Solent University

Why we've signed the Manifesto

"Solent has a strong history of working with our partners and communities to deliver our real-world curriculum and research.  Contained within our new Strategy 2025, the University has published its commitment to working in partnership with our alumni, local, business, and global communities to maximise our work's value to the wider society through research, knowledge exchange, and the delivery of our Civic Charter. We signed the manifesto to show our commitment to public engagement and working in partnership with the NCCPE. Over the next 18 months in collaboration with NCCPE, we will review our current public engagement strategies, activities and staff support in order to enhance our public engagement in line with the principles of the manifesto.”

Professor Karen Stanton, Vice-Chancellor, Solent University

Solent VC Karen Stanton: Why we have signed the NCCPE Manifesto

Our approach to public engagement

Public engagement has been part of Solent University's DNA and how now been firmly embedded in our future ready strategy 2025. To deliver our strategy, achieve our vision and ensure our students and the University are ready for the future, we will shape our public engagement work around two overlapping key priorities, research and knowledge exchange and engaging with our communities. It's our ambition over the next five years, and through our work with NCCPE we will refine our public engagement and increase the connectivity between these two priorities. For example, place is important to us, as is ensuring that our research benefits our communities. We will become a stronger presence in our region's industrial and cultural life, promoting ambition and wealth creation. We will also create new partnerships and strengthen long-standing relationships in our local community, opening up our campus to share skills and resources, learning from and supporting the places we belong to.

Our public engagement hallmark

With over 160 years of experience working with the city and our commitment to social justice, we're proud to be making a difference. Our Civic Charter for 2019/2020- was launched in Autumn 2019 to help the University in further strengthening its role in the community. Our connections, resources and knowledge allow us to take action on the issues we feel we can make a difference:

•             Creating a city of life-long learning.

•             Building a culturally enriched and cohesive city.

•             Championing a healthy and sustainable community.

One example of our civic charter and knowledge exchange in action together is our "Health 4 Her" initiative funded by Sports England. Across four sites in Southampton, our students, staff, and academics are helping to increase the health and wellbeing of over 50 BAME women, increasing social cohesion and decreasing isolation caused by the lockdown.

Whilst we're delighted to be making a difference, we recognise that society and the environment around us face some significant challenges. That's why we're currently working with staff, students and the local community to define longer-term commitments for the next five years from 2021 to 2025.

For more information, visit: https://www.solent.ac.uk/work-with-us/community 

Solent's new Sports Complex, one location for our "Health 4 Her" initiative.

Our public engagement talking point

Our role as a civic university has been a strength of Solent for many years from our support of city-wide events such as the Southampton ABP Marathon through to our local partnerships with organisations such as Unity 101 and Business South. We are now looking to explore how the recent sector focus on the role of universities in their communities, through the Civic Universities Network and civic agreement, can work in harmony and maximise the impact of our growing research and knowledge exchange agenda.