Estates Team wins leadership prize

Posted 22 June 2012

Harper Adams University College won the Outstanding Estates Team award at last night’s annual Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards.

The University College’s victory was witnessed by more than 800 people gathered at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, to celebrate the sector’s achievements at the ceremony, held in association with the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education.

The judges noted that the successful delivery of £21 million worth of capital projects at Harper Adams “demonstrates just what can be achieved with dedication, innovation and a strong team spirit”.

“Harper Adams has become known in recent years as a centre for environmental innovation, but that is clearly underpinned by a strong all-round estates performance,” the judges said. This all-round performance “leads to a sense that the quality of the estate makes a real difference to the experience of staff and students at the college”, judges added.

Estates Manager Paul Moran was unable to attend the event in person, but colleagues made sure he didn’t miss out, by connecting him with the Great Room at the Grosvenor via video call. He was delighted to see Estates Foreman Arthur Broadhurst collect the prize from guest host Julian Clary. 

Mr Moran said today: “It is wonderful to receive recognition of the all-round achievements of the estates team. The team has been recognised for its dedication, innovation and strong team spirit, all of which contribute to a high quality estate, which plays a key role in attracting and retaining students and staff at the University College.”

The judges had heard that the 12-strong team had delivered £21 million worth of capital projects, introduced environmental developments that had led to the campus being four times carbon neutral, minimised disruption to protected species’ habitats, and held the gold standard for sustainable development – BREEAM Excellent - for two buildings, among other achievements.

Now in their fourth year, the awards are a highlight of the academic calendar and aim to celebrate the sector’s leadership, management, financial and business skills. They showcase the extraordinary innovation, teamwork and commercial acumen of UK higher education institutions.

John Gill, editor of Times Higher Education, commented: “The sector should take great reassurance from the extraordinary examples of creativity, commitment and sheer hard work that the awards judges have recognised.”

For more coverage of the awards, photos and information on all the winners across the 15 categories, visit www.thelmawards.co.uk

See below for a slideshow of images for this story.