1. Global Lounge: Community and Belonging
- Push for a dedicated physical space on campus where students can come together, build community and develop a stronger sense of belonging.
- Create a space that can host a range of student-led activities, including:
- Language Café
- Cultural and community events
- Large commemorative and celebratory events
- Activities that bring different student communities together
- Ensure the space particularly supports international and postgraduate students by providing a dedicated place to connect, build friendships and feel part of the university community.
- Make the Global Lounge a space that is open and welcoming to all students.
2. Postgraduate Education: Professional Development and Career Readiness
PGR Professional Development
- Work with the Doctoral College, Centre for Learning and Teaching, faculties and schools to strengthen professional development opportunities for PGRs who teach.
- Push for greater recognition for PGRs who mentor other Graduate Teaching Assistants.
- Support GTAs and PGRs to access professional development opportunities, including the Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy pathway.
- Ensure that teaching and mentoring experience is properly recognised as part of PGR professional development.
PGT Career Readiness
- Work with the Careers team and the university to strengthen career support for PGT students as they approach the end of their studies.
- Ensure PGT students have access to the guidance, opportunities and resources they need to transition confidently from university into employment or their next step.
- Link career readiness closely with my wider priority of transition support.
PGR Career Readiness
- Work with the Careers team and the University's Professors of Practice to embed career development throughout the PhD journey.
- Ensure that support is available at key transition points, from first year through to the final year.
- Help PGRs develop the skills, experience and professional networks they need to be career ready.
- Ensure career support is not only available at the end of the PhD, but is built into the student journey from the beginning.
3. Transition Support
- Develop a stronger approach to supporting students throughout the different stages of their university journey.
Pre-arrival Support
- Work with relevant university teams to ensure new students receive clear information and support before arriving at university.
- Ensure students know what to expect and where they can access support before they arrive.
Arrival and Induction Support
- Work to ensure that induction properly supports students, particularly international and postgraduate students, as they settle into university life.
- Ensure students are aware of the Students' Union, what we do and the support, representation and opportunities available to them.
Progression Support
- Ensure students have the right support as they move from one year or stage of their studies to the next.
- Link progression support with PGR career readiness, ensuring that students receive appropriate guidance and opportunities at each stage of their academic journey.
Transition Out Support
- Ensure students have the support they need as they prepare to leave university and move into their next phase.
- Focus particularly on careers, employability and professional development.
- Ensure students leave university feeling prepared, supported and confident about their next steps.
4. Emerging Issues and Continuity
- Supervision: Continue working with the Doctoral College on the finalisation and implementation of the supervision paper, which was part of the Top 10 priorities last year.
- International Communities: Work with other Students' Unions and relevant partners to deliver events and initiatives that are important to our international communities, including Black History Month.
- Doctoral Community: Support the creation and development of the new Doctoral Society to strengthen the postgraduate community.
- Postgraduate Network: Continue developing the Postgraduate Network established last year to ensure postgraduate students have meaningful opportunities to connect and build community.
- Postgraduate Belonging: Ensure postgraduate students feel that the Students' Union is genuinely for them, with stronger opportunities for representation, community and belonging.
- Continuity: Build on the work already started while ensuring that emerging issues affecting international and postgraduate students are identified and acted upon.
View my full manifesto
My Manifesto