Ulster University Strategic Plan 2016

Strategic Plan Consultation Document

Purpose 1

Introduction from the Vice-Chancellor 2

Proposed Vision 3

Our Focus 4

Civic Contribution 5Academic Excellence 6Global Vision 7Operational Excellence 8

Conclusion 9

Contents

Ulster University Strategic Plan Consultation Document

This consultation document is a prelude to the Strategic Plan 2016 which will be published in June. It is very much a work in progress and provides an outline framework for the Strategic Plan. The higher education sector is changing rapidly both locally and globally. The Strategic Plan will provide clarity for our vision. At the same time, it is intended that it will remain flexible enough for us to react to the inevitable external changes and take advantage of emerging opportunities that align with our strategic priorities. Within this context we need a tight focus on financial sustainability and institutional development which will give us the grounding, security and freedom to deliver our aspirations.

Purpose This document draws together the dialogue that has been happening across the University over the last six months. Over 1,000 formal engagements have occurred during that time which consider our vision, priorities, values, strengths, challenges and structure of the institution. The aim of the consultation document is to take stock of this feedback, ahead of a final plan.

This is a discussion paper about what matters to us as a university community. Our values are central to this process and everyone is invited to participate, reflect and feedback. At an individual level people should be challenging themselves about how they can contribute. Everyone has a stake in the University’s future and an opportunity to influence.

During the process four broad priorities have emerged: Civic Contribution; Academic Excellence; Global Vision; and Operational Excellence.

The next stage in the development of the Strategic Plan is the crafting and refinement of KPIs. To help us with this, outline performance areas have been developed with a series of questions and aspirations posed for consideration. Your feedback will build on the ideas and objectives that have emerged through earlier engagement. This is the chance to clearly establish our aspirations as a university and articulate the impact that we can make.

1Ulster University Strategic Plan Consultation Document

Ulster University has always been about progress. The idea of moving forward, renewal and growth are woven into our history and will continue to shape our future.

Our roots stretch back to the 1840s when Magee was founded in Derry~Londonderry and the School of Art and Design was inaugurated in Belfast. Both these ‘founding institutions’ were very much ‘civic’ in nature and established through the goodwill and spirit of altruism of civic leaders of the day. The university we know today was established in 1984 and continued an ethos of higher education developing civic society. The legend for the coat of arms ‘To Build Anew’ was influenced from the WB Yeats poem “The Rose in the Deeps of His heart”. The new university reflected that sentiment by being deeply grounded within the community with a strong sense of civic responsibility. Those individuals behind the institution were determined that it would ‘make a difference’.

Ulster University has done just that and delivered a legacy we can be proud of. With over 25,000 students we are one the largest universities on these islands. Internationally we are amongst the top 3% of universities in the world and within the World’s top 150 Young Universities. We have an 89% overall student satisfaction rating in the National Student Survey and we are in the top 15% for student experience in the UK. And we have established ourselves as research leaders, nationally and internationally, in many of our areas of expertise.

Our history is also a bridge to our future. Since joining Ulster University I have been considering how that early sentiment of civic awareness and responsibility will carry into the future. Some of the challenges and questions that I have been posing myself are now starting to take shape within this document. As I approach my own 50th milestone, I have been doing some reflective soul searching that seems to be part and parcel of such a moment. It has made me consider Ulster University’s 50th anniversary in 18 years, our aspirations and our role within Northern Ireland society. There are some fundamental questions to consider: What is the right size and scale for Ulster University? How do we develop the identity and character of each of our campuses as part of Ulster University? How do we ensure we are ranked among the top research universities? How do we achieve a 20% international student population? What do we need to do to be within the UK top 10 for teaching excellence? As Northern Ireland moves from a position of peace to prosperity, how do we ensure that everyone is involved, in some capacity, with community impact? What needs to be put in place now to ensure that we achieve our ambitions?

Over the course of the past year we have faced difficult moments with uncomfortable decisions. However, there has never been a better time to challenge ourselves so that, collectively, we continue to make a difference. We will play our part to shape futures so that our students have the skills and confidence to make their mark.

I would like to thank everyone who has participated in this process to date. Fostering an inclusive and respectful culture is very close to my heart and I would encourage everyone to read and consider this consultation document. We have a once in a generation opportunity to fundamentally review and shape our university. The forthcoming Strategic Plan will be of great importance and significance to our current and future students and the wider community. Please continue to help me shape it.

Thank you for your contribution,

Patrick Nixon, Vice-Chancellor and President

“In the context of a severe recession, pressure on the public finances and major societal challenges such as global warming and the ageing population Governments are quite properly asking: what are universities for?” NESTA 2009 Report: Reinventing The Civic University, Professor Emeritus John Goddard

Introduction from the Vice-Chancellor


As Northern Ireland’s Civic University, Ulster University will deliver outstanding research and teaching that encourages the innovation, leadership and vision needed to help Northern Ireland thrive.

ProposedVision

Proposed MissionGrounded in the heart of the community Ulster University will deliver an educational journey that will:

• Deliver globally significant research with local relevance

• Encourage a diverse university community

• Transform lives, stretch minds, develop skills and raise ambitions

• Make a positive contribution to society as a whole


1 Civic Contribution: As Northern Ireland’s civic university we will focus our

efforts on global societal issues relevant to Northern Ireland. Collectively our impact will contribute towards the wellbeing and economic prosperity of our society.

2 Academic Excellence: We will deliver teaching and research of the highest

academic standing. Our research endeavour will have global significance and meaningful impact. Our educational experience will prepare future leaders.

Our focusCivic Contribution

• Social Renewal

• Sustainability

• Healthy Communities

• Creative Futures

Academic

Excellence

• Teaching Excellence

• Student Experience

• Research Training

• Research with Impact

GlobalVision

• Diverse University

Community

• International Networks

• Global Challenge,

Local Impact

Operational

Excellence

• People and Culture

• Service and Reputation

• Financial Sustainability

• Infrastructure

3 Global Vision: As we reassert Ulster University’s international leadership in teaching and research we will attract high calibre international staff

and students who will enrich both our academic mission and cultural diversity whilst also encouraging innovation that will benefit the wider region.

4 Operational Excellence: We will continue to deliver an outstanding, student-centred,

educational experience and work in partnership with the Students’ Union. We will identify and implement the support, resources and systems needed to attract, retain and develop staff with the skills and enthusiasm needed to achieve our teaching and research ambitions.


Civic ContributionAs Northern Ireland’s civic university we will focus our efforts on global societal issues relevant to Northern Ireland. Collectively our impact will contribute towards the wellbeing and economic prosperity of our society.

What you’ve told us:

Outline Civic Responsibility Performance Areas:

• Influence public policy• Establish meaningful partnerships

across business, the community and alumni

• Develop campuses with distinct missions that serve their location and everyone in Northern Ireland

• Encourage the university family to become community advocates

• Increase educational attainment within underachieving areas

“

““

“

””

”

”Ulster University has always had a strong sense of civic responsibility. Our history, formed on a solid foundation of civic endeavour, is a source of great pride. As the only University located across the region, we have a tremendous opportunity to fully participate and deliver meaningful impact across the wider community. The imperative for redefining our civic contribution is also a reflection of the societal transformation that Northern Ireland is undergoing. We need to be cognisant and fully engaged in supporting this. For example, low educational attainment remains an issue and we must maintain our focus on widening access to support young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. More broadly, we will continue to contribute to the full spectrum of intellectual, economic, social and cultural life of Northern Ireland.

We will focus our civic endeavours into themes that will act as a common narrative across the entire university; across schools, faculties, research and teaching. Capturing our civic focus in a more coherent way will help Ulster University collectively achieve greater impact. There are global challenges that have a particular significance within Northern Ireland and will influence how we approach our civic space.

The following points are a first attempt to define locally relevant global challenges. Suggestions for other areas of focus are welcome. The constraint is that we need a small number requiring multidisciplinary excellence to effectively deliver and make meaningful impact. These themes will be embedded within each of the strategic priorities.

Celebrate and communicate internally. This often has a bigger impact than publicity.

Recognise that there is intercampus rivalry. Build staff as ambassadors for Ulster as a whole.

We engage but we don’t do it strategically.

Together we can effectively channel our skills and resources to help tackle some of the most significant issues affecting our society including inequality, deprivation, educational under attainment, health and wellbeing and the economic burden of healthcare, energy security and the challenges of both urban and rural sustainability.

Social RenewalSustainability

Healthy CommunitiesCreative Futures

Civic Contribution

Social Renewal

Sustainability

Healthy Communities

Creative Futures

Civic Contribution

Peace, conflict and transition, educational attainment, social and economic leadership, entrepreneurship

Urban renewal, energy, national infrastructure, food security, digital future, environment

Mental health, ageing, health innovation and policy, sport for life, history and heritage

Creative economy, cultural diversity, the business of creativity; innovation and creative entrepreneurship

Questions we’ve been asking:• What global societal challenges are central to Northern Ireland’s future that we have unique

skills and experience to address?• How do we reconcile pressure to grow academic standing with the obligation to contribute

to our community and society?• What are the implications of a focused narrative for each campus?• In order to achieve our civic ambition what do we need to stop doing?


Academic ExcellenceWe will deliver teaching and research of the highest academic standing. Our research endeavour will have global significance and meaningful impact. Our educational experience will prepare future leaders.


Outline Academic Excellence Performance Areas:

• Teaching excellence • Top 10 UK Universities for student

experience• Top 25 in UK for research and 50%

increase in REF returned staff by 2021• 100% staff HEA accredited• Impact of teaching and research• Employability• Knowledge Transfer• Private sector and industry

collaboration

“

“

“

”

”

”Excellent teaching and research are the foundations upon which every quality university is built. Ulster University has an outstanding reputation for our teaching and research. This is a reputation that we aim to continually grow and enhance. In terms of research power, we are currently ranked in the top 25% of UK universities, and 72% of our research activity was deemed ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ by the 2014 Research Excellence Framework. We have always been a leader and innovator in education; preparing our students to take a leading role in civil society and providing an engaging, caring and supportive learning environment. This is evidenced by both our student satisfaction ratings and by our subject leadership in areas such as Pharmacy (1st in UK), Nursing (41st in the world), Accounting and Finance (15th in UK), Film Production and Photography (8th in UK). We are also placed in the top 5 for both Land & Property Management and Ophthalmics.

Our 50th anniversary is 18 years away which is a short time in planning terms. We should continue to stretch ourselves by setting ambitious academic goals. This includes confirming our position as one of the leading educational institutions as gauged by our teaching excellence and doubling of the number of staff actively engaged in research activity with a smaller number of research foci. This must be achieved by ensuring a deep link between our thematic priorities in research and our teaching mission.

In order to deliver against these challenging ambitions we must consider the broader experience that will be unique for each staff member and each student; from campus life through to student placements and thematic exposure through to employability. These goals will only be achieved through genuine partnerships with our staff, students, Students’ Union, employers, government, and community stakeholders.

To support Northern Ireland’s relevance in an increasingly global society we should strive, where meaningful and appropriate, to be aligned to the Programme for Government. Understanding the direction and priorities of the Executive ensures that we are sensitive to local issues as an institution playing our part.

Questions we’ve been asking:• How do we strategically communicate our academic excellence?• What steps would we take to increase the impact of our research outputs, including the

number of highly cited publications? • On what basis would we reallocate resources? • By what criteria would we assess our national and international ranking? • What are the gaps in our research infrastructure?• How would we organise career development for researchers?

Research and teaching needs to work hand in glove to make up academic excellence. The two work together to make up the core activity of what the institution does.

Create sense of shared responsibility to deliver overarching goals, related to individual performance with incentive and consequences.

Need time and space to have strategic conversations. Silo culture is unhelpful.

Teaching ExcellenceStudent Experience

Research TrainingResearch with Impact

AcademicExcellence


Global VisionAs we reassert Ulster University’s international leadership in teaching and research we will attract high calibre international staff and students who will enrich both our academic mission and cultural diversity whilst also encouraging innovation that will benefit the wider region.


Outline Global Vision Performance Areas:

• Achieve sectoral average % of international students focused on campus based growth

• Increase the % of international staff (academic, postdoctoral, PhD)

• Develop coordinated international partnerships

• Deepen our relationship with our alumni as strategic partners

“

“

“

“

”

””

”A strong, research-led, university is characterized by extensive international engagement. Engagement that encompasses the teaching, research and civic elements of the University. Our aim is to develop such a strong and engaged University. A University that has a global reputation for research and an integrated, international student body. In the hyper-connected world we now live in, geographical boundaries are less limiting than ever. We have an opportunity to educate the next generation of global leaders; we have already done so to some extent. In order to enhance our success, we need to increase collaboration with local and international partners who are aligned to our strategy. Partnerships that allow us to extend and enhance our research endeavour. We need to understand our partners’ business as we invite them to understand ours. We also need to internationalise our curriculum to make Ulster University more globally relevant. Finally, we need to cultivate better relationships and develop our existing networks particularly with our alumni locally and internationally.

There are many benefits to developing a global focus: an international university experience can be transformational for the students who participate; a larger international community improves the overall cultural, social and economic fabric of Northern Ireland; and it enhances a wider shared understanding of cultural and economic norms and social mores in terms of ethical behaviours. In addition, international academic exchanges have the potential to build capacity in those countries learning from Northern Ireland’s past.

Looking at our international reach, we should consider:• Increasing our international student base to the sectoral average.• Establishing international research partnerships or networks in a small number of focused

areas.• Establishing an international civic university network.• Becoming an exemplar of the international student experience.• Ensuring the universities, as a sector in NI, are central to Invest NI’s strategy.

Questions we’ve been asking:• How could we leverage the knowledge of our students and alumni to inform our approach? • How do we access the educational needs of multinational companies?• How do we further internationalise our staff profile?

We need to consider the broader student experience. For some international students life on campus after 5pm is like a ghost town.

Some people have great networks but these are not consistent throughout the University, which means recruiting can be ad hoc and not strategic. We need international market intelligence.

It takes too long to make decisions which means we are losing students. We need a single point of contact in the International Office.

Our Alumni should be our agents.

Diverse University Community

International Networks

Global Challenge, Local Impact

GlobalVision


Operational ExcellenceWe will continue to deliver an outstanding, student-centred, educational experience and work in partnership with the Students’ Union. We will identify and implement the support, resources and systems needed to attract, retain and develop staff with the skills and enthusiasm needed to achieve our teaching and research ambitions.


Outline Operational Excellence Performance Areas:

• A supportive performance culture • Staff satisfaction and well being• Develop and diversify funding models • Physical and digital infrastructure to

enable research and education with an international reputation

• Environmental and social responsibility impact

“

“

“

“

“

”

”

””

”We will only be able to deliver our Strategic Plan if the conditions are right. Our University community is a vibrant collection of talented and skilled individuals across a mix of disciplines and professions. Each person is unique with a valuable contribution to make. A strong development and support framework will build capacity, capability and continue to make our University community thrive.

Work is ongoing to capture our values. These need to be grounded within the Strategic Plan and whilst we are all different there are certain principles like trustworthiness, respectfulness, equality and inclusiveness that are central to who we are.

Providing an outstanding educational experience for our students is ultimately what we are about. Our teaching and learning is excellent. To provide a seamless, responsive and holistic student service we need to cut through silos and operate collaboratively. To continue to attract the brightest and best students we need to be flexible and adept.

World-class infrastructure is a priority for our chosen areas of focus. We are already investing in this space across our campuses because we recognise the need for facilities that offer staff and students the best possible environment to flourish. Our efforts will be concentrated on specialist facilities, which enhance our research capacity.

Integrated digital services and infrastructure will also be a priority to facilitate collaboration, research, learning and student support.

This is a difficult time for higher education generally. We need to create a more sustainable financial and operational model for the University – which makes the most efficient and focussed use of current financial resources whilst continuing to make the case for enhanced investment in higher education. Focused efforts also need to be made to use all our networks to pursue alternative non-traditional sources of income.

Questions we’ve been asking:• How will we attract sustainable funding? What needs to be considered to help facilitate this? • How do we measure the reputation of the University?• How do we deliver a shift in culture across the University?• How do we value and recognise operational excellence across the University?• How do we ensure equity and continuity of service across all our campuses?

More structured mentor/buddy system, dissipates quickly with little legacy. However, mentors are valued and there is a shortage.

Review induction and the staff journey – more predictable and less serendipitous.

Develop staff skills to deal with student pastoral issues, particularly with a more diverse student base. More connectivity with support services.

Student experience the main driver of technological change, from registry, accommodation to employability.

Greater simplicity, clarity and transparency.

People and CultureService and ReputationFinancial Sustainability

Infrastructure

OperationalExcellence


This consultation document is not happening in isolation. Work is well underway on values and organisational development. The reports for both the Academic Structures Review and the Professional Services Review are being finalised as this is being published. Their recommendations will be woven into the Strategic Plan. Over coming months there will be further opportunities to engage and comment on these proposals.

ConclusionAs a final comment, I was attracted to Ulster University because of the excellent reputation that we already have and because of the central role we play in our community. As Vice-Chancellor I feel the responsibility of my stewardship role is to ensure that we maintain and build upon those excellent foundations.

I am proud to be Vice-Chancellor of Ulster University and to have such a strong support network of colleagues. I hope that this paper creates the context for us to continue to make a difference.

Please email your thoughts and comments on this paper to [email protected]


[email protected]

Documents

Ulster University Strategic Plan 2016