Strategic Plan
2015-20
York St John University
Lord Mayor’s Walk
York YO31 7EX
T: 01904 624624
www.yorksj.ac.uk
Introduction
We have been educating and inspiring
students on our campus in York since
1841. Our success and achievements
over the years are partially due to our
institutional capacity to plan effectively,
to set clear goals and focus our efforts
on achieving them. This document is a
summary of our new targets for 2015-20.
2012-15 has been a period of growth,
success and increased external
recognition for the University. We now
have more students than ever before
and our continuation, attainment
and graduate employability rates
have rarely been higher. Our profile
in the higher education sector is
increasing through our successes and
our growing reputation for effective
leadership and management of
the University. We have worked
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hard on enhancing our courses,
facilities, academic standards, and
governance and management.
Working closely with our Governors
and staff across the University, we
have developed an ambitious and
exciting Strategic Plan for 2015-20.
It is a framework that enables us
to collate, understand, prioritise
and monitor progress towards key
objectives. Through its implementation,
we will position the University to
deal with turbulence in the higher
education sector and to continue to
offer excellent learning opportunities
for all our students and staff.
You can view the Strategic Plan in full
on our website at www.yorksj.ac.uk/
strategicplan1520
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Our Vision
We will be the best of England’s small universities.
Our bold vision for 2015-20 is to be
the best of England’s small universities.
We define ‘small universities’ as nonspecialist higher education institutions
with fewer than 8,000 students. Achieving
the status of being the ‘best’ will be
demonstrated by our league table position
in relation to other small universities.
We want our University to be thoroughly
student-centred, with students and staff
working in partnership. Our compact,
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award-winning, city centre campus
provides space for exciting, interactive
learning.
We will continue to nurture an
academic community that promotes
wellbeing, creativity, discovery and
the personal development of students
and staff. We strongly believe that
a staff community that feels valued
by the University is fundamental
to the realisation of our vision.
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Our Mission
To inspire our students and staff to reach their
full potential, advance knowledge, and make
a positive contribution to the world.
Our Values
We are an inclusive, innovative, transformative
and ambitious community with a strong
sense of belonging.
Founded by the Church of England in
1841, York St John University started
life as York Diocesan Training School
for teacher education. The Church
continues to support our development
as a University and we welcome
students of all faiths and none.
We believe that our location in the heart
of York, our size, our strong community
ethos and our personal approach to
learning have made us a special place to
study for all these years. Our students and
staff make a meaningful contribution to
the fabric of the University and we hope
their experiences here inspire them to
shape their communities throughout
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their lives. We motivate our alumni to
remain part of our community, share our
ambitions, and serve the common good.
Our commitment to scholarship
and research enables us to advance
knowledge and provide high-quality
teaching and learning. We offer our
students and staff personal opportunities
to learn and grow – both academically
and individually – and this is facilitated
by the high levels of student-staff
interaction within our community.
We pride ourselves in identifying and
developing potential in all our students
and staff.
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Our priorities for 2015-20
Quality
Quality
High quality learning,
teaching, assessment
and research
A personal and
collaborative student
experience
Support services
that empower
students to thrive
Continuous
enhancement of
the management of
academic standards
Our
strategy
Resilience
High quality academic
environments,
accommodation
and facilities
Community
Graduates with
excellent attributes
and employment
prospects
Resilience
Effective resourcing
of the strategic plan
Excellent practice
in environmental
sustainability
Efficient and
effective systems
and processes
Excellent data
quality, returns
and intelligence
Community
A diverse and culturally
rich community
Effective governance
and management
A community that
promotes health
and wellbeing
Diversity in our
income streams
A community that
supports personal
and professional
development
Growth
Partnerships that
contribute to academic,
cultural and economic
development in
York and beyond
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An expanded
range of study and
research options
Growth
Sustainable growth in
UK and international
student numbers
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Key strategic themes
Our Strategic Plan for 2015-20 is built
around four key strategic themes: Quality,
Resilience, Community and Growth.
These strategic themes served the University
well between 2012-15 as a way of organising
our priorities and they remain appropriate for
the next five years. (The chart on pages 8-9
shows our priorities in each of these areas.)
Quality
Delivering innovative and inspiring
learning and teaching is a key element
of York St John’s drive to improve
student engagement and achievement.
By ensuring all academic staff are
research active, and that their research
contributes to excellent teaching
and assessment, we will enhance the
quality of our learning community.
We will seek to enhance the
management of academic
standards, which will be fully
informed by relevant external
bodies and professional benchmarks
and effectively communicated
between staff and students.
