Dear colleagues,
Over the past few weeks we, along with Adam Wheeler (Deputy Vice-Chancellor), have met many of you through a programme of “no-agenda” sessions. Many of the issues you have raised with us are concerns that we also share – such as the uncertainty of the forthcoming election, which areas both nationally and internationally we should be attracting students from and how we cope with the fluctuating student recruitment market.
At this time of uncertainty, it is important that the University continues to take positive and responsive steps toward our vision of distinction, internationalisation and growth. One of these steps is to better understand how we can prepare for some truly ambitious growth in the years ahead. Two distinct pieces of work are currently getting underway:
1. The business model
We are a complex, multi-million pound, global organisation with considerable ambitions. To enable us to achieve these and remain sustainable, we need to generate an annual surplus (the income we have over and above what we need to operate) of at least 5 per cent. A surplus at this level is vital for us to make any significant strategic investments such as capital programmes, major systems or our academic mission.
Understanding the best way for us to operate to achieve this is crucial and we’re keen to explore a number of models and options. This will include the way we generate income, where we prioritise our spending, the markets we choose to focus on and the courses we offer.
2. Academic self-evaluations
For our comprehensive University to succeed, every academic unit needs to be a thriving and highly competitive presence in their field. We will work with Faculties to understand what high performance means for each academic unit and how that contributes to the University’s ambitions.
As an extension of the usual data gathering that takes place as part of business planning, we’re asking each Faculty to evaluate the progress of each academic unit (or equivalent academic area) in relation to education, research, reputation and financial sustainability.
As these pieces of work develop we will share with you what we have learnt and our emerging thoughts about what we could do next as a result.
Over the coming months Adam, Mark and I are continuing with our no agenda sessions so if you have any questions or concerns about this initial exploratory work, we encourage you to use those forums to come and talk to us.
Best wishes,
Steve White
Chief Operating Officer
Adam Wheeler
Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Mark Spearing
Provost and Pro Vice-Chancellor (International)