Newcastle University is a civic university that is rooted in place and globally connected.
Since our origins in 1834 we have continued to advance education, research and creativity to improve lives and shape a better future. We are proud of where we come from and the difference we make. We think differently, act with purpose and make a positive contribution.
Our home is Newcastle. It is a city of creativity, innovation and opportunity in the North East of England. From here, we work in partnership to support communities, grow the economy and fight for environmental and social justice. We extend our global reach through our campuses in Singapore and Malaysia, and through partnerships and collaborations around the world.
Our values are at the heart of everything we do: we embrace difference, we thrive together, we act with integrity, and we are bold. These values underpin our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) work and are reflected in our commitment to advancing gender equality across our University community.
We embrace difference by creating an environment where everyone feels valued, supported and able to achieve their ambitions. We thrive together through a University-wide gender equality action plan that connects perspectives, experiences and learning across the institution, enabling meaningful and lasting change. We act with integrity by embedding equality into our policies, practices and decision-making, ensuring our values are reflected in action. We are bold in driving innovation, developing sector-leading family-friendly initiatives such as our Returners Support Programme and, more recently, enhancing our maternity, paternity and carers’ provision to better support colleagues at different stages of life. These developments recognise the intersection of gender with other protected characteristics and the disproportionate impact that caring responsibilities continue to have on women’s careers. We also advance positive behaviour across our campuses and support more than 170 colleagues through the national charter network that we co-created and continue to co-lead.
University-wide gender equality work is delivered by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Team, whose mission is to foster an inclusive community where every individual feels valued and empowered to thrive. Guided by our EDI Strategy, the team provides strategic leadership, coordination and expertise, but our success is driven by the commitment of colleagues, students and leaders across the University. This shared ownership enables equality to be embedded into everyday practice across our institution. Working in partnership, we are creating a values-led culture where inclusion is everyone’s responsibility, strengthening our university and enabling our people to realise their full potential.
Finally, our gender equality activity is underpinned by a clear governance structure which includes senior sponsorship. Our approach is formally led by our Gender Equality Group (GEG) and is Chaired by the Dean of EDI. The GEG reports into our University EDI Committee and through to our University Executive Board, Senate and Council. The group includes representative membership including EDI Directors from each Faculty, EDI Team members, student representation, the Chair of our Women’s Network, and representation from key business areas including recruitment, health and wellbeing, and policy. This structure ensures we include representative voices during planning and delivery, increases the visibility of our work across the organisation, and enables us to deliver impactful activity and meaningful change.
