The AUA: Inspiring professional higher education

The AUA Inspiring professional higher education

Contents Welcome from the Chair

1

Introducing the AUA

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Opportunities for individuals, institutions and the sector

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CPD Framework – Preparing for the challenges facing the sector

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Postgraduate Certificate – Promoting excellence in HE

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Lively and relevant events for professional services staff

10

Professional Networks – connecting a community of practice

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Communications – Sharing knowledge and insight

14

Bespoke services 16 Charitable Object and Constitution, Governance

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See our website for more information about all our activities and details of how to become a member www.aua.ac.uk

Welcome The AUA occupies a unique position within the sector as the only professional association offering individual membership to the higher education professional services workforce. However, our work with individual members is only one dimension of the AUA’s activities.

Our broad reach embraces generalist and specialist practitioners and includes colleagues operating at all levels, from Vice-Chancellors and senior managers to graduate trainees.

In this brochure we showcase our work and highlight the many benefits the AUA brings to the sector, institutions and individuals. By working with us, institutions and organisations can contribute to fostering sound methods of leadership, management and administration in higher education, together ‘inspiring professional higher education’.

Christopher Hallas AUA Chair 2010-2012 Director of Student Affairs University of Greenwich

Matthew Andrews AUA Chair 2012-2014 Academic Registrar Oxford Brookes University

Introducing the AUA The AUA’s mission is to foster excellence in higher education management. As a registered charity, we exist to advance and promote professional recognition and development of those who work in higher education by encouraging and fostering sound methods of leadership, management and administration, through a range of professional initiatives.

We celebrated our fiftieth anniversary in 2011, when membership reached 3,500 across more than 150 higher education establishments throughout the UK and beyond.

The AUA is recognised as: • an organisation that demonstrates the highest standards of fair, ethical and transparent professional behaviour • an established provider of professional development through seminars, workshops and conferences • a source of information for the profession • a provider of bespoke services tailored to individual institutions and organisations.

We facilitate the exchange of ideas and knowledge relevant to policy and practice in higher education through our publications, online news bulletins, study visits, and programme of professional development.

The AUA enjoys well-established and mutually supportive relationships with a number of organisations representing senior institutional interests in the sector, such as the Association of Heads of University Administration in the UK (AHUA), the Academic Registrars Council (ARC) and Universities Human Resources (UHR).

These relationships are complemented by links with international organisation, for example, the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO). These, and other groups, look to us to provide leadership and bespoke services in the area of development for the professional services community within higher education.

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AUA Values Being an AUA member means that you belong to a community of higher education professional service staff who are committed to personal development and advancement of the sector: members are individually and collectively committed to: • continuous development of their own and others’ professional knowledge, skills and practices • actively championing equality of educational and professional opportunity • advancing higher education through the robust application of professional knowledge, skills and practices • the highest standards of fair, ethical and transparent professional behaviour.

Looking to the future The AUA is committed to providing a wide range of affordable and accessible events, activities, and professional development. We have introduced differentiated membership categories, which confer enhanced professional status at each level. The structure allows members to progress from Member to Accredited Member and on to Fellowship of the AUA. We will continue to lead in the professionalisation of higher education by: • transforming professional practice through development opportunities for members • fostering professional engagement with the sector • championing respect and recognition for the sector and for the profession.

In order to achieve these goals, the focus over the next few years will be to: • increase membership and active participation by practitioners • enhance the delivery of professional development • develop a sustainable business model based on diversified income streams.

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Opportunities for individuals, institutions and the sector The AUA welcomes and values staff working at all levels in professional services in higher education and has around 3,500 members based in over 150 institutions.

The benefits of having AUA members as professional services staff are clear. The HE landscape has changed dramatically and rapidly in recent years requiring an increasingly agile professional workforce.

As well as the growing number of enrolments and size of institutions, new technologies and new methods of working are demanding a professional services staff with new skills and knowledge. The pressure on institutions to provide value for money and an enhanced student experience has intensified.

By advancing the professionalism of HE managers and administrators we add value to institutions and to the sector by improving the contributions that members are able to make.

For a relatively small subscription our members become part of a thriving professional community with a membership package indicative of professional status. Membership helps colleagues to develop their career and brings with it a sense of empowerment and professional pride. Joining the AUA opens access to the highest quality networking, putting people in touch with fellow professionals in the UK and overseas, and ensures members are kept abreast of latest developments and issues in the sector both nationally and internationally.

