Widening Access For Multi-ethnic & Minority Groups

Important: Nominations have to be received by email, mail or fax by Monday 30th June 2008

Aims of the ‘Xcel Students of the Year Award’ Scheme
To recognise and celebrate the achievements of students from a multi-ethnic or minority group background, and who have demonstrated excellence.

*Also see ‘Institution of the Year’ Award details at the end of this document

Who Can Be Nominated
Any student currently attending any UK college or university and undertaking a post-school qualification, diploma or degree.

Bearing in mind the aims of this Award Scheme, students from a minority group or multi-ethnic background can also include women, the disabled and those from a deprived or challenged background.

Nominations have to be from students involved in the 13 subject areas (that have deliberately been drawn in a wide and inclusive manner). There are also two additional awards for ‘Xcel Student of Courage’ and the overall ‘Xcel Student of the Year 2008’.

The 13 Topic or Subject Areas for nominations (five nominations maximum, per subject area)

• Humanities
  
• Business & Commerce
  
• Engineering & Technology
  
• Creative Arts & Media
  
• Performing Arts
  
• Sciences
  
• IT, Computing & the Web
  
• Social Sciences
  
• Healthcare
  
• Sports
  
• Built Environment
  
• Law
  
• Education

Award winners will be titled by topic, such as the ‘Xcel Science Student of the Year’

- see below for details and advice on ‘how to nominate’ students

‘Xcel Student of Courage’
This special award is designed to recognise the achievement of students from exceptionally challenging backgrounds that may also include financial or social privation, or disability, or refugee status; amongst any that you feel worthy of acknowledgment. We wish to give nominating universities and institutions as free a hand as possible with this award.

The ‘Xcel Student of the Year’
will be chosen from those chosen as award winners within the topic areas, as well as from five finalists from the ‘Student of Courage’ award.

How To Nominate Your Students (subject and topic awards)
You can nominate any of your current students for these awards, they have been deliberately drawn wide enough to include students studying any UK degree programme. You may include nominations of those who have recently graduated within 12 months prior to 30th June 2008.

You will receive or be able to download nomination forms (click here to open and download) that have deliberately been made as simple as possible. The forms reflect the criteria that we have suggested that you use when making nominations. That is, an even recognition of your assessment of your student in both academic and personal terms.
Forms have to be filled in, but can be added to with additional comment, by photocopying the form and labelling it ‘Page 2’. Nominations must be emailed, posted or faxed to us (see contact details at the end of this), and we suggest you keep copies in case of loss and the need to resend. Nominations received after 30th June 2008 will not be considered.

Nomination Format
Student nominated should be judged by you to have fulfilled two main criteria, firstly academic achievement and secondly, personal development and achievement.

Academic Achievement – 50%
We wish to leave nominating university staff relatively free to personally assess academic achievement.

Some way wish to recognise those who have achieved or are forecast to achieve, an upper second or above. Others may wish to recognise academic achievement based on a start and completion comparison, that might allow for a student projected to achieve a lower grade (such as a third) to be nominated.

Similarly, you might wish to include an assessment of the student’s academic understanding of, and commitment to, the subject s/he is studying. We suggest that you award 50% of any overall marking system you use to this judgement.

Personal Achievement and Development – 50%
The Award team also wish to give university staff involved in assessing their potential nominees, a free hand in judging this area; whilst bearing in mind that 50% of any overall marking or judging system you wish to use should be devoted to this.

You may wish to assess your nominees based on their cultural, family, social or economic backgrounds, as well as their individual personality and attitudes. Similarly, you may vary as to how you judge issues such as race, gender and disability; as well as your student’s non-academic activities and achievements. You may also wish to consider your student’s personal (and academic) achievements prior to their attendance at your institution. (That is, what they had to achieve in order to reach you in the first place).

Marking and Judging
Once you have assessed and decided upon which students you wish to nominate, we ask you to very briefly explain your reasoning in the nomination form.

All comments and assessments will be kept strictly confidential and will not be revealed to any third party (other than appointed award judges) without your explicit consent. Similarly, no institution will be allowed to use, divulge or reveal details of any part of the nominations it makes, nor of the individuals they nominate without the explicit consent of the organisers.

Once all nominations are received, an appointed panel will decide upon award winners and runnersup (who will be titled ‘Highly Commended’). This process will be completed and award winners and their institutions informed, well in time for the Award Event (to be held in October 2008).

It is anticipated that winners will be invited to attend the Award Event with a possible partner and parents (maximum four including winner), as well as one individual from their nominating institution (five in total). Award winners will be publicly presented with their awards and also be invited with their attending guests, to enjoy a post-presentation celebration party.

Xcel Institution of the Year
Xcel and its participating partners in the ‘Xcel Student of the Year’ Awards, also wish to recognise and celebrate at least one university or institution that has achieved significantly, in terms of widening participation and the life-prospects of multi-ethnic and minority group students.

There will be no set nor rigid criteria used to nominate and judge institutions in this award, which can be made by the institutions themselves or by any attending student. The judges will be briefed to look especially for evidence of increasing participation of multi-ethnic and minority students at the nominated university or institution. Similarly, they will welcome evidence of increasing participation in the life and activities of the university, of such students.

However, nominations may well be directed at specific achievements within additionally targeted topics such as female or disabled access. Nominations may be made purely on the basis of one student nominating their institution based solely on their own personal experience. Please give the judges as much detail of facts and achievements, rather than just aims or policy.

It is anticipated that besides one winner of the ‘Xcel Institution of the Year’ award, that the judges may wish to commend up to four other institutions in general or specific terms.

Again all information
received is strictly confidential and cannot be released or revealed without explicit permission from both the nominees, award winner and the Organisers.

‘Xcel Student of the Year’ Organisers:
SR Media on behalf of ‘Xcel’ magazine and its various media partners including; The Voice, Young Voices, Pride, Kiss fm.

Nominations and Contact Addresses
Email: xcelawards@srmedia.net
Post: Xcel Nominations Dept, 4th Floor,
101 Southwark Street, London SE1 0JF

Fax: 0207 401 7233 (title faxes ‘Xcel Nominations’)
Tel: 0207 401 7333

Event Organisers: Details of the Awards Event,
its location and its appointed organisers will be
announced at a later date.