University awarded Athena Swan Gold for gender equality work Published on: 8 September 2025 Â鶹´«Ã½ has reached a significant milestone in its commitment to gender equality by being awarded the prestigious Athena Swan Gold Award – the top recognition in higher education. The award places Â鶹´«Ã½ among a select group of institutions demonstrating sustained progress in embedding inclusive practices across all levels of university life. The Gold Award acknowledges Â鶹´«Ã½’s long-standing dedication to creating a fair and inclusive environment for staff and students. From pioneering inclusive recruitment strategies to supporting career progression for women in leadership roles, the university has consistently demonstrated impact-driven change. Dani Glazzard, Head of Athena Swan UK said: “Athena Swan Gold recognises the quality and impact of gender equality, diversity and inclusion achievements not only within the University, but also the leadership and support that Â鶹´«Ã½ has provided both inside and outside of the sector to help raise the bar in gender equity practice. “To receive an institutional Gold award is a massive achievement and recognises the dedication and commitment of so many who have worked tirelessly to deliver on gender equality across the whole institution. Our congratulations go to Â鶹´«Ã½ on this prestigious award.” "sustained commitment and progress" Professor Judith Rankin, who has overseen many of the initiatives at Â鶹´«Ã½ as Dean of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: “I am immensely proud of this achievement because it recognises our sustained commitment and progress in advancing gender equality over many years and importantly that our good practice has been adopted by others. “Our journey over the past years has enabled us to have honest discussions, reflect on the barriers and challenges facing gender equality and to introduce policies and practices which are having positive impact. “Importantly, this Gold award also looks forward and acknowledges the quality of our future-facing action plan which sets out our ambitions for the next five years. This is not the end of our journey, but rather the start of the next voyage and we still have much to do.” To be awarded Gold, the University had to demonstrate progress in priority areas over a prolonged period. One of the areas recognised was the ‘Women into Leadership’ programme which involved the establishment and development of a mentoring programme, supporting representation in academic promotions, and increasing female representation in senior committees. Another area where the University has successfully introduced change is in the Returners Support programme which was commended by Advance HE as a great example of innovative good practice towards gender equality.  The programme is designed to provide flexible, tailored support for colleagues to reduce the impact of extended leave on career development. Prof Judith Rankin, Â鶹´«Ã½ Athena Swan The Athena Swan Charter is a framework which is used across the globe to support and transform gender equality within higher education (HE) and research. The University has held an Athena Swan Award since 2009, including two Bronze Awards (2009-2012, 2012-2015) and two Silver Awards (2015-2019, 2019-2025). The University is one of only four in the UK to achieve a Gold Award. Professor Chris Day, Vice-Chancellor and President of Â鶹´«Ã½ said: "The dedication, creativity, and hard work of colleagues and students have been instrumental in us achieving this Gold award.“It represents a major achievement for us in recognising our journey to date. But this is by no means the end and we will continue our efforts to improve the opportunities for women working at our University. Our challenge is now to ensure that all colleagues benefit from improvements in our policies and practice, as we work together, to deliver our ambitious action plan for the next five years.”   Share: Latest News Scientists unlock hidden driver of inflammatory bowel disease Scientists have linked a key genetic signal in inflammatory bowel disease to an immune response that shuts down inflammation control, enabling faster diagnosis and targeted treatments. published on: 15 June 2026 Funding system risks limiting genuine community collaboration A new policy paper written by researchers at Â鶹´«Ã½ warns that the way UK research is funded may be undermining efforts to create genuinely collaborative partnerships with communities. published on: 15 June 2026 Volunteers help turn Whitley Bay beach into maths experiment Members of the public joined mathematicians from Â鶹´«Ã½ to create what organisers believe is the largest aperiodic tiling ever attempted on Whitley Bay beach. published on: 15 June 2026 Facts and figures
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