Progressive membership

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Our progressive membership categories encourage structured professional and career-long development.

We recognise professional development at any stage of our members’ careers, so membership and

Getting involved with the AUA brings with it an increased professionalism, visibility and credibility to the individual, their institution and the sector.

We are truly ‘of the sector, for the sector’ and give a voice to HE professionals, while our community of practice provides coherent support for workforce development and talent management.

Alison Robinson Canham AUA Executive Director

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progression through the membership categories rely on an ongoing commitment to continuous professional development (CPD).

We formally recognise this by encouraging members to evolve their membership through differentiated categories, from Member to Accredited Member, and finally on to Fellow. Members can choose to join at a level they believe is appropriate to them and then progress by meeting the required level of CPD at each stage. This structure allows members to make the most of their membership while further using our CPD Framework. The CPD contribution can take the form of attendance at AUA events or other events, self-directed learning or formal qualifications

Fellowships The AUA’s Fellowship scheme is designed to recognise the enhanced contribution a member has made to their own professional development and the impact and influence this has had on others, whether in the AUA or in the wider higher education sector.

The first Fellows were elected in 2005 and we now have over 60 Fellows working at different levels of their organisations, who have made a significant commitment to their CPD, the Association and sector.

AUA networking Networking opportunities through the AUA’s Annual Conference, regional activities and events and message boards mean members need never be isolated from their colleagues and have many opportunities to share information and expertise. AUA members share ideas and experience and contribute to each other’s professional development.

Membership categories

Fe Ho llo no w ra sh ry ip

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Fellowship of the AUA is more than a title, or a few extra letters after your name; it’s a public and open statement that reinforces a commitment to personal and professional development within HE. Those in administrative, managerial and support roles within the sector are central to the ongoing success of universities and I believe it is essential that we as AUA Fellows do all we can to promote and celebrate that fact.

Nomination and approval

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w

Kenton Lewis FAUA Head of Widening

The membership package

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Participation & Student Recruitment, St George’s, University of London

Additional CPD and reflective statement

c M red em it e be d r

Access to professional networks based on geography or a professional interest perspectives, the quarterly international journal

Ac

AUA online forum for sharing information and best practice newslink, the quarterly newsletter Electronic bulletins

CPD focused

be r

Good Practice Guides

M

em

Opportunity to study for the AUA’s Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Practice Networking with around 3,500 HE professionals Preferential rates at the Annual Conference and Exhibition Access to the Annual Lecture presented by highprofile speakers

No entry requirements

ud e

nt

Discounts on professional development programme of seminars, courses, workshops and publications

St

International links, and access to Study Tours and travel awards Access to on-line portfolio tools

No entry requirements

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CPD Framework – Preparing for the challenges facing the sector The AUA is at the forefront of professional development in higher education administration and management.

Its Continuing Professional Development Framework was launched in 2009, the culmination of two years of HEFCE-funded research and consultation. This work has made a major contribution to defining the professional activity which underpins HE. An additional three years of implementation funding was secured in 2010 to support teams, departments and institutions adopting the Framework and to build a CPD community of practice.

The Framework is based on nine professional behaviours, which underpin the AUA purpose and values, and reflect the way that professional services staff need to approach their roles in order to meet the changing requirements of their institutions and the sector. It focuses on three aspects of professional practice self, others and institution.

Its flexibility means that the Framework can be adapted to address a range of organisational change management, culture change, restructuring, and curriculum development issues. In addition to supporting individual implementation projects the initiative encourages the development of a self-sustaining community of advocates and peermentors, and the generation of an archive of implementation resources for use across the sector.

Further work to support Framework implementation projects is building an archive of case studies and re-usable tools to further inform the evolution of professional practice.

Our progressive membership categories allow AUA members to stay engaged with the Association while further using our CPD Framework and demonstrating a commitment to continuous professional development.

The CPD can take the form of attendance at AUA events or other events, self-directed learning or formal qualifications. The key element is the reflective statement, which shows how the CPD has been used and subsequently been of benefit to the member, their colleagues and ultimately their institution.

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A major benefit of our Framework is that it is based on behaviours, not skills or competencies.

This allows members at any stage of their career, or whatever their field, to demonstrate their own professional development without barriers or inhibitors. It also means that any CPD undertaken, for example at a member’s own HEI or another professional body, is easily translated into the AUA’s behaviours framework.

The Framework has become an important resource for the sector. One of its key strengths is its inherent flexibility, which allows adaptation to suit the specific needs of individual institutions. Using its broad structure, HEIs can identify the CPD needs of their staff and plan, deliver and record tailored development activities, using their own CPD programmes, while individuals can identify their own development needs. Both individuals and institutions can be reassured that their CPD is part of a common national approach and is contributing to the development and professionalisation of higher education.

Our Framework has been adopted by other external organisations. The NUS adopted the behaviours for their Student-Led Teaching Awards for Professional Services Staff; while ARMA adopted the Framework behaviours for their own Professional Development Framework for Research Managers and Administrators.

Please see www.cpdframework.aua.ac.uk to explore our archive of CPD case studies, tools and resources.

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The team used the AUA CPD Framework and its associated resources and adapted these materials for the University of Kent. We firmly believe that the use of the AUA CPD Framework will greatly enhance our annual appraisal process and provide added value to the staff.

University of Kent

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Why behaviours?

• more flexible to develop an agile and responsive workforce • not limited to a task-based approach

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In sti

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• helps individuals relate to the strategic purpose of their role and institution.

The model, above, builds on best practice in the HE sector and elsewhere to provide a clear steer on key behaviours that exemplify the AUA’s values. Where institutions have existing frameworks and effective CPD processes in place they can use these, aligning them to the broader context of the AUA CPD Framework.

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Using the AUA CPD Framework as the basis for the work shadowing projects at Bucks New University has proved to be extremely beneficial in providing a focus for setting objectives and monitoring enhancement.

Bucks New University

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Postgraduate Certificate – Promoting excellence in HE The Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Practice is a key vehicle for realising the AUA’s mission to promote excellence in higher education administration and management, and is aimed at managers and administrators across the spectrum of UK higher education.

The Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Practice (higher education administration and management), or PgCert, is one of only a handful of academic programmes aimed specifically at professional managers and administrators in UK higher education.

The programme is designed to help those working in an increasingly complex environment to rise to the challenges thrown up by the rapid expansion and diversification of higher education. The PgCert, which is validated by the Open University, was launched in 2000 and has since undergone a series of regular enhancements to ensure its content and structure remains relevant. A specialist pathway for admissions and recruitment practitioners was introduced in 2010 in collaboration with UCAS. In 2012 we will be introducing a modularised format to offer more flexibility for personal study in an increasingly challenging working environment.

More than 160 people have graduated from the PgCert and the programme has a growing reputation for its innovative approach to learning. This enables participants to tailor the programme to their own personal development needs, and help them to fulfil

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their potential as a professional. Validated at Level 7, the programme has academic rigour and demands a commitment to learning as well as dedication to the sector. It combines critical analysis, knowledgebased assignments, reflection on professional practice, values-based ethical practice components and a portfolio.

Graduates of the AUA PgCert are equipped with an internationally-recognised qualification that enhances their intellectual perspective and helps focus their ambitions. Their managers and institutions benefit from engaged, well-informed, qualified reflective practitioners with a wide range of relevant skills and knowledge necessary in today’s HE landscape.

The AUA’s PgCert programme is supported by our online Participant Portal, based on industrystandard VLE software. The Portal handles all of the programme’s assignment submission and assessment electronically, and generates more than 7,600 page views a month from programme participants and AUA staff who use the Portal to share resources and provide support. Work is now underway to develop and broaden the AUA’s portfolio of qualifications.

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The Institute of Education’s MBA programme in higher education management welcomes applicants who have obtained the AUA’s Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Practice.

The PgCert provides a solid foundation for more advanced professional studies, on which programmes such as our MBA can build effectively.

It opens up new intellectual perspectives, and can act as an excellent springboard for professional advancement.

Dr Paul Temple Co-Director, Centre for Higher Education Studies, Institute of Education, University of London

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In October 2010, the Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Practice specialist Admissions Route was launched. This route, aimed at Admissions practitioners across the HE sector, was a major development for UCAS enabling a progression route from the UCAS CPD programme.

We were very pleased with this new venture that added breadth and depth to our existing professional development programme whilst cultivating our excellent and collaborative working relationship with the AUA.

Louise Evans MAUA Professional Development Manager, UCAS

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Lively and relevant events for professional services staff The AUA organises a comprehensive calendar of national and regional events offering colleagues access to professional development, the latest debate, trends and best practice, and focused networking opportunities across the sector. Events are regularly audited to ensure they meet the needs of individuals and the sector.

