General Assembly is a forum open to all staff, which is led by the Vice-Chancellor and runs on a termly basis. Its objectives are to provide clarity on the University’s purpose and everyone’s role in supporting this, and to improve engagement across the University by serving as a place to listen, exchange ideas and ask questions.
At the event, Professor Nick Jennings presented attendees with information about the following:
- Updates on progress against our Core Plans and the University strategy, Creating Better Futures. Together. This included the three core priority areas that have emerged from our annual review of the strategy, and which will shape our work in the coming months.
- An update on our new student accommodation development and car parking.
- A People and Culture update, including information about GLOW and GLOW Conversations
- A financial update for 2025/26 and a look ahead at the financial landscape for Loughborough and the sector as a whole.
- Recent successes across the University, including receiving our eighth Queen’s Education Prize at St James’s Palace, placing 26th in the Financial Times’ list of the UK’s Best Employers 2026 and Loughborough becoming custodian of the Spirit of 2012 archive.
Mia Jackson, President of Loughborough Students’ Union (LSU) also presented on the recent work and successes of the LSU Executive team.
As part of General Assembly, attendees were able to ask Professor Jennings and other members of the Senior Leadership team questions. A broad overview of the themes can be found below:
- The role of AI and its potential impact on the sector in the future
- How the University can support staff to travel sustainably. You can find out more about this on the Sustainability webpages.
- The work being done to address the University’s budget deficit, including the review of the University’s operating model for Professional Services.
- The potential for the University to invest in renewable energy
- The impact of the recent Home Office decision to stop issuing study visas to citizens of countries such as Afghanistan and Cameroon on the University's recruitment and broader strategy
In case you missed it, a recording of General Assembly is now available to watch (please note sign-in may be required). The next General Assembly will take place on Wednesday 6 May.