Over the past year, as we shaped<\/span> From Manchester, for the world<\/span><\/i><\/a>, that question surfaced again and again. Not in abstract terms, but in very practical ones: How do we want to show up in the world? What do we want to be known for? What kind of university do we aspire and need to be?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For me, one of the clearest answers to this is: we do our best work when we work with others.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This is hardly a new idea. The University was founded as a civic institution, created not to stand apart from its surroundings, but to serve them. Yet, as we look ahead to 2035 and beyond, partnership becomes something deeper than a heritage we celebrate. It becomes a defining leadership choice.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Why partnerships matter more than ever<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The world we are moving into is not one where a single organisation, discipline or sector can hold all the answers. Climate change, health inequalities, social fragmentation, AI-driven disruption don\u2019t respect boundaries. They spill across them.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Partnerships matter because they accelerate solutions, combine strengths, and connect ideas with a world that needs them. When we join forces with others, we multiply our ability to create positive change. The most powerful innovations of the next decade in digital health, sustainable energy, advanced materials or education access will emerge from collaboration.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Increasingly, leadership is not about having all the answers but about convening the right people around the right questions. And universities, at their best, can be extraordinary conveners.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The great universities of tomorrow will be those that can bring people together: scholars and citizens, industries and innovators, governments and communities, cities and global networks.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But only if we choose to be.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Partnerships ask something of us: curiosity, openness, humility, patience. They ask us to work differently<\/span>:<\/span> often slower at first, often with more uncertainty, but ultimately with far greater impact. They require us to listen before we speak, and to understand that expertise comes in many forms, not only those measured through academic metrics.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As I reflect on the strategy, it is this shift from being excellent on our own to being excellent with others that feels most significant.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n What makes Manchester a partner worth choosing<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Of course, this isn\u2019t the beginning. Fantastic partner-driven initiatives already make us who we are.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When organisations choose to work with us, it is rarely because we have the biggest building or the most polished presentation. It is because something about Manchester resonates.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n They see a university that carries its civic story with pride, one rooted in working-class education, in major scientific breakthroughs, in cultural and political movements that have shaped the modern world. They see a university that is global but grounded, ambitious but purposeful, confident but not closed. They see, I hope, a set of values that are not ornamental, but lived: knowledge, wisdom, humanity. They see excellence combined with purpose.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Looking forward to the next 10 years and beyond, if we wish to be a partner of choice, we must do even better – excel in our performance and show even greater purpose, resonate with our partners and address the needs of a fast-changing world.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n From Manchester for the world, our new University strategy to 2035 has five leaps \u2013 bold choices where we\u2019ll go further and faster to become the university the future demands. We challenged our students to explain each in just one minute. Can they beat the clock?<\/p><\/div>\n Partnering with donors in a shared mission<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Philanthropy is another form of partnership that deserves deeper reflection.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Philanthropy isn\u2019t separate from our academic mission; it isn\u2019t an external resource that supports it from the outside. But our donors are among our most committed partners. They share our belief that knowledge should change lives. They invest not only their resources but their trust, their ambition and often their personal stories in the work we do.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n What strikes me most, whenever I meet our donors, is how aligned their motivations are with our values. They are not supporting Manchester because we are large, or old, or prestigious. They support us because they see in our University something of their own hopes for the world.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n They see education as a force for social mobility. They see research as a driver of fairness, progress and human wellbeing. They see our civic mission not as rhetoric but as responsibility.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For example, sustained philanthropic support for the\u202f<\/span>Global Development Institute\u202f<\/span><\/a>has allowed us and donors to\u202ftogether address\u202fsome of the biggest challenges facing the world such as global inequality.