What connects us:
People, place and purpose
What connects us:
People, place and purpose
The University of York is not defined just by its departments, its buildings, or even its strategies, but by how its people come together to achieve what none of them could do alone.
What connects us - and what makes us distinctive - is the strength of our relationships: with one another, with the places we shape and inhabit, and with the shared purpose that brought us here.
So we are forging a university where:
- people are valued, genuinely, consistently, not just in principle
- collaboration is how we work, not something we schedule
- our spaces, systems and decisions reflect our values
- every individual can point to their work and say that this is part of something that matters.
When we feel connected to each other, to our environment, and to a shared purpose, we make a difference.
By strengthening the ties between people, place and purpose, we are not just shaping a better university, we are building a community capable of making a difference that lasts.
York voices
What our community told us
"I think the most important thing is getting people into societies and getting people making friends, because that's what university is all about."
“Staff morale, motivation, wellbeing - we need to ensure we have buy-in and it’s in the new strategy. People, place and purpose is great to see as it captures what so many staff think and feel.”
"The real reason that I love my job is that I, and every one of us, have the opportunity to make a difference, and one small thing can change people’s lives… University was never an option for me, but here I am, at York, learning new things and meeting new people. Let's celebrate that."
"We should use AI for learning, but more carefully. AI is inevitable so we need to learn how to use it appropriately while still engaging our brains. You can't stop students using AI, so help them to use it in a constructive manner."
"Progression opportunities are there if you seek them – and where paths don't yet exist, you can find support to build one. But listening to the Professional Services voice will be integral to supporting that development."
“Our student body come from represented communities (disabled, trans, first in family, young carers) and we should really raise the visibility of how our students are engaged, happy and chose to come to York because of the support and care we provide - a university of public good in action.”
How we're rising to this challenge
Our strategic priorities
Empowering our community to flourish
To cultivate a culture that combines professional excellence with personal wellbeing, ensuring every member of our community feels supported, valued, and empowered to flourish.
Collaborating without barriers
To maximise institutional capability through collaboration, eliminating organisational barriers that limit interdisciplinary collaboration across academic disciplines, and uniting academic and professional expertise in solving the complex challenges the University faces.
Opportunity open to all
To design transparent and equitable career pathways with a clear, merit-based development framework for all academic,
professional, and technical roles, ensuring that growth and opportunity are visible and accessible to all.
A testbed for change
To establish the University as a living lab, a testbed for change that applies academic insight and professional services expertise in fields like health and wellbeing, technology, and sustainability to address real-world challenges on our campuses.
Shaping our civic future
To nurture opportunities for community engagement that ensure all of our staff and students have the time and support to contribute meaningfully to university and local civic life.
Empowering our community to flourish
To cultivate a culture that combines professional excellence with personal wellbeing, ensuring every member of our community feels supported, valued, and empowered to flourish.
Collaborating without barriers
To maximise institutional capability through collaboration, eliminating organisational barriers that limit interdisciplinary collaboration across academic disciplines, and uniting academic and professional expertise in solving the complex challenges the University faces.
Opportunity open to all
To design transparent and equitable career pathways with a clear, merit-based development framework for all academic,
professional, and technical roles, ensuring that growth and opportunity are visible and accessible to all.
A testbed for change
To establish the University as a living lab, a testbed for change that applies academic insight and professional services expertise in fields like health and wellbeing, technology, and sustainability to address real-world challenges on our campuses.
Shaping our civic future
To nurture opportunities for community engagement that ensure all of our staff and students have the time and support to contribute meaningfully to university and local civic life.
Paving the way
Key projects and initiatives
INCLUSIVE IMPACT AWARDS
Hold high-profile annual Inclusive Impact Awards for staff and students, celebrating contributions from all backgrounds to community cohesion.
transformation of campus
Deliver an ambitious programme of engagement with staff and students on plans for the transformation of campus over the next decade.
WELLBEING STRATEGIES
Implement wellbeing strategies for staff and students aimed both at tackling obstacles to wellbeing and harnessing the benefits to wellbeing of creative and supportive community initiatives.
Professional services reward and recognition
Enhance opportunities for career development for professional services staff.
INSTITUTIONAL AI STRATEGY
Develop an institutional AI strategy to consider, with staff and students, how AI can benefit research, teaching, learning, student life and university operations, supported by a training programme to secure those benefits.
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