The AUA Annual Conference is the flagship event in the AUA year, and is the largest professional development conference in the HE sector, attracting large UK and international audiences. Typically, the Conference includes around 90 workshop sessions as well as live debate and CPD project showcases. Headline plenary and keynote speakers are drawn from leaders in public life and from within the HE sector and beyond, for example former Labour Minister for Higher Education and senior HE leader Bill Rammell, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson and Kate Adie. Speakers from international partner organisations also add to the richness of the Conference.

The AUA Annual Conference has provided the backdrop for a number of Times Higher Education (THE) features on higher education management and administration, which is testament to its influence within the sector.

One-day events take place across the UK, and are designed to be both affordable and accessible.

They present the best aspects of the Annual Conference, alongside sessions of particular local or themed interest and good practice workshops.

Specialist workshops run several times throughout the year, and are delivered by carefully selected expert facilitators on single topics.

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The AUA Annual Lecture is a key event in the AUA calendar, and is exclusively for AUA members.

The annual lecture began in 1998, and aims to provide a visionary perspective on the future of higher education. It attracts high-profile speakers like Professor Lord Robert Winston and broadcaster Simon Fanshawe to speak on topical and controversial issues that face the sector and society today. The lecture includes an award ceremony to highlight and recognise the achievements of AUA members.

All events in the AUA’s calendar are mapped to the Professional Behaviours to enable participants to choose events that best match their personal and professional development priorities in order to build on existing strengths and to meet development needs. Certificates of Attendance are issued for all AUA events in recognition of the time participants have devoted to their own CPD across the nine areas of the Framework. Participants at events are encouraged to make tangible enhancements to their professional practice based on their attendance.

The AUA works continuously with the sector to introduce new and relevant events, such as master classes, lectures, new workshops and bespoke events.

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AUA has offered me unparalleled opportunities to network and gain a deeper understanding of best practice. Although universities compete, we have traditionally done so in a way that acknowledges the value of collective success. This spirit of open and collegial support has always been a hallmark of the AUA.

Dr John Hogan Registrar, Newcastle University

Left: Kate Adie at the 2012 Annual Conference. Clockwise from top left: Conference dinner 2011; Professor Lord Robert Winston; networking at the 2012 Conference; Simon Fanshawe

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Professional Networks – connecting a community of practice One of the greatest benefits of engagement with the AUA community is access to a range of professional networks.

The AUA is an international network facilitating the sharing of information, expertise and best practice.

With 20 different networks based on either geography or interest, colleagues have ample opportunity to take part in what many consider to be the most important facet of the AUA: learning from and empathising with their peers. The networks contribute to the overall strategy of the Association as well as to individual projects, bringing vital knowledge and experience where needed.

The networks across the UK and Ireland are supported by volunteers of the Association, known as Network Coordinators. The Association provides training and development for Coordinators to enhance their ability to provide a platform from which members with an interest in common can come together. These networks are complemented by our international networks, and the Association has official reciprocal links with professional bodies as far afield as Canada, Nigeria, USA, Japan and Australia.

The AUA, with support from the AHUA, undertakes an international Study Tour each year; recent destinations have included New Zealand, India, Brazil and Japan. We also provide travel awards, also with the AHUA, to help provide opportunities for members to travel abroad to learn from other countries’ HE institutions.

‘‘ Brazil Study Tour members with local academic staff from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

I have always found the AUA a very useful forum for networking with colleagues in the sector. This networking has taken several forms and has provided valuable support from both professional and personal development perspectives.

For instance, this access to a community of peers has been particularly beneficial to me as a participant in the PgCert and later, having completed my studies, as a mentor.

Janette Hillicks Researcher/Analyst at JISC infoNet, University of Northumbria

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AUA provides a network of friends and colleagues. I can pick up the phone to a contact in almost any university in the land and explore a query that might potentially be about anything related to HE.

Tessa Harrison FAUA Secretary and Registrar, University of Southampton

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Communications – sharing knowledge and insight

perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education is a quarterly, professional journal, which is published in collaboration with Taylor and Frances/Routledge. perspectives: • brings together innovative articles for higher education managers and administrators, allowing them to analyse their work, and inform their future management practices • disseminates ideas to improve higher education management and administration, and enhance managers’ knowledge and understanding of current developments in the sector • is a catalyst to spark debate around the implications of major external influences on the system and key issues for institutional management • facilitates an international exchange of ideas in relation to higher education management.

