Our values
Inspiring
We will provide an inspiring, enterprising and empowering experience for our students and staff.
Innovative
We value people for their creativity and update our knowledge and practice to enhance the student experience and improve our institutional performance.
Collaborative
We work together as a community with our partners and build lasting relationships to achieve our shared ambition.
Inclusive
We celebrate our diverse culture where everyone's contribution is welcomed and valued.
Excellent
We strive for the highest quality in academic delivery, research and service standards.
Our place shaping
We believe that universities have a role to play in a fair and democratic society and success for us is not measured solely by league tables but on the wider contribution we make to our place and to society.
Over recent years we have led the way on how communities and universities are now working together to share resources to provide an inspiring and accessible cultural offer to whole communities.
Our Cultural Spring project is encouraging students, residents, businesses, schools, artists and cultural organisations to collaborate on cultural activity and is successfully bringing communities together.
Our widening participation commitment
Our widening participation record is testimony to the work we do in raising aspirations and promoting social inclusion within our region.
The University is renowned for its supportive and nurturing approach to students, ensuring that everyone regardless of their background has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
The University’s Access and Participation Plan describes the work that it does to ensure that it is accessible to applicants from all walks of life and provides tailored support to enable students to succeed in terms of academic success and graduate level employment.
The University has an excellent track record in attracting and supporting students from underrepresented groups and is committed to raising aspirations at a local, regional and national level.
The University’s London Campus has been successful in attracting a diverse, vibrant student community. Sunderland based students are given the opportunity to broaden their horizons through exposure to a London based study and cultural programme.
Our collaboration
We foster partnership and collaboration through working with schools, colleges, employers, our students, and other institutions in the UK and across the globe. We are ambitious for our students and innovative in how we achieve those ambitions.
Collaborating and partnering is key to our success.
Our business engagement is outstanding: we support Nissan and its supply chain in delivering world-leading production capabilities. We partner with Hitachi Rail Europe to build a supply chain of skills through our new University Technical College, and we support our SME communities through our graduate placement and internship schemes.
Our vision
Our vision is to be bold and inspirational in providing education, research and creative practice, which offers transformative experiences to students, staff, communities and business partners in the UK and across the world.
The approach we take to meeting our responsibilities will help us to achieve this vision.
Our ambition
Our ambition is to be a leading anchor institution in the North East making significant social, economic and cultural contributions to our locality, displaying innovation, entrepreneurship, financial stability, efficiency and sustainability in our approach and delivery.
We will have a demonstrable impact upon our city and region, through engagement in enterprise, health, sport, culture, wellbeing and sustainability initiatives.
Our future
- We will develop our research, knowledge, skills and expertise to continue to make significant social, economic and cultural contributions to our environment
- We will engage with key partners and support areas such as health, wellbeing and enterprise
- We will promote culture in all its forms, sustainability and social cohesion
- We will build partner relations with key stakeholders and provide leadership in support of regional objectives and we will respond to the increasing globalisation of industry, commerce, science and the arts by building stronger links with partners across the world
- We will continue to be consistent and ethical in our activities and work with partners who do the same
- We will strengthen our national and international reputations for developing programmes that meet the needs of employers and work with businesses to provide students with relevant teaching that enhances employability
- We will continue to encourage our staff and students to engage with and support our communities. We will promote volunteering and a range of supportive initiatives
- We will be recognised as an organisation that excels in innovation and entrepreneurship, and which is significantly enhancing the culture of enterprise across the region
- We will collaborate with key partners in the health sector as we focus our expertise and support on the drive towards providing a healthier city