Newslink 78

newslink

ISSUE NUMBER 78

INSIDE THIS ISSUE 16TH ANNUAL LECTURE & AWARDS CEREMONY HUMAN RESOURCES UNDER THE MICROSCOPE CUSTOMER SERVICE EXCELLENCE STANDARD

PROFESSOR WENDY PURCELL,

VICE-CHANCELLOR & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF PLYMOUTH UNIVERSITY

Inspiring professionalism in higher education

2 AUA NEWSLINK

Featured in this issue Front Cover Picture:

3

Chairs Column

Photograph taken by Doug Southall – Pepper Pictures

5

Snowden Climb

6

My Experiences of the Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Practice

Proofreaders: Laura Ashcroft – AUA National Office Liz Buckton FAUA – University of Sheffield Lisa Burton MAUA – Warwick Business School Martine Somerville MAUA Michele Wheeler FAUA

8

Behind the Scenes of the Human Resources Department

10 Reflections of the CPD framework project 12 Customer Service Excellence Standard

14 The Regulatory Partnership Group 16 Network News 18 AUA Events 20 16th Annual Lecture & Awards 21 CAUBO Conferences Report 22 Call for Newslink Editor 23 Joan Balchin Memorial Award

AUA NEWSLINK 3

Chair’s Column

What is an administrator?

Author: Matthew Andrews FAUA, Chair of AUA and Academic Registrar, Oxford Brookes University

The Director of Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti, spoke at the HEFCE Annual Conference earlier this year and provided a personal reflection on higher education. She urged those present, an august invitation-only audience of Vice-Chancellors and other senior leaders in the sector gathered at Imperial College, to remember that higher education provided not only a professional and economic passport for people but was also important to the strength of democratic society.

As many AUA members will know, those

the Cabinet it is a minority who do not

developments can be seen in the sort

who have been through higher education

hold degrees from either Oxford or

of report provided by the Times Higher

are more likely to contribute to society

Cambridge (only seven). David Willetts,

Education on 3 October 2013, when

through such activities as voluntary work,

the Conservative MP and Minister for

it was reported that a University and

are less likely to be unhealthy, and are

Universities and Science since May 2010,

College Union survey had found that

more likely to vote. Higher education

falls into this category too as he was

more than 10 per cent of academics

helps to provide social cohesion and

educated at Christ Church, Oxford, where

at eight UK universities had been told

builds the fabric of our country in more

(like a number of his Cabinet colleagues)

that failure to meet their institutions’

than simply economic ways.

he studied Philosophy, Politics and

expectations on producing work for

Economics. This is hardly representative.

the research excellence framework

However, we were warned about the

With the increasingly divergent higher

would lead to redundancy. Institutions

danger of making higher education

education systems created through

face pressure to conform to this ideal,

policy decisions based on what we

devolution the stark differences in

because the levers of funding drive them

might deem to be acceptable for “other

approach have become more apparent,

in that direction.

people’s children”. What I understood

most obviously typified by the system

Shami to mean when she spoke about

in Scotland that enables students to

The growth in institutions seeking

“other people’s children” in this way was

study at university without paying fees,

membership of the Russell Group can be

that there is a danger in preserving a

whatever their background.

seen as another sign of this trend. The Group describes itself as representing

privileged form of higher education for “our own children” while advocating a

The largely monochromatic feel of the

the 24 “leading UK universities”, with

form of higher education for the country

Government might not matter were it not

a commitment to maintaining the very

more generally (or indeed no higher

for the indications that a particular form

best research, an outstanding teaching

education at all) that “we” would deem

of higher education is given greatest

and learning experience and unrivalled

unacceptable – or at least less desirable

prominence: the research-intensive,

links with business and the public sector.

– for “our own children”. She expressed

largely residential university. The

Probably the only university mission

profound concerns about tuition fees and

pressure to achieve the best possible

group known by members of the general

noted a poverty of aspiration in higher

outcome in the REF is one current

public, the Russell Group is normally

education policy development. “We need

example of this tendency for different

described in the media as the “group of

to love other people’s children as we do

institutions to share the same aspirations.

elite universities”. It’s little wonder that

our own,” we were told.

The potential negative impact of such

four institutions, Durham, Exeter, Queen

As the erosion of funding for higher education continues, with the maximum fees universities in England are able to charge continuing to be capped at £9,000, this criticism feels contemporary and acute. In the context of government policy development, therefore, it matters that while there are 22 Ministers in

As many AUA members will know, those who have been through higher education are more likely to contribute to society through such activities as voluntary work, are less likely to be unhealthy, and are more likely to vote. Higher education helps to provide social cohesion and builds the fabric of our country in more than simply economic ways.

4 AUA NEWSLINK

Chair’s Column privileged form of higher education for a specific part of society that prevents social mobility, and social cohesion as well, must clearly be wrong, it is equally wrong to assume that all people will benefit in the same way from the same form of higher education. The difficulty comes with an assumption made as to what is superior in higher education and what is inferior.

One type of higher education is not necessarily better than another. That seems to me to be the essential truth we miss when attempting to line institutions up in a league table that, by definition, assumes all institutions are playing the same game in the same way. We should allow diversity to flourish and dividing higher education institutions into good/ bad or better/worse based on a single methodology and definition of excellence is not likely to encourage diversity.

So I agree “we” shouldn’t just keep Mary and York, opted to move from the

unlimited recruitment of ABB+ students

“good” higher education “for our own

lesser-known 1994 Group to the Russell

is another example; the list could go

children”. But what if good higher

Group in March this year. The Russell

on.) But as I reflected more on what

education took more than one form?

Group is no longer a mission group, it’s

Shami Chakrabarti told the HEFCE Annual

also a crucial aspect of the marketing mix

Conference, I grew worried about an

As a postscript I would like to thank all

for a “prestigious” university.

equal concern that would lead us into the

those members who contributed to the

same trap of policy development which

discussion about the name of the AUA

Further evidence of this growing

takes us down a one-way alley to elitism

through the debate on LinkedIn. It is

stratification of attitude and approach

and research intensity as excellence and

reassuring to see so many members

came with the publication of the Times

the inability to achieve that as failure.

interested in the future of the AUA. The

Higher Education World University

on-line debate was discussed at the last

Rankings 2013-14. This demonstrated an

My concern is that it seems to me there

meeting of the Board of Trustees and we

increasing concentration of excellence

are also dangers in following too closely

agreed not to take any radical steps to

in the golden triangle of Oxford,

the argument that we need to avoid

change our identity. We have, however,

Cambridge and London. The BBC and

policy based on what is good for “other

agreed that we will use the title AUA

others reported that London had more

people’s children”. The statement seems

more and the full name less, to make

universities in the top 40 than any other

to be based on the implication that what

sure that all staff working in any capacity

city; indeed, that London had more

is good for my children must be what all

in higher education management and

universities in the league table than

children want and/or need and therefore

administration realise that the AUA is the

Japan. The success of these institutions

what I desire for my own children I

association for them.

is to be praised, but the question must be

must desire for other people too. Is that

asked: what is the cost for the success of

really true? While trying to preserve a

a few institutions alone?

There are many points which can be raised to support an argument that higher education is becoming focused increasingly on “elite” institutions, and that policy development is designed to encourage and support this. (Allowing

The BBC and others reported that London had more universities in the top 40 than any other city; indeed, that London had more universities in the league table than Japan. The success of these institutions is to be praised, but the question must be asked: what is the cost for the success of a few institutions alone?

AUA NEWSLINK 5

Snowdon climb

I climbed a mountain (in more ways than one!)

Author: Emma Price MAUA, Head of Quality, University of London International Programmes

When Emma Price decided to complete a personal challenge and climb Mount Snowden she took the decision to be the first person in the history of AUA to raise money for AUA and support its professional development fund.

Little did she know that her first attempt to climb the mountain would be thwarted by bad weather BUT determination and the kind donations of many steered her on and she completed the climb on Saturday 27 July 2013.

On Saturday 27t July 2013 I set off at 7am to tackle the Llanberis path of Mount Snowdon. In advance of the climb I had completed a 10 mile coastal walk in Devon and attempted to climb Pen y Fan in the Brecon Beacons but had to unfortunately call this off due to a heavy snow storm.

As I skipped past mountain sheep at the bottom of the path I was full of excitement about the climb ahead. I then started climbing. It was hard. The start of the path is rocky and steep and the lack of breakfast was starting to show.