Our students’ journeys from enquiry
through to graduation will be more
personal and collaborative. By
developing subject-specific strategies
and a curriculum to enhance graduate
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Resilience
destinations, supporting start-up
businesses and developing a range
of internships and placement, our
graduates will leave us with highlyvalued, sought-after attributes
which will help them develop a
successful and rewarding career.
We will also continue to provide a
range of appropriate and accessible
student support services, including
proactive financial advice and health
and wellbeing information, to enable our
students to thrive and make the most
of their journey through University.
We will enhance the quality of
our academic and residential
accommodation and Students’
Union facilities. We will also extend
the range, usage and accessibility
of our sport and recreational
facilities at Haxby Road.
The key objectives of our Strategic
Plan 2015-20 can only be achieved
if they are resourced effectively. A
major focus will be on enhancing our
academic profile whilst maintaining
the financial strength that has been
achieved in recent years. We will develop
our campus facilities, particularly
our teaching accommodation and
our library and IT resources, so that
they continue to meet the changing
needs of students and staff.
We will continue to enhance our
environmental performance. We will
reduce our carbon emissions, recycle
100% of our waste and promote a
culture of energy efficiency, with
particular focus on how we can
attain such efficiency in some of our
older buildings. We will continue to
promote and facilitate green travel
options among students and staff.
Much work has already been done to
provide efficient, effective systems and
processes. In the next five years particular
improvements will be achieved by providing
a resilient and flexible infrastructure and
ensuring our systems are enhanced.
The University has developed a
reputation for good governance and
management and for its evidence-based
approach. It remains essential that we
have accurate and timely information,
including benchmark data and external
intelligence to inform decision making.
In order to be resilient we must also
diversify our income streams. This
will be achieved through increasing
income from: research and consultancy;
international student recruitment;
fundraising and alumni activities;
accommodation and catering;
summer schools and short courses.
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Community
Advancing equality of opportunity for all
is of key importance to York St John.
Whilst much progress has been
made, there is always more to be
done to improve the recruitment,
retention and achievement of
under-represented groups in our
student and staff community.
Our aim is to be a more diverse and
culturally rich community. We can achieve
this through outreach work, international
student recruitment, collaboration and
partnership activity in York, the region
and overseas, and through engaging our
community in University life and events.
We are a community that promotes
health and we aim to provide a
range of support and development
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Growth
opportunities to promote wellbeing
and personal resilience. Working with
the Students’ Union, we will promote
diversity together with participation in
extra-curricular and sporting activities.
As a learning establishment which
is fully supportive of personal and
professional development, we
will not only offer a range of staff
training opportunities but we will
also invest in staff to ensure they
have opportunities to enhance their
professional skills and qualifications.
As a key employer within the city and
the wider region, we will continue to
work to develop partnerships that
contribute to academic, cultural
and economic development.
Over the next five years we are aiming
to grow our student numbers from
6,400 to 7,300. To do this we need to
achieve our annual enrolment targets
for UK and international students. This
means we must widen our geographic
reach; enhance our brand awareness and
reputation; and sustain key partnerships
with schools and colleges, health providers,
businesses and other organisations.
In order to grow we must also focus
on subject areas with significant
market opportunities and identify
opportunities for flexible learning
and online delivery. In terms of
programme development we must
achieve more professional accreditation
and enhance our curriculum to
facilitate learning across disciplines.
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Key targets 2015-20
In order to evaluate the success of
our strategic plan, we will review
progress and achievement of
the targets outlined below:
Where we are now
Key targets for 2015-20
Student population
7,300 (HESA 2019-20)
Applications: Acceptances ratio
5.0 or higher each year
First year continuation rates
93.6%
94% or higher each year
Student satisfaction across
seven NSS domains
80.1%
83% or higher each year
Overall satisfaction on
PTES / PRES surveys
85% or higher each time
the surveys are conducted
Courses challenge students
to do best work (UKES)
89%
85% or higher each time
the survey is conducted
First and 2:1 achievement
65.3%
70% or higher by 2019-20
Graduate study and employment
94% or higher each year
Research active academic staff
100% by 2019-20
University average
Student Staff Ratios (SSRs)
18:1 or lower, as
quickly as possible
Operating surplus
9.0%
5-10% each year
Staff costs as a percentage
of income
50%
50-52% each year
International student
population on campus
371 (5.8%)
730 (10%) by 2019-20
A full version of the Strategic Plan 2015-20 is available at www.yorksj.ac.uk/strategicplan
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