RGU honoured for public engagement efforts

The award is granted by the NCCPE to higher education institutions to recognise their strategic support for public engagement and their commitment to improve the support offered. RGU was awarded the watermark following a robust assessment process involving staff from across the University community.

Judges praised RGU for its “many excellent examples of engaged practice” across the University’s teaching, learning and research and that “engagement is already an embedded part of your culture.”

Professor Nick Fyfe, Vice Principal for Research and Community Engagement at RGU, said: “This prestigious national recognition highlights the University's commitment to public engagement and the positive impacts we have made through working closely with our local communities.

“The award acknowledges RGU's exceptional efforts, particularly in areas such as engaged practice within teaching and learning, public engagement with research, student volunteering opportunities, and long-standing flagship initiatives such as Look Again organised by Gray's School of Art and Streetsport in collaboration with the Denis Law Legacy Trust.

“Additionally, our refreshed strategy, set out to transform people and communities and placing community engagement at its heart, was also recognised. RGU is honoured to be awarded bronze status, and I would like to express my gratitude to everyone within RGU and those in external partner organisations who contributed to this great achievement.”

Paul Manners, Co-director of the NCCPE said: “The NCCPE is focused on building an inclusive higher education sector where public engagement can thrive. We are delighted to award Robert Gordon University a bronze Watermark, which recognises their commitment to enhancing capability and building capacity for a flourishing engagement culture. Getting to know the engagement work underway at the university has been a delight.

“From the work with the Dennis Law Trust on Streetsport; the outreach into priority neighbourhoods; to the many rich and varied ways in which engagement is threaded through research and teaching – this is a university which cares deeply about its communities and how to work meaningfully with them. The award recognises this commitment to public engagement, and the ambition to build on these foundations.”

Just as a watermark runs through the fabric of a document, an Engage Watermark indicates that engagement runs through the fabric of an institution.

As part of the Watermark process, RGU have produced an ambitious three year action plan to take forward public engagement and the focus is now on implementing this.