Fortunately a fellow AUA member had sent me a gift of some Kendal Mint Cake which got me over the first hurdles. The climb took in some of the breath-taking

scenery of the Snowdon National Park.

Taking in this scenery and taking a few photos of the valley lakes gave me an opportunity to catch my breath! Snowdon is a well-used training location for those completing more extreme challenges and I was frequently overtaken by these very cheerful adventurers on my way up. The most memorable was the man climbing the mountain twice in one day!

He lapped me again before I got to the summit! After a breakfast stop at the appropriately named Halfway House CafÊ it was time to tackle the steep, uneven rocky upper mid-section of the path. This was really hard. The top was in sight and the thoughts and well wishes of all those who had donated spurred me on and I reached the top! I don’t think I have been more exhilarated or exhausted! The top of the mountain includes a visitor centre and train station. After a wellearned cup of tea and sandwich I made my way back down. Walking down was a lot easier but as in going up the path was steep and uneven and it required some

careful footwork. Not least because the path had started to get busy with those who had a more leisurely start and those who had already tackled two peaks in the three peak challenge. After 5 hours and 40 minutes I made it back to start point, well in my 6 hour target and with the most ridiculous grin on my face. It was time to head back home for a nice rest!

For those who follow me on Twitter you will have seen that my progress up the mountain had been re-enacted in Lego

by Christopher Hallas, former Chair of the AUA. These made for brilliant viewing when I finally regained full signal.

Climbing the mountain was a significant personal challenge and at times the donations from fellow AUA members and my friends and family really helped me to get to the top. I am proud that my efforts will support the AUA and help others in their professional development. Someone else can do the next challenge though!

6 AUA NEWSLINK

Professional Development

My experiences of the AUA Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Practice Author: Alison Chapman MAUA, Administrator, Faculties Support Office, University of Kent

Back in 2008 I decided that I would like to start the AUA PG Cert in Professional Practice (Higher Education Management and Administration). I had worked at the University of Kent for eight years and realised that, in order to further my career, it would be beneficial to gain a relevant qualification. I chose the AUA PG Cert because I wanted to study a subject that was relevant to my career path and, as I had never studied a first degree, I felt that a qualification at HE level was important. In addition, the distance learning delivery mode suited me as I could fit this in around my work and home life. I also liked the relatively short registration period of two years as I felt this would keep me motivated.

At that time, I was working as a Postgraduate Administrator in the Academic Practice Team in the Unit for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (UELT). My manager and team were hugely supportive of me taking on this study and I was granted study leave in order to attend study days and prepare for my assignments as well as receiving financial support from UELT and the University’s Learning and Development team.

The programme consisted of two distinct elements – personal development planning and academic knowledge assignments relating to higher education topics. These both appealed to me as I recognised the benefits of identifying and enhancing both my personal and professional skills, as well as learning more about the sector within which I worked.

I started the programme in 2009 with a study day in Leeds. At the study day, as a new cohort, we received an introduction to and overview of the programme. We also ran through the mentor/mentee relationship and looked at a range of sampl personal development plans. It was great to meet other programme participants and a few of us arranged to keep in touch. Afterwards I couldn’t wait to get started with my studies and felt ready for my first assignment – the personal development plan.

All programme participants are allocated a mentor for the duration of their registration and I was lucky to be allocated a fantastic mentor who was also located in Canterbury. This meant that we had plenty of opportunities to get together. The programme requirement was to meet at least three times during the registration period but we were able to meet more often which I felt was very useful. My mentor helped me to consider the areas that I would like to cover in my personal development plan and knowledge assignments, and we talked through assignment feedback and progress made on areas I had identified for development. My mentor was always positive and encouraging and we developed a great mentor/mentee relationship. As per the programme requirements, she was not a University of Kent staff member, so it was extremely useful to gain knowledge of working practices at a different institution.

This relationship had a hugely positive influence on my development as my mentor really gave me the confidence to believe that I was able to succeed in

my developmental goals and complete the programme. Since finishing, we have stayed in touch and regularly meet for a catch-up.

During the first three months of my registration I worked on and produced my first personal development plan.

I then attended my second study day. Here we were introduced to the knowledge assignment aspect of the programme and looked at examples of assignments and discussed the merits of each. Again, I came away from the day feeling motivated and ready to start my first assignment.

In all I completed three knowledge assignments for the programme.

Topics were selected from a range within the programme handbook and I chose subjects relating to learning and teaching, the history of higher education and leadership, management and governance. As previously mentioned, I did not have a first degree and, although I had taken two Open University courses several years previously, I

The programme consisted of two distinct elements – personal development planning and academic knowledge assignments relating to higher education topics.

These both appealed to me as I recognised the benefits of identifying and enhancing both my personal and professional skills, as well as learning more about the sector within which I worked.

AUA NEWSLINK 7

had not studied at this level before.

Therefore I found these assignments the most challenging part of the programme. Unfortunately I failed all three assignments at the first attempt!

I had struggled to use critical analysis successfully within my assignments.

I was lucky, however, to have great support from my mentor and from the academic members of staff within my team and I made use of the Student Learning Advisory Service, all of which helped me to pass each assignment at the second attempt.

The final elements of the programme were an assignment considering the ways in which I had incorporated the AUA Code of Practice into my professional life, and a portfolio of evidence to back up a reflective narrative of my personal development on the programme.

Throughout the programme it had become a habit to analyse experiences and events in order to reflect upon my actions and learn from them. I had also been gathering evidence for my portfolio to back up my learning and development.

I completed and passed the programme in September 2011. I was thrilled to have achieved the qualification especially as I had found it so challenging at times. I was excited to be presented my certificate by Kate Adie at the AUA Conference in Manchester in 2012, amidst cheers from my Kent colleagues in the audience!

Upon reflection on my experiences of studying for the AUA PG Cert there were many positive aspects and only two negatives. The main negative aspect for me was working in isolation from the other students as a distance learner. Although this was an aspect that attracted me in the first place, I sometimes felt that it would be useful to discuss things with the other students in more detail. Although I had a few study buddies with whom I kept in touch via email, it wasn’t the same as sitting in a classroom together, listening to the lecturer and discussing issues that arise.

The other negative was, as with many part-time learners, I would imagine, the difficulty of balancing my study with work and home commitments. It was essential that I set aside regular time to

The most positive outcome was successfully applying for a new job in August 2011. I am certain that the skills, knowledge and confidence I gained whilst studying the PG Cert provided me with the tools to do this. study so that I could successfully fulfil the assignment requirements. Somehow it always seemed to take me twice as long as I imagined it would to read an article, write some notes, or type up an assignment!

However, the positives far outweigh the negatives. I learnt so much from my studies – I learnt about the history and purpose of the sector and came to understand my position within it; I discovered the way in which universities are governed and how this impacts upon the stakeholders; I developed a keen awareness of issues affecting the sector, both past and present. On a personal level I learnt a lot about myself and how to push myself out of my comfort zone to achieve my developmental goals – one in particular stands out and that is attending a presentation skills course where I had the painful experience of watching myself on video and realising that all of the problems I thought I had were not apparent but there were half a

dozen others that I had to worry about!

I was able to take the opportunity to attend AUA events where I developed contacts in other institutions as well as meeting and developing a rapport with staff within my own institution. The most positive outcome was successfully applying for a new job in August 2011.

I am certain that the skills, knowledge and confidence I gained whilst studying the PG Cert provided me with the tools to do this.

I am now a mentor for other PG Cert participants, a role that I have enjoyed immensely. Having been through the programme myself I hope that I am able to offer support and guidance to those who are going through it themselves. After a two year break I feel it’s time for me to take up my study again and I have just started the MA in Higher Education at the University of Kent – this will be another huge challenge for me but one I am excited about and cannot wait to get stuck into!

8 AUA NEWSLINK

Behind the Scenes

Inside the Human Resources Department Author: Helen Scott, Executive Officer, Universities Human Resources

Helen Scott is the Executive Officer of Universities Human Resources (UHR), the sector organisation for Human Resources staff in UK higher education organisations. For more information, visit www.uhr.ac.uk or contact exec@uhr.ac.uk. Helen has worked with a variety of higher education organisations for over 20 years, including as an Human Resources Director. She is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

What would happen if your organisation’s HR staff all won the lottery and disappeared tomorrow? Unlikely, of course, and no doubt cynical readers would say that they would not notice the difference, or even that they would be able to get on better without the encumbrance! Actually, I hope that would be a minority view, and that many AUA readers would have seen the positive value that HR can create in organisations.

