Global citizenship and UCL

Since its foundation in 1826, UCL's excellence in teaching and research has been characterised by the commitment to diversity, inclusivity and innovation that underpins it.

We are increasingly aware that our graduates will enter an increasingly international workplace, and will be asked to negotiate the increasingly complex cultural and social challenges that this 'global' world brings with it. Therefore, we believe it is important that we are upfront about the ways in which we will use the huge resources of the institution to prepare our students for their future roles as 'global citizens' - reflecting the traditions established for us by our founders.

UCL students have always stood out amongst their peers by virtue of their academic achievements. We want to ensure that we offer them a cultural, intellectual and social environment which encourages them to develop the other facets of their character that will stand them in equally good stead in later life. This is what we mean when we talk about 'education for global citizenship': it is our way of articulating what we believe makes a UCL education unique, insofar as we aim to attract and educate students interested in developing themselves in the round.

Our aim is to ensure that we truly can be said to be educating our students for 'global citizenship', and creating graduates who are:

Critical and creative thinkers
Ambitious – but also idealistic and committed to ethical behaviour
Aware of the intellectual and social value of culture difference
Entrepreneurs with the ability to innovate
Willing to assume leadership roles: in the family, the community and the workplace
Highly employable and ready to embrace professional mobility

As an international university, located in the heart of London and with well-established links with institutions abroad, and with a highly diverse staff and student body, we are already better-placed than most to ensure our students come into contact with new people, cultures and ways of thinking during the course of their education. However, we want to do more, and encourage our students to expect more from us.

Academic departments are re-examining their curricula to identify ways in which they might incorporate a specific focus on 'global' issues and modes of thought into their teaching to shed new light for students on important elements of their disciplines; this may result in new courses, or new ways of teaching, or perhaps in innovative use of induction and reading weeks, and the period following examinations in the summer.

We are also promoting ourselves to current and prospective students in new ways - emphasising that university is a unique period in one's life, offering unparalleled opportunities to work with others in the local community, to contribute to the life of the university through membership of clubs and societies, or to pursue new interests and enthusiasms. We also recognise that many students will need to take on part-time work to support themselves during their studies - and we want to encourage them, through work on key skills portfolios and with the Careers Service, to value the skills they develop in this way, and turn them to account at university and beyond.

UCL is pioneering the notion of 'education for global citizenship', and we are therefore at the beginning of a process. I am sure, however, that, through our commitment to the concept and the principles behind it, UCL's reputation for innovation and excellence will be secured for many years to come.

Global Citizenship and UCL