In our rules we outline our shared values and how our College seeks to achieve them. These are summarized below.

We aim to:

  • provide university-level education [Higher Education] to those over 18 in Leicester and beyond
  • offer education which is centred on fully-accredited face-to-face, part-time learning and is open to anyone who can benefit from it professionally, personally or intellectually
  • continue and expand the Vaughan tradition of providing adult learners in Leicester with high quality university-level education, which is compatible with the requirements of working and personal lives
  • develop courses which reflect local needs, and our local and economic context
  • build, through the values and ethics of co-operation, an institution which prioritizes education over profit

We support:

  • the provision of education and opportunities for a broad range of students from diverse communities.
  • an equitable and sustainable working context for adult educators and all who work and learn as part of the College.
  • an alternative and sustainable model of Higher Education focused on the needs of students, staff and the wider community delivered through co-operation.

The full text of our Objects

“The objects of the Society shall be to carry on any business for the benefit of the community by providing flexible, university-level education which is aimed primarily at mature students, and delivered in an equitable and sustainable context for staff.

We, the Society members, believe in education as a public good: it benefits both society as a whole and its diverse communities by enabling self-improvement, mutual-improvement and civic participation.

The Society exists to provide those over 18 in Leicester and beyond with university-level education [Higher Education]. This education is centred on fully-accredited, face-to-face, part-time learning and is open to anyone who can benefit from it professionally, personally or intellectually. It offers individuals opportunities to develop, change or advance their lives and careers. It benefits communities through solidarity, co-operation and gaining the tools to address the challenges faced by society.

We will continue and expand the Vaughan tradition of providing adult learners in Leicester with high quality university-level education, which is compatible with the requirements of working and personal lives. We will secure the provision of this kind of education and opportunities for a broad range of students from diverse communities. We will support an equitable and sustainable working context for adult educators and all who work and learn as part of the College. We will ensure the courses we develop reflect local needs and our local and economic context. Through co-operation, we will provide an alternative, reproducible and sustainable model of Higher Education focused on the needs of students, staff and the wider community.

We will use these values and the ethics of co-operation to build an institution which prioritises education over profit.”