Our Strategy: Citizen Student

Students in Chester city centre.
Chester city centre.

Modern Learning Historic City

At the University of Chester, we aim high, working in partnership with our students, staff and stakeholders in the region and globally. Located in our beautiful and historic city, we combine academic excellence with innovation, working alongside employers, cultural industries and enjoying the many benefits of the natural resources around us. We have outstanding staff, committed to our students, their research and our wider civic ambitions. Here, we set out our University Strategy. In our original Citizen Student Strategy, we focused on building social capital, creating a holistic student experience and lifelong learning. 

Our revised Strategy continues to place students at the heart of everything we do, but we also seek to enhance the University’s reputation as a beacon of academic excellence in the sector. Our vision is to be a global University where educational excellence transforms lives and delivers student success; a civic University where our region flourishes through impactful research and knowledge exchange; a financially resilient University with an outstanding estate and infrastructure and where sustainability and a service orientation shapes the work of us all.

Professor Eunice Simmons

Our Strategic Themes

Our revised Strategy contains seven core themes, each owned by a member of the Strategic Executive Team and underpinned by delivery plans and key performance indicators. 

1. Education and Student Experience

More students will continue, complete their course and progress to good jobs in our region, the UK and across the world. For student experience, we will be in the top 50% positivity rate of all universities in all student surveys we engage with.

Student in a Lecture engaged and smiling

2. Civic Value

Our role as a civic university defines us. We will make significant progress against our Access and Participation target milestones, increase our impact on the regional NHS and Public Sector workforce, and continue to enhance our Public Engagement activities in the region.

The Festival of Ideas team.

3. Research and Knowledge Exchange

We will significantly improve our performance in the Research Excellence Framework (REF2029) and continue with our strong performance in the Knowledge Exchange Framework year-on-year.

4. Global Impact

We will consolidate and build our reputation as a global University. We aim to improve our QS rankings and other league tables over the next years and will maintain our strong International Net Promotor score.

Graduation autumn 2023.

5. Infrastructure and Sustainability

Our university will continue to enhance its infrastructure and focus on sustainability. We will reduce our total CO2 emissions, improve our space utilisation and invest in services which will improve the digital capabilities of our staff.

Molloy Refurb Sept 2024

6. People and Culture

We will improve our leadership at all levels as well as strengthening our staff development, whilst continuing to embed an ethos of customer service excellence. Pride and a sense of purpose in our institution and its achievements will underpin our delivery of all of the themes.

Festival of Ideas Meeting at Chester Town Hall

7. Financial Resilience

In order to achieve the vision and to deliver real reputational gain for our University, we need to ensure we are fit for the future. We will have a greater focus on how we do our business and the Financial Resilience of the University.

a woman standing in from of a projector giving a presentation