Strategic plan 2014-2018
Strategic plan 2014/18
Strategic plan 2014/18 Introduction THIS IS OUR SALFORD Martin Hall, Vice-Chancellor The University of Salford is unique. We are proud of our University and of our place in the world. Situated in the heart of a vibrant, northern conurbation we play a significant role in the community. Whereas our heart is anchored in the North West, we have a powerful global reach. Our University is our people; our authenticity and strong sense of place appeals to students of all ages and all backgrounds and we focus on successfully equipping them for the world of work. Together we transform lives. Our University is inseparable from its city location and connects both ends of the last century, from the Royal Technical College (now the Peel Building) to our campus at MediaCityUK. Our roots stretch back to the 19th century and the industrial revolution and we have always adapted to changing circumstances and opportunities. We are a resilient institution, built to last, with a strong history in advanced technology and innovation. Through persistent enquiry and research we stimulate discovery. Our University has always been a gateway, taking advantage of its particular location to ensure access to networks for teaching, research and innovation and the mutual benefits of our role in our local community. Regionally, we share in the distinctive identity and qualities of the Manchester City Region and the Northwest. Internationally, we are the focal point for more than 100,000 alumni, and part of a complex set of professional and scholarly networks fuelled by the flow and exchange of ideas. Our future depends on support across these networks, and the belief of their people in us. A majority of our undergraduates live in the Northwest and many come from families that have not had the opportunity to attend a university before. They join us with a wide range of appropriate qualifications; we particularly value our partnerships with schools and colleges and we work hard to ensure the best possible pathways into higher education for anyone who is prepared for a university education and who can benefit from joining us. We offer a rich co-curriculum that embeds formal learning in community service, sport and student societies. We also recruit from over 160 other countries, providing the basis for friendships and professional relationships that will last a lifetime and will empower graduates who will work across a rapidly changing world. Our focus is to enable our students to understand and realise their potential through appropriate combinations of knowledge, skills and reflective practice. By coming together in our academic programmes, whether in Salford or at our international hubs, our students experience will be defined by the encounters, diversity of backgrounds and shared undertakings that define global citizenship. The next decade will be a period of lower economic growth for Britain, with challenges to conventional forms of education, whilst at the same time seeing new and significant global opportunities. Students will expect high quality, digitally enabled opportunities to develop their potential and build their careers. As a university, we will provide access to global thought leadership for next generation innovation and regeneration. We will respond to the uncertainties of the future by ensuring that our systems and infrastructure are sufficiently strong to allow us to adapt to radical and unexpected opportunities as they arise. Through this approach, and our investment in digital futures, we will be able to take best advantage of our legacy, our urban condition and the distinctiveness of our place in Salford. In creating this Strategic Plan, we have consulted widely with our people, our students, our alumni, our trade unions, our Council, and a range of external partner organisations and interest and community groups. Their contributions have been invaluable in creating our sense of direction and in defining the type of institution we will become. This is a living document, informing and guiding us as we move forward. Professor Martin Hall. 3
www.salford.ac.uk Our Salford: four core dimensions Our Mission: TRANSFORMING LIVES. STIMULATING DISCOVERY. REALISING POTENTIAL. Our Salford: Our Culture Delivering excellence Our Community Who we are Our Partners Making connections Our Impact Making a real difference Recognising that we are a people business, effect a culture of improvement and contribution through engagement with our people that will deliver excellence in teaching and learning. A vibrant and supportive community, fostering a sense of belonging and pride where everyone can excel. Expand our network of partners, and work with them to enhance the learning outcomes of our students and, through collaboration around research, professional development and community benefit, increase our impact on society. Through our research excellence and interdisciplinarity, we will develop practical, focussed solutions that will make a real difference in the foreseeable future, benefitting individuals and communities. Enabler: Sustainability Our Values: We act with HONESTY, INTEGRITY and RESPECT. We are PROUD of who we are and we ENJOY what we do. We are committed to QUALITY and where we fall short we work hard to make things right. We embrace DIFFERENCE and dare to be different. We are FRIENDLY and WELCOMING, creating an environment in which people feel safe to work, study and grow together. We are individually ACCOUNTABLE for what we do and collectively RESPONSIBLE for our university s success. 4