Human resources departments in UK higher education institutions have grown in terms of staff numbers, impact and reach, in recent years. Previously known as Establishment Offices, then Personnel, in many organisations HR used to concentrate on recruitment administration, job grading and evaluation, advising line managers on grievance and disciplinary cases, and was seen as reactive and not always terribly helpful. Today’s HR departments have changed beyond all recognition since I came into the sector over 20 years ago. That’s partly because people management (a term I prefer to ‘human resources’, which sounds rather cold and clinical) is now widely recognised in workplaces as a key activity that makes a huge impact on any organisation’s results (however you measure those).

In higher education, there have been particular levers for change on HR, which started with the publication of the Bett report back in 1999, and was then followed by funding shifts, such as HEFCE’s ‘Rewarding and Developing Staff’ that targeted money at improving and modernising people management practices.

In the current climate, the student experience is central to most UK HE organisations, with the Research Excellence Framework and business and local community engagement high on the agenda as well. Add to this mix, volatile levels and sources of funding, immigration goalposts moving, health, safety and employment legislation becoming more extensive and complex, and a constant drive to achieve greater efficiencies, people management and HR departments have an impact on all these agendas. To take one example, HR influences the student experience indirectly, by ensuring the organisation recruits the right people, and then develops, motivates and retains them. If HR is successful at this, students benefit from high calibre teaching staff. This is also true for professional services, as well as research and business impact leaders. In the minefield of employment legislation, HR staff have to find a balance between ensuring that the organisation adheres to legal requirements, such as checking the right to live and work in the UK, while not being slavishly bureaucratic or putting in place unnecessary administrative hurdles.

To support HR staff, UHR provides networking opportunities, in person and on-line, for HR staff in different institutions to share experience and examples of how they have met these challenges effectively. We also provide continuing professional development activities, and work with other sector organisations such as AUA, to disseminate information, and influence policy making at a national level.

So what difference does your HR department make, and where might you see the impact? If you look at the employment journey, HR might be involved in the practicalities of recruitment (negotiating discounts and placing advertisements in publications or on websites and social media, collating applications, organising selection activities, issuing contracts, co-ordinating induction).

Then there’s reward and retention (pay, grading, and contribution), where, depending on how your organisation is structured, HR may just administer processes, or have a hands-on involvement in decisions.

In the current climate, the student experience is central to most UK HE organisations, with the Research Excellence Framework and business and local community engagement high on the agenda as well. Add to this mix, volatile levels and sources of funding, immigration goalposts moving, health, safety and employment legislation becoming more extensive and complex, and a constant drive to achieve greater efficiencies, people management and HR departments have an impact on all these agendas.

AUA NEWSLINK 9

Most organisations would have Staff Development and Organisation Development linked to, or part of HR, and continuing professional development would be a key activity that HR would plan and resource. Sadly, the employment relationship is sometimes difficult, and HR gets involved in capability, performance management and disciplinary issues, where line managers need some expert or independent advice on how to handle staff whose actions are giving cause for concern. When staff are leaving the organisation, for whatever reason, HR will often be involved, whether in exit interviews, negotiating redundancy terms, or organising pre-retirement workshops. Employee relations is also a key part of the HR department’s work, working with trade unions on issues such as re-structuring, changes to employment policies and locally negotiated terms and conditions.

But it’s not just in the business processes that HR makes an impact on working life.

HR departments can lead change and organisation development that creates a positive working environment and more effective structures. HR may do this by working with change leaders, acting as a ‘critical friend’ both to challenge and help leaders manage change, and being heavily involved in organisation design and restructuring.

With a strategic focus, HR can create value for the university by developing policies and initiatives to attract and retain high quality, motivated staff, developing performance management frameworks and supporting internationalisation, research and innovation.

One way to demonstrate the impact of HR in universities is to look at the UHR awards for excellence that are made each year. With a panel of judges from within and beyond the sector, they showcase a range of activities that HR colleagues have put in place that have made a measurable impact on the organisation, whether changing culture, widening diversity, saving money or improving the student experience.

For example, at Birmingham the HR team delivered initiatives under the umbrella of a ‘Sustainable Excellence

Programme’, supporting development of the university towards a high performance culture. Those initiatives included effective business partnering, development of a Fellows Programme (recruiting exceptional early career researchers to the university), revised probation, promotions and performance review processes for academic staff, which focuses on linking individual performance with strategic objectives, and introduction of an electronic system to allow effective monitoring of this and other management interventions.

On a separate front, Edge Hill University took a strategic approach to aligning health, wellbeing and absence, based on the idea that success can only be achieved through the full engagement and commitment of staff, so proactively and holistically managing the health and wellbeing of staff was regarded as a sound business strategy that impacts positively on staff morale, motivation, and performance.

This covered a range of initiatives from providing independent financial advice to flexible working arrangements, from establishing a network for staff with caring responsibilities to providing opportunities for staff with shared interests to meet and socialise, to

celebrate key annual events and to recognise success.

Does HR make any difference to the success of an organisation? Interestingly, a recent study of Fortune 500 companies identifies companies with an HR Director on the Executive Board as, on average, 105% more profitable than their industry peers who don’t have HR representation at that level. Other studies show the value of HR in strategic decision making.

A good HR department will create value in an organisation as well as ensuring people are paid correctly and on time!

Using the expressions ‘people’ and ‘people management related activities’ is not accidental. Every university employs people – it’s their greatest area of expenditure, in some cases over 60% of turnover – and they need to engage those people to get the best out of them.

But that isn’t just the HR department’s responsibility: it’s for everyone who has anyone working for them, informally or formally. HR’s role is to create a working environment and put in place policies, practices and procedures that will enable everyone involved in people management to do that well so that all staff can, and want to, do a great job.

10 AUA NEWSLINK

Feature Article

Reflections on the CPD framework project Author: Catherine Lillie MAUA, Executive Officer (Professional Development), AUA National Office From 2010 to 2013 AUA received funding from the HEFCE Leadership, Governance and Management Fund to implement the CPD Framework across the sector. As the project draws to a close Catherine Lillie, AUA’s Executive Officer (Professional Development) and Jan Shine, Lead Consultant, look back on the project, its outcomes and successes, and look forward to the next stage of work using the Framework.

When the CPD Framework was designed back in 2008-9 there was a real sense of excitement and anticipation about what could be achieved. The funding AUA applied for and received from HEFCE in 2010 enabled us to take this forward, by working with a group of pilot projects from HEIs and other sector bodies on implementing the Framework in their own setting.

The project groups A high calibre group of consultants from within and beyond the sector were recruited to work with the pilot projects. Consultants brought experience of (amongst other areas) staff development, HR systems and processes, accreditation frameworks, educational development, executive coaching, leadership development, consultancy and facilitation.

Expressions of interest for the two cohorts of funded pilot projects were advertised and there was a good response to both calls with a high quality of submissions received. Consultants were allocated to individual projects according to their expertise in relation to the project aims. For the second cohort, the projects were split into geographic cluster groups of between three and five projects, each allocated a consultant to work with them.

Consultancy provision for project groups included planning, setting objectives, supporting and facilitating actions, the design and delivery of bespoke outputs based on the Framework, evaluating project processes and outcomes,

facilitating action learning sets and oneto-one telephone or face-to-face support.

Five networking events were provided for pilot groups covering topics including organisational development, project experiences and challenges, action planning, preparing academic posters, embedding the Framework and disseminating project outcomes.

Additionally these gave pilot sponsors the opportunity to share ideas and support one another.

Pilot projects completed case studies which can be found on the CPD Framework website (cpdframework. aua.ac.uk). Projects also submitted any documents that they had produced to support the use and adoption of the Framework, and these are also freely available on the website for the benefit of other teams and organisations seeking to embark on implementation.

The project had a wide reach both in terms of the numbers of institutions participating and the range of projects from small teams such as the University of Bedfordshire project to institutionwide such as at the University of Bath, and from specialist to generalist and multi-disciplinary roles. The projects supported many different levels and types of staff including, for example, staff developers (Essex), managers (Edge Hill) and teaching administrators (St George’s, University of London). The project leads were also drawn from a wide pool including experienced staff development practitioners and those new to running projects. The growing reputation of the Framework generated as a result of the success of the projects also led to approaches from other HEIs and organisations, including the NUS. The outcomes The project sought to create a searchable archive of materials and resources which can now be found on the CPD Framework website. This is the main source of outcomes from the pilot groups including case studies, tools,

guidance resources and templates.

These are all open access to anyone from both within and beyond the sector.

