welcome to the vice-chancellor’s open meeting for staff february 2014
TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to the Vice-Chancellor’sopen meeting for staff
February 2014
Agenda
• Making the Future – Strategy 2013-18 – implementation
• Agenda built around strategy headings:
• Research – Sussex Research initiatives, academic appointments
• Teaching and Learning – scholarships, Sussex Choice,
employability, investment, NSS
• Campus developments – Masterplan and development
• Economic and social impact – report out this month
• Professional Services – SEF, SussexFood, staffing
• Sustainable operating – finance position, equalities
Strategy – reminder of key goals to 2018
• Research – top 20 nationally and double research income
• Teaching and learning – top 20 student experience and
growing student numbers to 18,000
• Our campus – £400m investment in capacity and quality
• External engagement – 10 international partners
• Economic and social impact – grow our impact by 50%
• Professional Services – best quality services and
value for money
• Sustainable operating – increase turnover 50% and 10%
surplus for future investment
Strategy 2013-18Implementation: Next steps
• Systematic implementation of the strategy is vital
• Schools’ 5-year strategic plans in place
• VC school visits this term – to engage staff and students
• Ensure that school plans and overall University plan mesh
together well
• Schools generate implementation plans
• Overall University implementation plan being created
Research – strategic priorities
• Increase research-leading staff to create a competitive,
sustainable critical mass in targeted areas
• 50% of units of assessment in the top 15 by 2018
• Top 20 in the next REF (Research Excellence Framework)
• Double research income to £54 million
• Increase research students: two for each faculty member
• Three new large interdisciplinary Research Centres
Research – build on REF and delivery of support to schools
• Building on REF experience – e.g. developing case study
materials from REF impact studies
• Programme of school research and knowledge exchange
reviews - half-day with every school, focussed support
from centre on:
• Publications strategies
• Management of data
• Management and delivery of projects
• Impact identification
Research – Sussex Research initiatives
• Sussex Research initiative to foster and enhance strategic
development of research at Sussex
• Professor Alan Lester – Director of Interdisciplinary Research
• Research Network Fund (£30k) – created 9 new networks across
humanities, sciences and social sciences
• Research Development Fund (£220k) – provisionally to fund 9
pilot projects (£5-50k) from 44 bids, to seek external funding
• Strategic Competition (£1-3m over 3 years) – for interdisciplinary
research programmes, shortlisting from 4 outline bids received
• Research centres and groups – systematic approach to approval
and classification – now have 9 “University Research Centres”
Senior academic appointments
• More academic appointments: over 200 new academic
staff appointed in 2013, nearly 30 new professors
Senior academic developments
• Andrea Cornwall – new Head of Global Studies
• Johan Schot – new Head of SPRU
• Appointing new Head of BSMS – Gordon Ferns acting
• Appointing new Head of BMEc – Andy Newell acting
• Pete Clifton – retiring as Head of Psychology in summer
Teaching and learning – attracting and supporting the best
• Competitive environment for UG and PG recruitment
• Investing in scholarships schemes to attract and support the
best; and outreach spend doubled this year
• First Generation Scholarships – admitted 1150 (920 last
year)
• OFFA submission commits to £8m spend on support – on
course for 2015-16 targets by background of intake
• Created new Sussex Excellence Scholarships – for UG
candidates with top grades
• PGT and PGR Scholarships also successful in
strengthening intakes
Teaching and learning – Employability
• Employability and career development important for our
graduates and for University reputation
• Range of support in place for all years - encourage all
students to engage with Careers and Employability Centre
• Employers and alumni events fortnight - Make It Happen!
