Strategy

For our Faculty, these challenges also harbour opportunities. Student recruitment and retention are more competitive than ever, requiring us to differentiate ourselves through innovative programmes and curricula, high-quality teaching, and an outstanding student experience. Financial pressures necessitate that we use our resources wisely, while also exploring new and diverse income streams to ensure our long-term resilience. Yet the opportunities before us are equally compelling. The creative industries continue to grow as a dynamic global sector, and the demand for cultural knowledge and communication skills is only increasing in an interconnected world. 

Business and law remain cornerstones of social and economic development, while the social sciences and humanities are crucial for societies to understand and respond to change through critical analysis, creativity, problem-solving, and inclusivity.

Our Faculty’s greatest strength lies in bringing these fields together. We work across disciplinary and geographical boundaries to address realworld challenges in ways no single discipline could achieve alone. By bridging business with law, humanities with social sciences, and creative industries with languages, our teaching and research transcend boundaries, impact communities, and prepare graduates to thrive and generate ideas with real-world impact. Interdisciplinarity and multidisciplinarity are not just what we do; they are our signature strengths.

BLHUMSS’s Strategic Plan has four strategic priorities. The first is student growth, where we will expand our community by ensuring that our existing and new programmes are attractive, distinctive, and responsive to the needs of a diverse and global cohort. Growth will not only be in numbers, but also in the quality of the student experience and the success of our graduates. The second priority is financial sustainability, which requires us to diversify income streams, manage our resources wisely, and invest strategically in people and in areas of greatest potential. 

A third priority is research, innovation, and enterprise. Here, we will strengthen our reputation as a hub of knowledge creation and application by fostering a culture of innovation, supporting enterprise, and deepening collaboration across disciplines and with our partners, generating research that is both excellent and impactful. It shapes debates, influences practice, and contributes solutions to regional, national, and global challenges. Finally, raising regional ambition and participation is central to our mission. We will play a leading role in inspiring, supporting, and enabling the economic, social, and cultural growth of our region. This includes increasing participation in higher education, raising aspirations, widening access, and ensuring that learners from all backgrounds can benefit from the opportunities our Faculty provides.

To deliver on these priorities, we will enhance our programmes and curricula so that they remain distinctive, future-focused, and aligned with the needs of students, employers, and society. We will expand our reach by working with local schools, partnership colleges, and new transnational education providers to broaden access and extend our influence globally. We will enrich the student experience by providing excellent teaching, tailored academic support, and opportunities for experiential learning that enable every student to succeed both academically and professionally.

We will forge new partnerships with industry, community, and education sectors to ensure that our research and teaching remain relevant, connected, and impactful. Finally, we will embed financial sustainability by managing our resources carefully, diversifying revenue, and reinvesting in areas that will secure long-term resilience and growth.

This Strategic Plan is the collective outcome of an inclusive process in which all staff were encouraged to contribute ideas and comments through a Faculty forum. It has been co-created by academic and professional services colleagues across the Faculty. Growth will require innovation and adaptability. Sustainability will demand that we act strategically, collaboratively, and with agility. Above all, success will depend on collective effort. Every member of our Faculty including academic and professional staff, students, and partners, has a vital role to play. Together, we will ensure that our Faculty remains a vibrant hub of discovery, creativity, and opportunity, driving the success of Keele University.

This strategy positions the Faculty to respond to emerging challenges, seize new opportunities, and deliver meaningful contributions to society, both locally and globally. Rooted in our values, we work collaboratively across our many disciplines to serve our communities near and far, supporting inclusive economic and business growth, cultural enrichment, and social justice. Our research and education transforms lives and communities locally, regionally, nationally and globally.