open staff forum may 2012 welcome open staff forum may 2012 nicer pic of the welcome banners from 50...

Open Staff ForumMay 2012

Welcome


Nicer pic of the welcome banners from 50th anniversary

Agenda

• Size, shape, quality and distinctiveness

• Academic staffing developments

• Curriculum review and structure of the academic year

• Services and infrastructure:

facilities management and catering services

IT systems developments.

Campus development


Reminder of aims in size, shape, quality and distinctiveness debate

“We are thinking about the next phase of Sussex’s development.

We aspire to be a top 10 University, with world-class research

and outstanding teaching & learning. We want to operate in a

sustainable manner, where our staff and students are at the

centre of future endeavour.”

Encouraged people to contribute to the debate, across the

University, in particular coordinated through Schools.


Reminder of growth potential – eg student numbers

Engagement across the campus

• Meetings have taken place in every School on SSQD

• Discussion within Professoriate

• Discussion with the elected officers of the Students’ Union

• Discussion in Student Experience Forum, which is chaired by

the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning)

• Discussion with Heads of School, Heads of Division in the

professional services and VCEG.


Views emerging – size

• Opportunity for growth with changing student number control - planned & focused on specific areas.

• Growth matched by opportunities to expand staff base. Needs to be reflected in eg capital programme, research base & size of academic units where critical mass is an issue.

• Improve financial stability and increasing efficiencies in operation; and maintain satisfactory staff:student ratios.


Views emerging– shape

• Academically broad-based, encompassing social sciences, arts and humanities, and science and medicine.

• Falmer campus the ‘home’ of Sussex. Explore options for complementary developments to extend education opportunities and fit our brand and reputation.

• Further student expansion to take account of (a) UG/ PGT/ PGR mix and (b) the balance between home and overseas students.

• International partnerships further developed to position Sussex among universities recognized for quality & distinctiveness.


Views emerging – quality

• Sussex must have excellence at the heart of all activities.

• The excellence of our research and taught programmes are at the core of this.

• Continuous improvement across all activities needs range of approaches, reflecting different levels (from individuals to university-wide) at which performance is managed.


Views emerging – distinctiveness

• Reputation as a research intensive/research led university must be maintained.

• Reputation for interdisciplinary work, founded on a base of strong subjects, should be maintained.

• Need to maintain a distinctive character in relation to national and international competition.


Next steps on size, shape and quality

• Take on board feedback as just summarised

• Continuing modelling student and staff numbers based on

schools’ plans

• Building in latest student application numbers

• Further discussion in summer term within University

• Presentation of initial ideas and options to Council in

Summer

• Continue working over 2012 to refine plans


Agenda







Campus development


Academic staffing developments (1)

• Sustaining academic strength across social sciences, arts

and humanities, and science and medicine.

• Investing particularly in areas of growth.


School Academic posts appointed to or in recruitment (since October 2011)

Engineering and Informatics

4 posts including 1 professor

LifeSci 22 including 2 professors

MPS 8 posts

Psychology 10 including 2 professors

BSMS 11 including 3 professors



School Academic posts appointed to or in recruitment (since October 2011)

BMEc 28 including 10 professors

ESW 7 including 3 professors

Global 7 posts

LPS 8 including 1 professor

English 6 posts

HAHP 7 including 2 professors

MFM 3 including 1 professor


• Heads of School appointments:

• Engineering and Informatics:

Professor Diane Mynors

• Also in process:

• Education and Social Work

• Mathematical and Physical Sciences

• Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research

• And congratulations to Bob Allison appointed VC at

LoughboroughOpen Staff ForumMay 2012

Agenda







Campus development


Portfolio and periodic review (1)

• Periodic Reviews in all schools completed – range of good

practice and recommendations emerging

• Schools now preparing action plans for start of autumn term

• Priorities identified in discussion with students:

• Signposting services and training staff in procedures

• Focus and clarity of academic advising

• Quality and quantity of all assessment and feedback


Portfolio and periodic review (2)

• Nearly 300 UG and PGT programmes reviewed and

revalidated. (Reminder necessary since had deliberately

held off review since 2007.)

