The University is today announcing a number of senior team changes ahead aimed at strengthening the academic leadership of the University, delivering the University strategy at greater pace, responding with greater agility to external opportunities and threats, and creating a more joined-up ‘One Southampton’ community and culture.
A recruitment process will start shortly for four senior roles:
- Senior Vice-President (Academic) – this new role will be key to creating ‘One Southampton’ by addressing the current fragmentation of business, financial and student numbers planning across faculties and schools, and by providing key oversight to all major academic initiatives across the university. The Senior Vice-President will be the clear standing deputy to the Vice-Chancellor.
- Vice-President (International) – following the recent decision by Winnie Eley not to return to her role as Vice-President (International) the role of VP(I) will be advertised with a slightly broader remit, to include being the strategic academic lead on engagement activity at global, national and civic level, and providing the major VP lead and link to alumni relationships and our global philanthropy activity.
While a permanent successor is being recruited, the VP International portfolio responsibilities will continue to be shared. Professor Jane Falkingham, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, who already leads on our India strategy, will now take on an expanded international brief, being the central co-ordinating role for International. Jane will review our internal governance structures around the international portfolio and chair the International Executive Group. Other colleagues will continue their roles leading aspects of international: Professor Alex Neill, Vice-President (Education) will continue to chair the board of University of Southampton Malaysia Campus and lead on key international recruitment issues, and Professor Mark Spearing, Vice-President (Research and Enterprise) will continue to lead on raising our profile with key international partnerships. - Vice-President (Operations) – this role will largely assume the responsibilities formerly held by the Chief Operating Officer, and currently being filled on an interim basis by Richard Middleton, with line management responsibility for all Professional Services with the exception of the Executive Director Finance & Planning, who will report directly to the Vice-Chancellor as she has been since January.
- Chief of Staff and Associate Vice-President (Strategy) – this new UEB-level role will provide high-level strategic advice and support to the Vice-Chancellor’s team, particularly around external opportunities and threats horizon-scanning, will manage the wider Vice-Chancellor’s Office, and will take leadership of a number of key strategic projects across the University.
The roles of Vice-President (Education) and Vice-President (Research and Enterprise) remain unaffected by these changes.
Finally, the titles of our five current Pro-Vice-Chancellors will be renamed as Associate Vice-Presidents more accurately to reflect the seniority and nature of their roles.
Meanwhile, it is also being announced today that Professor Phil Nelson has been appointed as Interim Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences. He will take over from Professor Bashir Al-Hashimi who is leaving the University in mid-March. The recruitment for a successor as Dean is already underway with very strong national and international interest shown in the role, and an appointment is expected by Easter. The interim period is expected to last around six months.
These proposed changes were outlined by the Vice-Chancellor at the Senate meeting held on the afternoon of Wednesday 12 February.
