Welcome to the Vice-Chancellor’sopen meeting for staff

February 2014

Agenda

• Making the Future – Strategy 2013-18 – implementation

• Agenda built around strategy headings:

• Research – Sussex Research initiatives, academic appointments

• Teaching and Learning – scholarships, Sussex Choice,

employability, investment, NSS

• Campus developments – Masterplan and development

• Economic and social impact – report out this month

• Professional Services – SEF, SussexFood, staffing

• Sustainable operating – finance position, equalities

Strategy – reminder of key goals to 2018

• Research – top 20 nationally and double research income

• Teaching and learning – top 20 student experience and

growing student numbers to 18,000

• Our campus – £400m investment in capacity and quality

• External engagement – 10 international partners

• Economic and social impact – grow our impact by 50%

• Professional Services – best quality services and

value for money

• Sustainable operating – increase turnover 50% and 10%

surplus for future investment

Strategy 2013-18Implementation: Next steps

• Systematic implementation of the strategy is vital

• Schools’ 5-year strategic plans in place

• VC school visits this term – to engage staff and students

• Ensure that school plans and overall University plan mesh

together well

• Schools generate implementation plans

• Overall University implementation plan being created

Research – strategic priorities

• Increase research-leading staff to create a competitive,

sustainable critical mass in targeted areas

• 50% of units of assessment in the top 15 by 2018

• Top 20 in the next REF (Research Excellence Framework)

• Double research income to £54 million

• Increase research students: two for each faculty member

• Three new large interdisciplinary Research Centres

Research – build on REF and delivery of support to schools

• Building on REF experience – e.g. developing case study

materials from REF impact studies

• Programme of school research and knowledge exchange

reviews - half-day with every school, focussed support

from centre on:

• Publications strategies

• Management of data

• Management and delivery of projects

• Impact identification

Research – Sussex Research initiatives

• Sussex Research initiative to foster and enhance strategic

development of research at Sussex

• Professor Alan Lester – Director of Interdisciplinary Research

• Research Network Fund (£30k) – created 9 new networks across

humanities, sciences and social sciences

• Research Development Fund (£220k) – provisionally to fund 9

pilot projects (£5-50k) from 44 bids, to seek external funding

• Strategic Competition (£1-3m over 3 years) – for interdisciplinary

research programmes, shortlisting from 4 outline bids received

• Research centres and groups – systematic approach to approval

and classification – now have 9 “University Research Centres”

Senior academic appointments

• More academic appointments: over 200 new academic

staff appointed in 2013, nearly 30 new professors

Senior academic developments

• Andrea Cornwall – new Head of Global Studies

• Johan Schot – new Head of SPRU

• Appointing new Head of BSMS – Gordon Ferns acting

• Appointing new Head of BMEc – Andy Newell acting

• Pete Clifton – retiring as Head of Psychology in summer

Teaching and learning – attracting and supporting the best

• Competitive environment for UG and PG recruitment

• Investing in scholarships schemes to attract and support the

best; and outreach spend doubled this year

• First Generation Scholarships – admitted 1150 (920 last

year)

• OFFA submission commits to £8m spend on support – on

course for 2015-16 targets by background of intake

• Created new Sussex Excellence Scholarships – for UG

candidates with top grades

• PGT and PGR Scholarships also successful in

strengthening intakes

Teaching and learning – Employability

• Employability and career development important for our

graduates and for University reputation

• Range of support in place for all years - encourage all

students to engage with Careers and Employability Centre

• Employers and alumni events fortnight - Make It Happen!