Other projects which have used the Framework but weren’t part of the funded project can also upload their information, creating a diverse, userdriven resource to store and reflect on CPD activity in the sector.

In Year 2 of the funded project, AUA launched the ePD (electronic professional development) resource available for all members on the AUA membersonly website. This provides tools and templates for the storage of evidence of CPD activity, including a PDP, learning log, personal development record and links to guidance. On the launch of AUA’s Accreditation scheme in August 2012, members can now link the evidence from their ePD directly to their application and provide reflection on the Frameworks professional behaviours.

Some of our findings: - The sector was ready for and welcoming of a pragmatic framework for CPD - The behaviours model has received consistent praise for its design, usability and relevance The CPD framework: - provides a unique way for colleagues to look at their development - creates an increased sense of professional identity and worth for professional services staff (PSS) - provides a structure that can enhance the effectiveness of performance appraisal and other workplace conversations - is a highly adaptable framework that complements and can be integrated with other frameworks - can add value across a wide range of employee life-cycle processes and practices - provides a common language which fosters partnership across the sector - works equally well at individual, team, departmental and institutional levels

AUA NEWSLINK 11

- is applicable to staff at all stages in their career and across the full range of diverse roles in the sector - complements existing CPD requirements associated with some specialist roles - may be tailored by the organisation to address specific local needs.

Feedback from the pilot groups on the benefits of being involved in this project: - Projects reported that the Framework is a good product that is flexible, adaptable, applicable and works - Involvement in the project provided invaluable networking opportunities, fostering cross-institution collaboration - The project was also a chance to focus on the professional identity of PSS and raising the PSS profile, and the Framework provided a tangible way of expressing clear expectations of PSS - The independent and brokered support was very important - A committed internal team was vital for a successful outcome - An ability to successfully navigate the political context in the organisation, especially through periods of change, was also identified as essential for success - Some project leads enjoyed having the opportunity to work directly with senior managers for the first time - Some unexpected outcomes were improved relationships and understanding of colleagues and a higher recognition of the added value that HR provides - The time and resources of some pilot groups across both cohorts affected completion targets in some cases, but there was still ongoing commitment to complete the work and embed the Framework - It can take some time for the target audience to understand the concept of a behavioural framework as opposed to a competency framework. There can also be a lack of understanding of what CPD actually is - some of the successful projects reported a significant cultural or behavioural shift amongst

those participating in the project in terms of their thinking around their professional practice and CPD Conclusion The research undertaken to inform the initial development of the CPD Framework suggested that provision of CPD activity for professional services staff was unsystematic and did not align to a national agenda of workforce development. Through this implementation project, there now exists tried and tested methodologies and structures, and a wide-reaching acknowledgement and understanding of the Framework and its potential.

Additionally, the flexible but structured CPD Framework will have ongoing benefits in ensuring that staff are equipped to respond to the challenges facing the sector in the future.

The future Further funding has already been secured to continue the dissemination and embedding of the CPD Framework through the PEAS project (see Newslink issue 77). This work will ensure that these early successes are used as a springboard to fully realise the potential of the Framework and create a sustainable model for the future.

Sincere thanks are extended to all those pilot groups who worked with us on this project. Without their dedication, enthusiasm and tenacity, the project would not have succeeded.

Their outputs, including case studies and supporting materials, can be found at: cpdframework.aua.ac.uk.

Project consultants: Jacquelyn Bownes Dr Ann Hartley Alison Robinson Canham Jan Shine (Lead Consultant) Liz Shrives For further information please contact Catherine Lillie via aua@aua.ac.uk

Tips and ideas for running a successful project - Successful projects were characterised by having a strong and effective steering group or project lead, and in most cases, senior level support in their department or institution.

- The culture and systems of the institution where the project is hosted has a big impact on success - Appropriate consultation within the organisation - listening to the needs of staff - is vital. The involvement of campus unions is also essential in a university-wide project - Consultation which is conducted in a workshop setting is generally more productive than that conducted online - Develop and use a range of strategies to achieve buy-in at all levels - Starting small with a self-contained pilot which the project lead is able to influence is the most effective way to move things forward. Use effective project planning and prioritising strands of activity rather than trying to progress everything at once - Keep the project manageable and adjust plans as it progresses - Be realistic about deadlines and outcomes - take an incremental approach - manage expectations and don’t overpromise - Sharing is very useful - developing and sharing resources and people - Maximise naturally occurring opportunities such as staff surveys, restructures, 360s - use these pre-existing processes to help to achieve project objectives - The learning from what doesn’t work well is just as important as when it goes without a hitch Learning for individual project leads included: - Perseverance and personal resilience are key for those driving the project - Getting buy-in and active involvement is hard and time-consuming - It can be difficult to balance effective running of the project with day-to-day responsibilities - Individual benefits for project leads included increased confidence, the sense of making a difference, exposure to different levels/areas of work and the opportunity to be involved in innovative work

12 AUA NEWSLINK

A Case Study

Customer Service Excellence Standard Author: Catherine Smith, Project Manager, Leeds Metropolitan University

Leeds Metropolitan University has become the third and largest UK University to achieve the Government’s Customer Service Standard (CSE®).

Leeds Metropolitan University is one of the most popular universities in the country. The University has over 27,000 students and around 2,800 staff and makes a significant contribution to the social, economic and cultural achievements of the city, region and beyond. It is committed to making real improvements to people’s lives with a long and proud history of raising aspirations and achievement. The University has exceptional facilities, which the CSE Assessor felt were inspirational and conducive to effective learning for the students.

The University’s Library has held the CSE Standard and its predecessor the Charter Mark since 2001. In May 2013 the University was delighted to achieve the CSE Standard across the whole organisation.

The Customer Service Excellence Standard The Government developed the Customer Service Excellence Standard to offer a practical tool for driving customerfocused change within organisations. The CSE Standard tests in great depth those areas that research has indicated are a priority for customers, with particular focus on delivery, timeliness, information, professionalism and staff attitudes.

Introduction Leeds Metropolitan University’s commitment to achieving the CSE Standard by 2015 was set out in its Strategic Plan 2010-2015. The University identified that the CSE Standard could help promote and embed a customerfocused culture, which was essential to both thrive in an increasingly competitive environment and to continue to deliver a high quality service to its students, staff

and other customers. The University chose to appoint the Centre for Assessment as its official assessment agency. The Centre for Assessment provided the University with great support and feedback throughout the process.

The Journey Leeds Metropolitan University has always been committed to providing high quality services to its students, staff and other stakeholders. Much of the evidence submitted as part of the assessment related to the services that the University provides on a day-to-day basis. The journey was more than just achieving accreditation – it was used to apply the Customer Service Excellence framework to review and improve practices across the organisation to help deliver an excellent experience to all their customers consistently. Their approach involved: 1 Researching into existing best practice within and outwith the HE sector.

2 Setting up a CSE project framework including identifying a Project Sponsor and establishing a Project Board and Project Team 3 Engaging staff across the University through workshops and training

Putting students at the heart of all we do and recognising their expectations as customers, as well as learners is helping us to respond to changes in a competitive market and to drive a shift in culture.

Professor Susan Price, ViceChancellor

AUA NEWSLINK 13

submission. The CSE Assessor made three onsite assessment visits where he met with staff, students and other stakeholders.

11 12 13 14

The Result In May 2013 Leeds Metropolitan University was delighted to become the third and largest university in the UK to meet the standard, achieving a very positive assessment result, including nine areas of ‘compliance plus’. The CSE Assessor also identified fourteen areas of strength, including:

The Future Leeds Metropolitan University is committed to continuous improvement and maintaining the Customer Service Excellence Standard, and is preparing for its first surveillance visit in 2014.

This includes work to address the development points the CSE Assessor identified to help the University pursue its commitment to continuous improvement.

Corporate commitment, including leadership 2 Library facilities 3 Safeguarding of students 4 Consultation & improvement 5 Neighbourhood helpline 6 Practice learning & employability 7 Values 8 Standards 9 Strong focus on improvements 10 Premises

Information and access Learning & development Pre-change consultation Customer satisfaction monitoring

1

More information Leeds Metropolitan University would be delighted to share its CSE experience with other organisations committed to providing customers with an excellent experience, including those interested in undertaking the Customer Service Excellence Standard. Please contact them via email: cse@leedsmet.ac.uk or call 0113 812 3781.

Senior management had resourcefully used the Customer Service Excellence Standard as a structured framework on which to support and promote an unremitting augmentation of what they deliver as a university.

