UHI Inverness celebrates double shortlisting for national college awards

UHI Inverness is poised for a potential double celebration this week after being shortlisted in two categories at this year’s CDN College Awards 2024.

Kelly Mackenzie, the ICT Project Manager at UHI Inverness, has been shortlisted for the Professional Services Colleague of the Year Award in recognition of the significant positive impact her many projects have had on the lives of its students.

The development of a Research Pathway for all staff, led by Head of Professional Development Fiona Gunn and Tertiary Education Leader Sharon MacFarlane, is a finalist in the Research Project of the Year Award. The Research Pathway allows any staff member to conduct research at a level that matches their knowledge and experience to further enhance the research culture at UHI Inverness.

The winners will be announced at a celebration ceremony in Glasgow on Thursday, 14 November 2024. The annual awards recognise the talent, innovation and achievement demonstrated by Scotland’s colleges, staff and learners. This year CDN received a record-breaking 163 submissions.

Kelly delivers effective ICT services to benefit students and staff, however her impact on campus life far extends the remit of her role. She runs The Larder, a campus food bank for students and along with Cycling UK, was instrumental in introducing an inclusive cycle scheme for students and members of the public with disabilities. The installation of a campus media wall was another of her accomplishments, and she has secured £50,000 for a proposed campus community garden with outdoor learning facilities.

Kelly said:

“I am delighted to be shortlisted for this award because my main goal is to improve the college experience for students, and this nomination recognises that campus initiatives, such as The Larder, contribute to the supportive and inclusive environment at UHI Inverness. I’m also looking forward to the awards ceremony as a welcome opportunity to celebrate with some of the many amazing colleagues who have helped me by supporting my work and projects.”

The Research Pathway encourages a research culture at UHI Inverness and includes the Enquiring Minds Scheme, a programme developed to encourage staff to engage in meaningful and impactful research at a beginner level. In 2023/24 it sponsored ten projects that all had a tangible positive impact on the student or staff experience.

Fiona Gunn, Head of Professional Development, said:

“I am delighted we have been nominated for the CDN Research Project of the Year Award 2024. Our submission focuses on the development and implementation of a research pathway for staff at UHI Inverness. We aim to support our staff to engage in research activity to build their research skills and produce outputs that enhance our student and staff experience. The pathway is designed to enable any staff member to participate and since it opened, staff from both curriculum and professional services teams have completed projects that will positively impact our students and the wider organisation. The pathway represents one aspect of the vibrant research culture at UHI Inverness and resulted from collaborative working between several different staff teams.”

UHI Inverness Vice Principal, Dr Lindsay Snodgrass said:

“We are thrilled to see both Kelly’s contributions and our research culture recognised on a national level. Kelly is an outstanding colleague who is well known for going above and beyond. She has a talent for identifying valuable projects and seeing them through with infectious enthusiasm and determination, and her commitment to students is completely admirable.

“Additionally, our Research Pathway has shown that when we enable all staff to participate in research, we create valuable inquiry that strengthens our institution as a whole.”