SEED Debra Whitehead Award for Service Excellence - 2025
31 Jan 2025
The SEED Debra Whitehead Award for Service Excellence commemorates Debra’s significant contributions to the University of Manchester.
The SEED Debra Whitehead Award for Service Excellence has been established to honour the memory of Debs Whitehead, who sadly passed away on 2 April 2024 at the age of 61 after a short illness. This award commemorates Debs’ significant contributions to the University of Manchester.
After graduating in History at the University in July 1985, she began her career at the Institute for Development Policy and Management (IDPM, now the Global Development Institute) in September of the same year. It seems fitting to launch this award in early 2025, 40 years on from when Debs’ journey at Manchester began. Debs spent her entire working life in the Faculty of Humanities, initially in IDPM and then in the newly created School of Environment and Development from 2004.
She worked as a programme administrator supporting postgraduate taught and research students for many years before advancing to senior operations roles managing a range of operational activities and processes across SED, and then in SEED from 2013. Debs exemplified service excellence, always being at the heart of the Unit in which she worked. She was a focal point, a ‘font of all knowledge’, and provided advice, guidance and support to everyone who came to her office. Debs treated everyone equally whether they were students, colleagues, visitors, and she had a knack of solving the most challenging problems, with efficiency and a touch of humour. Her welcoming nature and high standard of support made her a beloved figure, and her approach to service excellence was at the core of the University’s values.
Purpose of the award
The aim of this award is to recognise, celebrate and reward a member of SEED PS staff for the highest level of service excellence, in alignment with the University’s PS vision.
The purpose of the PS vision is to deliver great experiences which strengthen our academic reputation, in partnership with students and colleagues in pursuit of our core goals of Teaching & Learning, Research & Discovery and Social Responsibility.
The definition of service excellence is to create outstanding stakeholder experiences that lead academic staff, students or other PS colleagues to fully appreciate the level of PS support provided and enable the School to continue building a reputation of exceptional service delivery.
Guidance for submissions
SEED are therefore looking to recognise a SEED PS colleague who demonstrates the following in their day-to-day role:
- Prioritising service excellence: Engaging brilliantly through cross-boundary working and building meaningful connections with others to improve our service delivery. Acting as one to do what's best for the University "one University mindset."
- Being proactive: Paying attention to the stakeholders’ needs and offering help before they ask.
- Being friendly: Being inclusive, enthusiastic and welcoming, and greeting stakeholders with a smile and being courteous and respectful.
- Asking for feedback: Learning from stakeholders and using their feedback to improve our service delivery.
Other elements of good customer service include: Prioritising quality over quantity, creating accessible support options, and troubleshooting collaboratively.
Process for submission
- Calls for this annual award will align with the timeframe and deadlines for the annual PS Rewarding Exceptional Performance scheme.
- Cases should be prepared by Line Managers and be no more than a single page of A4 outlining how the individual staff member demonstrates they have worked in ways that align with the principles and guidance above.
- Submissions should be sent to the SEED Director of School Operations.
- All applications will be reviewed by the School REP panel with one award winner announced each year.
- The award will be a £250 voucher (voucher type to be chosen by the individual from the preferred supplier list).