Skip to main content

A vision for School X

Professor Nigel Harkness, PVC HASS, and Co-Heads of School X, Professor Ruth Morrow and Professor Richard Clay, give a quick update on activity around School X and ask you to join them in February to discuss a vision for the school.

31 January 2022

As recently-appointed co-heads of School X, we were delighted to a host webinar session back in September 2021, sharing and discussing plans for School X and how it could foster even better education and research collaborations across the University, drawing in sectors from beyond HE.  

You may remember that School X was an idea that was initiated within the HaSS Faculty, but one that is now very much a University initiative, featuring in our University Vision and Strategy as one of the suggested transformative initiatives. So, gathering thoughts and ideas from across the university was - and is - critical. At the session in September, we had a great discussion about opportunities, building networks and new student programmes - if you missed the discussion, the recording is still available

Things have now moved on throughout September and December, with our focus last year the initial set up of the School, considering Founding Units, planning and structure. Now (during January and February) we're consulting on the Vision for the School. We have a draft vision to share with you, and it's really important that we get the opportunity to talk to as many of you as possible, so we're hosting a second webinar. The webinar will take place on 21 February between 11.30am-12.30pm. You can register now to join us.

To give you a flavour of some of our initial thoughts that we'd like to discuss with you, we want a school: 

  • that develops, tests and shares innovative, challenge-based, collaborative models of education, research, and engagement, contributing to futureproofing the University
  • that is inclusive, bringing together people from across disciplines, faculties, job families, career stages, generations and sectors
  • where our interdisciplinary research, education, and engagement enrich one another, and focus on tackling social and environmental injustices

And at the heart of this, we want to have live (learning) projects that involve University and external collaborators, so that we are truly collaborative in nature.  

Feel inspired and want to know more?  Please come and join us on 21 February - we would be delighted to see you there. 

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences