Royal Holloway has earned an acclaimed award in race equality in the higher education sector. It is one of only five universities currently holding this distinction in the UK.
Royal Holloway has been honoured with a Silver Award under Advance HE's Race Equality Charter.
Royal Holloway has been honoured with a Silver Award under Advance HE’s Race Equality Charter (REC), an accreditation scheme designed to help higher education institutions identify and address systemic racial inequalities.
This work is an essential part of Royal Holloway’s vision as a University of Social Purpose, and deeply embedded throughout our strategy, RH2030s.
The Charter provides universities with a framework to critically examine institutional and cultural barriers that may hinder the representation, progression, and success of Black and global majority colleagues and students.
The Award panel commended Royal Holloway’s progress, stating: ‘The application presents clear evidence that race equality work at the University is underway and is having positive impacts, and there is a clear plan in place to continue and build on this work.’
Professor Tracy Bhamra, Provost and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global) and Senior Leadership Team Race Equality Champion expressed her gratitude to everyone who contributed to the application process.
“This recognition is a testament to our commitment to fostering an inclusive and equitable environment for all. I want to sincerely thank everyone who contributed to this effort,” said Professor Bhamra.
“While this is an important milestone, our work does not stop here. I look forward to continuing to champion race equity across our university and ensuring we create lasting, meaningful change.”
Chris Howorth, Senior Lecturer and Chair of the University’s Race Equality Group shared, “As part of our commitment to advancing race equity, we engaged in a University-wide process of deep reflection on our policies, practices, and culture which allowed us to identify gaps, uncover new opportunities, and strengthen institutional efforts in meaningful ways.”
“The award affirms our commitment to sustained progress, but we are fully aware that our continuous dedication to implementing change is key, and that extends beyond accreditation.”
“Looking ahead, our priority is to continue to work hard to embed race equality into the fabric of our institution—ensuring continued progress on our action plan as we advance anti-racist practice across the University.”
Anne Mwangi, Head of the Race Equality Charter, said, “Many congratulations to Royal Holloway on achieving a Silver Award. The award recognises the University’s commitment, leadership and significant progress in addressing inequality and promoting race equality across the whole institution.”
“We look forward to working with Royal Holloway to share their good practice so that other institutions can consider how this may apply in their contexts.”
Established with the UK higher education sector in 2015 to support and recognise commitment to tackling racial inequalities, the Race Equality Charter model – along with the Athena Swan Charter for gender equality – has been adopted by higher education institutions around the world to drive transformative change.