\u202fThis\u202fhas\u202fhelped shape research that changes policy, transforms communities, and quite literally improves lives across the world.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Partnership with donors is a deeply human form of collaboration. It is built on shared purpose, on mutual respect, and on the belief that impact requires collective effort.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Our recently launched <\/span>Challenge Accepted<\/span><\/i><\/a> fundraising and volunteering campaign is, at its heart, a testament to this, a statement that philanthropy is not an add-on, but a core part of how we will achieve the ambitions of Manchester 2035.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In the years ahead, we will need to deepen these relationships, to listen to our donors as thought partners, to align more clearly around shared priorities, and to recognise that philanthropy is not only about raising funds but about raising our sights.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When donors choose to partner with Manchester, they are choosing the kind of future they want to be part of.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Partnership at the heart of our strategic ambitions<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As we developed the strategy, it became clear that partnership isn\u2019t just one aspiration, it\u2019s the thread connecting them all.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Our research has the greatest impact when shaped with those who will use it. Our students learn most deeply when connected to real-world contexts. Our global ambitions grow fastest when anchored in local purpose. Our people flourish when they feel empowered to collaborate across boundaries. Our civic mission is strongest when pursued together with our city and region.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So, partnership is not just the fifth Leap of Manchester 2035. It is the way each of the Leaps become real.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Looking ahead: a leadership choice for all of us<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Reflecting on the decade ahead, I do not see partnership as an institutional tactic. I see it as a leadership stance for all of us. A stance that says: we lead better when we lead with others, we learn more when we listen, we grow stronger when we share what we know, we create impact when we create it collaboratively.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Manchester has never been short on talent, creativity or ambition. But what will define us in 2035 is our ability to bring others into that story, to make space, to build bridges, to take risks together.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And that, to me, is the essence of what a truly civic, truly global, truly future-facing university can be.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n One question to discuss:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n What might each of us do in our roles, our teams, our daily interactions to make this University not only excellent, but collaborative, welcoming, and unmistakably a partner worth choosing?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_post_nav _builder_version=”3.17.6″ prev_text=”Previous” next_text=”Next” in_same_term=”off” locked=”on” \/][et_pb_comments _builder_version=”3.17.6″ custom_button=”on” button_text_color=”#ffffff” locked=”on” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”Related posts” _builder_version=”3.17.6″ locked=”on”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_sidebar admin_label=”Subscribe” _builder_version=”3.17.6″ area=”et_pb_widget_area_3″ locked=”on” \/][et_pb_sidebar _builder_version=”3.17.6″ area=”sidebar-1″ show_border=”off” locked=”on” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Every so often, we pause long enough to look up from the day-to-day and ask ourselves a deceptively simple question: What are we about?\u00a0Over the past year, as we shaped From Manchester, for the world, that question surfaced again and again. Not in abstract terms, but in very practical ones: How do we want to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":521,"featured_media":4185,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" [et_pb_section bb_built=\"1\" fullwidth=\"off\" specialty=\"on\" _builder_version=\"3.17.6\"][et_pb_column type=\"2_3\" specialty_columns=\"4\"][et_pb_row_inner admin_label=\"Row\"][et_pb_column_inner type=\"4_4\" saved_specialty_column_type=\"2_3\"][et_pb_post_title _builder_version=\"3.17.6\" featured_placement=\"above\" locked=\"on\" \/][et_pb_text _builder_version=\"3.17.6\"]<\/p> When I\u2019m out and about meeting staff I hear much debate about the why, what, when and how of change in our University. I wanted to share my thoughts on this often contentious topic \u2013 and hear your views too.<\/p> Early in 2020 we will launch our University\u2019s new vision and strategic plan \u2013 Our future. In order to fulfil Our future we need to ensure that we are in a financially sustainable position so that we have the funds to invest in the new staff, facilities and infrastructure which will be needed to bring our plans to life.<\/p> Our Financial Statements<\/a> for 2018\/19, which have been published following approval by the Board of Governors, confirm that more than 95% of our \u00a31.1bn income is spent on our core goals - on our staff and our students - to deliver research, education and social responsibility; with the remainder invested in the long term sustainability of our University. You can find a summary<\/a> of the Financial Statements on StaffNet.