24 Feb -7 March
• One-year placements already piloted and full roll out in
2015-16 – placement prep programme now for first years
• Summer internships for second-year First Gen Scholars
• Start-up Sussex - entrepreneurship programme run by
CEC and SInC
Teaching and learning – Sussex Choice
• “Sussex Choice” enhances study for students – depth
and breadth and development of skills
• Electives to add breadth to single honours
• Coherent pathways alongside single honours – 18
options: Languages to Legal Studies, Heritage to Trading
• Placement (usually a year) for students
• Study abroad (also usually a year) for students
• Value-added activity which enhances student experience –
supported by schools and Careers and Employability
Centre (CEC)
Teaching and learning – NSS 2014
• NSS 2014 goes live for Sussex students this week
• Supported by both University and USSU
• Seen significant improvements in learning resources
scores in 2012 and 2013 – reflecting investment in Library
and IT connectivity
• Vital to deliver sustained improvements in assessment
and feedback – building on new structure of the academic
year and curriculum improvements
Our campus – Masterplan
• Masterplan submitted to local councils end December
2013
• Designed to sustain and improve campus as we grow
• Positive response from officials and councillors
• Key issue is to ensure sufficient student housing
• Expect to have B&H Council planning discussion and
decision April or May
• Sets positive framework for specific planning applications
as campus develops
Student residences on campus and partner developments off campus
Development Net gain in rooms
East Slope 1408 Masterplan
West Slope 1122 Masterplan
London Road 350 Approval granted
Pelham Street 440 Approval granted
Retained land Falmer 700 In principle Council support
Total 4020
Demand for housing = 3660 (80% of additional 4,600 students)
East Slope – residential development – adding 1,400 bedspaces
Our campus – other developments
• East Slope – consultation and engagement with students
• Attenborough Centre – internal refurbishment started
last month
• New £2m childcare centre to open next month – open
day for staff and students Thu 27 Feb 11am-2pm
• Freeman refurbishment for LPS – ready for summer 2014
• Infrastructure developments continue – e.g. major
sewage complete by March
Economic and social impact – Oxford Economics Report
• Impact of Sussex on the regional economy is huge – through
direct spending, jobs supported and students we bring to the
region, plus the skilled graduates
• 2010 study showed just under £500m and 5,500 jobs
• New 2013 study just published shows around £600m –
something we should be proud of
• By 2018 impact could reach over £1 billion
• Around 2.5% of the whole local economy is derived from us
• Baseline against which our target 50% additional contribution
will be measured
Professional Services - new staff appointments
• New Director of ITS – Paul
Davies started January 2014
• New Lead Chaplain – Chris
McDermott
• New head of e-technology
learning – David Walker
• New Head of academic quality
– Christopher Wellings
Professional Services – Sussex Food
• Long-term development for the University
• Positive signs already – increased sales in place of deficit
• Over £250k already invested by our partners in the
refurbishment of Library, Dhaba, and Bridge cafes
• E-learning and training programme in place for staff
• Environmental and sustainability programme being
implemented
• 5-star ratings for all outlets for hygiene and service practice
• Vending services being expanded
• Sussex Food employing twice as many Sussex students
as before
Professional Services – Sussex Estates and Facilities
• Transferred on 1 January 2014
• 23 service lines covered by contract
• Full team now appointed
• Service centre developed to handle calls and requests
• Training centre being established for staff development
• USSU engaging positively with SEF
• Improvements – e.g. new cleaning system that saves 60% of
water compared to old system
Sustainable operating – finance overview
• Vital to be financially sustainable to secure investment in
academic activities, student experience, support services and
campus infrastructure
2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 forecast
Turnover £182m £201m £218m
Surplus £13.7m £14.7m £7m
Employees 1910 1964 Over 2000
Academic staff
836 876 Over 900
Sustainable operating – equalities
Detailed equality objectives set in Jan 2012 for April 2016
Already exceeded these in key areas:
• Increase female Professional Services staff at grade 10 from
29% to 33%. January 2014: reached 39%
• Increase female professors from 22% to 26%. January 2014:
reached 28% (nationally 21%)
• Increase minority ethnic UK and EU student entrants from 12%
to 15%. December 2013: reached 16%
• Reviewing and developing these further
Open discussion
Comments and
questions?
Please wait for microphone so all can hear –
including those using the hearing induction
loops