Introduction
It is my great pleasure to introduce this new Strategy for the Welsh Language at Swansea University, which outlines our aspirations and ambitions to secure a prominent place for the Welsh language in our institution and in our community. Our graduates make a significant contribution to a variety of sectors across Wales and beyond, and we aim to ensure that there are opportunities for them to prepare for those careers by studying through the medium of Welsh and to come into contact with the language regardless of their background or area of study. This is also our aspiration for all our colleagues, in line with our commitment to invest in our people. Our University is proud to be an inclusive and welcoming place of study and work, and one that respects and celebrates diverse cultures. At heart, we are a University of and for Wales, and we celebrate our Welsh heritage and culture. From this position of strength, and in line with our University motto, “Technical skill is bereft without culture”, we reach out confidently to represent Wales and all that she has to offer on a global stage. This Strategy aligns with the University’s Strategic Vision and Purpose (2020), and in particular to our commitment to widening the range of opportunities for students to study through the medium of Welsh and to engage with the Welsh language. After all, our University has a reputation for teaching excellence, innovative research, international reach, and an exceptional student experience that equips our graduates for personal and professional success. This Strategy states our commitment to providing the means for our staff to engage with the language as a means of gaining an additional
workplace skill and as a gateway to new cultural and social opportunities at work and in the community. Addressing Welsh Government Cymraeg 2050 targets and The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 goals, we will enhance our institutional role, prominence, and influence to ensure that Swansea University is the main driver of change in relation to the advancement of the Welsh-language agenda within our communities. This Strategy acknowledges the reality of twenty-first century Wales with its two official languages and multi- cultural and multi-ethnic society. It strives to ensure that all who visit or live, study or work in Wales are able to experience all that this unique nation offers through their time at Swansea University. This Strategy will ensure that the Welsh language, culture and heritage remain integral to those formative experiences for all our students and that our Welsh speakers benefit fully from studying at a university with valuable multicultural and international links.
Professor Elwen Evans QC, Pro Vice Chancellor Welsh Language and Culture
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