Students from across LSE came to hear Director Minouche Shafik and Pro-Directors Dilly Fung (Education) and Simon Hix (Research) share their upcoming priorities for the School before putting their questions to the directors at the lunchtime Q&A.
Minouche gave an overview of how LSE’s strategy, LSE 2030, was developed in consultation with the School community, and what the three priorities are – with education the first and foremost of the three strategy themes.
Minouche also encouraged students to register to vote using the School’s online voter registration system.
Dilly spoke about the concept of powerful learning for the collective good, and how the Educate for Global Impact theme will equip students with the tools they need succeed.
Simon Hix discussed his priorities for research-orientated initiatives for students, including the launch of Houghton St Press and greater opportunities to get involved with research, particularly at the undergraduate level.
Sustainability and the environment
Several questions touched on sustainability and environmental concerns, with questions arising over LSE’s commitment to being carbon neutral.
Minouche reassured the audience that LSE has and continues to divest from fossil fuels, and that the School has committed to being carbon neutral by 2035 – a target that we would hope to meet before this date.
There is a sustainability advisory committee that Nick Stern is leading – which both students and staff are members of. Any actions or outcomes from the groups will be shared with the wider School community.
All three directors were keen to stress that LSE takes these concerns seriously, with activity at all levels taking place to minimise LSE’s impact on the environment and actively reduce our carbon footprint.
Research at LSE
A couple of the questions focused on research funding and academic integrity. Simon Hix clarified that any research funding is accepted only when academic freedom is guaranteed.
Simon also touched on how LSE can foster a more interdisciplinary approach to research, and how LSE is already responding to developments in digital and AI, with more research into these growing fields to come.
Progress and enhancements to the student experience
Students also noted progress in areas such as undergraduate access to research, LSE’s commitment to teaching and the development of student voice, and were keen to hear how the School planned to continue this progress and find creative solutions to doing so.
There was also praise for LSE Careers, with the suggestion that the service could have a greater emphasis on exploring possible pathways, to counter the perception that investment banking is the expected route. This chimed with an earlier question which asked how we can foster a culture that moves away from competition and investment banking – with community input being a key way for us to challenge these assumptions.
Many more subjects were raised during the Q&A – with topics covering everything from reducing the number of online platforms that students use, to visas for PhD students and artwork on campus.
If you have a question or would like to share feedback, there are lots of ways for you to do so. You can use your voice by feeding back via your SSLC rep, the Student Hub Help & Feedback option, or Comments, Compliments and Concerns cards.
The next Q&A will take place in Winter Term.