Mick Lynch, Assessor 4 Identifying who their customers were 5 Undertaking a ‘gap analysis’ to evaluate strengths and areas for improvement 6 Developing a Customer Service Statement 7 Developing ‘What’s your view?’, a central scheme for comments, compliments and concerns 8 Arranging mystery visiting 9 Implementing process reviews and projects to improve services.

The assessment process involved undertaking a pre-assessment visit and then preparing a written evidence

Strong values underpinned the overall commitment to supporting the students and these certainly affected the way that people worked at the university, thus having a significant effect on the delivery of services across the organisation.

Mick Lynch, Assessor

14 AUA NEWSLINK

The Regulatory Partnership Group

Issues for England and beyond Author: Andrew Boggs, Policy Adviser, Higher Education Better Regulation Group (HEBRG)

The United Kingdom is in the midst of historic changes to its higher education sector. Two factors are driving these changes.

The first is devolution of policy responsibility for higher education to the administrations of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The second is the change in university funding in England triggered by the 2011 Government White Paper, Students at the Heart of the System. This second development has led to a protracted negotiation between the current regulators of English higher education to develop an appropriate regulatory architecture.

Background In 2012 there was a dramatic change in teaching funding for England’s universities. Previously funded by grants from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), universities now receive teaching funding through student fees of up to £9,000 per year. The new English student fees are underwritten by publicly-subsidised student loans administered by the government-owned Student Loans Company (SLC). The movement of teaching funding from a grant of a government agency to a student fee has created a paradox in the existing regulatory architecture of English higher education: the primary regulator of universities, HEFCE, will not be the primary source of funding for most English universities. Under any other circumstances, such a change in funding flows would be accompanied by new legislation defining a complementary regulatory regime. This has not occurred, probably due to the Government’s fear of raising the spectre of student fees in Parliament for a second time before the next general election.

The SLC and HEFCE responded by creating the Interim Regulatory Partnership Group (IRPG), a forum to discuss regulatory challenges arising from the change in funding. HEFCE and SLC invited other organisations to join their discussions, including regulators and one coordinating sector body. These include the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), the Office For Fair Access (OFFA), the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) and the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). A group of sector representative

bodies, the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Universities and Colleges and Application Service (UCAS) were also invited to join IRPG as observers. The IRPG received the support of Government in a 13 June 2012 letter from the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Minister for Universities and Science to the chairs of the SLC and HEFCE. The letter confirmed the Government’s desire for the IRPG to have an ongoing role which precipitated a name change to the Regulatory Partnership Group (RPG).

Work streams The RPG agreed to a series of work streams, representing pressing issues relating to realigning England’s higher

education regulatory architecture to reflect the change in the flow and nature of teaching funding. These work streams include: • • • •

The operating framework Accountability agreements The data and information landscape New corporate forms and structures

Some of these work streams have drawn on working groups, comprising individuals and experts from sectorbased organisations and institutions. All of the work streams report to the central RPG body which, in turn, communicates advice to BIS and Universities and Science Minister David Willetts via letters and face-to-face meetings.

AUA NEWSLINK 15

Operating framework The RPG has published a document describing how the current higher education legislation relates to the changing English higher education sector.

This document was published in July 2013 and is publicly available through HEFCE. The document is intended to be a work in progress and RPG assumes that it will require updating annually.

Accountability agreements A key component of the RPG operating framework is the ‘Agreement with all designated providers’. This is the regulatory instrument through which higher education providers enter the English higher education regulatory system, permitting their students to access SLC loans. These agreements may take different forms depending on the nature and type of higher education provider involved. In the case of formerly HEFCE-funded institutions (the ‘traditional’ higher education sector), this agreement would include the HEFCE Financial Memorandum which the funding council has agreed with universities prior to the funding changes.

Data and information landscape Some issues predating the RPG’s work on the operating framework were incorporated into the group’s work because they complemented the regulatory reform agenda. There is a desire to streamline the collection of data, enable data sharing and improve the dissemination of information about the higher education system.

These items were referred to the work group, who ultimately recommended the creation of the Higher Education Data and Information Improvement Programme (HEDIIP). HEDIIP, housed within HESA but having an independent chair, continues the work group’s agenda.

It aims to produce a Rosetta Stone of data terminology to facilitate the sharing of data between organisations and regulators to reduce the data request burden on higher education providers. It most recently produced an inventory of higher education data collections, now available online.

New corporate forms and structures An important aspect of the new English higher education sector is the emergence of new provider types, including private and for-profit providers. This work stream was tasked with understanding where these growth areas are, what they are and how they intersect with higher education regulation. This work is ongoing and includes developing a typology of new corporate types and forms, identifying lessons to be learned from other jurisdictions, and developing standards for the regulation of the emerging English higher education sector.

Issues As one may imagine, there are key issues that universities and other key higher education stakeholders should keep an eye on. In particular, institutions may want to consider the following three areas: 1) Data ownership Increasing sharing of data amongst higher education organisations and regulators should reduce the data request burden on universities.

However, it may also decrease the control which institutions have over how their data is used and by whom.

While HESA and HEDIIP are acutely aware of these issues and potential concerns, institutions should monitor developments.

2) Impact on new arrangements and collaborations The RPG work stream devoted to new corporate forms and structures is aware of many current developments in collaborative provision involving traditional higher education providers, including universities and private sector interests, and there is no interest in discouraging new initiatives, providing students with more choice. However, given that RPG will be limited in its ability to predict the direction which higher education will take, it is possible that the new, developing regulatory structure could have an unintended dampening effect on new collaborative arrangements.

Again, institutions should remain aware of the emerging regulatory architecture to identify and report new regulatory challenges.

3) Impact of devolution England’s regulatory system is not changing in a vacuum. The United Kingdom now has at least three distinct higher education systems, each with its own regulatory goals and structures: the Welsh, the Scottish and the English.

Furthermore, ongoing changes in Wales and Scotland make it challenging to assess the impact of England’s reforms on the other UK home nations and vice versa. Issues around student mobility already exist with respect to fees and student funding and one may expect a growing concern over accountability for public finance flowing across borders (for example, Wales’s policy of funding Welsh domiciled students studying in England to offset the fee differential between the two nations). One may also expect issues arising from a growing presence of private higher education providers in England and their impact on Wales and Scotland. Organisations with a UK-wide remit, including HEBRG, HESA and the QAA have identified the widening gulfs between the three home nations’ regulatory approaches but to date little work has been done to grapple with the potential fall-out.

Conclusion It is likely that there will be a new higher education act for England sometime after the next general election. However, the general election will not be until 2015 and any new legislation will take months to enact and possibly years to implement. Consequently, the regulatory systems put in place for English higher education now are likely to remain for at least five years. It is imperative that university administrators understand the implications of these changes and identify issues now before they become entrenched.

16 AUA NEWSLINK

Network News

Managing Change Open Forum The Managing Change in Higher Education (MCHE) network organised it fourth annual Open Forum. Over 80 delegates from over 35 institutions met to network and share good practice in central London in July. The Open Forum is designed to help improve practice on managing change in HE institutions. ….all the presentations were excellent… and it really was therapeutic Delegate feedback Delegates were warmly welcomed to the Forum by the coordinator of the network, Dr Christopher Sarchet, who provided a brief overview of the work of the network to date and its purpose: “A network of collective wisdoms managing change, or organisational change, in higher education that members can draw on.”

The keynote opening session was then given, by Professor Malcolm Gillies, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of London Metropolitan University and member of the Association of University Administrators (back by popular demand!). Malcolm spoke openly of the challenges the higher education sector faces in the coming years, quoting Barack Obama and his State of the Union address (February 2013) in which the President voiced concerns over the cost of higher education both to the student and the taxpayer, affordability and value, and students getting more ‘bang for their buck’. Other issues concerned: the change to the market, with more private providers providing more affordable degrees (£6,000 for the whole degree!); the pressure to reduce costs without adversely affecting quality; whether the ‘face to face’ university has had its day with the

onset of Massive Open On-Line Courses (MOOCs); the ‘erosion of collegiality in the face of a competitive ethos’; and the use of a case-study on the parttime market to illustrate that the higher education model is ‘bust’.

This thought-provoking keynote was followed by a review of communication during a transformational change programme. This was provided by Dr Christopher Sarchet based on his experience at London Metropolitan University, where he assured delegates that you have to persevere and can never be sure your messages will be received or reported properly in the press.

Consultation for some stakeholders means accepting their views and acting upon them, while implementing change is an activity which is constant.

