What are universities (for)?
The best way to predict the future is to be part of it
Petra Wend
14th Century=21st Century?
Parent to his son at the
University of Orléans, 14th
century:
“I have recently discovered that
you live dissolutely and
slothfully, preferring licence to
restraint and play to work and
strumming a guitar while the
others are at their studies,
whence it happens that you
have read but one volume of
law while more industrious
companions have read several.”
Son at the University of Orléans to
his parent, 14th century:
“We have good companions in the
house with us, well advanced in their
studies, and of excellent habits. […]
Wherefore, lest production should
cease for lack of material, we beg
your paternity to send us by the
bearer money for the purchase of
parchment, ink, a desk, and the
other things which we need, in
sufficient amount that we may suffer
no want on your account (God
forbid!) but finish our studies and
return home with honor.”
(Lawrence S Cunningham, John J Reich, Culture and Values, a Survey of the
Humanities, volume 1, 7th edition, 2010, p.226) university c.1300, "institution of higher learning," also
"body of persons constituting a university,"
from Anglo-Fr. université, O.Fr. universitei
(13c.), from M.L. universitatem (nom.
universitas), in L.L. "corporation, society,"
from L., "the whole, aggregate," from
universus "whole, entire" (see universe). In
the academic sense, a shortening of
universitas magistrorum et scholarium
"community of masters and scholars;"
superseded studium as the word for this.
Overview
•  The changing shape and purpose
of universities
•  What are they really for?
•  How do we run them? The role of
comms and public relations
•  Case study: Queen Margaret
University, Edinburgh, UK
•  Preparing for the Future
Where do universities come from?
The School of Athens, Raphael, 1510, Vatican
Plato vv Aristotle
Hand gestures
Theoretical views
empirist views
Practical ethics
Europe
•  Renaissance
•  17th century: years of upheaval and
decline
•  Scientific revolution
•  Enlightenment
•  Humboldt
•  Fast forward to last and this century
Modern Times
Move to Mass Higher Education?
Mass education
Supernumerary
(Super) tired
Superfluous
Changing contexts and
Governance in UK
•  Robbins 1963:expansion
•  Dearing 1997: tuition fees
•  White Paper 2011: relaxation of max
number and improvement of student
experience
•  2014/2015: ‘New Governance’
ßà‘Autonomous University’
European Study on
Governance
•  European universities should be granted more
institutional autonomy
•  The balance between autonomy and accountability
needs to be revisited
•  Investment into higher education and research needs
to be increased
•  Greater realism about governance reforms is needed
•  A European monitoring system should be established
Changing Shape and Purpose of
Universities
•  Many perspectives
•  Many debates
•  Many calls for ‘real’ debates
Functions of Universities
•  Education
•  Research/Innovation
research for
advancement of
knowledge/
innovation
research for
policy, social and
economic impact
research and scholarship
for teaching
•  Public engagement
•  Economic development
•  Agent of social inclusion and mobility
Additional Role
•  Maintain and/or re-balance the diversity
of functions within a university to define
its unique mission and vision
What can Universities do to be ready for
the challenges ahead?
à The Importance of People
Case Study
Recent History
•  January 2007: full university title
•  September 2007: move to new campus
•  2008: opening of QMU Asia in Singapore (since
2003) – expansion of TNE
•  Budget: 2007/08:
-£3.0m
2008/09:
-£2.3m
2009/10:
-£1.5m
2010/11:
+£0.8m
2011/12:
+£2.4m
2012/13:
+£2.2m
2013/14:
+£305k
2014/15:
+£500k
Past Reputation
•  “Who/What is QMU?”
•  “The University with the huge deficit”
•  “The University which is going to merge
with Napier”
•  Staff morale: low
•  Declining student applications (-14% in
2008/09)
•  Negative press coverage in Scotland
(and beyond?)
Reasons for situation
•  Large part of ‘energy’ went on relocation to
new campus
•  Strained relationships with Scottish Funding
Council
•  High profile course cutting (Conservatoire
Drama): long lasting bad publicity
•  Lost out to sharper and more responsive
competitors (tenders, international
partnerships etc.)
