deakin towards 2030...deakin towards 2030 | strategic plan | consultation paper | august 2020 2...

Deakin towards 2030

Strategic Plan CONSULTATION PAPER

August 2020

Deakin towards 2030 | Strategic Plan | Consultation Paper | August 2020 1

Message from the Vice-Chancellor

Our Strategic Plan must reflect and inspire the Deakin community

Deakin University’s next strategic plan will serve as our guiding framework for the next decade. Like any strategy, the document itself will matter only if we take the actions to bring it to life. But getting the document right is a key step: the Strategic Plan is how we will represent and articulate Deakin’s goals and priorities to our University community, and to the world outside.

This consultation paper outlines a clear direction and set of priorities towards 2030, and has been prepared acknowledging the external factors that may influence our future. This year’s events have demonstrated just how essential it is for us to be able to react nimbly to external changes. While those changes can be difficult, they position Deakin for sustainable future success.

I am asking for your feedback to shape our Strategic Plan and to ensure that it reflects us as a university community. I want to understand how well it represents your ambitions and aspirations, what you like best about it, and what could be improved. I hope to understand how the strategy can, and will, be meaningful for you as you study or work at the University.

The University must meet the challenges posed by the external environment

Our Strategic Plan is being developed in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has already had far-reaching impact across the world, including on institutions of higher education. For many people this has been the most disruptive and difficult experience of their lifetime. Yet the pandemic is just one of a number of significant external conditions which affect our University including climate change, changing social attitudes and demographic shifts, and rapid transformation via technology.

Universities have faced turbulent conditions before, from war to financial crises, to revolutions and political suppression. And universities are some of the most resilient organisations in history: facing each challenge, they have adapted, reinvented, and emerged stronger and more vital to their communities. Deakin University is no exception; we will be an institution vital for the rebuilding of the social, cultural and economic well-being of our localities, State and country.

We benefit from the freedoms we have to operate as an autonomous institution, provided with direct support from governments and the community at large. We can only be successful if we also live up to our responsibility to drive positive change for society, and champion the importance of academic freedom. This commitment to playing an essential role in rebuilding the economy and supporting the community post-COVID-19 is core to our social contract: through our actions we will build trust and demonstrate our many positive contributions.

Our Strategic Plan will outline the choices we will make to achieve our ambition

The next few years will present unique pressures on the higher education sector. We must enhance our capability to anticipate and respond to change and disruption, and at the same time deliver greater positive impact for our communities. The proposed commitments in this consultation paper reflect the actions designed to ensure that we work towards achieving our ambitions.

One of the biggest risks in developing a strategy is attempting to cover too many activities given finite resources and time. We cannot do everything; no university can. We must balance our ambitions with a considered assessment of what we may need to stop doing to achieve our goals. Beyond the development of our strategy, I propose that we regularly reflect on our decisions, re-evaluating what we do, and what we do not do.

Consultation is essential to identify additional considerations, and to determine whether we have captured fully what Deakin’s priorities should be. I look forward to your contributions.

Professor Iain Martin

Vice-Chancellor


Deakin towards 2030

Our Strategic Plan will set out where the University will be by 2030

At Deakin we have a distinctive position within the Australian higher education sector as a leader in excellence for both education and research as judged by students’ satisfaction and outcomes, and by external assessments of research quality.

Our ambition is for Deakin to reinforce this distinctive position to deliver an outstanding educational experience and an environment where ideas flourish through exploration and by innovative application.

An essential consideration for any university is its aspiration for its size. While our growth, including student numbers, will be influenced heavily by external factors, we must seize the opportunities for growth that align with our strategic intent and values – not growth for growth’s sake. Our strategy is to take advantage of opportunities as they arise; but we also seek to inform, influence and help define policy so that it meets the needs of Victoria and Australia.

While external conditions will change, our strategy must provide the stability to guide our decisions. We aim to hold true to our ambition of distinctive excellence in the face of change over the life of the strategy, and to take the actions needed to maximise the value we create, and the impact we have, through our core activities. We should evaluate the actions we take by whether they advance us towards our overarching ambition in ways consistent with our values.

VALUES

Deakin is a distinctively Australian university that was established with a strong place-based mission. Our values speak to our appreciation of Australia’s full history and a genuine commitment to Reconciliation. We will continue to work with and for the First Peoples of this country.

Our values guide our actions and define how we act, collectively and individually.