• External assessors have been very positive, including on

level of student engagement

• Thanks to everyone – staff and students – who has given

their time to this vital area of work for Sussex.


Students’ Union – stop press news

• Clare Mackie has rightly been very positive about with

Students’ Union and student reps involvement in the

curriculum review. Important role.

• Please to say USSU shortlisted today for NUS Students’

Union of the Year 2012. And special commendation for

'Innovative Technology of the year' award. Wish them all the

best for that.


New structure of the academic year

• Remember new structure of the academic year – eg two

twelve-week teaching periods, and teaching starts 20

September.

• Final elements of new structure (for PGT and V&E students)

go to Senate in June

• Among other things, new structure with mid-year

assessment helps us improve assessment and feedback for

our students.


League tables – impact of assessment and feedback

•Sussex at record position in league tables in 2011, on back of excellent NSS and sustained research quality

•2012: Independent from 19th to 21st (although score increased) •2012: Guardian down to 27th - fall in "assessment and feedback" score in 2011 NSS (they give heavy weight to this)

•Still in Guardian top 10 for both teaching and value-add.

•"First class" rating in People and Planet Green League (first time ever) out today •Times and Sunday Times due to come this summer.


Agenda







Campus development


Facilities management, catering and conferencing (1)

• As we grow, want to provide sustainable and high-quality services to

students and staff, as efficiently and effectively as possible.

• Planning to work with external organisations to manage estates and

facilities and to provide catering and conferencing services.

• From May 2012, going through formal process to identify experienced

high-quality organisations that can best meet our needs.

• By March 2013 have preferred suppliers, take on role of providing these

services in August 2013.



• Around 235 staff out 2,200 at Sussex, transfer across to new providers.

• We are not proposing redundancies. This is about growth and sustaining

and improving quality. Staff transfer under TUPE regulations.

• Informed trades unions and staff directly affected.

• Continue to meet trades unions. Holding meetings with directly affected

staff to ensure they have opportunity to raise questions and concerns.

• Formal information and consultation with trades unions in spring 2013,

once providers identified, as legislation requires.



• Already work successfully with a range of external providers - for example, grounds

maintenance, most cleaning and laundry services, and waste management.

• Use high-quality external providers in other areas – eg large-scale printing, internal

audit, legal services, senior staff recruitment, design services.

• We also have external organisations on campus that provide our supermarket, post

office, bookshop, health centre. And most recently to sustain creche and nursery

services as well.

• This process and approach is supported by Universities UK and one which other

universities have already undertaken.


Agenda







Campus development


IT systems developments

• Investing in IT to improve how we work: eg

o New finance system, Agresso went live on May 8

o StarRez student housing system introduced

o Sussex Research Online launched

o Web Content Management System project to

implement the TerminalFour solution is beginning

o HR & Payroll System – in the final contractual

negotiations with the preferred supplier.


Student IT improvement project

• Investing in IT to better support our students:

o More than 360 new computers installed

o Wi-Fi improved in the Library

o Additional Wi-Fi around where students congregate

and in lecture and seminar rooms

o Wi-Fi in university residences

o IT Systems to be more accessible from student

owned devices


Agenda







Campus development


Campus development


Developing our campus – efficient use of space as we grow


Library refurbishment – usage up over 50% compared to 2010-11

New academic building ready – but still need more academic space


Northfield – gives 1,000 bed spaces – but further development needed

Court - March 2012

Future capital development

• Student residences to meet growing student demand

• New academic and research space – Sciences labs

• Making best use of our existing buildings

• Making sure student-facing services more accessible

– ‘Careers’ in library, Student Life Centre


Open discussion

Comments and

questions?

(Please raise your hand and wait for a

microphone so that everybody – including

those using the room’s hearing loop –

can hear you.)


Open Staff Forum

Thank you for coming

today


open staff forum may 2012 welcome open staff forum may 2012 nicer pic of the welcome banners from 50...

Documents

welcome open staff forum

plans open staff forum

loughborough open staff

staff numbers

staff base

professor slide

satisfactory staff

anniversary slide