress we’ve already made, but more importantly, it strengthens our resolve to continue shaping a Faculty culture that is fair, inclusive, and ambitious for all.”
Celebrating Silver Success - The core project team behind the Faculty’s Athena Swan Silver Award: Professor Janet Stewart, Executive Dean (left); Professor Alexandra Harrington, Deputy Executive Dean (People and Workplace Culture) and Professor in Russian Studies; and Tyra Sandford, Faculty Coordinator (not pictured).
The Athena Swan review panel praised several elements of the Faculty’s application, including:
The Faculty has laid out a clear roadmap of priorities through 2026 and beyond. These include fostering gender-balanced and diverse leadership, improving inclusivity in workplace culture, supporting career progression, ensuring equitable workload distribution and enhancing student success.
The Athena Swan Charter, established in 2005 and managed by Advance HE, recognises and celebrates commitment to advancing gender equality in higher education and research. It supports institutions and departments in addressing inequalities and developing inclusive cultures that benefit everyone.
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