Detailed Draft Aston Objectives
2015-2016
27 October 2015
Draft Aston objectives 2015-2016
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Delivering the budget:
- A Surplus of £4 million: 3% of turnover
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Student Recruitment:
- Grow by at least 200 new admissions
- Develop ‘Learn while you earn’ programmes in both UG and PG
- Without reducing entry requirements
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Research: funding, collaborations, industry engagement, PhDs
- ≥ £22m research funding, £25m stretch target
- Cash contribution from business/external organisations ≥ £6m
- ≥10% growth in new PGR students to 112
Draft Aston objectives 2015-2016
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NSS: improve overall position with a focus on Learning and Teaching
– All Schools at 90%+ for overall satisfaction.
– 90% for Q12 1-12: ‘Teaching on my course’, ‘Feedback and Assessment’ and
‘Academic Engagement’
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Rise in global rankings
– To be ranked 300-350 in the QS and THE Global rankings
– In the top 35 of UK universities ranked
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Employability and Student success
– Enhance graduate attainment by increasing progression by at least 10%
– Placements: at least 75% take up
– Positive destinations: at least 80% to be in further study or graduate level employment
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Aston Medical School – GMC submission and recruitment
– GMC application submitted: January 2016
– Recruitment for Masters in Orthopaedic Surgery: July 2016
– Recruitment of undergraduate students for the MBChB: September 2016
Draft Aston objectives 2015-2016
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Internationalisation
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International PGT student number growth by 5% achieved by sustaining the
numbers of quality applicants who receive offers and improving conversion in all
Schools to 20%
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International collaborative teaching partnerships – 1 new European joint masters
bid submitted and a pipeline of four programmes in development; 1 new TNE
programme started and a pipeline of four programmes in development
- Deeper, focussed international research collaborations in two thematic areas
including Smart Cities DTC; International Entrepreneurship hub; and Biotechnology
Draft Aston objectives 2015-2016
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50th Anniversary
– To launch the “Pioneers for Change: Aston University, Transforming Lives”
Campaign
– To generate 800 donors, £1.2m new cash, £2m in cash and new pledges
– Deliver an engaging Anniversary programme
– Increase contactable alumni by 10%
– April 2016 Birthday Weekend to attract ≥1,000 alumni and friends
Draft Aston objectives 2015-2016
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Managing and improving performance, diversity and Inclusion, satisfaction
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Managing and Improving Performance:
– Revised PDR and Moderation panel process to bring attention to low and poor
performance. Complete by launch of 2015/16 PDR round
– Revise/strengthen Performance Management Guidance – by January 2016
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Diversity & inclusion:
– LHS - Silver Athena Swan – application April 2016
– EAS - Silver Athena Swan – application November 2016
– AU - Silver Athena Swan – application April 2016
– Launch mandatory unconscious bias training
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Prevent: Review University policies, procedures and training to integrate statutory
duty to work against radicalisation on campus by January 2016
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Staff Satisfaction
– Devise a ‘support staff’ matrix that allows for career development and crossUniversity work - July 2016
Draft Aston objectives 2015-2016
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Agility: delivery of additional £5.5 million of contribution by 2017/18
– Increased revenue from entrepreneurial activity (see following slide)
– Generate savings through more effective/less bureaucratic practices and
structures
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Creating a continuous improvement culture
– “Rapid improvement events” staff and/or departments working together to identify
and resolve problems
– “Process Improvement light” small, one-off projects with trained facilitators and
appropriate process improvement tools and methodologies
– “Major process improvement projects” using a robust methodology for complex
processes
– Suggestion scheme focussed entirely on inefficient processes launched Jan 2016
Draft Aston objectives 2015-2016
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Commercial income streams: research exploitation, companies and
consultancy
– Raise ABS Executive Education revenue volume by 50% to £1.8m
– Raise another ≥£500,000 in new equity for Aston Eyetech, with prototype
production run of at least 100 instruments
– Launch at least two spin-off consulting businesses (current candidates
being servitisation and forensic linguistics)
– Work with EAS to create at least one high probability spin-off from
Photonics and/or other areas