Brave – we make bold decisions and approach all that we do with courage, ambition and personal responsibility

Dynamic – we strive for success through being creative, adaptable and agile in our approach to work and problem solving

Inclusive – we value our diversity, embrace difference, seek to engage and welcome others, and nurture a connected, safe and respectful community

Sustainable – we care about our shared future, integrating economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainability in all we do

Excellent – we strive for excellence in all aspects of our work, taking pride in being the best we can be

Ethical – we conduct our business with the highest standards of professional behaviour and integrity

“Deakin University aims to be a catalyst for positive change for the

individuals and the communities it serves. It

aspires to be recognised as Australia’s most progressive

university.”

Preamble to the Deakin University Act 2009


Our Strategic Plan should reflect the complexity of the University ecosystem

Since our establishment in 1974, Deakin has helped to transform communities and the lives of individuals through our education and research. Our strategy will build on that legacy; it has been designed as a holistic and integrated framework that will enable us to deliver tangible results across all our domains and to where it really matters with a focus on the core activities of Education & Employability, and Ideas & Innovation.

Deakin is an interconnected network which is more than the sum of its many parts. Our research and education are mutually enriching, as are our multi-dimensional and evolving partnerships and our relationships with communities. We must nurture each part of the University to reap the benefits of the Deakin ecosystem, including balancing excellence across multiple dimensions.

Our approach builds on the idea of these interconnections to articulate the complex ways in which we generate impact in terms that can be understood by those who know our sector and institution, as well as those who are not as familiar. It aims to facilitate stronger engagement across sectors and provide greater transparency in what we do and how we do it.

We create value through both physical campuses, and our online offer

We are a distinctively Australian university with a strong place-based mission. We are a civic anchor that has helped rebuild and grow local economies, preserve and enhance natural and built environments, and foster thriving artistic and sporting cultures. We make significant contributions to our local communities that span major cities and regional centres in Victoria, including Geelong, Melbourne and Warrnambool.

While remaining an essential part of location-based communities, Deakin is also Australia’s preeminent digital university. Our reputation as a pioneer in distance education and our investment in digital learning and capability has enabled our students and staff to overcome any disadvantage of geography. In the coming decade, this will only become more important as students expect greater personalisation in our course offerings, and as data-enriched technologies and artificial intelligence become the background to all our lives. Deakin must, and will, continue to be a digital leader in higher education, but at all times ensuring technology supports progress and not just change.

We deliver impact locally, and globally

Australia cannot be viewed in isolation – we are entwined in the affairs of the world. Great universities build bridges, they strive for connection and broaden their understanding of diverse peoples and places. Our social contract with Australians extends to our ability to learn from, teach and collaborate with the best in the world. Our ability to achieve influence at a local level is shaped by longstanding international networks that give us a globally informed perspective. We will sustain our networks and build new bridges to ensure that we remain an internationally connected university for staff and students.

We strive for excellence, and for equity

Our values and ambition, and all we do, must be informed by Australia’s heritage, enhance our shared future and strengthen our place in the world. We are already one of Australia’s most progressive universities, characterised by our commitment to challenging current ideas and concepts, lifelong learning and employability, discovery and creativity, digital capability, social justice, inclusivity and diversity.

The impact we create must deliver benefit and progress across society, prioritising equity and opportunity. We will provide greater access to education to talented students regardless of their background and make a tangible positive difference for the First Peoples of this country by advancing Reconciliation and moving Indigenous Knowledges into the mainstream of Australian life. We will not be defined by those we exclude, but by the opportunities we create.


Our core activities

We deliver impact through Education & Employability, and Ideas & Innovation

We create value through our learning and teaching, and student experience, by preparing graduates with the skills they need to succeed in their lives and careers. Our graduates are highly regarded citizens in their communities and by employers.

We create value through the translation of our research activity – the generation of ideas – into the innovations which deliver impact through economic and social outcomes. Our ideas and innovation make a positive difference to the communities we serve by addressing the social, economic and environmental challenges facing the world.

We are distinctively successful in both education and research

Our education and research perform at demonstrably high standards. We believe that we can deliver the best outcomes for our students and communities when we balance excellence and focussed impact across these core activities. This strength is central to our future plan, and pursing excellence with impact on both dimensions is central to our ambition.

Our pursuit of excellence and generating impact across both education and research is accompanied by a commitment to greater access to education for talented students regardless of their backgrounds. We will make a real difference in ‘Closing the Gap’ for the First Peoples of this country. We will increase access for learners and researchers from low socio-economic and regional and remote backgrounds. Delivering impact with both equity and excellence is at the heart of our social contract.

Students are the heart of our University. We are the number one public university in Australia for overall educational experience, and we are the top ranked Victorian university for good teaching, generic skills development and graduate qualities.

We will remain a leader by reshaping our approach to traditional course structures to provide greater opportunity to learners at all stages of their lives and careers. Whether a career starter, career advancer or career changer, Deakin offers a learning experience that challenges, inspires and equips students for diverse and fulfilling lives and careers.