The afternoon comprised the sharing of practice from four institutions: • Alan Combs provided delegates with an overview of using an open and consultative approach to delayering the organisation at the University of Hertfordshire. Alan added tips on how to manage an open project successfully and reflected on issues that he would tackle differently if he was to manage a similar exercise again. Delegates wished Alan well as he announced he was changing his career (not as a result of the change project I should add!).

A network of collective wisdoms managing change, or organisational change, in higher education that members can draw on.

• Katie Hellman and Georgina Lyons described how Durham University has established a change team employing a change methodology based upon Lean (with help and advice provided

by Cardiff University), outlining their advice on how to work effectively and make real changes.

• Bruce Levitan unconventionally used Prezi to illustrate the Enhancing Quality and Assessment for Learning (EQAL) Programme at Manchester Metropolitan University. This ambitious transformational programme has achieved some quite stunning results and rightfully won the institution acclaim and awards.

• Val White provided an overview of the University of Edinburgh’s first year’s experience of delivering a Massive Open On-Line Course (MOOC) and outlined the opportunities and potential of this unknown new area of higher education.

The closing plenary provided the network with some advice on how it could better support members and some ideas for future work. Delegates provided the best feedback to date despite the long hot day!

AUA members can join the network at: www.aua.ac.uk/pigroups2-Managing-Change.html or contact the convenor for more information at c.sarchet@londonmet.ac.uk.

AUA NEWSLINK 17

Network News

Midlands Conference The Midlands Conference ‘Innovative practice to support the student experience’ asked whether the student experience has been positively impacted by the 2011 white paper and the new fee structure, our delegates give theor first hand stories here.

As a newly elected AUA Advocate for the University of Birmingham, I was thrilled to hear that the Midlands Conference would be hosted in our very own Muirhead Tower this year. What a fantastic opportunity for raising the profile of the AUA at my home institution and to meet fellow advocates and colleagues from around the region!

The conference programme was another reason for enthusiasm – it felt timely to be revisiting and reflecting on the themes of the 2011 White Paper, as well as to be celebrating the innovative practice that has been taking place in HEIs since its publication. It was also clear – from both the range of workshop topics on offer and the diverse profiles of attendees – that the ‘student experience’ is something that connects us all, no matter which area of professional services we may be working in.

One of the real highlights of the event for me was the opening plenary by Jon Colman of Red Vanilla. Coming from outside the sector, Jon applied principles of good customer service to the context of the student journey and shared some thought-provoking messages. In particular I took away the idea that, from the student’s perspective, the experience is always of ‘the University’ as a whole and not of a specific team or individual.

This of course means that every single staffstudent interaction is critical in terms of wider institutional reputation. But also that a student won’t always know (or care) which department is delivering a particular service – so joined-up thinking, collaborative working and supporting the work of our colleagues is essential to achieving our shared aim of enhancing the student experience.

I’m pleased to say that at least one Birmingham colleague has been inspired to join the AUA after attending the conference and another existing (but less active) member has been motivated to greater involvement in our local network activities – a great success all-round, and a thoroughly enjoyable day!

Ellen Shobrook MAUA University of Birmingham Having previously only attended AUA courses, this was my first AUA Conference.

The sessions I attended were very professional in both content and delivery, instilling passion in the subject-matter. The

speakers presented us with some helpful ‘food for thought’ when thinking about how different student groups adapt to their new life experience at University. My second session – The Art of Being Constructively Unreasonable, was a very enjoyable session which was in itself an achievement being the first session post-lunch! This session used everyday experiences which aided quick understanding of how to cope with what at first seem insurmountable issues within our working lives. One criticism however is that there was no acknowledgement that often restrictions are out of the control of the administrator trying to be ‘constructively unreasonable’. This session also offered advice on further reading on the matter, which as a personal development tool was very helpful. The third session of the day – Key Information Sets – was very informative and enjoyable. Particularly useful was the additional consideration of how KIS data may be used and who may be using them.

It was also helpful to hear the views of other institutions on issues around the collection of data and how they are dealing with these.

In conclusion, the day was an enjoyable way to work on my personal development with like-minded people. Being away from my usual environment enabled me to immerse myself fully into the event.

Grainne Carroll MAUA Nottingham Trent University As this was my first AUA Conference I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The turn-out was very good with over a hundred delegates from universities across the country and beyond. Overall through discussions in the sessions, the Q & A panel at the end of the day and general networking, it was reassuring to hear that other institutions have similar experiences to ours, and it was a useful forum to pick up examples of good practice to bring back to NTU. Heather Ford MAUA Nottingham Trent University The interactive session on ‘Service design: enhancing the student experience’ with Jean Mutton from the University of Derby was particularly informative and enjoyable, probably the highlight of the event for me.

The deliverer took a simple idea (getting a drink from a high street coffee shop) and then, using a ‘made up’ person with lots of

different attributes (gender, age, ethnicity, job, disability), we discussed what might be the barriers to them in accessing this service, both ‘front of house’ and ‘back of house’. We then thought about our own service delivery and how we might think more about improving our services for different users and the challenges associated with this. Great stuff! The workshop with Elgan Hughes entitled ’The student perspective: how to engage students’ was an excellent idea which translated well into practice – having a student lead on a key activity. He gave us the opportunity to celebrate a lot of the good work that many services already did in engaging with students, well before the ‘Students at the Heart of the System’ white paper was published. We discussed how we might best continue this work, looking at practice across the sector and particularly at the University of Birmingham. As is so often the case with these events, it was as much about the opportunity to network with peers in the sector, to share common experiences and celebrate success, as about participating in the scheduled events.

Sara Murcott MAUA Nottingham Trent University This was the first AUA event I have attended and I found it a really motivating experience.

The first session by Jon Colman was very engaging and set the tone for the rest of the day. The use of different materials and the style of the presenter were excellent and there were lots of useful ideas to take away.

The second session was ‘Service design: understanding and enhancing the student experience’. This was a practical, hands-on session highlighting the various different processes that occur behind the scenes with any customer experience and how pitfalls can be identified and avoided.

The final session of the day was the ‘The student perspective: how to engage students’. This was a great session and I came away with some really useful ways of trying to increase student engagement.

Very usefully there was a person in my group who had a specific role around increasing student engagement so it was helpful to hear what has and hasn’t worked in her experience to date.

Rebecca Palfrey Nottingham Trent University

18 AUA NEWSLINK

Network News

New initiatives in our networks Monday 9 September saw the lunchtime launch of the new South-East Midlands sub-regional network of AUA. The brainchild of the Advocates at Buckingham, Cranfield, Northampton and The Open University, the new subregional network provides an opportunity for colleagues from across the four very different universities across two AUA regions to meet, network and find out more about their local neighbours through the hosting of a seminar on a topic linked to their institution.

The launch event, hosted by The Open University in Milton Keynes, had over 35 participants from across the four institutions and contained the AUA favourite, a quiz.

The event was formally opened by Dawn Turpin, Joint Advocate at the Open University who introduced the

programme of events for the year.

Advocates from each institution then talked about their institutions and their seminars which would be taking place during 2013/14. Anita Jarvis, also Joint Advocate at The Open University, closed the proceedings by highlighting forthcoming national AUA events to whet attendees’ appetites.

The sub-regional seminars will be taking place as follows: 22 November 2013 An Introduction to Social Enterprise, Northampton 6 February 2014 Working in a Wholly Postgraduate University, Cranfield

9 May 2014 The 2 Year Degree, Buckingham 9 July 2014 Open Learning, The Open University

If you are interested in finding out more about upcoming seminars, please contact the relevant Network Advocate listed on the AUA website: www.aua.ac.uk/Geographical_ Networks.aspx

AUA Events Anglia & London Conference Date:

4 February 2014

Venue:

Senate House

Location: London As higher education moves in a new and unchartered direction, we need to be ready for whatever comes our way. The Anglia & London conference ‘preparing for the future’ will help you to develop your personal skills and understanding of the sector to ensure you’re equipped for the challenge. The conference will focus on three strands to help you prepare both personally and professionally.

• Employability and personal development Strengthen your employability and develop your personal skills • HE Policy What it is and how to make it - case studies and introductions to HE policy • Specialist areas for nonspecialists A basic guide on specialist areas for those who may need a basic understanding or are considering a new direction The Opening Plenary will be delivered

by Chris Cobb, Chief Operating Officer & University Secretary, University of London on our conference theme preparing for the future.

