Registration to attend LANN 2026 (University of York, Thursday 19th March) now open!
Founded in 2022 by the Universities of Leeds and Manchester, LANN (Liberal Arts Northern Network) fosters collaborative interdisciplinary education across institutions in the north of England.
Each year, we hold a Liberal Arts Conference for students from our LANN Universities. Our aim is to bring students together across institutional boundaries, to share learning, to foster a strong sense of Liberal Arts identity and community, and to think about shared values and transferable skills for students at University and beyond.
At these conferences, which rotate around the different LANN universities annually, students have a chance to think deeply about the value of their interdisciplinary education, and the skills that they are developing. There are in-built networking opportunities for students (both formal and informal), chances to talk about their own work and interests, and opportunities to discover and celebrate the amazing range of things that Liberal Arts students do across each of the LANN Universities.
"It affirmed why I love studying Liberal Arts and inspired me so much"
"I really enjoyed the student breakout sessions discussing everyone's research as it really made me remember why I enjoyed the course so much"
"I loved hearing other students' work, it was so inspiring and exciting"
"It was so nice to hear about each other's various passions and unique interests and be reminded of why we chose the course in the first place"
"I found it very helpful to get to chat to other students just for a bit of motivation and comradery and fun"
"It was an absolute pleasure to network and meet with Liberal Arts students from another institution and city, helping expand my own horizons in relation to my understanding of the wonderful Liberal Arts degree!"
"I think it's an amazing precedent for Liberal Arts in future"
"Such a great event!"
💬 The theme for LANN 2026 is Communication and Community.
📍 It will be held in G/N/020 in James College at the University of York, Thursday 19th March 2026.
🥯 LANN is free to attend, and attendance includes lunch and afternoon refreshments.
🚌 Travel for students from Leeds and Manchester is organised by each institution; your tutor will be able to provide more information on these arrangements!
12:00-12:30 Lunch
12:30-12:45 Welcome, introductions
12:45-13:45 Workshop/plenary
13:45-14:30 Student presentations 1
14:30-14:45 Refreshments
14:45-15:45 Student presentations 2
15:45-16:15 Publishing opportunities
16:15-16:45 Workshop/plenary
16:45-17:00 Reflections, feedback
17:00 Drinks
You can choose to present in one of two formats:
Short presentation (5-minute talk, followed by 5 minutes of questions and discussion)
Longer presentation (10-minute talk, followed by 5 minutes of questions and discussion)
LANN provides a supportive and informal environment for Liberal Artists to share their interdisciplinary work, and it presents an opportunity to be inspired by different themes, topics, and approaches to interdisciplinarity that you might want to incorporate into your own research and study. Mentoring and support is also available for presenters.
If you're not sure about presenting your work at LANN, speak to your tutor/advisor.
Please use the form below to register to attend LANN 2026. You can also use the form to indicate if you would like to present your work at the conference.
If you have any questions, please contact JT Welsch (York) (jt.welsch@york.ac.uk), Kristi Boone (Leeds) (k.l.boone@leeds.ac.uk), or Scott Midson (Manchester) (scott.midson@manchester.ac.uk).
At LANN 2024 in Manchester, students were asked to take photos that show what Liberal Arts is to them...
At LANN 2025 in Leeds, students were asked to demonstrate the importance of Liberal Arts in our current context...
Header image produced by Liberal Arts students (Universities of Leeds & Manchester) at LANN 2025