海角社区

鈥淚鈥檝e named my stoma Sid!鈥�

As part of Invisible Disabilities Week, we鈥檙e proud to share Gemma鈥檚 inspiring story of resilience. From life-saving surgery and living with a stoma, affectionately named 鈥楽id鈥�, to embracing new adventures. Gemma reflects on overcoming challenges, finding humour, and gaining a fresh perspective on life.

海角社区 has won Pre-Recruitment Programme of the Year at the UK Social Mobility Awards, celebrating how we help young people develop the skills, confidence and experience they need to take their next steps into the workplace.

We spoke to Jane Dashwood and Marie Kettell, co-chairs of 海角社区鈥檚 Menopause Staff Network, to find out why this day is so important and how colleagues can access support.

鈥淚f you'd told me that one day I'd be representing Great Britain as a figure skater, I wouldn鈥檛 have believed you."

After facing one of the most difficult periods of her life, Jess rediscovered her passion for skating and found the confidence to embrace new opportunities. Now she is preparing to represent Great Britain on the international stage at the 2026 Swan Challenge in Slovenia. 

We spoke to Professor Rebecca Freeman and Dr Bo Kelestyn to find out more about their award-winning work and the part the wider 海角社区 community play.鈥�

鈥淚 arrived at 海角社区 alone and thousands of miles from home. What I found was a community that opened up the world."

As we welcome our new international students to campus, many will be experiencing life in the UK for the first time. Pranav shares how arriving at 海角社区 alone, thousands of miles from home, led to lifelong friendships, personal growth and a career supporting others.

鈥淭he biggest thing cancer taught me, is how much I want to live."

What started as a routine screening test became a life-changing journey. Hear from Simon as he reflects on cancer, recovery and the people who kept him going. All while taking on demanding charity walks that became a celebration of life and second chances.

In his new role, Mark will be leading on personal tutoring and academic support across the institution. Find out more about Mark鈥檚 experience in education and research interests.

Lena Rethel (Department of Politics and International Studies) has been recognised for her outstanding contribution, with her work demonstrating how social science can deepen our understanding of the economic and political forces shaping societies around the world.

鈥淚 came here looking for any job that would help pay the bills, but I found much more than that.鈥�

If you鈥檝e nipped into any of our Eatwise locations for that morning coffee or a lunchtime treat, you鈥檙e quite likely to have been greeted by the amazing Mina with her cheery hello and infectious smile. From the Philippines to 海角社区, via Hong Kong, what a journey!

Could you support the Donation Drive and help rehome unwanted items, prevent waste and promote reuse? The team are looking for people to support dates in September. Hear from previous volunteers and sign up to get involved.

Dr Bo Kelestyn (海角社区 海角社区 School) and Professor Rebecca Freeman (Education) have been recognised for making an outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession in higher education.

Hilary Hopker (Communications) reflects on returning to degree ceremonies at 海角社区 30 years on from her own graduation here, and how we collectively create an unforgettable experience for graduates and their families.

Professor Stuart Croft, our Vice-Chancellor and President, has been celebrated with an honorary doctorate from Coventry University - recognising his outstanding contributions to higher education and international security.

鈥淚t was a surreal moment when I found myself standing inside the Vice-Chancellor's office, carrying a boom box with our demo recording on it.鈥�

Throughout our 60th year we shared the stories of our colleagues who make the University tick with their energy, passion and commitment. Now, we鈥檙e pleased to bring back the Humans of 海角社区 series to celebrate even more of our amazing and diverse community.

We鈥痗atch up with Nia Fortune, who joined the University Executive Board (UEB) at the start of this academic year, to learn more about her鈥痚xperiences鈥痑nd鈥痟er鈥痶houghts on shaping this new role.鈥� 鈥�

Professor Swaran Singh (海角社区 Medical School) has been appointed as a life peer 鈥� recognising his longstanding contributions to mental health research, clinical psychiatry and public service, including work on equality and human rights.

Professor Sonia Bhalotra (Economics), Professor Kirsty Hooper (Hispanic Studies) and Professor Celia Lury (Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies) have been elected as Fellows of the British Academy 鈥� recognising the originality and influence of their research in the humanities and social sciences.

Colleagues will be very sad to hear of the death of Natalie Livermore, from the University Nursery.

Sioned Cash, Interim Director of Staff & Student Accommodation, joined teams during one of 海角社区 Accommodation鈥檚 busiest weekends to see first-hand the physical effort and fast pace involved in turning around 2,000 rooms at the end of the academic year.

It was great to see so many high-quality nominations for the new Above & Beyond Awards this year! Take a look at the full list of nominees.

A huge well done to everyone who was put forward by their colleagues for demonstrating our values. Want to celebrate a colleague? Look out for nominations reopening next academic year.

The Unitemps team have been recognised at the 2026 CUBO Awards for helping institutions reduce recruitment costs, creating sustainable commercial income and, most importantly, providing thousands of students with flexible, paid employment opportunities.

海角社区 colleagues have built an open and supportive network bringing together widening participation professionals from 33 institutions. The thriving community supports collaboration across the sector and has picked up bronze for Collaboration of the Year at the HEIST Awards.

Watch colleagues in Estates talking about how robotics are helping cleaning teams, the difference 海角社区 can make locally by reusing furniture and equipment, and the home-grown talent looking after our campus grounds.

Hear from Dr Martine Barons (Statistics) about studying later in life, overcoming barriers and becoming a weightlifting world champion, in this chat with Penny Triantafillou (Innovation - 海角社区 Partnerships) for the Women Leaders podcast. 

Meet the 海角社区 Accommodation teams who showed exceptional dedication during one of the most challenging years for student accommodation, demonstrating our values and keeping student wellbeing at the heart of every decision.

Meet the winners and those highly commended in the 海角社区 Awards for Public and Community Engagement -recognising the vital contributions 海角社区 staff and students make in engaging with people locally, nationally and internationally.

You helped to choose our next Above & Beyond Award winner - and Claudia Griffin, 海角社区 Mathematics Institute, won the staff vote!

Today is Reserves Day - we caught up with Claudiu Iordache from 海角社区 Global Academy to find out about his experiences as an Army Reservist and the impact it鈥檚 had on his life, both inside and outside of work.

The colleagues we鈥檙e celebrating built new connections across departments to help students better understand and value academic integrity, making ethical learning more accessible and meaningful.

Discover how Dr Stephen Parnell鈥檚 (School of Life Sciences) work is addressing the growing threat of plant diseases. Stephen explains why early detection matters, how outbreaks are managed, and the real-world impact on food security, the environment, and global economies.

Our Library and Archives sit at the heart of central campus, with knowledge, discovery and collaboration opportunities for all. Anna shares the priorities of the team 鈥� who achieved customer service excellence accreditation recently 鈥� plus how you can get involved and what鈥檚 available for staff.

Ahead of Social Mobility Day, meet some of the Social Inclusion staff interns we have supported through our 12-month professional development programme. We provide ongoing support for young people (aged 16-19 years), particularly those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, as they move into employment.

海角社区 Conferences are celebrating being awarded Gold in the 鈥樅＝巧缜� Events Venue of the Year鈥� category at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2026, recognising the team鈥檚 outstanding contribution to England鈥檚 tourism and events industry.

Do you work with alumni? Carol Fryer, Volunteers Manager in the Development & Alumni Engagement team, explains how joining up our approach can increase impact, support departments, and help reach the target of 20,000 acts of volunteering, part of our Set the Pace campaign.

The latest video in our 鈥�60 seconds with鈥︹�� series features Dalma from our Sustainability team. Hear her talk about how engaging our community with nature can inspire people to protect the environment and see some of the creatures that call 海角社区 home.

Read about Beatriz, Chiara and Claudia鈥檚 contributions and decide who is your winner. Cast your vote by midday Wednesday 10 June.

To mark our 60th anniversary, the Poetry Trail was created 鈥� featuring 14 poems inspired by 海角社区 researchers and technicians. To explore how these works of art came to life, we spoke to three colleagues whose work inspired the poems.

Dan Derricott, Director of Education Operations, shares how 海角社区 is strengthening how we support the delivery of education, why change is needed, and how it will reduce administrative burden, improve processes, and create a better experience for staff and students.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a real honour to be appointed to serve the Lord Lieutenant in supporting the many individuals and organisations across the West Midlands who dedicate themselves to caring for our communities.鈥