Working session speakers confirmed include: • Making yourself more employable Sarah Shaw, Odgers Interim • Stress CPR - Dave Algeo, Stress(ed) Guru • Networking - Jon Colman, Red Vanilla • Recruiting international students Andrea Rabe, Birkbeck, University of London • The Higher Education Policy Institute Sarah Isles, HEPI • Writing for publication (preferably perspectives!) - David Law, Editor of perspectives • The Quality Code for non-specialists Emma Price, University of London

2014 AUA Annual Conference and Exhibition Date: 14-16 April 2014 Venue: The University of Manchester Location: Manchester

A fixture of the higher education calendar for more than 40 years, the AUA Annual Conference and Exhibition is the largest of its kind in the UK. Back in Manchester for the second time, ‘Revolution and Reinvention’ is the theme for 2014. Manchester is defined by its industrial past and has reinvented itself many times since to become the city it is today.

We are delighted to be hosting a line-up of high profile personalities from within and beyond the sector, alongside a fantastic collection of keynote speakers, a wide ranging selection of over 50 working sessions, and an engaging live debate.

The aim of the conference is to inspire excellence in higher education administration and management through personal and professional development.

To achieve this, the programme draws together a wide range of sessions which enable participants to: • enhance their knowledge and understanding of the sector • explore new concepts and ideas in HE management and administration • share good practice • develop new skills

To find out more about this and all other AUA events, visit our events pages on the AUA website: www.aua.ac.uk

Last year’s delegate

s “say”

ama MAUA , r: Takao Kay be em m l na Internatio Japan rsit y, Tokyo, AUA Annual Sophia Unive legates to the de l na io r at rn l new inte sure it was fo Welcome to al u what a plea yo ll te t n’ ca 14! I just I received ence in 2013; Conference 20 Annual Confer A AU d staf f. e an th rs nd A membe me to at te from all the AU e m as it’s co el nd w te m at such a war distances to ng lo g , lin el of f by trav king sessions Don’t be put numerous wor nd te at ill w ng networki th it. You definitely wor e are plenty of ities and ther tiv ac with AUA al ci ng so ki plenaries, too. Networ le op t pe w ne to meet e notion “wha opportunities understand th er tt be to e e m th hted by enabled members has HE?” as highlig vancement of ad e th eech; a r sp fo g in can you do g his open rin du s ew dr at thew An k ever y day.

AUA Chair, M proach to wor ap y m es ap now sh message that AUA Board of Trustee Mem ber: Kenton Higher Educ Lewis FAUA ation Acade , m y At tending the AUA Annual Co nf er ence is a genu professional ye ine highlight ar. Having be of my en a regular de I joined the AU legate and sp A in 2000, I’m ea ke r since al w ays impresse collectively fin d that each ye d more to lear ar we n, m ore to experie The Conferen nce and more ce helped me to share. de ve lop my base un issues in my derstanding of earlier years, an H E d ha s latterly give more nuance n me a plat fo d discussion an rm fo d r de bate about th and fast chan e future of ou ging sector. If r vi br yo an u t believe in pers development onal and prof (for yourself or es si on yo al ur staf f) then th Conference is e AUA Annual a must.

, anson MAUA Deborah Ev Newcomer: Nottingham raduate erence as a G Universit y of A Annual Conf AU 13 a 20 As e . th ar I at tended ss than a ye d in HE for le ke or nference w Co ng e vi th Trainee, ha e HE sector, th d an A AU t. The both the al developmen newcomer to my profession to l ia e plenty fic m ne ve be ga was hugely ions on of fer ss se ng ki or resting w role and my wealth of inte levant to my re e er w at th the current ck those of scope to pi eat insight into gr a ve ga d pment, an ent proved to dition, the ev future develo ad In . or ct se g the HE rare to have issues af fectin portunity. It is op ng ki or tw e sector luable ne from across th be a really va many people so t ee g and m in m to co emely wel the chance yone was ex tr er ev hesitate to d t an n’ ld e, in one plac events! I wou al ci so w e th g gle durin ly if you are ne willing to min ne – especial yo an to ce en e confer recommend th . or to the sect

20 AUA NEWSLINK

16th Annual Lecture and Awards Professor Wendy Purcell, Vice-Chancellor of Plymouth University delivered the 16th AUA Annual Lecture in Birmingham on 23rd October.

Speaking on the topic of “Disruption and Distinctiveness in Higher Education” Professor Purcell’s lecture was a thought-provoking and entertaining look at the drivers and pressures the sector currently faces. Drawing on examples from beyond the sector, from companies as diverse as O2 and Burberry, lessons were teased out for HE institutions to consider in their own planning and marketing.

Professor Purcell then discussed how Plymouth is working to meet some of the challenges that disruption in the sector has created, using the maximum “What We Do Here Matters”. And this is really the key message for us all- what we do in our day job, for our institution,

for our sector and for the AUA really does matter, and really does make a difference, which is something that we should all feel proud of.

Continuing the theme of celebrating our achievements, Professor Purcell presented the latest group of PgCert graduates with their certificates as part of the Awards Ceremony which proceeded the lecture. Network Good Practice Awards were presented to Pearl Lewis MAUA at the University of Buckingham, Lydia Crow MAUA, Vicky Poole MAUA, Heather Tracey MAUA and Sara Stock MAUA, University of Essex, Oliver Mansell AAUA and Catherine Cho MAUA, University of Leeds, Dawn Turpin MAUA and Helen Cooke MAUA, The Open University.

The 2013 AUA Annual Lecture celebrated the latest graduates of the AUA Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Practice (Higher Education Administration and Management). The PgCert is a significant achievement for all who take part, and we were delighted to recognise their efforts.

Congratulations to our latest graduates!

Attending Graduation: Karen Attreed – University of Nottingham Janice Bastounis – University of the Arts London Amanda Holmes – University of Cumbria John Kirk – University of Birmingham Michael Sawyer – University of London Graduation in absentia: Geraldine Bolton – The Open University Olivia Cameron – Newcastle University Helen Fisher – UCL Emma Flight – Roehampton University Sue Metcalfe – Anglia Ruskin University Gary McGladdery – Queen’s University Belfast

d, ren Attree olmes, Ka H a d k n ir a K m n nis, Joh to right: A ice Bastou From left n Ja r, e y aw Michael S

AUA NEWSLINK 21

Professional Development

CAUBO Annual Conferences Author: Melissa Bradley FAUA, AUA Trustee and Faculty Manager, University of Kent

16-19 June 2012 ‘Risky Business’, Montréal, Canada 15-18 June 2013 ‘All the Right Moves’, Hamilton, Canada “Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain As the AUA’s Link coordinator for CAUBO, I have attended their last two annual conferences. This enabled me to discover a great deal about higher education in Canada. They have been rewarding and memorable experiences (not least for the presentation from University of Victoria for the 2014 conference where Beefeaters and the Queen appeared on stage!) I have been warmly welcomed by CAUBO colleagues and CAUBO representatives have respectively attended our recent AUA conferences which has helped us forge stronger organisational links.

CAUBO (www.caubo.ca) acts as the association for all the professional business functions within the Canadian Higher Education sector and their annual conference reflects this wide reaching remit with its range of concurrent sessions across HR, finance, procurement, facilities, academic administration, student services - to name but a few areas. The Association and its annual conference reflects the bilingual nature of Canada with both anglophone and francophone workshop sessions.

In this respect, CAUBO’s annual conference, which has been running since 1943, provides a platform for University Business Officers across Canada ‘s four regions: Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario and Western Canada; to come together to share, discuss and debate best practice and provides a key mechanism for cross fertilisation of ideas and opportunities for networking.

This is clearly demonstrated by CAUBO’s annual quality and productivity awards which are awarded in recognition to the best innovative solutions and initiatives introduced in response to institutional or community needs.

640 delegates attended the 2012 conference which was hosted by Concordia University. It took place from the 16th to 19th June 2012 in

the Hilton hotel in the vibrant city of Montréal in Quebec in the midst of the student protests about rising tuition fees centred in that province. 2012 was the 75th anniversary for CAUBO and this significant milestone was celebrated throughout the conference. A particular highlight for me was the welcome reception which took place in la Mise au Jeu located in the Bell centre, home to the Montreal Canadiens. This included a visit to Montreal Canadiens Hall of Fame and the team’s locker room as well as providing me with the opportunity to sample a range of local delicacies including poutine.

