Our vision is that

Every Staffordshire University Student will be proud to be part of Staffs

The University, the Students Union, the locality and its' learner community

Our Values

Putting Students First
Our students are the focus of our work. We are passionate about them, led by them and represent and advocate them at every opportunity. They are our first consideration in everything we do
Enabling
We recognise our role is to support students through their time at University and what underpins our approach is a focus on giving our members and staff the ability and confidence to undertake things for themselves, rather than always serving up a solution
Innovative
We believe we can make things happen and seek out new ways to challenge ourselves and find new approaches or solutions to achieve results. We don’t feel constrained by convention and we are willing to revisit and re-engineer our work if it gets better results
Welcoming
We recognise the importance of creating an open and honest environment that our students can trust. We will be there for you; helping you to feel welcome and part of the wider student community.
Actively Inclusive
Our membership is constantly changing and reflects a broad range of backgrounds, ages, lifestyles and experiences. Our approach is to actively find ways to listen to, connect and welcome in those individuals to unite as a community and to demonstrate that everyone is valued.
Responsible
We recognise the responsibilities we have as an organisation towards our members, our staff, and the wider communities we are part of. We ensure we understand the impact of our actions and actively seek ways of eliminating or mitigating any negative impacts.

Our Strategic Themes

a sense of belonging

We will support your transition to Staffs from the moment you make it your chosen path

We'll ensure you have a reason to want to get involved and feel a part of your Union, in an environment where all students can feel valued and safe to be themselves

We will extend your influence and opportunities into the community

what this means

  • Early intervention & co-ordinated support for students orientation and follow on journey through University

  • Showcase the wealth of opportunities and range of activities and events available at (and around) Staffs as a personalised and continuous “feed”.

  • Identify and minimise points of friction to involvement to improve the breadth of participation across the membership

  • Raise awareness of the diversity of the community at Staffs and educate on the cultural and social competency and behaviours of the membership to value and respect the inclusion of everyone

  • Work with partners to provide easy transition to accommodation that meets individual’s needs, through their time with Staffs.

  • Assure the quality, value and fairness of available accommodation and improve the perception of students as residents of the community.

an experience you shape

Work with you to shape your learning experience and to shape every aspect of your students' union.

what this means

  • Empower the Student Voice through an informed, connected and evidence-led network of representatives that actively engages with relevant parties to develop continuous improvement to the student experience.

  • Continue to build and support student groups and networks to bring together students to pursue co-curricular and extra-curricular activities across and between campuses.

  • Expand the opportunities, beyond employed Team Members, for students to shape the delivery of services, through regular user forums, service ambassadors and event teams.

  • Implementation of a methodical and consistent service follow-up programme to measure and evaluate how well we are doing, across the Union services in delivering a quality and trusted experience for students.

  • This to be backed up with programmes to test and develop experience touchpoints.

support you can trust

Be a Students' Union you can always approach, seek advice from, and be confident you will be supported to find solutions to issues that get in the way of your experience

what this means

  • We will be transparent in our work; actions taken (or not), in relation to member feedback, will be clearly communicated in a timely way.

  • We will communicate clearly and regularly how we are representing students academic and wider interests.

  • Wellness awareness, safety and inclusive design principles will be embedded into all our services, ensuring appropriate referral channels to professional practitioners are known and used effectively.
  • The professionalism and quality of our organisation and services will be evidenced through periodic assessment and accreditation to external quality standards (BBN, Green Impact, Advice Quality Standard, Investors in People & Volunteers, Disability Confident).

our enabling themes

engagement

  • We will identify and map the states of engagement of our members and develop their connections through communities to recognise their involvement as being the Union. We will do this by understanding the motivations and actions of the individuals and personalising our connection with them from the moment they decide that Staffs is for them.

people & culture

  • Our values shape our culture and our people make the Union. Only through ensuring there is awareness and understanding of what and how the Union as a whole is delivering for students will we be successful. We will focus on collective endeavour and collaboration rather than competition and ensure we have the competencies to ensure everyone counts.

partnership

  • The work of the Union develops in parallel with the University and its strategy and through our vision of every students being proud to be Staffs, our influence needs to reach beyond campus. Through building and establishing effective partnerships we recognise that we can deliver better for everyone.

finance & resources

  • Our systems and ways of operating need to enable us to build trust by delivering consistently what we promise, recognising the resources available and working cohesively and sustainably as a Union. Recognising the partnership we have with the University we will evidence the value we deliver to the student experience to ensure we have the necessary resources to deliver for our students now and in the future.
  • Our systems