Strategic plan 2014/18 Our Culture delivering excellence OPPORTUNITIES ADAPTIVE IDEAS CREATIVITY Our University will enable our students and wider academic community to realise their potential by building a culture where knowledge, skills and reflective practice, the spirit of enquiry and a commitment to improvement, are valued and developed. We will prepare our university for the uncertainties of the future by developing our people, processes, infrastructure and estate. We will develop robust systems with flexibility to adapt to change and take advantage of radical and unexpected opportunities as they arise. Through this approach, and our investment in digital futures, we will be able to take best advantage of our legacy, our urban condition and the distinctiveness of our place in Salford. Aims and Objectives: 1. Deliver excellence in teaching through enthusiastic employees who are experts in their field and committed to their subject and their students. Constantly review and refresh our portfolio to ensure it remains high quality and relevant Work in partnership with the Students Union and the nominated student reps to further enhance quality of programmes Recruit people with demonstrable teaching competence Reward excellence in teaching Develop, train and support the best supervisors for PhD students. 2. Recognising that we are a people business, effect a culture of improvement and contribution through engagement with our people. Regular, honest progress reviews to ensure we all deliver as expected Remove barriers to success Speed up processes and decision making. Always get the basics right Ensure succession planning is in place and a talent development programme is initiated Recognise individual and collective effort and reward outstanding achievement. 3. Ensure we have strong systems and processes which enable the academic community to achieve their full capability. Reliability delivering what we promise Working as teams with shared goals. 4. Adopt and promote pedagogies, methodologies, processes and technologies that enable our students to learn in flexible ways. Emphasise reflective learning techniques. Maximise face to face teaching and learning, and individual student/teacher interaction within contact hours; free up resource by exploring alternative ways to deliver content Create multiple access points to learning e.g. online, forums, mobile. 5. Encourage a spirit of enquiry, build transferable skills and nurture personal growth that will enhance our students employability and create independent lifelong learners. Bring current research into the classroom and engage students in research activity placing them at the forefront of knowledge Create opportunities to involve undergraduates in university sponsored research projects Introduce cross disciplinary options onto programmes promoting cross fertilisation of learning and stimulation of new ideas Embed business skills into the curriculum and provide for co-curricular activities Cater for the learning journey of each individual. 5
www.salford.ac.uk Our Community who we are LOCATION DESTINATION IDENTITY PEOPLE Our community is local, regional and international. Locally, we are organised around the legacy of our Peel Park and Adelphi campuses, their distinctive buildings and spaces and the fault lines that are characteristic of the post-industrial city. Regionally, we are a large and distinctive community in Greater Manchester and the Northwest, a work and study destination with a wide catchment. Internationally, we are the focal point for more than 100,000 alumni, and part of a complex set of professional and scholarly networks fuelled by the flow and exchange of ideas. Our future depends on the support of all these communities, and their belief in us. Aims and Objectives: 1. Welcome students into a vibrant community where they are supported and feel they belong. Build upon our friendliness, approachability and diversity Promote a sense of identity, forged through our urban location Connect with our Students Union who, in representing, articulating and championing the student voice, allow us to better support the student experience. 3. Be inclusive and build pride in our university with all those associated with it. Continue to provide access via non traditional entry routes and maintain wide participation Provide alumni with access to lifelong learning and career development opportunities. 4. Create a gateway to the world and promote global citizenship for all of our students. Open access to our facilities and our expertise to local organisations for the benefit of the community Develop areas of our campus into distinctive public realms Use sport as a key vehicle for community engagement and widening participation through a community outreach programme. 6. Embed the values of environmental sustainability into the way we work and teach. Providing support for academic staff to incorporate Education for Sustainability in the curriculum. Work with our Students Union to cater for the social, sporting and cultural needs of our students Engage with alumni to support recruitment and act as role models and inspiration for prospective and current students. Combine growth in inward international recruitment with awards of University of Salford qualifications to students studying abroad Support students from diverse backgrounds to access higher education wherever they are in the world 7. Make our campus a great place for living, learning, researching, working and enjoying leisure time. Continue our programme of improvement and investment to the campus buildings and park to improve quality and facilitate a more integrated university community. 2. Build an academic and professional community where both students and employees can excel. Promote partnership working between academic and professional service areas forged through common understanding and shared goals Introduce the Salford Passport to Global Citizenship. 5. Embrace our locality and seek to forge stimulating interactions recognising the place and influence our campus has in the city of Salford. Through the opportunities offered by our new Gateway building, cater more for the cultural and social needs of our whole community. Manage the change of use or closure of buildings which do not meet the needs of our University and free up capital for re-investment. 6
