The Uni of Herts has been awarded a nationally recognised Race Equality Charter Silver Award!

This award acknowledges the sustained measures being taken to create a fairer, supportive and more inclusive community. It's a significant milestone that showcases Herts' continued commitment to embedding race equity for both students and staff. Your feedback through things like Herts Unfiltered has helped contribute to this progress - and it will continue to shape change and strengthen us. You can find out more here.

On this, the uni's Race Equity Advocate, Ella, has shared the below...

• This October, the University of Hertfordshire has been awarded Advance HE’s Silver Race Equality Charter (REC) award.
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• Having a Bronze REC award since 2015, we are now one of 11 institutions in the UK that have been awarded this level of award. This is a positive step for the university, recognising our work to tackle racial inequalities at Herts, within the higher education system.
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• Herts community is diverse, with 31% racially minoritised staff and 79% racially minoritised students. This award allows us to celebrate our ethnic diversity and further embed an inclusive culture and environment where everyone can thrive, regardless of race or ethnicity.
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• The Race Equality Charter aims to support higher education institutions in addressing and removing racial inequalities. As a member of the REC, the University of Hertfordshire aims to improve degree outcomes and employment rates for racially minoritised students, raise awareness of racial inequality within higher education and unite national and international students and staff.
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• Efforts to reduce the awarding gaps and other race-related objectives identified from our student Race Equality and Herts Unfiltered surveys continue. Findings identified that students did not always know how to identify discrimination, and so we have developed actions around increasing awareness about what discrimination is and how to report it. The survey also reflected that our diversity calendar of events could be expanded to include more cultural celebrations. Work on this has already begun with the events offered by Hert SU this October to mark Black History Month. We continue to embed anti-racist approaches and inclusive practices across the student journey to improve students’ sense of belonging and to dismantle systemic, cultural, and institutional barriers.
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• To receive the silver award, the university had to complete an evidence-based self-evaluation, including what it was doing well and where it could improve. We also demonstrated that race equity initiatives and projects have improved representation, progression and degree outcomes. The REC 2026 is a marker of how far we have come since our last award in 2021, but also, more importantly, a reminder that our invaluable race equity work does not stop here. Staff and students can get involved at any stage to share views, comments or experiences with the EDI team at edi@herts.ac.uk.