Introduction
Our Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nic Beech, explains the importance of our strategy and why the views of everyone in our community are critical to set our new long term direction.
Where we are today
Our achievements since 2017
Our current University Strategy 2017-2022 is coming to an end. We have achieved a great deal since this was developed and we are well placed to embrace the challenges of the future. Middlesex is an outstanding University, being ranked the second top university under 50 years old in the UK and 90th in the world. We play an important role in transforming lives with practice at the heart of what we do.
The challenging context for our strategy
There is no question that we are living in changing and challenging times. Our new University strategy needs to recognise the social, political, cultural, economic and technological contexts in which we are operating, while being true to our core mission and values. In order to thrive in the coming decade, it is crucial that our new strategy stays true to our heritage while adapting to the needs and opportunities of the future.
The need for confidence, ambition and focus
We need to move forward to our next chapter with a renewed sense of confidence and ambition to pursue top quality in all we choose to do and in relation to the outcomes we can achieve with and for our students. It will mean focusing on areas where we can be world-leading, where we can be innovative, interdisciplinary and international in our approach. This will mean enhancing the connectivity of our community, internally and through partnering, as we work on shared areas of interest and strengthen how we use our educational and research outputs to impact on issues which influence the lives of people in London and around the world.
Looking to the future
Our ambition for 2031
By 2031 Middlesex will be a successful global university, operating at new levels of accessibility, working in new forms of partnership and developing new understandings of the world through which our growing community influence it for the good. We will grow our knowledge-producing, practice-leading community, including staff, students and partners in an outstandingly collaborative culture. We will be widely recognised for our leading work to shape a better world through flexible education, impactful research and strong engagement with practice. We care for our whole community and we care about enhancing how things are done in our fields of expertise and the impact that expert practice has as a part of society.
A step-change in academic and financial outcomes
Looking ahead to the next decade, we will face an increasingly competitive global higher education sector, greater expectations from all stakeholders, significant shifts in technology, intensifying regulation and more constrained financial circumstances.
Clearly, ‘doing more of the same’ will not drive the step-change needed in academic and financial outcomes – it is only if we are both ambitious and focused that we are likely to thrive. We need to move forward with a real clarity of purpose. This means building on key strengths, and equally identifying what we need to stop doing to build consensus around our collective ambition and shared future. This is a long-term strategy and we need to be realistic and learn lessons from the past in not trying to do everything at once. As we seek to improve the quality of what we do, it is more important to do fewer things well than spread ourselves too thinly.
Your views and engagement are important
I hope everyone will take some time to consider this consultation document and contribute views and comments through the consultation engagement events, discussions, online tools and surveys. We are hoping to generate lots of discussion, and we’ve created some interactive ways to engage – you can comment, react to and vote on what you see.
Your views will be critical in shaping our new University Strategy to navigate the challenges ahead, retain our unique identity and write the next successful chapter in Middlesex University’s history.
Professor Nic Beech
Vice-Chancellor
Explore our strategy
Our strategic priorities and focus >
Download our Strategy on a page >
Got more to say?
We’d love to hear from you at [email protected]
Engage with our strategy
These ideas are a starting point – now it is over to you. Have some fun and tell us what you think of this proposal.
Shape the strategy >