Strategic plan 2014/18 Our Partners making connections GATEWAY CONNECTIONS NETWORK FLOW Our university has always been a gateway, taking advantage of its particular location to provide access to networks for teaching, research and innovation. Our university draws inspiration both from its immediate context of Salford and from all its connections across the world. We have a rich industrial heritage which, when combined with our investments in digital futures, will allow us to take best advantage of our legacy, our urban condition and the distinctiveness of our place in Salford. Today, a key opportunity is our investment in MediaCity, which is our principal gateway, showroom and trading floor that welcomes, enables and facilitates the intersections that connect the city with the world. We will expand our core network through our international hubs. This will, in turn, strengthen and expand our global presence. Aims and Objectives: 1. Expand our network of regional, national and global partners. Work with them to enhance the learning outcomes of our students and, through collaboration around research, professional development and community benefit, increase our impact on society and build mutual reputational force for the long term. Seek out and welcome partners with complementary visions who are dealing with similarly deprived urban environments and looking to make a difference Establish a network of international hubs to increase activity, profile, impact and reputation at an international level Set aside leadership time to develop partnerships Build on our network of personal relationships and implement systems to manage and maintain these for mutual benefit. 2. Advance inclusivity and access through working with academic partners both locally and globally. Work with FE colleges and schools within local communities, including through a small number of targeted arrangements, to support students in their progression into our University Maintain a flexible and tolerant admissions policy which encourages and enables access for all those with the potential to benefit from studying with us 3. Provide our students with the opportunity to build real world experience, applying what they have learnt, through access to our network of partners. Create opportunities for hands on experience with the emphasis on building programme based enterprise that has benefit for our partners, encouraging and supporting our students to have an influence in the workplace by applying what they have learned Apply real world experience to our teaching, research and our work Create enterprise hubs and live briefs incorporating pro bono work that sees the value of student knowledge allied to business and community need. 4. Our students, graduates and employees are ambassadors for the University and academic community. Develop our relationships with our alumni, working with them to build influence and new partnerships Encourage our alumni to use their skills and experience to continue to contribute to our University and Academic Community 7
www.salford.ac.uk Our Impact making a real difference INSPIRATION INNOVATION APPLICATION BENEFIT Our work is inspired by the power of ideas, enquiry and discovery that results in significant impact and beneficial change. We are a public institution, seeking research-based solutions that contribute to the public good. In pursuing the benefits of new knowledge, we are guided by our values and informed by appropriate ethical principles. We recognise the imperatives of a connected world and the value in our university community of more than 150 nations. We see engagement with local imperatives and international enquiry as complementary dimensions of the value of new knowledge and applications. Curiosity and the excitement of discovery take unanticipated directions. Effective research and meaningful innovation often come from surprising results and synergies. When we are open and responsive to the opportunities presented by the contradictions and uncertainties of our environment, when we are alive to the political, economic, technological, cultural, artistic, health and social fault-lines as a potential source of inspiration, creativity and new ideas then we will make an impact to individuals, communities and societies, locally and globally. Aims and Objectives: 1. Through our research excellence and interdisciplinary approach we will develop practical, focussed solutions that will make a real difference in the foreseeable future, benefitting individuals and communities. Seek out opportunities in stretching beyond the traditional constraints of academic disciplines, bringing together interdisciplinary teams with a wide range of expertise to forge solutions to complex problems Create significant multidisciplinary research platforms Be recognised as a centre of excellence for developing research talent Focus around research quality and impact, building on our Research Excellence Framework Nurture communities of practice that cross boundaries and recognise the complementarity of varied fields of endeavour. 