We work with partners, both locally and globally, to enable flexible and non-traditional pathways into a Deakin education. Our partnerships with industry embed employability and career thinking into every student journey to ensure Deakin graduates have skills that are valued and relevant for both our students and their future employers.

To further enhance the education we provide, we will:

deliver a distinctive, contemporary and relevant student experience that is highly personalised, inclusive and accessible, with seamless integration of online and on-campus delivery and support

provide education that supports students at all stages of their career: starters, advancers and changers

integrate career thinking and employability skills, co-designed with our employer partners

lead in the design and delivery of high-quality, short programs that have the potential to build into formal postgraduate qualifications

enable greater access to talented students regardless of their background, increasing the participation of Indigenous students, those of low socio-economic status, and from regional and remote locations.


Deakin’s distinctive excellence creates impact delivered through both education and research. The ideas we generate through research, and the application of those ideas in innovative and meaningful ways, ensure that Deakin is at the forefront of solving some of the world’s greatest challenges. We understand that addressing those challenges requires effective multidisciplinary teams: Deakin’s ability to build and sustain those teams gives us a rare advantage.

We have significant success to build on. Since 2010 we have lifted the quality and quantity of our research substantially. In parallel, we have built significant innovation and commercialisation outcomes to be among the leading universities nationally. We will continue this trajectory and improve our research quality and impact through mutually beneficial partnerships with industry, governments and communities.

We will emphasise the translation, application and commercialisation of our ideas to create positive impact for our partners and society. Deakin aims to generate social and economic benefits rapidly, including through new businesses and jobs. We will use our strength in innovation to build entrepreneurships skill development into our core education and research training programs.

To deliver greater impact through our research, we will:

increase our research quality, make the most of the talent within our communities and grow our impact

enhance career-long researcher development across discovery, innovation and industry streams, to better support and enable the success of our academic trainees and workforce

grow a vibrant ideas and innovation ecosystem with key local and international partners, which strengthens and extends our research and innovation capabilities

enhance our industry engagement by strengthening our industry precincts, with greater co-location of partners, more pilot production facilities and test beds and facilitating longer term, strategic local and international collaborations

accelerate translation of discoveries into products and services by streamlining commercialisation pathways, enhancing our engagement mechanisms and fully utilising our industry precincts

provide improved support and systems for a new way of working that enables the researcher to focus on research, high-value collaboration and engagement to deliver real-world impact.


Our impact themes

The themes articulate where we will have the greatest positive impact

Our core activities of Education & Employability and Ideas & Innovation define what we do; our impact themes focus our activities to where we can have the most impact. We will harness and join capabilities across Deakin, and with our partners, pursue a multi-disciplinary approach that builds on Deakin’s capabilities across our University.

We have chosen these five interconnected themes because they are important to society and relate to our strengths in education and research. Whenever we need to determine whether an opportunity is relevant, we will make sure it aligns with one or more of these five themes.

We understand that we cannot do everything. We will focus on areas where we can make the most impact and meet society’s needs while achieving excellence at an internationally significant standard. We will use our impact themes like a compass, helping us navigate opportunities and decisions.


Through education that supports our students to achieve their aspirations, through the generation and exploration of ideas that challenge and advance knowledge, or through innovation driving progress, we will build our strength around five impact themes:

Advancing society, culture and the economy

strengthen democratic and civil society through education and the application of critical ideas

inform and shape the development of a more effective and resilient education system

build the business capabilities necessary for a strong, sustainable, diverse and resilient economy

research and teach Australia’s rich heritage, including Indigenous Knowledges, and support the aspirations of the First Peoples of this country

support and develop Australia’s cultural, creative, and sporting industries

Building safe and secure communities

develop innovative solutions to the geopolitical, social and cultural dimensions of community resilience, safety, and wellbeing

create more secure communities through innovation in intelligent systems, cyber-security, and human-centric digital solutions

develop solutions to secure supply chains and transportation in a rapidly urbanising world

develop innovative solutions that support Australian defence

create new knowledge to enhance local and international responses to humanitarian events

Creating smarter technologies

advance the sophistication, capability and wider utilisation of technologies such as artificial intelligence, sensing systems, robotics and automation and new materials

develop the skills and technologies that will underpin a sustainable economic future for Australia in which new technologies align creative problem-solving and productivity to deliver progress, not just change

Enabling a sustainable world

understand, protect and manage land, air and marine ecosystems

advance the circular economy through innovative resource management technologies that are sustainable and scalable

support organisations and communities to be more economically, socially and environmentally sustainable

support the new energy transition through innovative and sustainable energy generation and storage technologies

Improving health and wellbeing

support the sustainable delivery of high-quality healthcare across Australia

translate our education and research to help improve global health outcomes and address humanitarian needs

develop initiatives that enhance wellbeing and enable all to enjoy fulfilling and healthy lives

IMPACT THEMES


Our communities

Deakin is ultimately defined by the people who make up our University community: our students, our staff, and our friends and alumni. We must be an inclusive university which values diversity, and fosters wellbeing, innovation and positive engagement, reflecting Deakin’s values and enabling collaboration and cohesion. A progressive, thriving culture will ensure that people choose Deakin – for study, for their career, or as a trusted partner.

