City of Westminster College held its annual Staff Awards last Friday, recognising staff who inspire students and ensure the College runs smoothly. Winners are nominated by both students and staff – making these Awards particularly highly valued by recipients. The presentation took place at Sarah Siddons Theatre, Paddington Green Campus, and was hosted by Chair of Governors Stuart Taylor and Principal Keith Cowell.
Awards for Excellence in Teaching and Learning were presented to Tom McBrien and Noorizah Eydatoulah-Motala who both lecture in the Faculty of Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics. Tom produces consistently excellent results, also providing high levels of support outside the classroom. He receives incredibly positive feedback from his students. Indeed, many stay on to study at higher levels because they know Tom is there to help them reach their goals. As one puts it: “He is the best teacher I have ever had”. Noorizah was nominated by a phenomenal number of students for her exceptional teaching skills, dedication and the way she prepares students for the challenges of degree-level study. One of her students describes her as: “An amazing teacher…she also has fun teaching methods which make the lessons enjoyable, educative and memorable”.
Excellence in Support for Students recognises the efforts of teams and individuals who make College enriching, as well as ensuring students achieve their best. This year’s recipients were Queens Park Campus Administration Team and the Sports Team. The Queens Park team of Fatima Al Rubae, Patricia Ayinde, Shanor Hussein, Maxine Murphy, and Emily Young received their award for exceeding service expectations. One nominator noted that they are always striving to design solutions, taking individual responsibility to ensure problems and challenges are overcome. The Sports Team of Celena Dell, Adam Goodwin, Glen Maybury, Adam Peters and Andrew Rogers received many individual and group nominations for their work. The overall message from students and staff alike is that this is a superb team offering consistent help, support and encouragement – and also inspiring students to achieve their goals.
The awards for Excellence in Promoting Equality and Celebrating Diversity were presented to Soydul Jamal and the ‘Stop the Hate’ project team. Soydul, a Lecturer in the Faculty of Arts Business Humanities and Leisure, was nominated for taking the time to get to know students and meet their individual learning needs. Described as a “brilliant teacher”, he ensures every member of the group participates in lessons and has the opportunity to contribute and develop their skills. The ‘Stop the Hate’ project team of Gareth Bayliss, Emma Bray, Craig Hanlon-Smith, Sharon Kaur, Rhiannon Faith O’Brien, Helen Spall and Rebecca Tristram took lead roles in a remarkable cross-College project that explored issues around homophobia, racism and knife crime through the vehicles of dance, drama, music, graphics, advertising and fashion. The culmination was a three-day performance and exhibition at the Cockpit Theatre that became a valuable teaching aid to College lecturing staff.
Excellence in External Customer Services recognises the vital work of reaching out to stakeholders and the community, and awards were presented to Paul Germaine and The Homeless Projects Team. Paul, a technician and teacher in the Faculty of Science Technology Engineering and Maths, was nominated for his role in transferring the Motor Vehicle Workshops to the new Paddington Green Campus and for ensuring the College is now an approved IMI Awards Centre. Thanks to his initiative, training on hybrid vehicles and f-gas is offered to local employers, with many promising new partnerships in the pipeline. Paul is also delivering a DIY course to local residents, attracting new student groups and positive publicity from a major national newspaper. The Homeless Projects Team of Stuart Allen, David Capocci, Hilary Cheyne, Sam Curtis, Graham Dunning, John Fisher and John Mahoney receive their award for their passion, commitment and dedication in helping to rebuild lives. Running projects at four homeless centres in the local area, over the past decade they have helped many hundreds of the most disadvantaged people find or rediscover self-belief and move on to work or education.
The awards for Excellence in Internal Customer Services were presented to the Computer Services Unit and Beverley Damallie. The computer team, comprising Julia Blee, Yves Bozzo-Rey, Zac Chouman, Paul Hardman, Loraine Jones, Iqbal Khan, Vicki Luo, Rachna Metha, Mickin Patel, Adahur Rahman and Mostafa Zand, were honoured for their professionalism, determination and unstinted support. Nominations were glowing – especially since this team faced special challenges caused by the move to Paddington Green Campus at the start of 2011. Beverley is a member of the College’s catering company team, but has been with the College for eight years, making her part of the College community. She has now transferred her cooking skills to Queens Park Campus, where students and staff are full of praise. As one nominator puts it: “Beverly is passionate about her cooking and caring for her customers. She has transformed the food experience”. It’s not just her daily customers who appreciate her work, as she was recently singled out by an external inspector – a very rare accolade indeed.
In addition to these ten Staff Awards, the ceremony at Sarah Siddons Theatre was also an opportunity to present Long Service Awards, recognising colleagues who have contributed to the College community over many years. Between them Cynthia Garnett, Yve Ming, Max Morton, Ken O’Connell, Andy Robertson and Anne have put in over 127 years’ service at the College!
Finally, the Staff Awards 2011 also marked the retirement of valued colleagues Nisar Ahmad, Eddie Halliday, Hilary Matthews, Don Merrifield, Nisha Rahman and Jon Rake. These dedicated members of the College team have each made a huge contribution over many years and this was an opportunity to thank them and wish them a happy retirement.