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This week we are publishing our new strategy - »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ 2035: Creating Progressive Futures – flourishing, sustainability and progress for the whole world. To mark the occasion, we are looking back at how the strategy was developed, with this article focusing on our transformational themes: environmental sustainability, human flourishing and digital and data futures.

The themes were developed over the course of eight engagement events hosted by Vice-Chancellor Professor Sasha Roseneil – two for all staff to attend and six with subject matter experts from a variety of academic and professional services backgrounds. The aim was to identify the biggest challenges facing the University over the coming decade and to think about how we could respond through our new strategy. Over 200 people attended these events, providing more than 450 comments and questions, including posing the following:

Environmental sustainability

• How do we engage with students about the challenges environmental sustainability in theoretical and practical ways?
• What does it mean to practice academic disciplines in a sustainable way?
• How do we make our campus buildings and infrastructure resilient and adaptable to the negative impacts of climate change?

Human flourishing

• How do we define and measure human flourishing?
• What aspects of human flourishing are social, and what aspects are individual?
• How can the University support flourishing for students, staff, and the wider world?

Digital and data futures

• How do we use transformative digital technologies in our teaching?
• How do we adapt to a mobile-first, highly personalised digital world?
• How do we support staff and students use digital tools effectively?

These are just some of the questions and subjects that will guide the work of The »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ School for Progressive Futures, our new flagship hub for interdisciplinary education, research and global and civic engagement.

The School for Progressive Futures will be a space for cross-University cooperation, rooted in our values of collaboration, inclusion, and openness. Working within the University’s foundational commitment to academic freedom, as expressed in our Charter and Statutes, and seeking to promote and support freedom of speech, diversity of belief and method, the meaning of ‘progressive futures’ will always be subject to discussion and debate and will serve as an open concept signifying a commitment to innovation for equitable and positive environmental, social, and technological change.

To find out more about the School and our transformational themes, visit the »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ 2035 webpage or download a copy of strategy.