Our 2030 plan

Welcome

Queen Mary university is made up of a wide and diverse range of students. As a Students’ Union, we exist to make sure that every single one of our students gets the most out of their time here and our 2030 Strategy outlines our big plans to achieve this.

Our mission

We listen, we act, we improve students' lives

Our vision

Our vision is for every student to feel they belong, in an environment where wellbeing, inclusion and community are at the core of everything we do. We will ensure every student is empowered to grow and thrive throughout their time at University and beyond into their future lives.

Our values

  • Supportive

    We provide support, guidance and a helping hand to students during their time at university, ensuring we foster an environment that is caring and reassuring to all. When we’re not able to directly support, we endeavour to work in partnership with other University and external services to make sure we always get students to the right place to be supported.

  • Our 2030 plan

    We embrace our vibrant and diverse community at Queen Mary, celebrating individuality and freedom of expression, whilst fostering a sense of understanding and respect. We listen to the voices of all students, address inequalities and remove barriers to participation to ensure everyone can grow and thrive whilst at university. When our students have differing opinions, we always seek to be fair and balanced in our approach.

  • Our 2030 plan

    We exist for students. We empower students to have their say, lead and create change together. Students are at the heart of our decision-making and by always listening to them we’re able to pro-actively respond to the changing priorities and needs of students.

  • Our 2030 plan

    We are ethical and socially responsible, demonstrating our integrity across all that we do. We take responsibility to reduce our impact on the planet, learning from others on integrating ethical and environmental good practice across our services, whilst making sure students have the support to do the same in their own lives.

  • Our 2030 plan

    We are always open, transparent and respectful, consistently being fair and honest with students and our partners. We strive to freely share information, whilst always listening to feedback, to continually improve what we do.

  • Our pillars

    Our strategic pillars bring the work of the Students’ Union together and span across all that we do. The pillars are ambitious and highlight our priority areas, outlining what we will focus on and what our outcomes will be across all of our campuses over the coming years.

    A QMSU receptionist talking to four students Five students wearing hi vis jackets, litter picking along the Thames

  • Pillar 1

    We will build an authentic student voice

    We listen, but there's more to hear

    Currently, we rely heavily on student representatives to amplify student voices, often leading us to overlook individual nuances. This results in an incomplete understanding of the student experience and feelings of being unheard.

    We will empower students to have their say

    By introducing more diverse and contemporary feedback channels, we will make it easier for a wider range of students to have their say. Student insights will lead our decision-making, helping us to foster authenticity and make students feel genuinely valued.

    Building an authentic student voice

    What success looks like

    More students will give feedback at least once per academic year and, in return, will feel the Students' Union listens to them.

  • Pillar 2

    We will support meaningful connections

    Establishing friendships can be challenging

    Despite the availability of social and recreational activities, the shift to hybrid learning and online lives has left students grappling with the challenge of forming genuine in-person friendships, leading to feelings of isolation.

    We will support meaningful connections

    Acknowledging that students now face unique challenges will see us taking a fresh perspective in helping them to meet new people and develop lasting friendships. We will remove the expectation on students to establish inclusive student communities alone by creating a wide-reaching, eclectic range of activities with strong guidance and support.

    Supporting meaninfgul connections

    What success looks like

    More students have opportunities to connect with other students and feel part of a student community.

  • Pillar 3

    We will resonate with every student

    Not everyone feels seen, heard or informed

    We provide a fantastic range of opportunities and communications for our collective student body but often students can feel their individual needs are overlooked. Channelling personalised support can help, but we currently rely heavily on student leaders to offer this.

    We will support meaningful connections

    We’ll ensure every student feels valued as part of the Students’ Union, by identifying the most positive impacts we can have on individual experiences. We will build a stronger connection to each student community, by blending targeted activities and communications alongside our wider all-student engagements.

    Resonating with every student

    What success looks like

    More students from a wider range of demographic groups engage with us and say their Students’ Union is relevant to them.

  • Pillar 4

    We will prioritise students' mental health

    There is a decline in mental wellbeing

    Irrespective of whether you’re reading data from national studies or analysing trending topics on social media, it’s starkly evident that the current student experience is one that can be filled with stress, anxiety and feeling overwhelmed.

    We will contribute to positive mental health

    we will listen to students' current challenges to offer an accessible and supportive experience continually adapting to their needs and positively impacting wellbeing. Working collaboratively with students and other partners, we will aim to create a community thriving on communal support by addressing structural barriers that impact mental health.

    Resonating with every student

    What success looks like

    Fewer students say their main concern is feeling stressed or overwhelmed and more students say we have a positive impact on their wellbeing.

Behind the scenes

We can’t deliver our ambitious new plan without our dedicated operational staff helping to make it happen. This is a small snapshot of our teams behind the scenes.

Supporting our people

Our people are key to the success of the Students’ Union, bringing their diverse expertise and commitment to deliver for students, empower student leaders and achieve our goals. We will foster a culture of honesty, support and teamwork to create a great working environment, whilst offering training, development and wellbeing opportunities to allow everyone to succeed.

Improving communications

Informed by our in-house research and feedback from over 800 students, our brand and identity will be refreshed to ensure we are authentic and reflective of our new mission and values. We will also continue to build on our approach of moving to more relevant and targeted communications to improve our connections to our student communities.

Taking climate action

We will take climate action across the whole university by developing new, ambitious targets, championing the student voice and re-imagining some of our flagship sustainability events; Climate Action Week and the Re-use Fair. We will also increase our visible actions, embedding sustainability across operations from finance and procurement, to recycling and engagement.

Sound financial foundations

We generate income through our commercial services and reinvest the profits to enhance the student experience. Alongside this, we receive support from a university block grant and in-kind contributions, enabling us to provide essential services such as clubs and societies, welfare support, and amplifying the student voice. We are committed to focusing our resources on the key priorities outlined in our strategy.

Strong commercial services

Our outlets are so much more than just shops, bars, cafés and a gym. These are important student-led spaces where students can come together to study, socialise, relax and have fun. They’re also home to many of our clubs and societies’ student-led events, activities and training sessions. We are not-for-profit, and every penny we make goes straight back into improving students’ lives.

Download our 2030 Strategy guide