Advance HE’s Athena SWAN Charter was established in 2005 to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment in higher education and research.

In May 2015 the charter was expanded to recognise work undertaken in arts, humanities, social sciences, business and law (AHSSBL), and in professional and support roles, and for trans staff and students. The charter now recognises work undertaken to address gender equality more broadly, and not just barriers to progression that affect women.

The School receives national recognition for its work on gender equality

On 24 June 2019, Dr Line Nyhagen, who has successfully led the School’s work on gender equality towards gaining an Athena SWAN Bronze Award, took part in the Equality Charters Award Ceremony at the University of York together with Dr Catherine Armstrong, the School’s new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead. The full-day event, packed with speeches, was organised by Advance HE, who administers both the Gender and Race Equality Charters. We are proud to be the first non-STEM School at Loughborough University to receive an Athena SWAN Award.

The national panel members who evaluated the School’s submission commended the extent of good practices embedded in the School, the strong commitment to the Athena SWAN process expressed by the Dean, Professor Nicholas Clifford, and the wide-ranging consultations undertaken by the School in establishing key aims and actions to further strengthen gender equality. Dr Nyhagen noted that the School’s annual Barbara Bagilhole Award for the best student paper on equality and diversity, inaugurated in 2017, received special mention at the award ceremony. 

-          Statement by the Interim Dean about EDI Commitment (need to source from Darren)