The University of Winchester in United Kingdom 

The story of the University of Winchester shows just how much we have been woven into the history of the City. It all started with a mission the Church of England had in the 1830s to create an institution that would train teachers to teach in poor communities. The Diocesan Training School was eventually established by Bishop Sumner in 1840. Its original location was 26/27 St Swithun Street, a grand terraced house only a short walk from Winchester Cathedral. It then moved to Wolvesey Palace before finally moving to the purpose-built buildings on West Hill in 1860 – a building that is still at the heart of our campus today. It was hoped that HRH Prince Albert – one of whose servants had previously attended the College for training – would perform the official opening of the new building; however his illness and premature death in December 1861 prevented that.

Our original connection with Cathedral and Diocese remains strong and is something we cherish dearly. Throughout all the manifestations of the University, we have together watched over the spiritual life and championed many economic and educational developments in the city.

In 1840 there were just ten pupils. Today we have close to 8,000 students, a beautiful award-winning campus which is a hub of knowledge, creativity and innovation for the City and beyond. In all of that growth and change our story, our long history, has followed in the way of the original mission of the Church in establishing the Diocesan Training College. We are proud to have a long history of upholding people’s rights, seeking justice and challenging prejudice; and today being a leading values-driven university with a deep commitment to freedom, justice, truth, human rights and collective effort for the common good.

AS A UNIVERSITY, WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN – AND WILL ALWAYS BE – LED AND DRIVEN BY OUR VALUES.

As the world around us changes, we have accepted the challenge to change with it and move forward with confidence. Our reimagined values reflect our past and speak to our future.

It is shaped by our original mission – to educate, advance knowledge and serve the common good – and it is guided by our reimagined values. It focuses on the importance of people, place and partnerships in delivering our mission.

As a community, we value:

THE LOVE OF LEARNING

As individuals and as a community, we seek to discover new ideas, and understand new perspectives. We pursue both a depth and breadth of knowledge. We celebrate academic excellence and intellectual challenge. We seek to understand the perspectives of others and we welcome respectful debate, listening to views which may differ from our own with interest and defending our own with reason and humanity.​

INDIVIDUAL AND SHARED ENDEAVOUR

As individuals and as a community, we seek to bring our best to our work and our study. We commit to striving to be successful, to do things well and play our part. We recognise that excellence only comes with effort and persistence. We are confident and believe in ourselves, collectively and individually. We are a welcoming, professional and respectful community. We see working together in partnership – in our own community and beyond it – as key to expanding our horizons and creating opportunities.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

From our Church of England foundation in 1840, built upon deeply held principles of creating a better world for everyone through education, we continue to play our part to ensure lasting change in the communities we serve through transformational education, impactful research and enduring partnerships.

We make a difference by educating graduates who will create a better, fairer world with enthusiasm, energy and creativity. We make a difference undertaking and sharing research which will inform and enable lasting change. We make a difference to our world by committing to care for it and live in it sustainably. We make a difference to each other by behaving with humanity and respect, recognising that we each make a worthy contribution to a community which we value and of which we are all an important part.