Transformation Programme

We are entering a new era in our long history and are looking to put in place stronger foundations, structures and ways of working to secure a positive future for our institution.

By renewing our organisation our students and staff will have the best possible learning, research and working environments enabling them to continue addressing society’s big challenges for the benefit of the wider world.

As we change, we will continue to deliver on our commitments to students, staff and partners. We recognise that it is vital that we continue to deliver excellent learning opportunities for students and a first-rate working environment for staff. We will also continue to meet our duties to partners in the sector, local communities and in national and international collaborations.

We are also fully committed to the arts, humanities and social sciences as core elements of our educational offer. We understand that these disciplines are vital to helping us understand an increasingly complex and challenging world.  

How we’re delivering this change

The Transformation Programme has three main aims:

• Sustainable finances achieved through savings, including lowering our operating budget by £20 million, and developing new income streams
• Becoming an efficient and responsive organisation through renewing systems, processes, policy and delivery
• Enhancing quality including learning, student experience and research

To achieve our aims Goldsmiths needs to adapt. Led by our Governing Council and the Senior Management Team, we are making changes to the way we are organised, making sure our finances are balanced and focusing on delivering an excellent learning and research environment and experience.

The Transformation Programme is being delivered through six workstreams which address cost savings, efficiencies in organisation, offer and process, enhancing quality and growth. The remainder of academic year 2023-24 will see this work developed and delivered in order to establish a new foundation from academic year 2024-25.

Overcoming sectoral challenges

While Goldsmiths must overcome challenges, there are a range of shared problems facing the university sector in the UK which have been set out in a Universities UK and PwC analysis.

In particular, there are a growing questions over the state funding and governance of universities with broad agreement that the current system is not fully supporting the needs of students, staff, research and institutions as a whole.

These concerns were captured in a wide-ranging 2023 House of Lords report into the Office for Students, our sector regulator.

There is further pressure on creative institutions like Goldsmiths. This is because of cuts to funding from government directly linked to the subjects we specialise in and our location in the capital.