Transition update: College of Business, Law and GovernmentMay 2017 Welcome to the first edition of the College of Business, Law and Government (BLG) 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:
Whilst I appreciate that I have yet to meet everyone who has been allocated to this new College, I look forward to this opportunity and will be holding a number of forums, both formal and informal, to meet staff. These forums will enable you to meet the leadership team as new appointments are made, as well as meet new work colleagues. At present, three College forums have been scheduled for 22 May, 19 June and 17 July 2017. More information about these College forums is provided below in this newsletter. I look forward to seeing you at these forums to update you on changes and to answer your queries. Recruitment updateThe following positions have now been filled in the College of Business, Law and Government:
Positions yet to be filled include:
The College Transition TeamWho are we? The membership of the Transition Team comprises:
The College Transition Team will incorporate additional staff members as new appointments are made or as required from time to time. It is expected that the Transition Team will be disestablished by 31 December 2017 unless otherwise directed. The College Transition Team reports to the central College Implementation Steering Group which is chaired by Professor Clare Pollock, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Students) and Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic). What is our role? The role of the College Transition Team is to assist with the planning and implementation of the new College structure. This will involve working to the directions as set by the central College Implementation Steering Group, as well as listening to any issues or concerns raised by staff that may affect the successful transition to the new College structure. What are we doing? At present, the Transition Team is working on identifying possible College Teaching Programs including topic allocation and development of new teaching areas or collaborations. This has been undertaken in consultation with staff in each of the current Schools. When the Teaching Programs have been agreed to (about four in each college), this information will be presented to the central College Implementation Steering Group for endorsement before being sent to the Vice-Chancellor for approval. Teaching Programs (each of which is a collection of courses) will have Program Directors who will work with course coordinators, teaching staff and topic coordinators. At future meetings we will also look at possible research groupings and synergies for our College as well as appropriate academic structures/committees within the College to support all education and research related activities. Key aspects in moving forward will be for staff to think creatively and innovatively so that we are able to design new opportunities or ways of operating that result in innovation, change or efficiencies across the College. Examples of this might include taking advantage of teaching that can be administered across the whole College e.g. teaching core topics such as ethics or leadership skills or research methods to all students irrespective of Teaching Program area, teaching a common first year topic or considering placement topics; field trips or international mobility topics College wide. Other ideas might include developing teaching or research in new areas that have become prominent in the community or internationally. Examples of this might include new areas of research as a result of changes in social media or the way that people interact with Information and Communication Technologies. We are keen to hear from you and welcome your ideas and input on how we can do things differently or creatively that will enable us to stand out from other Universities, whilst increasing teaching efficiency. You are encouraged to talk to any member of the Transition team or you can email your ideas or suggestions to the Transition Team via the Executive Officer at julie.rayner@flinders.edu.au The Transition Team is also raising operational matters such as deciding delegations, who you go to for particular support; who will provide sign offs and who your supervisor is after 1 July. At the first BLG College Forum, there will be an update by members of the Professional Support Staff Working Party on a Transition Support web page for College and Portfolio staff on various operational activities. This page is expected to include updates on matters such as policies and delegations affected by the new structure of Colleges instead of Faculties and Schools. Teaching Arrangements for Semester 2, 2017Please note that teaching will run in Semester 2, 2017 as it would have run without the restructure. Changes to teaching caused by the restructure to the six new colleges will happen from Semester 1, 2018. For staff and students teaching arrangements remain the same in 2017. Key Projects across the UniversityAt present there are a number of committees/working parties that have been established to look at a range of issues that will impact the new college structures. Some of these include: Engagement Working Party – which oversees all of the engagement and communication plans for internal and external stakeholders. Notable is that, amongst its many tasks, the working party is at present identifying all of the University’s accrediting bodies and relevant external parties to enable the University to notify them of the new structure of the University. Business Systems and Data Working Party – responsible for ensuring that all the business system requirements are aligned to the new College structure. Policy, Delegations and Governance Working Party – to oversee the simplification of all policies and procedures and ensure that approvals and terminology is consistent with the new College structure. Professional Support Staff Working Party - to ensure professional support services for students and staff are maintained and new professional service teams are aligned with the new College structure through 2017. This working party has also recently identified six ‘shop fronts’ around the University as reception areas for students, replacing School and Faculty reception areas. Members of these working parties will be invited to address College Forums from time to time to update us on the progress in these areas. Developments in the Professional Services ProjectThe DVC (Students) has recently advised progress on the PSP in an all-staff email on Monday 15 May 2017. Professional staff in Schools and Faculties have now been advised of their initial College alignment to take effect on 1 July. The PSP Project team has been working with incoming Heads of College Services and portfolio directors to identify the optimal model for delivery of professional services to Colleges, as well as delivery of University-wide professional services. The model will be further developed with staff over coming months in three stages. In the first stage new professional service models for the delivery of Finance and Procurement services, People and Culture services, Information and Digital services, and Legal and Risk services will be established. These service models are expected to be established around the middle of the year, soon after the college change, with the exact timing confirmed following consultation with staff. The second and third stages are described in the all staff email. The University is planning to create interim team leader roles for professional staff to ensure manageable work teams in the new Colleges from 1 July, for delivery of professional services that are in the second stage of the PSP model roll-out. The need for a role in each College to assist the Head of College Services in day-to-day operations and coordination of College professional staff has also been identified. Staff will be advised of opportunities for these and other roles, as they are determined in coming weeks. Mr Mark Gregory, Vice President (Corporate Services), who is the executive sponsor for PSP and Mr Stuart Mossman, PSP project lead, will present a Town Hall consultation meeting to staff in the week commencing 29 May on the Professional Services Project and the roll-out of the new model. The time and location will be advised. Key Questions Asked by StaffThe College Support web page will answer many operational questions and a presentation on the web page will be given at the first BLG College forum. Information regarding frequently asked questions about the transition to the new College structure is 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 further 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 the Executive Officer julie.rayner@flinders.edu.au or 2025@flinders.edu.au College ForumsThe first College of Business, Law and Government Forum will be held on Monday 22nd May at 1pm in South Lecture Theatre 1. The Forum will be an opportunity for an update on progress towards the new College and for an open exchange of questions and answers. I will chair the Forum, with support from other members of the College Transition Team. The format of the Forum will be a short initial presentation by the Transition Team, a demonstration of the Transition Support web page for College and Portfolio staff, followed by about half an hour of questions and answers. If you prefer, you can submit questions to the forum in advance by sending them to julie.rayner@flinders.edu.au. The Forum will be livestreamed here. College Forums will be held regularly to provide an opportunity to update staff on major issues affecting the University and for you to ask questions. Other senior staff from across the University may also be invited depending on the topics to be discussed. We hope that you can join us. In addition to College Forums, we would expect that areas within Business, Law and Government will continue to hold staff presentations or seminars as routinely as you do now. 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.
Professor Phyllis Tharenou |