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Top business school award is presented to Isle of Man student

OU Business School student Diane Brown is celebrating after being named one of the top achievers among the School’s thousands of undergraduate students.

Diane, of Port Erin, was presented with the School’s BA (Hons) Business Studies Student of the Year award in recognition of her top-rating performance in her studies. She is one of eight winners who were presented with awards at a prestigious ceremony on the Silver Sturgeon on the Thames, London.

An assistant programme manager at the Isle of Man College, Diane completed the business studies programme at the end of 2005.

Diane, whose husband Jim has also studied with The Open University, chose to join the OU Business School’s BA (Hons) Business Studies programme after recognising that she needed to develop her skills and update her knowledge.

“I was also attracted by the OU Business School’s reputation and the high regard in which it is held by employers,” she added. “Since I started studying, my role at the college has changed – I used to spend most of my time training adults in the use of IT, but now I’m heavily involved in curriculum development and teach a much wider range of subjects.”

Her work has included overseeing a number of new projects, including the introduction of the European Computer Driving Licence to the Isle of Man College.

“I’ve been able to apply the skills and knowledge I have developed through my studies,” she added.

Other winners at the ceremony included students of the year on other OU Business School professional development programmes; the awards were presented by Professor Brenda Gourley, Vice-Chancellor of The Open University.

Professor James Fleck, Dean of the OU Business School, congratulated Diane on her well-deserved award. “Many thousands of our students successfully combine work, study and other commitments. To do that and to achieve first-class results, as Diane Brown has done, is an exceptional achievement that we are proud to recognise in the presentation of this award. Her achievements and her success make her an outstanding example of our hard-working and dedicated students.”