LSE strategy - Shaping the world

Building on our unique character and history of shaping the world, LSE's strategy, Shaping the world, outlines how we plan to meet the challenges and opportunities of today and tomorrow.

LSE was founded in 1895 with a mission “to understand the causes of things for the betterment of society.” That mission was motivated by a belief that hard thinking and new ideas were the best way to bring about beneficial change.

From its earliest days, the School has fostered a programme of education, research, and public outreach meant to have positive impact on society.

Our strategy today, Shaping the world, is a natural extension of this founding aim.

Accordingly, LSE will continue to strengthen its research environment, supporting students with additional scholarships, encouraging innovation, and building new strategic partnerships and civic engagement. The School will also ensure its education and student experience continue to meet the needs of 21st-century learners through expanded learning opportunities, pioneering teaching, championing diversity in all its forms, and strengthening student partnership. LSE's culture and sense of belonging will remain a focus, with campus relations and equity, diversity and inclusion at the heart of our daily experience. The School's financial sustainability and ability to deliver effective operations while supporting and developing its people and talent will remain a priority, as will securing the structures and processes essential to enabling success.

Professor Larry Kramer, President and Vice Chancellor of LSE said: "Although the world in which LSE operates today is vastly different from the one our founders knew, our core mission – to understand in order to improve – remains unchanged. This strategy will ensure that we can respond to the urgent challenges of today while preparing for those we have yet to imagine. At the same time, it reaffirms our commitment to developing world-leading education, producing research that shapes society, and developing the leaders needed to create positive change in the years ahead."

Read the LSE strategy [PDF]