Keele University
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The Neil and Gina Smith Student of the Year Award
The Neil and Gina Smith Student Of The Year Award comprises a cash award of £5,000 to recognise a student of outstanding achievement at Keele University.
Read about Keele's Students of the Year:
2012: Andreas Steffensen
2011: Amy Chapman
2010: Darrell Simkins
2009: Sam Creavin
2008: Rachel Wiggett
2007: Suzy Stokes
2006: Heather Phillips
About the Student of the Year Award
Neil Smith graduated from Keele University in Physics and Economics in 1980. Neil was President of the Students Union in 1979, President of the Athletic Union in 1978 and Speaker of the Union in 1980. He won full colours in Rugby, Football and Cricket and ran the popular Five-a-Side leagues. Neil joined the graduate journalism programme of Thomson Regional Newspapers and went on to write for the Sunday Times. In 1982 he won a Knox Scholarship to take an MBA at the Harvard Business School, from where he graduated with honours in 1984. After Harvard, Neil joined McKinsey and Company in New York, where he met his wife, Gina. After working in the UK in the early 1990’s Neil returned to New York in 1997 to form a specialist consulting company, Promontory Growth and Innovation, which helps the Chief Executives of Fortune 500 companies to dramatically improve their earnings. Neil is the President of the Keele University North American Foundation and head of the Keele alumni association in North America. Neil sits on the International Advisory Board of British American Business, Inc (the British American Chamber of Commerce) and is a member of the Harvard Business School Alumni Board. Neil and Gina Smith helped to establish the Neil and Gina Smith Student of the Year Award in 2006.
Criteria
The criteria for the Award are:
Outstanding academic excellence / achievement together with outstanding achievement / contribution as an individual to student life and/or the university.
(i) To meet the criteria for outstanding academic excellence/achievement, applicants should demonstrate any one or a combination of:
- An expectation at the time of the application to obtain First Class Honours in class mark aggregate
- A Distinction, or equivalent exceptional achievement, in a major piece of examined independent work such as a project or dissertation
and
(ii) To meet the criteria for outstanding achievement/contribution as an individual, candidates should demonstrate any combination of the following:
- An achievement or contribution in citizenship in the form of making a difference to the life of the University community (this could include work on or off campus such as volunteer activity)
- An achievement or contribution specifically connected to a sport or sporting activity
- Overcoming hardship, disability or other personal adversity
Applications and Nominations
Applications and Nominations are invited annually from final-year undergraduate students for the Award.
The closing date for the 2012 Award is Friday 4th May 2012 at 5pm.
