Transition update: College of Education, Psychology and Social WorkJune 2017Welcome to the second edition of the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work transition update. This newsletter is one of the ways of sharing information about the developments and transition processes associated with moving into our new College structure. It will also be an opportunity to provide you with information on:
I hope many of you attended or watched our initial forum. The next College forum is scheduled for Wednesday 28 June at 10.30am. Please note that the venue has changed. It will now be held at SSN North Theatre 3. More information about the College forum is provided below in this newsletter. We look forward to seeing you at the forum to update you on changes and answer your queries. Recruitment udpateThe recruitment process for the Vice President and Executive Dean of our College will still be underway on 1 July and the Vice Chancellor has made the interim arrangement for Professor Clare Pollock (chair of the College Transition Team) to act in the role whilst the recruitment is concluded. We congratulate the following staff on their appointments to the College:
The announcement of the Dean (Education) role will be made very shortly. College transition and supportTo assist with practical information for transition and beyond, an online support guide in the form of a website has been developed. Now live, the website will frequently refresh and iterate based on staff feedback. The College Support Guide provides the latest information on policies, business systems, delegations and cost centre codes. If you have any questions about the operational areas referred to on this page or wish to see additional information made available you can provide feedback online or email psp@flinders.edu.au There is also a staff services directory that provides a searchable guide to accessing the various professional services available to you as a staff member. The People and Contacts section lists key people for each college, including the College Vice President and Executive Dean and members of the College leadership and transition teams. This is being updated as additional appointments are made. College officeWe will transition services to the new EP&SW College Office based in the Education Building. However, to minimise the impact on students, we will retain our current locations and ensure any transition is well planned and delivered in a customer-centric manner. Over the coming weeks we will plan for services and support to be centralised to the new office. We will keep you posted, in the meantime it’s Business as Usual. So please continue visiting the following offices:
Staff movementsAs you know, some of our team members are starting to move to their new locations and Colleges or take on their new roles. Where possible and practical as professional staff move, they will take their existing workloads and activities with them. Over the coming period we will confirm transition plans to ensure people can more fully take up their new roles and duties while not impacting on current services. We would like to thank everyone for their flexibility and adaptability during this period. If you have any concerns or issues regarding duties or services please speak with Lindsey or Sardi in the first instance. Student communicationsIn January this year, Professor Pollock informed students of the plan to implement a new College structure at the University from July 2017. Since then, students have been reassured that this change will not affect their enrolment or the teaching of their courses in second semester. Students will be given access to a simple online search tool, to identify which College their Course has been allocated to and view the updated contact details for online, phone and face-to-face College support services. They will have access to answers for a range of frequently asked questions about the new College structure on Ask Flinders, which will provide further clarity on the changes that will occur. Students will also be informed of the opening of the new College offices, and will be provided with maps showing their locations. As the year progresses, we will implement further changes to signage and wayfinding across the University. Student Ambassadors will be temporarily assigned to help students find their way to key locations. Some study material will still refer to faculties and schools after July 1, these references will be updated over the course of Semester 2. College Transition TeamSardi Calver has joined the College Transition Team which will continue to assist with the implementation of the new College structure, providing a shared leadership model and advice to the interim VP&ED. The Dean (Education) – once announced- will also join the team. What are we doing?The Transition Team has identified College Teaching Programs and confirmed topic and course allocation to these programs. Teaching Programs (each of which is a collection of courses) will have Program Directors who will work with the Dean (Education) to drive the development, implementation and review of learning and teaching initiatives within a particular College Teaching Program and its courses. Teaching Program Directors work with the coordinators of courses within the program to ensure the quality of the courses in the teaching program and effective running of the courses and topics. They facilitate innovation, collaboration and synergy across courses, topics and Colleges for the benefit of student learning and experience. Expressions of Interest will be called for this week for the Directors of the four Teaching Programs for our College:
There will also be an expression of Interest for the College Research Higher Degree Coordinator. The RHD Coordinator oversees the maintenance of satisfactory supervisory standards and ensures that the research environment in the College is supportive to its RHD students. Following these appointments, the Transition Team will identify other roles needed within the College, such as an identified head of a program or discipline as required for accreditation purposes or other roles to support internal operational needs. We are now looking at operational details to ensure a smooth transition to the new college structure and at appropriate academic structures/committees within the College to support all education and research related activities. At future meetings, we will also look at possible research themes for our College. We are keen to hear from you and welcome your ideas and input on how we can do things differently. You are encouraged to talk to any member of the Transition team or you can email your ideas or suggestions to 2025@flinders.edu.au. College Operations Team LeaderWe have been in the process of recruiting a College Operations Team Leader to support the Head of College Services in overseeing College frontline professional staff, delivering improvement initiatives, and deputising for the Head of Colleges Services when required. We are delighted to announce that Tracey Quigley has been appointed to this position. Developments in the Professional Services ProjectProfessor Pollock gave an update on next stages in the PSP in one of her recent all-staff emails. The stages are as follows: Stage 1- July to September 2017An initial group of professional services areas will move to align their processes with the new College structure, namely People and Culture, Finance and Procurement Services and Information and Digital Services. The arrangement of these functions has been outlined in the recent change proposals and feedback on these proposals is currently being considered by the Vice President (Corporate Services), Mr Mark Gregory. An announcement is expected in early July on these proposals. Stage 2 - September until November 2017Other professional services areas will move into alignment including Buildings & Property, Library Services, the Office of Communications & Engagement, the Integrity, Governance & Risk Division and the Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor (International). This stage will also include improvements in the broad areas of College Operations (including customer service, administration and executive support), Student and Teaching Support, and Research Support (including graduate research support). Stage 3 – November 2017 through 2018By this time the new organisational structure will have settled. However, there will still be more to do to improve the way we work. During this stage the new organisational structure will be further refined and there will be a focus on business improvements (including technological improvements and automation). Also at this time the work of co-locating of staff and further improving College service areas will begin, as will a review of our remote and regional facilities. For more information, please visit The 2025 Agenda – Achieving our vision webpage. Key questions asked by staffAs mentioned, a College Support website has been released that will provide answers to the many operational questions that staff may have on arrangements for the transition. An explanation of the website was given at the first EP&SW College Forum. Frequently Asked Questions with respect to the transition to the new College structure are also available on the The 2025 Agenda – Achieving our vision webpage. As the design of the College Service Teams and other College transition activities continue throughout 2017, there will be continuing updates from either the Transition Team or Project staff. We would encourage you to communicate your questions and feedback to the Transition Team by emailing 2025@flinders.edu.au College forumsThe next College Forum will be held on Wednesday 28 June at 10.30 am in SSN North Theatre 3. The Forum will be another opportunity for an update on progress towards the new College and for an open exchange of questions and answers. Professor Pollock will chair the Forum, with support from other members of the College Transition Team. Staying connectedAs well as keeping you up to date through communication with members of the College Transition Team, you can also keep up to date by visiting The 2025 Agenda – Achieving our vision webpage. At any time throughout this process you can also ask questions or provide feedback to 2025@flinders.edu.au. If you need further clarity on any of The 2025 Agenda initiatives, you are encouraged to speak with your supervisor or Senior HR Advisor. If you feel that you would benefit from talking to someone independently, Flinders University offers support and counselling via the University Employee Assistance Program. This service is entirely confidential.
The EP & SW Transition Team |