Good Practice Guides cover a single themed topic in greater detail, and are particularly popular and valued within the sector.

Study Tour Reports are linked to international study tours, which give a unique insight in different countries’ management, such as quality and academic standards, teaching and learning and student representation in international institutions. newslink is a quarterly magazine specifically for members covering current sector news and issues, as well as featuring articles on key figures in HE, opinion pieces, partner showcases, project updates and Association news.

Electronic newsletters are fortnightly bulletins which cover professional development opportunities and Association news and link to topical issues from partner organisations.

Our website enhances the services we provide to members via an online platform. A comprehensive members’ area allows our members to access electronic copies of AUA resources, to network with each other and to share best practice. Recognising the time constraints of our members, the AUA now provides information in a variety of formats, across the web, email and social media.

The website generates more than 44,000 page views a month from members and interested parties using our sector-wide resources.

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Times Higher Education has long enjoyed an excellent working relationship with the AUA. Not only do its representatives sit on our editorial board to help provide crucial perspective on our content, but we continue to find great value in its research publications and its events.

Phil Baty Editor at Large, Times Higher Education

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Bespoke services We know there is great benefit to providing tailored services that are based on sound knowledge of the sector. This area of our work has expanded as institutions seek more cost-effective sector-specific learning and development opportunities. A growing portfolio of bespoke services means the AUA can offer training, CPD expertise, and other commissioned work to HE institutions and organisations, giving them access to up-to-date training methods and materials. AUA’s bespoke services are delivered by consultants who are hand-picked for their knowledge of HE, their experience and knowledge of other sectors and their expertise in training delivery.

Group development activities for staff, provided on-site, is a costeffective way to deliver tailored training on a specific topic. AUA training allows organisations to receive relevant and tailored training to complement internal staff development provision without the need to finance expensive external training, or maintain in-house trainers. AUA bespoke training combines the benefits of wide sector context and knowledge with internal focus and relevance. Examples of recent commissions include workshops on

governance and chairing meetings for Regents College and bespoke versions of the Toolkit for Busy Administrators workshop for UCL, and A Mentoring Approach to Line Management workshop for the University of Sheffield.

The HEFCE-funded CPD Framework implementation initiative has given rise to a number of additional requests for bespoke consultancy for follow-on or related work, for example the universities of Bath, Edge Hill and Sheffield have all benefitted from extra consultancy for their projects.

The AUA’s diverse network of consultants and experts enables it to respond to a wide range of commissions including curriculum design, team development initiatives, mentor training and coaching.

We also provide tailored administration and management packages to a range of partner organisations covering all aspects of: • event • finance • marketing management for organisations with similar goals and audiences to our own, including the Academic Registrars Council (ARC), Universities Human Resources (UHR) and the Quality Strategy Network (QSN).

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Charitable Object & Constitution

Governance

The AUA is an unincorporated association and registered charity.

Membership is by individual subscription. The Charitable Object of the AUA, as presented in the Constitution, states: ‘The Object of the Association is to advance and assist in the advancement of education by fostering sound methods of leadership, management and administration in further and higher education by education, training, and other means.’

Board of Trustees

The Constitution of the AUA was approved in November 1993; the most recent revision was adopted in April 2012.

Trustees have, and must accept, ultimate responsibility for directing the affairs of the charity, ensuring that it is solvent and well-run, and delivering the charitable outcomes for the benefit of the public. The Board of Trustees comprises 13 trustees, is supported by the Executive Director and AUA National Office, and is ultimately responsible for leading and executing the overall vision and direction adopted by the Association at its general meetings.

AUA Council The Council is the AUA’s ‘think tank’, bringing together internal (elected) and external (appointed) perspectives. It is chaired by AUA President, Alison Johns, Head of Leadership, Governance and Management at HEFCE. The AUA Council informs the Board’s important decisions, and appoints a President to represent the AUA at the highest level.

The Council has 25 members made up of members and external stakeholders.

The AUA’s National Office is a professional team responsible for ensuring the effectiveness and proper use of the AUA’s vision and strategy.

Volunteers at the AUA keep the Association grounded in the concerns of the profession and the membership.

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You can contact us at our national office: AUA National Office The University of Manchester Sackville Street Manchester M60 1QD Tel: +44 (0)161 275 2063 Fax: +44 (0)161 275 2036 Email: aua@aua.ac.uk www.aua.ac.uk

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