This year’s NUS Internationalisation Awards were rather fittingly hosted at The Warwick Integration Summit, a unique event that examines how universities and students’ unions can best work together to promote integration between domestic and international students and attracts leading academics, practitioners, universities and students’ unions.
The NUS Internationalisation awards are sponsored by UKCISA, who alongside the NUS created the concept three years ago to honour the work of students’ unions, education institutions and individuals dedicated to improving the international student experience.
As well as a unique venue, this year’s awards also added a new category: “Best Careers Support” for International Students, won by The University of Birmingham. A full list of winners is published at the foot of this story and includes “Internationalised Student Union” and “Internationalising the Student Experience” categories.
“We added a category for Best International Careers Support for international students, but also for UK students looking for international careers opportunities”
NUS International Students’ Officer Daniel Stevens told The PIE News that having the awards given out at The Warwick Integration Summit meant students’ unions and institutions could “share ways of working more closely in the future.”
“We added a category for Best International Careers Support and NUS and UKICSA felt this area was extremely important for internationalisation,” said Stevens.
“It’s important both for international students that want careers advice that works for them in the UK and at home, but also for UK students looking for international careers opportunities,” he added.
Nominations were sent to experts in each of the areas from students’ unions, institutions themselves, and sector bodies such as Universities UK and the Association of Colleges. Winners were then decided based on their scores, and the shortlisted nominations also received recognition.
“I’m absolutely delighted to have won International Student Officer of the year,” said Alex Kohnert, International Student Officer at The University of Sheffield, which also succeeded in the Internationalising the Student Experience category.
He noted that the shortlist was packed “full of really great student representatives, and there are many more who weren’t even nominated who would have been worthy winners”.
“International students are often pushed to the back of the queue in UK higher education, so awards of this nature are really important,” continued Kohnert. “The work recognised at these awards by NUS and UKCISA is groundbreaking and very important. By incentivising it we hope that more students’ unions and universities will get involved.”
Winner of Student Advisor of the Year, Michael Allhouse from The University of Bradford told The PIE News: “I was absolutely amazed to win, but really delighted. I already consider myself incredibly lucky as I dearly love my job, I get to be with international people all day every day and to be recognised for it is even better.”
Full list of winners of the NUS Internationalisation Awards 2014:
Excellence in International Student Support HE
Edinburgh University Students’ Association
Student Advisor of the Year
Michael Allhouse, University of Bradford
Internationalised Students’ Union
London School of Economics Students’ Union
Internationalising the Student Experience
University of Sheffield and Sheffield Students’ Union
Excellence in International Student Support FE
City of Glasgow College
International Student Officer
Alex Kohnert, Sheffield Students’ Union
Best International Careers Support
University of Birmingham
International Student of the Year
Pei Ling Choo, Glasgow Caledonian University