2. We will capitalise on our industrial and technological heritage and our strength in digital futures to maintain and increase our impact with industry and to stimulate regional growth. Recognise and reflect growth areas and higher skills gaps in the region within our academic portfolio and be open to cocreation of the curriculum. Take a horizon scanning approach to identify future skills needs Add value to employers through the capabilities of our graduates. Make Salford graduates increasingly sought after as industry recognises our strengths in teaching and learning Increase our public and industrial partnerships to generate sponsored PhDs, contract research, industrial chairs and sponsored joint facilities Support our partners through incubation, entrepreneurship, professional development and knowledge transfer partnerships Take a strategic approach to procurement to contribute to local and regional economic growth Develop MediaCity as the external network hub for the University 3. The University of Salford will become a Social Business University. Adopt the Yunus Social Business Percent Challenge to make at least one per cent of our turnover dedicated to social business. Establish a Centre for Social Business to develop curriculum, research and new international partnerships Implement a Social Business Fund to bring investors and social business entrepreneurs together Develop a Social Business Incubator to support alumni, staff and students in setting up and running social businesses Launch the Salford Social Business Awards. 4. Through subject expertise, sound evidence and research, we will seek to build positions of influence that shape policy and promote our agenda of public benefit Increase the visibility of the University and Salford through increased representation on professional, research and corporate bodies and committees Build engagement with local commercial and political centres in the Northwest region. 8
Strategic plan 2014/18 SUSTAINABILITY In order to deliver our themes it is critical that we ensure that we remain sustainable financially, competitively, environmentally, and socially. Financially We expect the next five years to be characterised by uncertainty and unpredictability as our university is affected by the continuing consequences of severe and prolonged economic recession. While these circumstances offer significant opportunities, they also require close attention to financial sustainability. We will continue and complete the reform of our financial management, planning and resource allocation systems, achieving our targets for annual operating surpluses, the ratio of pay to non-pay costs, agreed contribution levels by each of our Schools and efficiency and effectiveness measures for our professional and administrative service levels. Competitively In order to maintain our share of an increasingly competitive market, the University has embarked on a robust programme management process that reviews academic programmes against the sustainability criteria of strategic fit, demand, financial sustainability and quality. Environmentally Environmental sustainability should be a key dimension of our contribution and profile as a public institution, connecting curriculum with research and innovation, our leadership in appropriate science, engineering and public policy fields, the passions and commitment of our staff and students and the management of our estate. The core of our approach to environmental sustainability will be the targets that have been agreed and set as part of our Carbon Management Plan. As a working partnership More than the buildings and estate the University is our people. We have a commitment to recruiting, guiding and developing our people to enable them to contribute to the success of achieving our overall objectives and perform well in a changing environment. Through authentic leadership that gives clear direction, we will create a well managed and flexible working environment, underpinned by individual accountability and collective responsibilities, where our employees understand what is expected of them, are empowered to play their part, have their say and are listened to. 9
www.salford.ac.uk IMPLEMENTING THE STRATEGY We have set out a clear roadmap for the implementation of our Strategic Plan. Each of the aims and objectives set out here will have a strategic lead who will ensure delivery by agreed timelines and drive and monitor achievement of the targets against Key Performance Indicators. The actions that will be undertaken to ensure delivery of these overarching aims and objectives will be contained within a series of Implementation Plans which will be updated periodically in consultation with our staff, students and partners, and reviewed by the University s Executive. Our planning and performance management framework will ensure that these actions are embedded through the School and professional service area Operational Plans and through individuals by performance and development review. Values This is our University and these are our values, formed through consultation within our community of employees and students. Our University We act with HONESTY, INTEGRITY and RESPECT We are PROUD of who we are and we ENJOY what we do We are committed to QUALITY and where we fall short we work hard to make things right We embrace DIFFERENCE and dare to be different We are FRIENDLY and WELCOMING, creating an environment in which people feel safe to work, study and grow together We are individually ACCOUNTABLE for what we do and collectively RESPONSIBLE for our university s success. 10
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