Our Strategy to 2031

We transform outcomes and futures for individual students, and for the communities and regions in which we are embedded.

Knowledge into action

This strategy is a refresh of the Middlesex University 2031 Strategy to honour our history, recognise our strengths and our ambitions, and chart a way towards 2031 and beyond.

It is designed to enable everyone in the University community, and the University itself, to achieve their potential and thrive in a changing world. Our future will be built upon the strong foundation of our past, of excellence in education, supported by our research and engagement, which is how we translate knowledge into action.

Explore Middlesex University's Strategy 2031

Our purpose

Knowledge into action

Our purpose is to educate, to create and share knowledge, for a fairer, more sustainable, productive and prosperous society.

Our vision

Our vision is to transform outcomes and futures for individual students, and for the communities and regions in which we are embedded.

We will achieve this through the provision of excellent, supportive, multi-disciplinary higher education with a global outlook, working with our partners, preparing our students for career success, lifelong learning, and leadership.

Our strategic priorities

Our strategic priorities are:

  • To be the higher education provider of choice for students and employers in the communities and regions where we operate
  • For our campuses to be anchor institutions, enduring and financially resilient, serving, supporting and sustaining their local regions.

Our Middlesex approach

We are committed to being the higher education provider of choice for students, and to supporting their lifelong learning and social mobility. Therefore, our students are at the heart of our actions and decisions. Empowered by Middlesex, we know they go further than they would have thought possible, and we are inspired by their journeys.

Everything we do and achieve is made possible through our people, culture and sense of shared purpose. We want all our staff to know that they contribute to the purpose of the University, to feel valued for it, and believe that Middlesex is a place where they can develop and grow.

We prioritise equity, inclusivity and fairness in all our activities and we expect that our people demonstrate this through our everyday actions and behaviours. We are committed to being a respectful, diverse and supportive community, where all our staff and all our students feel they belong and are valued.

Middlesex University is integral to the communities around us. We seek ways to work effectively with stakeholders outside the University, to shape our actions and benefit from other perspectives and from collaboration.

Strong relationships with our students, staff, alumni, employers, partners and community stakeholders are essential to delivering our shared goals. Our partners come from across disciplines, professional services, sectors and cultures.

Our integrating themes

  • Equity in health and wellbeing
  • Inclusive enterprise and creativity
  • Sustainable development.

About the development of our global strategy

Autumn 2021

Middlesex University launched our Strategy 2031 as a living document that evolves with our people and the external environment. It was originally developed through extensive consultation, with over 4,000 engagements with our community.

Spring - Autumn 2024

As an autonomous and global university, we have a responsibility to evolve in alignment to the changing needs of society, and to ensure we can be financially sustainable. Following her arrival in April 2024, our Vice-Chancellor Professor Shân Wareing worked with her team on a programme of work to adapt the original Strategy for a new era so we remain both ambitious and relevant, and with a shared vision and purpose for all our campuses.

The team met with people across campuses, roles, disciplines, and backgrounds and heard how their work contributes to our purpose, vision and priorities to ensure that the University’s Strategy can enhance what we do. The team considered this valuable feedback to finalise the refreshed document.

December 2024

The refreshed Strategy 2031 was approved by the University's Board of Governors.

Spring 2025

Leaders across the University have begun work with their teams and stakeholders to plan in detail how the Strategy will be taken forward in all areas.