Student and staff engagement

Student and staff engagement at the RAU

The Sustainability Action Group chaired by our Chief Operating Officer – Graham Pollard. Graham started with the RAU in 2021 and has brought a wealth of knowledge of leading environmental and sustainability initiatives. As part of the Vice-Chancellors Executive Group, Graham leads the RAU in reviewing and updating our Sustainability Action Plan commitments, and realising our refreshed ambitions.

The Sustainability Action Group is made up of a number of different members of staff across the University, including:

• Chief Operating Officer (Chair)
• Associate Director of Commercial Services (Vice-Chair)
• Director of Human Resources
• Associate Director of Estates & Facilities
• Dean of Land & Property Management
• Communications Manager
• Head of Planning, Data & Business Intelligence
• Institutional Planning Administrator
• Secretary

The Committee ensures there is an integrated, proactive approach to environmental sustainability across the RAU that is informed by best practice and supports the university’s vision, objectives and strategy.

The Chief Operating Officer, Associate Director of Estates & Facilities, Head of Planning, Data & Business Intelligence and the Institutional Planning Administrator have responsibility for environmental sustainability within their job descriptions.

Ideas and suggestions are collected by the staff from all of these different areas. Each Sustainability Action Group has an agenda, but in addition to those above, guests are invited, including students, academics and consultants to present their ideas.

During 2023/24, the creation of our Estates Masterplan was completed. Our Estates Strategy is fundamental to the RAU’s future success, and underpins many of our ambitions and incorporates work that has already taken place around our Regenerative Roadmap and our Campus Decarbonisation Strategy.

The Estates Masterplan illustrates the future transformation of our buildings, our land and our sense of place, to best service all those connected with the RAU and our wider communities for many years to come. 

The mission for our Estates Strategy is to connect people and places through our natural environment. And our vision is to work with the natural landscape to provide a world-class environment for leaders in sustainable farming and land management.

To create the Estates Strategy, we have encouraged student and staff engagement, enlisting help from our Students' Union President and other key members of the Students' Union.

Staff and Students from across the University and wider stakeholders, were encouraged to attend several workshops, and these findings were incorporated into our new roadmap, feedback has been collated and shared with the executive team including ideas of how students and staff would like to engage with our Estates Strategy and achieving our RAU strategic goal of Sustainability. This include collecting ideas on how to reduce our carbon footprint and working out a holistic approach that makes us all accountable – students, staff and visitors to the RAU.

In addition, our academics have helped shape our curriculum to empower the new generation to champion new sustainability farming and environmental techniques of the future. We are well-placed to achieve this. Many of our academics have relevant expertise, our professional services team includes staff with the experience of successful sustainability initiatives, and the university’s new leadership team and Governing Council are strongly committed. Dame Fiona Reynolds, as Chair of the Governing Council, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in this area, including as a previous Director General of the National Trust.

Student engagement – get involved!

The Students' Union is in the process of developing their strategic plan which includes sustainability targets as per the QSU framework.

This academic year saw the RAU’s first ever Go Green Week, which incorporated events organised by students and staff, we plan to build on this success and have another event later this year.

Students can be involved in the University’s Green Impact programme which brings together students and staff to ‘green’ the campus, curriculums and community. Students can sign up to be an environmental auditor or a Green Impact project assistant.

In addition, we have a number of exciting clubs for students to get involved in, including Wild Campus, Conservation Club and working on the student allotment – work is underway to transform the allotment space on campus into a usable, sustainable space. The intention is to have a rewilding area, heritage fruit trees and raised beds to grow produce that can be gifted to the RAU kitchen.

There are a number of University strategies that students can get involved in shaping, including the RAU Regenerative Roadmap (our sustainability strategy), and our Farm and Food Produce Strategy.

Staff engagement

Our Sustainability Policy is implemented as part of the staff induction policy, this is reinforced with a reminder on staff pay slips and marketing material around the campus.

The importance of the sustainability policy is highlighted in the strategies and values of the RAU and culture of the University.

The nature of the studies at RAU incorporates sustainability throughout the course curriculum and specific modules.

We have a number of events going on this year including Staff Fest and our first ever Go Green Week. 

The RAU Staff & Student Engagement strategy compliments the work already underway and plans for the futures and shows how we will engage with students and staff.