The University of Manchester has named Marina Mogli and Adriana Bocu as this year’s Tors Award winners. The two tutors, who teach on the 10-week and 6-week pre-sessional courses, were recognised for qualities associated with Tors Squires and will receive funding to attend an English for Academic Purposes conference of their choice.
Key facts
- The Tors Award is presented each year to one or two pre-sessional tutors.
- This year’s recipients are Marina Mogli and Adriana Bocu.
- Both winners teach on the university’s 10-week and 6-week pre-sessional courses.
- The award supports attendance at an EAP conference of the recipients’ choice.
What this means for pre-sessional students and colleagues
The award is a recognition of the support, kindness and generosity shown by pre-sessional tutors during a busy teaching period. For students on the university’s pre-sessional courses, it highlights the role that day-to-day encouragement and guidance play alongside classroom teaching.
For colleagues across UCAE, the prize also serves as a way to recognise members of the pre-sessional teaching team. Nominations are reviewed by a small representative panel chaired by Rob Marks, Senior Co-ordinator of Pre-sessional Courses, who selects the recipient or recipients each year.
Who was Tors Squires?
The award was created in memory of Tors Squires, who worked as an English Language Tutor in UCAE from 2008 to 2017 before moving to Spain with her husband and children. She was later diagnosed with breast cancer and died at the end of 2019.
Her colleagues remembered her for warmth, positivity and kindness, and for the belief in the importance of “little acts of kindness.” The award is intended to carry those qualities forward by recognising tutors who show exceptional kindness, generosity and support for colleagues.
How are the winners chosen?
Nominations for the Tors Award are reviewed by a small representative panel chaired by Rob Marks, Senior Co-ordinator of Pre-sessional Courses. The panel selects tutors who reflect the values associated with Tors Squires during the demanding pre-sessional period.
