Culture and Creativity Strategic Plan 2023-2030
At Loughborough University we believe that culture and creativity should be an essential part of all our lives. Culture enriches our understanding and appreciation of the world, introduces us to new ideas and new ways of living, and supports our mental health and wellbeing. Through a high-quality cultural and creative offer, we will enhance our student and staff experience, our marketing, recruitment, and research; and add value to our local community and environment.
Vision
We will champion the benefits that culture and creativity offer to us as individuals and in supporting the wider ambitions of the university.
Principles
- Culture plays a pivotal role in supporting our recruitment, animating our campus, and stimulating the staff and student experience.
- Culture contributes to our understanding, awareness and appreciation of different communities and communicates our wider values and beliefs.
- Culture stimulates important conversations and collaborations, ignites innovation, and makes visible our research activities.
- Culture transforms our wellbeing, supports self-expression and social interactions, as well as providing life-long creative learning.
- Cultural activity enhances our environment and energises our wider community. It celebrates our rich heritage and offers real benefits to the sustainability of our wider town and region.
Goals
- Nurture our students’ creativity through an accessible and high-quality programme that offers skills, knowledge and learning, and adds value to future employability.
- Amplify our research and public engagement through authentic collaborations between disciplines, activating interdisciplinary dialogues and making visible our outstanding research culture.
- Celebrate the diversity of our community, embed culture within our EDI objectives, and harness cultural activity to communicate positive messages about our inclusive campus.
- Campaign for improved campus arts facilities. Advocate for visible, accessible spaces that are equipped to support a creative campus.
- Champion the mental health and wellbeing benefits of culture and creativity, delivering meaningful programmes to support our staff and students.
- Enhance our campus environment with art and sculpture, deliver activity that contributes to its sustainability, and celebrates its rich heritage.
- Extend our activity beyond campus into Loughborough, developing adventurous new partnerships and contributing to the prosperity and wellbeing of our wider region.
Nurture
Goal
To nurture our student’s creativity through an accessible and high-quality arts programme that offers skills, knowledge and learning, and adds value to future employability.
Key deliverables
- Ensure the contribution is recognised within the Student Experience Core Plan
- Initiate meaningful partnerships with Careers and Student Enterprise, that contribute to ambitions around widening participation and employability.
- Support digital literacy through a programme of creative engagements with technology.
- Create live learning opportunities in event management, curatorship, and marketing.
- Opportunities for students to present work.
- Partnership with Student recruitment to ensure the arts contributes to the reputation and diversification of the student experience
Measures of success
- Activity is embedded within the Core Plans and enabling projects.
- Cultural activity is a part of outputs delivered by Careers and Student Enterprise
- Digital creativity is a part of digi-labs programme.
- Collaborations with 5-10 external partners supporting presentation of student creativity across Loughborough.
- Evidence that culture is included in recruitment to target key demographics.
- Levels of engagement increased by 10%
Amplify
Goal
To amplify our research and public engagement through authentic collaborations between disciplines, activating interdisciplinary dialogues and making visible our outstanding research culture.
Key deliverables
- Contribute to the delivery of the Public Engagement Strategy, Research and Innovation Core plan to ensure the arts are an essential part of its deliverables.
- Active engagement with Research Office to ensure research bids embrace opportunities to include creativity.
- Collaboration with the Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS), for increased research visibility and impact
- Collaboration with Sustainability to deliver creative projects that increase awareness, understanding and good practice.
- A database of external funding opportunities to support interdisciplinary research.
- Creative platforms to support collaboration and exchange between disciplines.
Measures of success
- Percentage increase in public engagement and supports university KEF submission.
- Delivers cultural activity that increases staff and student engagement with the IAS themes.
- Increased visibility of sustainable practices and contribution to campus environment.
Celebrate
Goal
To celebrate the diversity of our community, embed arts and culture within our EDI objectives, and harness cultural activity to communicate positive messages about our inclusive campus.
Key deliverables
- Collaboration with the Academic Registry to support recruitment.
- Deliver outputs that support the objectives outlined within the EDI Core Plan
- Projects that enhance and expand the work of the LSU EDI Exec, and student led committees and that enhance LSU’s strategic aims
- Support the delivery of the International Impact and Engagement Core Plan
- Partnership with International Office to highlight international student culture and creativity.
- Cultural activity that supports key cultural festivals and holidays.
- Cultural activity that adds value to awareness weeks and months.
Measures of success
- That arts and culture make a meaningful contribution to the success of the EDI core plan.
- Inclusion of culture in ambitions around an inclusive campus.
- Cultural activity supports key cultural festivals and holidays.
- Support our ambitions around Vibrant and Inclusive communities.
Campaign
Goal
To campaign for improved campus arts facilities. Advocate for visible, accessible spaces that are equipped to support a creative campus.
Key deliverables
- A coherent, visible, and accessible set of spaces that support our artistic ambitions.
- Martin Hall developed into a Cultural Hub and establishing it as a key campus landmark.
- Collaboration with LSU to ensure that culture is a key part of their programme for students.
- More practice and rehearsal spaces in West Park and Loughborough in London
- Accessibility guidelines for all our activity and spaces adapted to allow increased access.
- Collaboration with Philanthropy, to gain external funding for development of arts infrastructure
Measures of success
- Martin Hall is recognised as a cultural hub within the university.
- Increased visibility and number of activities in West Park
- Accessibility guidelines are in place and accessibility improvements to spaces are made.
- Funding is secured to improve facilities for the arts to take place.
Champion
Goal
To champion the mental health and wellbeing benefits of culture and creativity, delivering meaningful programmes to support our staff and students.
Key deliverables
- Partnerships with Student Services and Staff Wellbeing to co-deliver initiatives.
- Activity with halls of residence, working with wardens and welfare reps to develop activity in halls.
- Collaboration with international students to promote belonging and community.
- Collaboration with SDC on a joint wellness programme.
Measures of success
- Increased Student Services and Staff Wellbeing engagement
- Inclusion of cultural activities within the work of welfare reps in halls
- Increased positive student and staff feedback on wellbeing, belonging and community.
Enhance
Goal
To enhance our campus environment with art and sculpture, deliver activity that contributes to its sustainability, and celebrate its rich heritage.
Key deliverables
- Maintain and develop the University’s art and sculpture collection contributing to the quality of the campus environment.
- Work with the gardens team and sustainability to engage with our campus environment and encourage sustainable practices.
- Celebration of and open communication about our heritage, to staff, students, and the public.
- Animated spaces and contribution to the intellectual and creative life of the University through a programme of events, performances and talks.
Measures of success
- Maintenance and conservation programmes in place for all sculptures
- Secured funding for commissioning of new sculpture and artworks for buildings on campus.
- Delivery of heritage projects, a permanent exhibition on the sporting history and handicrafts history.
Extend
Goal
To extend our activity beyond campus into Loughborough, developing adventurous new partnerships and contributing to the prosperity and wellbeing of our wider region.
Key deliverables
- Collaboration with community partners on festivals and cultural celebrations.
- Research creativity support for the economic viability and sustainability of Loughborough town centre.
- Work with partners at Leicester and De Montfort university to deliver activity, focusing on active heritage and digital creativity.
- Creation of relationships between academic research and community partners.
- Partnership with external cultural partners to support the cultural ecology of the town and university.
Measures of success
- Deliver meaningful partnerships that help achieve objectives set out in the University Partnerships Core Plan
- Initiatives delivered that support the Civic Universities Agreement and contribute to the sustainability of our region.
- Collaborative projects are delivered with key stakeholders in the town.
- University supports the successful development of the Generator.