The conference theme was “Risky Business / Les Risques du métier” and delegates were invited to examine risky business in higher education institutions and within society at large and consider risk management and sustainability including footage from the Tom Cruise movie namesake. Particularly noteworthy was the keynote lecture on “balancing long and short-term risks: weighing in on a sustainable economic future” by Andrew Molson, Chairman Molson Coors Brewing company and the plenary talk by Simon Brault, CEO, National Theatre on “managing risk for cultural sustainability and innovation”. I also attended interesting talks on organisational capacity, business processing, social media as well as the full day preconference financial seminar.

For the 2013 conference, the theme was “All the Right Moves/ Maîtrisez votre échiquier” and was held in the Sheraton Hotel, Hamilton, Ontario from the 15th to 18th June 2013. The conference was hosted by McMaster University and provided me with the opportunity to renew my acquaintances particularly with the McMaster conference committee who had looked after me so well in Montreal.

Hamilton is located at the west end of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment runs through the middle of the city.

Of special note included the optional Sunday visit to Niagara Falls on the Maid of the Mist, the 1930s themed welcome

reception at the Liuna station (with its very own candy bar!) and the drumming show at the farewell dinner at McMaster University where all the delegates tool part.

This year, I took to twitter to report live from the conference via #CAUBO for the first time and reading back through my tweets, really brought all the information back to life for me. I can recommend this as a good way to record your thoughts on workshops sessions. The key stand out for me was the highly enjoyable, participative and thought provoking plenary address from Dr Nick Bontis, McMaster University on “Information Bombardment” and how to navigate through all those emails. I also attended informative and sessions on budget allocation models, a range of leadership programmes, developing a leadership culture and an update on the shared services project which is being rolled out across all Universities in British Columbia. This is a federal government driven iterative project which is focusing initially on procurement, facilities, IT, HR, Finance and library and ancillary services for now.

As always, the most enjoyable and useful aspect of the conferences was being able to exchange experiences with colleagues.

During both conferences, I have been struck by the similarities between higher education in the UK and Canada.

There is clearly a student experience / engagement driven approach to higher education in Canada which chimes with the “students at the heart of the system” philosophy. There is also dialogue about the need to articulate the value of the Canadian Higher Education sector to the public, the increasing competition for funds, the involvement of private sector and a focus on enrolment.

Once again, I am very grateful to the AUA and the University of Kent for providing this opportunity for me and I am very much looking forward to the 2014 conference “Making It Happen”.

22 AUA NEWSLINK

Call for Newslink Editor

Lead and shape newslink The Board of the AUA are seeking to appoint a creative individual who can lead the development of one of our core communications channels – newslink as Editor. This is pivotal time for this key, online publication and the successful candidate will be liaising with colleagues across the organisation at National and Board level.

The role calls for an individual who can develop all aspects of this key element in the AUA communications mix by working with and guiding the National Office.

objectives and demonstrably represents value for money.

They would be required to select, assess and optimise layout and content to meet audience needs, maximise engagement with members and ensure that the publication delivers against key

Once in post the Editor will be able to consider the advantages of appointing other members to specific positions to help with any or all of these responsibilities.

The Editor will also have a role in securing sponsorship and advertisements for newslink.

Enquiries and Expressions of Interest For informal enquiries about the role please contact either: • Executive Officer (Communications and Operations) – Kathy Murray, kathy.murray@aua.ac.uk or 0161 275 2063 • Chair of the Board of Trustees – Matthew Andrews, mandrews@brookes.ac.uk or 01865 483128

Expressions of interest should consist of a brief CV and covering letter sent to the AUA National Office by 16 December 2013

AUA NEWSLINK 23

Travel Award

Joan Balchin Memorial Award Author: Emelie Helsen MAUA, Engagement Manager, Kingston University

The Joan Balchin Award enabled me to travel to the US earlier on this year. In just over two weeks I travelled through seven states, adapted within a few different time zones, visited seven universities and attended one conference: The Engaged Campus: Higher Education for the Public Good in Portland, Oregon.

While it was an intense experience, I wouldn’t have changed it for the world. The purpose of the visit was to investigate and gain insights into the general (mainly non- academic) student experience in a high fee regime in the US. My itinerary took me to public and private universities in urban areas which I could compare and contrast with the institution I work at, Kingston University.

They were George Washington University, Portland State University, De Paul (Chicago), Loyola University Chicago, Boston University, Harvard and MIT. I enjoyed meeting wonderful staff and students who gave me campus tours, told me all about their work and passions and gave me lots of ideas to bring back home. I gained fantastic insights into the topics of res life (the comprehensive programme that surrounds the experience of living “on-campus” in halls of residence) and their learning communities, community service learning, overall student affairs, on- campus employment and their students’ unions. I was not only very much impressed by the fantastic facilities at all universities I visited but more than anything it was the work ethic and passion that drives staff and students together, in partnership, to achieve what is absolutely in the best interest of students.

Immersing myself in the culture and traditions of food trucks on campus at GWU, understanding how Electric Avenue and the green corridor at Portland State University works, enjoying dining on campus and getting to learn all about meal plans at Loyola and witnessing the most exciting location for commencement – the Mall in front of Capitol Hill in Washington.

A plethora of jargon was thrown at me: faculty, veteran services, first and second year experience, ResLife, Americorps, transfer students, academic advising. It all showed the tailored and targeted programmes and services on offer. What most impressed me was that these were embedded across and intertwined with academic services and that collaborations across departments were the key to success. Equally important was the huge number of student and graduate internships and assistantships on offer– not only to provide work experience but also to ensure that students can shape the provision of their experience. Each department I visited employed students – it is the norm. The resources are the people and the investment and commitment to developing individuals is of the utmost priority.

So what were my main observations and where will I draw inspiration from?

Enabling students to work on campus so they contribute to shaping their own and their peers’ experience left the most impact on me. Students are involved in group counselling, are Resident Assistants, run huge student organisations, programmes and overseas volunteering trips as an alternative spring break and even work in the Dean of Student Affairs’ office.

The work that is being done to support students in becoming well rounded individuals is based on fantastic student development theory which is linked to social change and justice. University staff are incredibly committed to providing meaningful experiences for students to become active, engaged leaders in their communities, furthering the civic and

public purposes of higher education, and strengthening communities particularly in the face of economic recession and high unemployment. The giving and service traditions are engrained in American culture but it is so inspirational to see what students achieve in their university and local community.

The brand of each university felt so strong and was there to instill a sense of pride and commitment to the institution and for the local community to understand what the university brings to it.

Mission statements are everywhere.

Students are even able to recite them.

Each academic or service department has their own statement linked to the overall university one. Over and over again did I see advertising, statements and an understanding on the part of students of why is education important to them, their society and the global community.

Equally as interesting were the conversations we had about what our focus should be. Nothing sounded new or unfamiliar. Regardless of facilities, resources or funding, overcoming barriers to engagement and participation, further widening participation, employability in a global context, students as partners vs. consumers were the topics on trend.

I want to express my huge appreciation to Travis Whisler, Melissa Bagdon, Mellissa Jessen, and Peter Konwerski and colleagues for giving their time and continued support. I am also grateful for the support from Jayne Aldridge and Therese Reinheimer-Jones Vincent at Kingston University.

AUA Members are individually and collectively committed to: • the continuous development of their own and others’ professional knowledge, skills and practices; • actively championing equality of educational and professional opportunity; • the advancement of higher education through the robust application of professional knowledge, skills and practices; • the highest standards of fair, ethical and transparent professional behaviour.

We want you!

The AUA are looking for people to contribute to the next issue of newslink. If you would like to submit an article please get in touch with us via aua@aua.ac.uk

Comments The AUA welcomes your comments and feedback on all aspects of our work which will help us provide a better service to you.

If you have any queries or comments relating to the Newslink publication, please contact: Richard.carr@aua.ac.uk

AUA National Office The University of Manchester, Sackville Street Building, Sackville Street, Manchester M60 1QD Tel: +44(0)161 275 2063 Fax: +44(0)161 275 2036 Email: aua@aua.ac.uk

AUA National Office Staff Laura Ashcroft Project Officer: Membership and Networks Laila Berraies Finance and Membership Assistant Richard Carr 3rd Party Services & Communications Officer Brenda Dakers Project Officer: Professional Development

Design: Shanleys www.shanleys.co.uk

The AUA exists to advance and promote the professional recognition and development of all who work in professional services roles in higher education, and to be an authoritative advocate and champion for the sector.

Natalie Hall Events Assistant Catherine Lillie Executive Officer (Professional Development) Kathy Murray Executive Officer (Communications & Operations) Noreen Muzaffar External Relations Officer Mairi Palmer Executive Officer (Finance)