Newcastle University: A Civic University
The primary feature of a civic university is its sense of purpose – an understanding of not just what it is good at, but what it is good for.
A civic university sees itself as delivering benefits to individuals, organisations and to society as a whole. It means putting academic knowledge, creativity and expertise to work, to come up with innovations and solutions that make a difference.
At Newcastle University, our combination of academic excellence on the supply side and a range of regional and global challenges on the demand side, has led to a reinvention of the traditional idea of a civic university.
Responding to real-world challenges
By harnessing the enthusiasm, experience and expertise of groups such as the voluntary and community sectors, our staff and students, patients and businesses, Newcastle University is relevant and responsive to real-world challenges: global, local, or a combination of the two.
Positive impact on society
The positive difference we make to the city of Newcastle and the wider North East is a critical part of our role as a civic university – but we go far beyond the local to make an impact on society globally.
As a truly civic university we have a strong sense of place. While we operate on a national and international scale, we recognise the extent to which our location in the city of Newcastle helps to form our unique identity.
Contributing to the economy
As the North East’s fourth largest employer, the University is an anchor institution in the economic and social life of the region, annually contributing almost £700 million regionally and over £1 billion nationally.
We ensure that our buildings, campuses and public spaces are designed in ways which improve the fabric of the city and can be enjoyed by local people. This is particularly true of our museum and art gallery –The Great North Museum: Hancock and Hatton Gallery which are both free to the public and attract hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.
Societal challenge themes
The best demonstration of our civic university role is in the development of our societal challenge themes of Ageing, Social Renewal and Sustainability, under which we now group a significant part of our research.
The themes were chosen using three clear principles:
- they must be issues where we are able to contribute real expertise
- they must be topics of major global interest but which have significant resonance in our own country
- they must be areas in which we have developed genuine engagement with the public and stakeholder communities, so that we have a deep understanding of the issues they face
Our commitment to tackling these societal issues embodies our mission of being a world-class civic university.