Strategic plan 2021-2028

Vice Chancellor Graham Baldwin outside the new student centre
Foreword
Professor Graham Baldwin, Vice-Chancellor

As we approach our 200th anniversary in 2028, it’s the perfect time to revisit, refine and reaffirm our mission and strategy. 

We have a long and successful history of giving our students an outstanding higher education experience, enriched by real-world, practical learning opportunities and our second-to-none support services. We’re proud to offer these life-changing opportunities to everyone who can benefit from them, whatever their background or their personal circumstances.

Our Vision

We transform lives by delivering an outstanding educational experience, creating prosperity and opportunity in the communities we serve. 

Our Mission

To be recognised as a leading UK university, with national and international influence, delivering real-world, practice-based education from our Preston, Burnley, Blackburn (Training 2000), West Cumbria, and Cyprus campuses.

Our extensive curriculum offer, from the arts and sciences to medicine and engineering, is research informed and employer engaged. So, our students are assured of the highest quality learning experience and the best possible outcomes.

Our Values

Our values reflect who we are as a university and what we stand for. They define the things that are most important to us and nurture a sense of shared purpose. They reflect our ambitious nature, inspire us to constantly improve and to enrich the lives of our students, our colleagues and the communities we serve.

  • Achieving Together

    We achieve our ambitions through teamwork and collaboration.

  • Being Proud

    We take responsibility for and professional pride in the quality of our work.

  • Creating Opportunity

    We proactively create and seize every opportunity to flourish in education, at work and for life.

  • Supporting All

    Everyone matters. We show support, respect and compassion for our students, colleagues and communities.
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Our Aspirations

  • We’ll be seen as a leading modern university in the UK, delivering the highest-quality student experience.
  • We’ll never compromise on offering second-to-none support and opportunities for personal growth that gives our students the skills, knowledge and experience they need to succeed in life.
  • We’ll become more widely known for our exceptional teaching and learning.
  • We’ll be acknowledged as the world-leading research institution we know we are.
  • We’ll always champion equality, diversity, and inclusion to make sure our students and staff thrive, whatever their background.
  • We’ll be a catalyst for greater economic growth than we already are. As a leading civic university, we’ll work alongside our partners to strengthen the North West economy.
  • We’ll continue to increase our environmental sustainability and promote healthier lifestyles.
  • We’ll be acclaimed as innovators, delivering real-world solutions to educational and societal challenges.

Strategic Priorities

  • Priority 1: Student opportunity and success

    Our main priority must be, as always, the success of our students. We’ll enable them to seize every opportunity to flourish in education, at work, and for life.

  • Priority 2: Leading the way in modern learning

    Learning and teaching is at the heart of our mission to transform lives and enable people to achieve their full potential. That’s why we combine academic excellence with real-world learning.

  • Priority 3: Our people experience

    We must continue to attract and retain the very best talent and enable everyone to do their best work, if we’re to achieve our ambitions.

  • Priority 4: Real-world research, innovation and enterprise

    We’ll establish ourselves as a leader in research, innovation and enterprise within the modern university sector. With our already growing reputation as a research-intensive institution, we’ll be more research active

  • Priority 5: Our place in the world

    As an anchor institution with a multi-campus presence, we take our responsibilities seriously. It’s our duty to enrich the cultural lives of our communities and champion social progress.

  • Priority 6: Future proofing the University

    Our final priority is to become the exemplar in UK higher education for our regional championing of environmental awareness.

Looking further ahead

In an ever more competitive world, we must never become complacent in striving for our ambitions. The success of our strategy depends on innovation and continuous improvement to 2028 and beyond, so our KPIs will be monitored and reported on annually. In three years, we’ll review this plan against what we have achieved and if we need to adapt, we will, to maximise our opportunities for success by 2028.