Serving students is central to Deakin’s mission

We are redefining our approach to education to be more inclusive, responsive and relevant for learners at all stages of their careers. This is a truly student-centric view that we believe will transform not only the student experience, but the value of – and outcomes achieved through – a Deakin education. We seek to extend the reach of a Deakin education and educate more students where that education offering aligns with our values.

Our staff should feel confident they can build successful and meaningful careers at Deakin

Our staff survey results show that staff experience job satisfaction and are optimistic about the University’s future. We will continue to invest in our people, building our capacity to be agile and adaptive, while continuing to develop our digital fluency and boosting cross-university collaboration. Better support for early and mid-career academics will improve our performance, diversity and inclusion, our recruitment and retention.

Our friends and alumni are integral to the Deakin community

Deakin must work in partnership with others to deliver on its ambition. Through meaningful collaboration and engagement, we will continue building a strong sense of community with our students, staff, alumni and supporters, as well as our industry and community partners. We are known as a highly connected and collaborative institution and we must enhance these qualities.

To further empower and engage our communities, we will:

nurture a vibrant student and alumni community, and grow the social, cultural and economic well-being of our communities

build employability into a Deakin education, empowering students to shape their aspirations and professional identities while they study, and return throughout their careers

build a culture of trust and transparency that features high levels of personal integrity

foster a growth mindset so that staff are empowered to seek opportunities to learn, develop and excel, and to guide and lead others to succeed

understand and support the different career stages, providing opportunities for courageous work and for staff to raise their professional or academic profile

provide a flexible working environment which is inclusive and supportive of individual circumstances, and which promotes a sustainable work and life blend.

EMPOWERED AND ENGAGED COMMUNITIES


Our enterprise capabilities

Deakin is a complex interconnected organisation. We will achieve our goals by optimising our infrastructure and enterprise capabilities across our digital platforms, built environment, campus services and financial resources. We must ensure that our processes, and how we work, enable the best from our students and staff, and facilitate our partnerships. We will prioritise efficiency, effectiveness and consistency in all our activities; everything we do must be aligned to our ambition. Across each of these capabilities we will put in place those things we learnt during the experiences of working through the COVID-19 pandemic.

To ensure that we have the right capabilities to deliver our strategy, we will:

Meaningful partnerships

deploy a distinctive place and partnership model focussed on our five impact themes

deliver an effective and sustainable community engagement strategy that is attuned to regional and national priorities, and brings community, industry and alumni onto our campuses

build partnerships and connections with place that emphasise our links with Indigenous Australians, their communities and organisations

Innovative digital technology

deliver outstanding digital capabilities that seamlessly blend online and physical campus activities

ensure that our cyber security is robust and protects the data privacy of our people and our partners

develop our digital technology capabilities so that our online platforms remain a distinctive space of their own and are integrated with and enhance Deakin as a truly digitally enabled organisation, which will:

open up new possibilities in our education, research and innovation portfolio

operate more effectively and efficiently across the University

engage beyond the University more consistently and effectively

become more agile and responsive, and support core activities in times of disruption

Safe and sustainable campuses

provide welcoming, inclusive, safe, well-maintained, and accessible physical environments that are shaped by local contexts, create distinctive student experiences and foster ideas and innovation

create innovation precincts supporting collaboration and sustainable job growth

focus resources on optimal use of space and advance environmental, economic and social sustainability

build towards being carbon neutral by 2025 and carbon negative by 2030

make our campuses a demonstration of sustainable living laboratories

integrate sustainability principles in our planning, governance and decision-making to ensure that the value is embedded across all aspects of the organisation

Effective and efficient ways of working

maximise the time and resources available for our core activities by improving our systems and processes, including our data usage

automate all that can be automated, while personalising processes and services when it matters, allowing staff to focus on high value-add activities

ENTERPRISE CAPABILITIES


Sustained financial security

ensure the efficient and effective management of our operations, resources, assets and investments

build financial resilience, revenue growth and the diversification of income sources including philanthropy and commercialisation

balance current versus future investment

incorporate environmental, social and economic considerations to inform our investment decisions


Deakin towards 2030

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