News | Wednesday, 15th July 2015
University receives Responsible Futures accreditation
One of the first HE institutions to receive award
THE UNIVERSITY has become one of the first Higher Education institutions in the country to gain the UK Responsible Futures accreditation mark.
This means that Manchester Met and the Students’ Union are nationally recognised for our commitment to embedding sustainability and social responsibility, across the formal and informal curriculum.
An NUS auditor said the University was doing “especially well at creating a network of academics interested in Education for Sustainable Development, and building their skills and understanding through a vast amount of professional development opportunities”
The independent and externally assessed accreditation scheme led by the National Union of Students, Responsible Futures was piloted at Manchester Metropolitan University and 12 other HE/FE institutions in 2014-15, and will be open to all UK institutions from this summer.
Making sustainability happen
The accreditation was gained through the work of the MMU Responsible Futures Steering Group and the sponsorship of Penny Renwick (Pro Vice Chancellor for Students) and Sarah Beth Cooper (Community Officer). The Steering Group plans to continue to help develop the University’s profile in this important area over the coming years.
NUS Vice President (Society and Citizenship) Piers Telemacque said: “60 per cent of students want to learn more about sustainability, and Responsible Futures is making that happen”
Helping make the case for the University’s successful accreditation was a robust and varied compilation of evidence with examples of how academics and professional staff are leading the way to support the institution’s commitment to embed environmental and social sustainability into the formal and informal curriculum.
The group of auditors praised initiatives at MMU in this area including the MMU Futures scheme, CELT’s CPD offer and online resources, the Environmental Sustainability Strategy, the Strategy for Learning, Teaching and Assessment, the HR processes in the SU and the community activities led by the SU.