<\/p> However, this is a testing time for UK universities, due to the many external factors that have an impact on us - current home tuition fees are falling in real terms, whilst our costs (not just pay but non-pay too) are increasing. There are further and even greater tuition fee funding risks outlined in General Election manifestos as well as a range of Brexit-related risks that could affect our operations. The Office for Students (OfS) demands that we demonstrate both value for money for our students and our financial sustainability (in the sense of being able to invest to deliver our ambitious strategy, rather than survival). There are, of course, also ongoing unresolved national issues around pay and the continuing challenges around funding pensions in the higher education sector.<\/p> Our Financial Statements show an improved operating surplus (3.7% of income compared to \u00a324.7m (2.3%) in 2017\/18), with a rise in income from tuition fees, education contracts and research. As I mentioned earlier, we re-invest the surplus we achieve each year in activity in line with our strategy. Recently our funds have been used to create some new academic and Professional Services posts; to invest in key infrastructure including IT; to invest in some new buildings like our student accommodation at Unsworth Park; to improve the student experience by funding more full-time Residential Life staff and to upgrade a range of buildings and research and teaching spaces and resources. Increasingly it is also invested in environmental sustainability and meeting our ambitious carbon targets. So even when we are making difficult decisions in some parts of the University we continue to invest our surplus.<\/p> Whilst we have reported an operating surplus, our Board of Governors expects us to deliver a much larger surplus than this (at least 5%) if we are to be sustainable in the long-term. Our strategic change programme (including IT Modernisation<\/a>, the Student Experience Programme<\/a>, and the Research Lifecycle Programme<\/a>), alongside our continuous improvement plans, will ensure that we create the financial headroom to invest in people and facilities. The strategic change programme will also enable us to embrace new technologies and new ways of doing things that better support all our staff and students to be the best that they can be.<\/p> Yes, this means that some individual roles will change. New roles (some that we haven\u2019t yet identified) will be created and some roles will no longer be required. I appreciate that this will cause some uncertainty and where that is the case we will do everything we can to support staff, but the alternative is that we never change anything. If we fail to take advantage of advances in technology and develop more joined-up ways of working we will ultimately find ourselves outdated in the eyes of future students, funders and other stakeholders. Staff want to work for a progressive and successful institution, of which they can be proud. This means we cannot stand still.<\/p> When I talk to staff and students I often hear their frustrations about how difficult it be can be to get some straightforward things done, grappling with paper-based, manual and repetitive processes, on outdated systems and infrastructure, all of which serves to increase staff workloads. Everyone wants to do a good job, but regularly feel that our world-class status is earned in spite of our internal systems and processes, not because of them.<\/p> To deliver our new vision and strategic plan we will need to embrace new opportunities and face challenges with courage and determination. That will sometimes mean we have to make tough decisions and no-one is claiming it will be easy or that mistakes will not be made along the way. But where we do have tough choices to make we will commit to implementing changes fairly and with compassion to support the wellbeing of all our colleagues.<\/p> [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_post_nav _builder_version=\"3.17.6\" prev_text=\"Previous\" next_text=\"Next\" in_same_term=\"off\" locked=\"on\" \/][et_pb_comments _builder_version=\"3.17.6\" custom_button=\"on\" button_text_color=\"#ffffff\" locked=\"on\" \/][et_pb_text admin_label=\"Related posts\" _builder_version=\"3.17.6\" locked=\"on\"]<\/p> [related-posts-thumbnails]<\/p> [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=\"1_3\"][et_pb_sidebar admin_label=\"Subscribe\" _builder_version=\"3.17.6\" area=\"et_pb_widget_area_3\" locked=\"on\" \/][et_pb_sidebar _builder_version=\"3.17.6\" area=\"sidebar-1\" show_border=\"off\" locked=\"on\" \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,11,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-manchester-2035","category-slt","category-uncategorised"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/521"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4078"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4078\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4184,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4078\/revisions\/4184"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Watch](\"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/138\/2024\/12\/Leap-in-a-minute-yt-thumbnail-1-1-1024x576.png\")
<\/a>Related<\/h1>\n
Related posts:<\/h3>
Patrick Hackett: Slowly emerging from upheaval - an opportunity to do things differently<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/a>
From Manchester, for the World: turning our innovation ambition into action<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/a>
Patrick Hackett: A very different start to our academic year<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div>
Improving our financial performance will help to deliver our ambitious future plans, but we must also increase our capacity to create the funds and time to invest in our core goals. One of the ways we can do this is by changing what we do and how we do things.<\/p>Related<\/h1>