Introduction
Connecting our community
Our student community brings together more than 40,000 individuals in a diverse, inclusive collective where everyone belongs.
Our Student Communications Commitment has been jointly developed with students and the Students' Union to enable regular, positive dialogue between the University and our student community.
Your needs as a student will evolve as you move through your University journey – we’ll review this commitment annually and take it in new directions to meet you where you are.
Principles
Champion the student voice
We will work in direct partnership with you, our students, to develop communications and engagement activities and review what we do, ensuring that the collective student voice drives our activities.
Celebrate diversity and unity
We will act with integrity and honesty, working collaboratively across the University to develop campaigns that are authentic and reflect the great diversity and unity of our community.
Promote belonging at Manchester
Manchester is where we belong. We will foster a proud sense of ‘Manchesterness’ in our messaging, reflecting neighbourhood, warmth, and a homely but progressive place for all.
Learn and grow
We will continuously review our methods and channels and will not be afraid to challenge the status quo. We will innovate and evolve quickly to grow new ideas.
Expectations
Our commitment to one another
We’ll achieve greater collective success if each of us commits to working in true partnership.
Together, we’ve set expectations for the University, students, and Students’ Union to meet, characterised by mutual listening, respect and active participation.
As a University we will:
work in true partnership with our students, listening to your voice to ensure that it guides our communications and engagement activities. We will communicate with you in a professional way through accessible channels.
As a student, I will:
keep up to date with University communications and engage in feedback mechanisms that seek to evaluate my experience across student life. This includes expressing my views to student representatives so that they can represent me effectively.
As a Students’ Union, we will:
represent the interests of students at a local and national level, supporting active student engagement, participation and feedback. We will work in partnership with the University to challenge appropriately as a critical friend.
Together, we will:
communicate with openness, respect and honesty, exemplified by transparency and constructive dialogue.
Student voice
Student voice
The collective student voice will influence our planning and your feedback will be used to shape the services, communications and activities we deliver.
We have created a range of initiatives to gather regular, honest feedback from you and your peers, and opportunities for you to tell your side of the story.
Our Students’ Perspectives Group collaborates with us on student messaging and tests out our campaigns for the year. The group currently has over 100 members and last year worked with us to bring together campaigns across a variety of important topics, including; sexual harassment, harm reduction and exam support.
Membership of the group reflects the diversity of our community and includes students from each of our Faculties, across different years and levels of study.
Join the group and you’ll be encouraged to share your experiences and personal views, which will help us create authentic communications that resonate with you.
Our Content Creators Programme gives you the chance to earn money by creating digital content. It also helps you to gain valuable experience to put on your CV.
At the start of each academic year, we recruit a wide selection of student content creators from a variety of backgrounds, study levels and interests to work flexibly in a paid freelance capacity – pitching ideas and developing content to feature on our digital channels.
One of the unique features of the programme is that you drive the direction of the content you create. You’ll also be invited to attend creative development workshops to gain skills that will boost your talents even further.
The majority of our student engagement activity takes place at a local level across Faculties, Schools, Departments, and halls of residence. There are a number of existing elected and unelected groups that play an important role in forming and enriching student communications across the University.
These include:
- Elected Faculty, School and programme representatives (taught and research students).
- Elected Students’ Union executive officers.
- Elected halls of residence representatives.
- University-wide student leaders, including society presidents, student ambassadors, and wellbeing champions.
- Student communications champions, including content ambassadors.
- Student participants in market research and focus groups.
- University graduate interns.
We will continue to build upon these groups and appoint student representation at local levels. They will be responsible for seeking out student views and sharing these at University meetings, including raising issues or concerns.
If you would like to get involved and make your voice heard, explore our student representation information.
Channels
Channels
We use a wide range of student communications channels to keep connected to our community and make sure you get the information you need.
Download an overview of our student communications and explore our guide on social media for students to help you make the most of communication and engagement opportunities at the University.
