All-staff briefing: video available

Mark Fellowes, Programme Lead for the Strategic Foundations Programme (SFP), joined Vice-Chancellor Robert Van de Noort for an update on the programme.

 

The SFP is a key part of the University Strategy and is aimed at getting our fundamentals – or the strategic foundations – right, to ensure a financially stable and resilient institution.

 

Introducing the session, Robert said, “There are quite a lot of things happening in the world around us. Some of them are no surprise, but some are a bit new. What we are trying to do with the Strategic Foundations Programme is build a more financially sustainable and resilient University.”

 

Mark opened his presentation by setting out the key principles of the University Strategy. He said that by our centenary year in 2026, the University is looking at improved financial sustainability, stronger environmental credentials, improved reputation in the UK and globally and a more engaged community of staff and students.

 

Mark said this would require us to avoid a vicious cycle of volatility, reputation decline and negative finances and move into a virtuous cycle of resilience, growing reputation and positive finances.

 

The full video recording of the session is available at the end of this story.

 

The SFP involves delivering activity across a number of areas, co-ordinating the connections and dependencies between these and managing the phasing of activity to best enable effective change. In response to staff feedback, the programme has revisited the timelines for some activity to ensure that this is introduced and implemented in a sensible and manageable way. 

 

Much work has been undertaken looking at the portfolio we offer students and how and when this is delivered. From 2024/25 the academic year will move to a semesterised structure comprised of two semesters with shorter assessment periods at the end of each semester. A consultation on the Academic Year models has taken place over the last 2 months and the new academic year dates are expected to be approved by UBTLSE in June. Changes relating to the volume of the institutional portfolio (reducing programmes and modules by a third) and programme design are also being implemented. The Learning Design process has been launched in Schools, including the Programme Visioning stage taking place from May – July and the Module Design stage will run from June/July with a number of check-in points from July through to January 2023. Some of the difficult design issues have been worked through and recommendations for approvals around optionality, setting out programme learning outcomes, joint degrees etc have been made. These decisions are available on the PRP webpages.

 

In other areas, important pilot activity has been underway. Firstly, trialling the new Strategic Alignment Process (SAP) in Departments within SMPCS. The SAP is a further development of the University’s existing annual planning round and aims to empower School staff to work together to establish long-term goals, ensuring these are aligned to the overall University strategy, and to make clear connections between their plans and the implementation activities needed to deliver them. Lessons from each phase of the pilot (Computer Studies, Meteorology and Mathematics & Statistics) are being captured and are helping to review and reshape the final process that will be applied  across the University from the next academic year.

 

Other pilot activity is taking place with Meteorology and the Institute of Education, looking at the Individual Expectations Framework for academic staff which proposes a basket of indicators to support expectations setting for research, teaching and citizenship. Naturally, there is a 2-way link between setting School priorities and individual expectations and teams are working together to ensure co-ordination and synergy across these activities. More information on both these pilots will be shared at the start of next term.

 

And finally, some first space moves took place in Spring and more will follow over the Summer as we make changes to how we use the space on our campuses and maximise the opportunities from partnership arrangements to generate significant financial benefits.