How to build inclusion into a transnational campus from day one

When a new transnational university campus opens, immediate focus and funding typically flow towards physical infrastructure, IT alignment and student recruitment. However, the most critical foundation for long-term success cannot be bought: an inclusive campus culture.

But what does an “inclusive” campus look like in practice? For us, it means creating an environment where local students, international peers and global staff members all feel that their identities are structurally respected, whether through the academic calendar, the physical layout of the building or the way they are addressed in meetings.

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That is, equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in a transnational campus must be both structural and cultural. At the University of Southampton Delhi, our ambition was to build EDI into the operational DNA of the campus from day one, rather than treating it as a retroactive compliance exercise. A robust policy is essential, but it comes alive when visible representation (including inclusive calendars) and everyday interactions are prioritised across the institution. 

From global commitment to tangible relevance

Here is how we translated a global commitment to inclusion into a localised reality.

1. Adapt policy, don’t reinvent it 

When establishing a new campus, the temptation is to write entirely new policies from scratch. We resisted this. Why? Because starting from a blank page risked creating a two-tier system in which the Delhi campus operated under standards that were structurally different from the home campus in the UK. To guarantee institutional parity, we adopted the University of Southampton’s inclusion and respectful behaviour policy as our baseline.

The real work was in cultural translation. We asked practical questions about local relevance: how do cultural norms in India shape perceptions of respectful behaviour? For example, Indian workplace dynamics are traditionally more hierarchical than those in the UK. We had to thoughtfully adapt the policy to ensure that every staff member felt culturally safe and empowered to speak up without fear of overstepping.

We also faced practical barriers when translating policy into local terminology. For instance, when establishing a dedicated quiet space for our community, we had to navigate internal sensitivities. There was debate over whether to use explicitly inclusive terms such as “multi-faith room” or adopt a more secular label like “reflection room”. Ultimately, we focused on the functional outcome – ensuring that the space was built to welcome to everyone for prayer or quiet thought – rather than stalling over the label on the door.

Finally, we wove cultural awareness directly into our everyday practices; for example, we normalised the use of correct pronouns in official communications, reinforcing that identity matters as much in Delhi as it does in Southampton or Malaysia.

2. Make belonging a visible infrastructure

Inclusion must be visible to be felt. We moved quickly to translate policy into physical changes, ones that can be seen and experienced walking around the building, rather than relying on abstract organisational statements.

In place of a list of generic holidays, we developed an inclusive campus calendar that balances UK institutional milestones with local realities – for example, ensuring that festivals and celebrations pertaining to different communities in India are given the same structural recognition as the winter break (popular in the UK context). This deliberate scheduling meant that students could balance significant local family obligations with their academic deadlines without feeling penalised.

Beyond the calendar, we looked at the blueprints. What does accessibility look like in the context of Delhi NCR? We built accessibility provisions for differently abled community members into the physical campus design before the first cohort even arrived, ensuring that diverse physical needs informed the campus architecture and were not an afterthought addressed with temporary ramps.

3. Enforce cross-functional ownership

A common failure in EDI is isolating the responsibility within a single department, such as human resources. To counter this, we established a cross-functional EDI Network. Crucially, the campus provost drives the EDI agenda, making it clear that the highest levels of university leadership fully back inclusion across the institution.

This network brings together the provost, chief operating officer, faculty lead, professional services lead and, importantly, a student representative from our inaugural cohort. This structure ensures that inclusion is a shared operational standard owned by every tier of the community.

This shared ownership was evident in our inaugural EDI session for staff members. Designed not as a mandatory compliance lecture but rather as a collaborative dialogue, it was facilitated jointly by the local EDI Network and EDI colleagues from the Southampton campus. It invited staff to reflect on how respect is experienced differently across cultures and what inclusive behaviours look like in a transnational workplace.

To move from dialogue to action, we conducted focus groups with both staff and students. This allowed us to understand their experiences, gather direct feedback and co-create an EDI-centred organisation rather than imposing a top-down model.

Building an EDI blueprint

As we look to our next phase, we intend to deepen this engagement across our entire community. For students, this means rolling out dedicated EDI introductory sessions within the orientation week. For staff, we are building directly on our focus-group insights with sessions embedded in awaydays and introducing monthly staff drop-ins to ensure that every colleague has a dedicated space to be heard and have their concerns addressed. This guarantees that our frameworks continuously evolve alongside experience.

For institutions establishing new campuses, the mandate is simple: do not wait for the campus to settle before addressing inclusion. Build it into the blueprint.

Anupama Saini is the librarian and EDI lead (professional services) at the University of Southampton Delhi.

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