This academic year has been full of incredible achievements, countless awards and many fun and exciting events here at the University of Westminster. While almost impossible to narrow down to just ten, here are some of the highlights from the 2022-23 academic year - in no particular order.
1. Celebrating the fifth birthday of the award-winning Westminster Working Cultures employability programme
The Westminster Working Cultures (WWC) programme has celebrated its fifth birthday this academic year. Since its launch, it has run ten UK programmes, 13 international trips and supported over 900 students. WWC enhances Westminster students’ employability by connecting them with the University’s global network of diverse alumni and partners who inspire and help prepare them for the world of work.
Last summer, Westminster Working Cultures UK won a Gold award in the category of Alumni Relations/Alumni Relations Pivot, as part of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Circle of Excellence Award. This academic year alone, 426 students took part in a WWC international or UK programme, including 172 who had the chance to go on an international adventure to Washington DC, Toronto, Mumbai, Cairo, Milan, Barcelona, Singapore, Berlin, Brussels or Paris. The two WWC UK programmes of the academic year saw 254 students take part in activities around London and go on trips to Manchester and Belfast.
2. Hosting Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ student event
Westminster hosted National Student Pride for the ninth time back in February. With over 2,000 students attending, it was the largest LGTBQ+ student pride event in Europe.
The weekend of celebrations included panel discussions on addiction, sobriety, intersectionality, and the social complexities of identity and being queer in a global context. Throughout the event there was live music, the UK’s largest LGBTQ+ careers fair, National Student Pride Awards and a Bottomless Drag & Burlesque Bunch, hosted by Drag Queen’s King Dolley Trolley and Don One.
3. Being ranked within top 20 UK universities in latest Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES)
Westminster placed 18th nationally in PRES 2023, increasing its overall satisfaction rate to 83%, the highest score the University has ever achieved and significantly above the sector average (79%). The outcome was underpinned by a robust response rate of 52% at Westminster, compared to a sector average rate of 30%.
The success in PRES 2023 continues to build upon the University’s strategic commitment to developing a vibrant interdisciplinary research community and culture which is fully inclusive of PhD students, and to providing an exceptional student experience which exceeds national benchmarks for student satisfaction.
4. Celebrating the King’s coronation
Westminster celebrated the coronation of King Charles III and his wife Camilla, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom, by remembering the numerous occasions he visited the University.
The University was also proud to have the Head of Music Research Professor Shirley Thompson OBE commissioned by King Charles III to compose new music for the Coronation Service. Professor Thompson was among 12 world-renowned musicians who composed pieces for the ceremony, including Andrew Lloyd Webber, Patrick Doyle, Nigel Hess and Judith Weir, Master of the King’s Music. Along with this achievement, she was also named as one of the UK’s most influential people of African, African Caribbean and African American heritage on The Powerlist for the thirteenth this academic year.
5. Securing £5.8m funding and planning permission to develop the UK’s most inclusive centre for employability and enterprise
The University of Westminster secured a £5.8m grant from the Higher Education regulator Office for Students (OfS) to build innovative training spaces at 29 Marylebone Road. With planning permission now granted, the nine-storey building, located just across the road from the University’s Marylebone Campus, is set to become the UK’s most inclusive centre for employability and enterprise. It is due to open in 2024 and will bridge the gap between education and the business world.
6. Westminster students attending the first UN conference on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Eight students from the University of Westminster attended and presented at the first international academic conference on Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs), entitled Why It Matters. It was organised by the United Nations Department of Global Communications (UN-DGC) and hosted by the Utah Valley University (UVU) in the United States. The University of Westminster received the invitation to the conference following acquiring UN-DGC Associate status.
Led by Dr Sahar Taghdisi Rad, Course Leader for International Relations and Development BA Honours, the students from the School of Social Sciences delivered a comprehensive group presentation on Sustainable Universities, highlighting the ways in which Westminster contributes to the SDG agenda through research and teaching, sustainable campus initiatives, and the forging of meaningful and sustainable partnerships.
7. Westminster alumna becoming the first Asian and first Muslim President of the Law Society of England and Wales
Lubna Shuja, an alumna of the Law LLB Honours course, is the first Asian, the first Muslim and the seventh woman to be President of the Law Society of England and Wales in its nearly 200-year history. Lubna is a solicitor who dual-qualified as a Civil and Family Mediator. Lubna joined the Law Society as a Council Member for Sole Practitioners and was the Chair of the Law Society's Membership and Communications Committee. She is also a member of the Law Society's Board and a member of the Birmingham Law Society Council.
8. Westminster students showing off their work as part of London Fashion Week and London Festival of Architecture
Westminster graduates from the Fashion Design BA course featured their collections at Marylebone Campus on 9 June as part of London Fashion Week 2023. The runway show showcased the work of 14 students who were selected by an industry panel. This year’s graduates explored Afrofuturism, tactile jazz inspired knits, the 1960s French new wave, opulent Iranian layering, 1940’s hop pickers, the paintings of Richard Smith, Polish folk costume and sculptural 3D printed prosthetics.
The creative successes did not stop there, with Westminster organising a series of events and activities across London to celebrate London Festival of Architecture, with many organised by the University’s School of Architecture and Cities. The festival served as a platform for architects, designers and enthusiasts to engage in a series of exhibitions, installations, talks, tours and workshops.
9. Westminster’s student employability initiatives winning UK University and Educator Awards
Westminster has been ranked #1 in the UK University and Educator Awards by Forage. The awards are aimed to honour the top UK institutions finding innovative ways to set their students up for success in the workforce. Westminster was among the UK's top 30 universities for work-based learning and achieved an overall score of 91.8. The University was recognised for its Work-Based and Placement Learning Project (WBPL), the University-Wide Electives, and the Westminster Employability Awards.
10. Opening The Gallery Coffee Shop giving Westminster students across all disciplines a space to exhibit and sell their artwork in Central London
In a bid to boost students’ employability and finances in the cost-of-living crisis, the University of Westminster launched The Gallery Coffee Shop at Regent Campus. It is the only independent artisan café on Regent Street, one of the busiest streets of London. Visitors can enjoy sustainably sourced coffee and food while admiring the unique student artwork which is on display and for sale through a dedicated online store.