24 Feb -7 March

• One-year placements already piloted and full roll out in

2015-16 – placement prep programme now for first years

• Summer internships for second-year First Gen Scholars

• Start-up Sussex - entrepreneurship programme run by

CEC and SInC

Teaching and learning – Sussex Choice

• “Sussex Choice” enhances study for students – depth

and breadth and development of skills

• Electives to add breadth to single honours

• Coherent pathways alongside single honours – 18

options: Languages to Legal Studies, Heritage to Trading

• Placement (usually a year) for students

• Study abroad (also usually a year) for students

• Value-added activity which enhances student experience –

supported by schools and Careers and Employability

Centre (CEC)

Teaching and learning – NSS 2014

• NSS 2014 goes live for Sussex students this week

• Supported by both University and USSU

• Seen significant improvements in learning resources

scores in 2012 and 2013 – reflecting investment in Library

and IT connectivity

• Vital to deliver sustained improvements in assessment

and feedback – building on new structure of the academic

year and curriculum improvements

Our campus – Masterplan

• Masterplan submitted to local councils end December

2013

• Designed to sustain and improve campus as we grow

• Positive response from officials and councillors

• Key issue is to ensure sufficient student housing

• Expect to have B&H Council planning discussion and

decision April or May

• Sets positive framework for specific planning applications

as campus develops

Student residences on campus and partner developments off campus

Development Net gain in rooms

East Slope 1408 Masterplan

West Slope 1122 Masterplan

London Road 350 Approval granted

Pelham Street 440 Approval granted

Retained land Falmer 700 In principle Council support

Total 4020

Demand for housing = 3660 (80% of additional 4,600 students)

East Slope – residential development – adding 1,400 bedspaces

Our campus – other developments

• East Slope – consultation and engagement with students

• Attenborough Centre – internal refurbishment started

last month

• New £2m childcare centre to open next month – open

day for staff and students Thu 27 Feb 11am-2pm

• Freeman refurbishment for LPS – ready for summer 2014

• Infrastructure developments continue – e.g. major

sewage complete by March

Economic and social impact – Oxford Economics Report

• Impact of Sussex on the regional economy is huge – through

direct spending, jobs supported and students we bring to the

region, plus the skilled graduates

• 2010 study showed just under £500m and 5,500 jobs

• New 2013 study just published shows around £600m –

something we should be proud of

• By 2018 impact could reach over £1 billion

• Around 2.5% of the whole local economy is derived from us

• Baseline against which our target 50% additional contribution

will be measured

Professional Services - new staff appointments

• New Director of ITS – Paul

Davies started January 2014

• New Lead Chaplain – Chris

McDermott

• New head of e-technology

learning – David Walker

• New Head of academic quality

– Christopher Wellings

Professional Services – Sussex Food

• Long-term development for the University

• Positive signs already – increased sales in place of deficit

• Over £250k already invested by our partners in the

refurbishment of Library, Dhaba, and Bridge cafes

• E-learning and training programme in place for staff

• Environmental and sustainability programme being

implemented

• 5-star ratings for all outlets for hygiene and service practice

• Vending services being expanded

• Sussex Food employing twice as many Sussex students

as before

Professional Services – Sussex Estates and Facilities

• Transferred on 1 January 2014

• 23 service lines covered by contract

• Full team now appointed

• Service centre developed to handle calls and requests

• Training centre being established for staff development

• USSU engaging positively with SEF

• Improvements – e.g. new cleaning system that saves 60% of

water compared to old system

Sustainable operating – finance overview

• Vital to be financially sustainable to secure investment in

academic activities, student experience, support services and

campus infrastructure

2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 forecast

Turnover £182m £201m £218m

Surplus £13.7m £14.7m £7m

Employees 1910 1964 Over 2000

Academic staff

836 876 Over 900

Sustainable operating – equalities

Detailed equality objectives set in Jan 2012 for April 2016

Already exceeded these in key areas:

• Increase female Professional Services staff at grade 10 from

29% to 33%. January 2014: reached 39%

• Increase female professors from 22% to 26%. January 2014:

reached 28% (nationally 21%) 

• Increase minority ethnic UK and EU student entrants from 12%

to 15%. December 2013: reached 16%

• Reviewing and developing these further

Open discussion

Comments and

questions?

Please wait for microphone so all can hear –

including those using the hearing induction

loops