•  Downward spiral
Interventions since March 2009
•  Four three day visits over five months:
–  1:1 meetings with key people
–  Group meetings with staff and students
à Clear need for portfolio review and better
stats
•  Before official start in September:
•  Portfolio Review
Start in September 2009
•  University ready for change: “burning
platform”
•  Halved senior team
•  Started collective consultation (more than 20
posts but fewer than 100 had to be lost)
•  Establishment of redundancy pools in weaker
portfolio areas
•  How to move forward with a refreshed vision
under these circumstances?
“Re-organisation for
Sustainability”
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Financial necessity for change: urgency
Create new vision
New senior team that shares vision
Communicate vision
Consultation
Take difficult decisions (e.g. redundancies) and
implement with enough consultation and
communication
•  Consolidate improvements
•  Onwards and upwards: step-change?
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Actions
Establishment of sub-groups bottom-up
ALL staff were involved
Overall project board
Engagement with staff and students’ unions
Communication at all levels and in all directions:
email bulletins, presentations, blogs, intranet
discussions, visit to and participation in meetings,
speed networking, world café events, inter-active
ideas catalogue, external speakers......
•  Repair external relationships
•  Agree on mission and vision
•  à all of this instigated or implemented by
communication and marketing
Immediate Results (6-12 months)
•  Refreshed vision and mission
•  Simplified tree hierarchy with only two
Vice Principals
•  New strategy and sub-strategies
•  Simplified committee structure
•  Committees/groups with academic and
professional service areas in one room
•  Establishment and marketing of three
‘flagships’
What are “Flagships”?
Areas…
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of real and perceived excellence
into which others want to invest
which are sustainable
with a track record (established or improving)
which can change and develop (flexibility)
the nuance of which changes according to the
audiences
People
•  People are central
•  Communication (10 times more than what might be
perceived to be enough)
•  Good collaboration with unions
•  Good collaborations with external stakeholders
(Funding Councils, donors etc.)
•  Engage with students: lead or attend eventsà
purpose and enthusiasm
•  Patience
•  Sleep over it
•  2012: first ever staff satisfaction survey
Role of Communication and Marketing?
•  Constant link of academic and professional service
areas (around one table in all committees)
•  Communication and Marketing: link to all elements of
university à internal and external facing à finger on
pulse
•  Driver of external brand but also of internal message
•  Experts on wide-ranging topics: finance, counselling,
academic, equality/diversity, employability…..
•  THE instigator and THE applicant of all modes of
communication internally: change management
•  Therefore need for enhanced role: responsibility for
this on ‘both sides’
People (again)
•  Enable people to think big and
strategically through:
–  Professional development
–  Inclusion in decision making processes
•  Harness people’s strength of feeling:
–  Try to convert negativity to positivity
•  Communicate through engagement
•  à Aim for shared vision and passion
Results
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Times Higher Outstanding Leadership and Management Award 2012
(plus PR Award for Campaign of the Year, 2015)
Financially sustainable
Among the highest research and Knowledge Exchange income of all
modern universities
High international presence
Additional funding from Government for projects
Interface Awards for our work with business
Increased income from physical facilities
Launch of Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation
Improved National Student Satisfaction Surveys
Excellent Research Excellence Framework results (according to Times
Higher up by 49 places)
Excellent reputation
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Is this enough and sustainable?
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Challenges for Future
•  Future is predictable and unpredictable
•  Predictable:
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Continuing economic pressures
Advancement of technologies
Climate challenges
Changing attitudes towards Higher Education à utilitarian
Less money from state but greater desire to control à
‘something for something’ deal
More funds needed from non-state resources
World-wide: even greater student expansion
Further globalisation
Greater skills need at all levels, incl. higher skills
Challenges for Future
•  Unpredictable:
–  Take-up of technology, eg MOOCs
–  Effects of predictable future (see previous
slide) on individual universities
–  Greater managerialism or back to
democracy?
à Change management and leadership even
more important
à Skilled and flexible employees: greater
professionalisation of roles
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Communication
QMU turned itself upside down
Courage, belief, passion
Sense of belonging and pride needed
All of this only achievable: if Comms and
Marketing believe in this as well and if they
are a true PART of strategic thinking
•  Internal and external, vertical and horizontal
communication: à prepare us for future
•  Talking is good…….Plato and Aristotle
Plato and Aristotle
End