Introduction
Strategy Introduction from Professor Paul Bartholomew.
I am delighted to be introducing our new University strategy: People, Place and Partnership which seeks to unlock our collective potential to deliver Sustainable Futures for All.
Ulster University is extraordinary. We are one of the most complex large institutions within the UK, successfully maintaining a dual focus on research and teaching while actively driving exemplary social mobility and civic engagement. We are a university that spans a region of great potential and great passion. Our focus on People, Place and Partnership tasks that passion with a purpose: to deliver Sustainable Futures for All.
Our organisational values define who we are - they shape our organisational culture, influence our behaviour, and underpin our achievements, that’s why we have placed them at the heart of this strategy. We act with integrity in our dealings with each other, we actively seek opportunities for collaboration, the enhancement of potential is central to everything we do, and we are inclusive as a place to study and as a place to work.
This strategy is brought forward at an unprecedented time for higher education as we face the challenge of emerging from the global pandemic and adapting to a changed learning landscape. The pandemic has challenged how people experience the world and although we are embracing new opportunities for how, when and where we work together to progress all facets of our sustainability agenda, we are deliberatively renewing our commitment to the notion of the campus-based university for all who wish it, with a significant expansion of fully online provision for those wishing to study at a distance.
For us, the commitment to campus-based education has an additional dimension as we are a multi-campus university and with this strategy we are re-committing to our pan-regional presence and all the opportunities this delivers for those who study with us, work with us, and partner with us.
Our strategic commitment to our multi-campus university model is not rhetorical, it is tangible. In accordance with our institutional value of integrity, this commitment will be matched by the patterns of our investment and enacted through our behaviours.
A commitment to campus-based higher education is, at its heart, a commitment to people. Learning, teaching, and research are social activities where people come together to create and disseminate knowledge through collaboration and partnership. Accordingly, we are committed to the creation and nurturing of shared spaces where people can co-locate and build communities of research-led learning across each of our campuses.
Through academic and operational excellence we are committed to the enhancement of the learning and social experiences of our students, to the widening access and participation of all in our communities, and to maximise their opportunities and success through the curation of an outstanding university experience. As a multi-campus university, we are acknowledged for our key role in creating exceptionally capable graduates and postgraduates for a wide spectrum of professions, workplaces and entrepreneurial endeavours.
Our investments and behaviours are also critical when we consider how we will deliver against our sustainability agenda. To contribute meaningfully towards a sustainable planet, sustainable local regions, sustainable academic disciplines and indeed our collective custodianship for a sustainable broad-based multi-campus university we must commit to change and have the confidence to invest accordingly.
Our place at the heart of Northern Ireland’s knowledge and skills ecosystem is highly developed, as is the part we play in economic growth and regional enhancement of cultural life. With over 27,000 students and 2,700 staff distributed across our campuses, our regional model is as unique as Northern Ireland itself; transformative for local communities, whilst making a sustained impact on the global stage. Building on our campuses as centres of excellence, our collaborative partnerships, and our sectoral leadership, Ulster University is making a difference every day, ensuring a lasting impact for individuals and communities alike.
We enjoy a national and international reputation for excellence in research and teaching while simultaneously playing a leading role in the enrichment of the social, economic, and cultural life of Northern Ireland. We are a university of, and for, the world. We believe in equality, we celebrate diversity and we foster inclusion. Through our critical role in fulfilling our global civic commitment and transforming lives we are delivering Sustainable Futures for All.
Professor Paul Bartholomew