VISION 2012
Goal One: Build a culture which encourages new ideas and captures the energy of our students and staff to create an innovative and responsive Students' Union.
Goal Two: Embed democracy at the heart of the Students' Union; valued by all our students and staff.
- Online voting has been successfully introduced for both Student Officer and Student Union Council elections.
- The Student Officers offices have been made more open via removing hard walls and replacing them with glass walls.
- A Democracy & Representation department has been established and has two members of staff - a Democracy Manager and a Representation Co-ordinator. They are based on Level 4 and their purpose is to support the work of Student Officers, councillors and representatives.
- How staff value democracy is now measured within the Personal Development Review system.
- The new visual identity for the Students' Union has been launched and rolled out across the organisation branding up all Students' Union services.
- Students' Union Council voter turn out increased by 10% in Oct 2009 and maintained numbers in 2010.
- A Student Officer roles review is currently taking place.
Goal Three: Create a positive and high performance culture, where staff enjoy working and their potential is realised so that they contribute fully to our success.
- An internal communications strategy has been approved by the Student Officers and Senior Management Team. The aim is to begin to implement this strategy from January 2011.
- Via the Marketing Forum (a cross organisational creative thinking tank) departments have been able to share their working practices with other departments.
Goal Four: Champion student interests, providing them with a strong effective voice by supporting and empowering them, collectively and individually.
- A Democracy & Representation department has been established and has two members of staff - a Democracy Manager and a Representation Co-ordinator. They are based on Level 4 and their purpose is to support the Student Officers, councillors and representatives in the work that they do.
- Students' Union Councillors and Union Links have now been merged
- A Student Officer roles review is currently taking place.
Goal Five: Have student recognition of their membership of the Students' Union, its value and the benefit of contributing to and participating in it.
- The new visual identity for the Students' Union has been launched and rolled out across the organisation branding up all Students' Union services.
- Umail has been redesigned and enables our members to find out about what they want to know about on a weekly basis.
- Aldi agreed to sponsor Varsity in 2010 and have agreed to sponsor the event again in 2011.
- At the beginning January 2011 more NUS Extra cards have been sold than were sold in the entire year of 2009/10.
- A new Student Advice Centre logo has been introduced.
Goal Six: Develop extensive opportunities for students to connect with the Students' Union, contact each other and build communities anywhere, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- A piece of research is currently taking place investigating membership engagement with the Students' Union.
- A piece of research was commissioned by Rattle to look at how our current members are using digital media. From this work improved systems have been developed around email, facebook and the web site.
- Societies showcases take place regularly in the Zone.
- The Students' Union web site has been re-designed with improved functionality such as society sign up.
- Forge Press's distribution has been increased across the town centre.
Goal Seven: Develop a vibrant building, providing excellent facilities, activities and services, which is accessible, friendly and meets the aspirations of all our members.
- The building work is completed and we opened with a fabulous new building in September 2010.
- Student activities and events regularly take place in the Zone.
- All the available bookable spaces in the Students' Union is now promoted here. A working group met in January 2011 to review how this is working and improvements identified are being considered.
- New directional signage (in the new visual identity style) is up and in place around the building.
- The following companies have had stalls in and around the Students' Union: Moss (suit hire) / HTC velcro wall / Phones R Us / Blackwells / Orange Rock Corps / Aspect 3 / Scrivens Stall / Price Waterhouse Cooper Photo Booth / KPMG Promo Bus / Windows 7 film game / Fifa / IPG / Veolia – recycling bus / Deloitte – igloo on concourse / selectus total / BT /
Grad promos (earnst and young / Taylor Taylor Hairdressing / Target Jobs / Watch it / PJ Properties / Teach First / STA Travel / students surgery / orange rock corp / RSPB Old Moor / Endsleighl
Goal Eight: Be at the forefront of environmental best practice, and we will encourage and enable our members to do likewise.
- An Environmental Co-ordinator has been employed the Students' Union 2 days a week. He is currently working on the Students' Union's application for the Green Impact Students' Unions award.
- An improved e-newsletters to staff and students has been developed to assist with non printed communications.
- Improvements in the way we use Facebook and Twitter is also assisting in non printed communication.
- The improved web site is also assisting in non printed communication.
