The selection of a new Vice Chancellor is a defining moment for any University. As leader of the organisation they set the agenda for the future of the University and the people who work in it. It is therefore extremely important that we follow a robust, inclusive and clear process for recruiting our next Vice Chancellor. The first crucial step is to create a Joint Selection Committee (JSC) whose role is to take responsibility for the search and selection. This is comprised of colleagues nominated by Senate, drawn from our University Council and with additional representation from one other senior academic leader, the student community and an external advisor (if required). I’m pleased to say that our Senate moved quickly and decisively to form a Nominations Committee which then moved to identify and choose colleagues as their representatives. The JSC will comprise of the following individuals:
- Professor Iain Cameron (Senate nominee)
- Professor Jane Falkingham (Senate nominee)
- Professor Alex Neill (Senate nominee)
- Dame Professor Wendy Hall (nominated by the Deputy Vice Chancellor)
- Mr David Mendoza-Wolfson (nominated by SUSU)
- Mrs Roz Rivas (nominated by Council)
- Mr Mike Killingley (nominated by Council)
- Rear Admiral Philip Greenish (nominated by Council)
- Dr Gill Rider (Chair of Council and the Joint Selection Committee)
- Plus a Vice Chancellor from another research intensive university as an external advisor (tbc).
The JSC had its first meeting on Tuesday 30 September at which they reviewed the feedback from the consultation on the desired attributes for our Vice Chancellor, which are described below, and finalised the selection of our Executive Search partners. A decision has now been made to work with Heidrick & Struggles, who will start immediately with the intention of providing a long-list of candidates before the end of 2014. Once a short-list has been determined by the Joint Selection Committee, the interview process will also include meetings with a panel of Directors of Professional Services and the three Pro Vice-Chancellors. The input from colleagues and students in helping to define the key attributes of the next Vice Chancellor has been a vital part of the process. To ensure that as many of us as possible could provide input into these essential qualities, we sought feedback across three different mechanisms. The same six questions were asked and had subtly different connotations so that we could hone the responses down to a manageable and coherent number. All staff and students were enabled and encouraged to respond through an online survey that ran for two weeks during September. I also invited colleagues to discuss these questions within their departments or groups and provide consolidated responses. The final set of responses were gathered from a group of twenty-two senior colleagues, including those who form the University Executive Group. Given the limited time frame for engagement and the thought that was needed to reply to each question, the level of responses was remarkably high. Over 500 fully completed responses to the online survey, seven aggregated reports from departments and groups and twenty-two responses from senior colleagues. I’m very grateful to all of you who were able to input into this process. As you would expect there are some very specific thoughts from individuals that relate to their areas of specialism, but also some broad comments from each of the main constituent groups. The following emerged as the top eight attributes, in no particular order:
- An internationally recognised academic background
- A successful leader in HE or a related complex non-academic organisation through a period of significant change
- A passion for both education and research with a good understanding of enterprise
- Has built and maintained exceptional networks and has a good understanding of the UK HE sector and its position in the international environment
- A great communicator who builds trust and will motivate the University community to excel, whilst convincing people of the need for change
- Authentically embodies the University’s values of Excellence , Creativity, Community and Integrity
- A strategic thinker who can navigate the political environment, enable the University to fulfil its mission and objectives and make it a great place to work and study
- Will engage and fully listen to the internal community as well as being a great advocate and ambassador externally.
Once again, please accept my thanks for your participation and I look forward to being able to announce a successful outcome during 2015. In the meantime, please look out for the imminent release of the University’s refreshed Vision 2020 and the strategic plans that we will be working toward over the coming months. Kind regards Adam Professor Adam Wheeler, Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor