Always Look on the Bright Side of Life:Managing in Challenging Times

Jeremy AtkinsonDirector of Learning and Corporate Support ServicesUniversity of Glamorgan

“Pessimist : one who, when he has the choice of two evils, chooses both” (Oscar Wilde)

Or, in other words, let’s have a good wallow!

‘For our Future’ priorities

• Widening access to higher education• Student experience• Skills• Supporting a buoyant economy through

innovation and engagement activities• Strengthening research performance• Encouraging the development of collaboration

in regions in order to strengthen support for local learning and employers (“adapt or die”)

HEFCW Funding Changes

• In year reduction of 4% in 2010/11• Overall sector funding for Teaching and

Research in 2011/12 is 5.1% below that for 2010/11

• Further budget reductions- 3.6% in 2012/13?- 0.03% in 2013/14?

• Uncertain impact of student fee changes, eg total loss of teaching grant over time?

Funding comparisons 2010/11 to 2011/12

• Glamorgan - 7.86%• Aberystwyth - 6.27%• Bangor - 7.11%• Cardiff - 2.99%• Trinity Saint David - 8.87%• Swansea - 4.09%• UWIC - 7.70%• Newport - 6.42%• Glyndwr - 7.72%• Swansea Metropolitan + 1.06%• Open University in Wales + 2.09%

Capital funding Changes

Single DCELLS capital budget from 2011/12

DCELLS indicative capital budgets :2011/12 : reduction of 5.5%2012/13 : reduction of 6.9%2013/14 : reduction of 10.9%

What are Finance Directors (and VCs) thinking about?

• Surplus/deficit on continuing operations (as % of income)

• Staff costs as % of income• Income per academic FTE• Net liquidity as number of days expenditure• Benchmarking against other institutions

HEFCE : Universities at Risk

• “Sizeable proportion of English universities face a tough transition to the new funding arrangements”

• “At higher risk” institutions “face threats to sustainability”

• Serious question marks over the use of funds or have “materially ineffective risk management, control or governance”

• Reported problems at Cumbria, Gloucestershire and London Metropolitan University

Some key issues

• UK : Impact of more universities than expected charging £9k

• UK : Loss of students, particularly from low income families?

• Wales : Recruitment of students from outside Wales

• New providers, eg from private sector• Role of FE Colleges

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity. An optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” (Winston Churchill during World War II)

Let’s be positive – there are no problems, only challenges and opportunities etc!

Expectations & Perceptions

• Students (and Parents)

• Staff

• Our Managers

• Ourselves

Some ‘opportunities’• Students paying more will expect more for

their money

• Increased emphasis on NSS results

• More focus on needs of undergraduates?

• ‘Salami slicing’ v. Argument for more resources in some areas

What should institutions be doing?• Major rethink of strategy plans – USPs, KPIs,

CSFs etc• Marketing – cooperation v competition• Review of academic portfolio• Creating an attractive environment• Enhancing income• Removing duplication and waste• Reducing operating costs

What should we be doing?• Responding to institutional plans and priorities• Don’t underestimate ourselves – strong tradition of

adapting, changing, evolution and revolution, eg convergence, e-resources, self service

• Redefining services for a different age – provision of quality services with significantly less resources

• Making ourselves indispensible – individually and collectively

• Advocacy and lobbying - students and staff• Promoting the value of libraries• Basing service provision on evidence

Key factors for Libraries (1)

• Doing things differently – leadership and management challenges at all levels

• Quality of service from student perspective

• Income generation

• Reduction of costs – waste and duplication

• Improvement in effectiveness – working ‘lean’ and ‘smart’

Key Factors for Libraries (2)

• Use of technology

• Procurement

• Shared services – internally / externally

• Outsourcing?

• Collaboration – removing silos internally and externally

Use of technology

• Technology to gain student interest and encourage applications

• Innovative approaches and use that is integrated and sophisticated (but less time and resource to innovate)

• Use to support widening participation

• Use to support collaboration and shared services

Key role for WHELF

Building on existing and potential collaboration :• Access arrangements• Welsh Repository Network• E-books / E-journals• Staff development• Digitisation• Sharing expertise, eg copyright, disability

support• Library Management Systems

Colloquium Themes

• Value/impact of libraries

• Information literacy

• Working in the ‘community’

• Use of technology – mobile devices, chat enquiry services

• Collaboration – WHEEL and North Wales

COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS

pjatkins@glam.ac.uk