Transition update: College of Education, Psychology and Social WorkWelcome to the first 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:
The Transition Team looks 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. A series of three College Forums have been scheduled over coming weeks. More information about these Forums is provided below in this newsletter. We look forward to seeing you at these Forums to update you on changes and answer your queries. Recruitment updateThe closing date for the Vice President and Executive Dean position was 24 May. If the position of VP & ED is vacant on 1 July, then an interim arrangement will be made whilst the recruitment process is concluded. Appointments to the positions of Dean (People and Resources) and Head of College Services for our College are close to being filled and we hope to be able to announce the names of the successful applicants very shortly. The Expressions of Interest (EoIs) for the Dean (Research) and Dean (Education) closed on 22 May and are being considered. An announcement on the outcome of these roles will be made by the beginning of June. The College Transition TeamWho are we? The membership of the Transition Team comprises:
It is expected that the Transition Team will conclude by 31 December 2017 as we move away from our transition phase for our College. 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 include listening to any issues or concerns raised by staff which may affect the successful transition to the new College structure, as well as providing input to the College Implementation Steering Group and associated working parties. What are we doing? At present, the Transition Team has identified four main College Teaching Programs; Initial Teacher Education, Psychology, Social Work and Continuing Professional Education. We have allocated topics to these four programmes. This has been undertaken in consultation with staff in each of the current Schools. This information has been sent 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 Directors who will work with course coordinators, teaching staff, topic coordinators and professional staff in the College. 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 about 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 research methods or leadership skills to all students irrespective of Teaching Program area, teaching a common postgraduate topic or considering inter-professional developments 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 research into changes in the professions or the way that people connect in an inter-professional way using 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 whilst increasing teaching efficiency, which will enable us to stand out from other Universities. In this regard, 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. The Transition Team is also raising operational matters such as deciding delegations, who you go to for particular support; who will provide sign off and who your supervisor will be after 1 July. At the first EP & SW College Forum, there will be an update by members of the Professional Support Staff Working Party on the College Support web page. This page is expected to include operational activities from 1 July 2017 such as showing who will have responsibilities for particular operations, the relevant delegations, who provides approvals and sign off particularly for activities previously under the responsibility of School Deans, School Managers and Faculty General Managers. Teaching Arrangements for Semester 2, 2017Please note that teaching will run in Semester 2, 2017 as it would have run without the restructure. If there are changes to teaching as a result of the restructure these will not happen until Semester 1, 2018. So 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 on the new college structures. Some of these include: Engagement Working Party – which oversees all of the engagement and communication plan for internal and external stakeholders. This working party is identifying all of the University’s accrediting bodies and relevant external parties for us 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 are 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 so 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 ProjectProfessor Clare Pollock (Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Students)) 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 and Information and Digital services are proposed to be established first. 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 DVCS’s all staff email. The University is planning to create some 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. There has also been identified a 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. 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) and Mr Stuart Mossman, PSP project lead, will present a Town Hall meeting to staff on the Professional Services Project and the roll-out of the new model. The date and time will be advised. Key Questions Asked by StaffA College Support Website will shortly be released that will provide answers to the many operational questions that staff may have on arrangements for the transition. A presentation on the website will be 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 ForumsThree College Forums have been planned to provide an opportunity to update you on progress towards our new College and for an open exchange of questions and answers. All College staff are invited to attend. The first College of Education, Psychology and Social Work Forum will be held on Wednesday, 7 June, 2017, 2 pm-3 pm, in Health Sciences Lecture Theatre 1.01. The format of the Forum will be a short initial presentation by the Transition Team, a demonstration of the College Support Website, followed by about half an hour of questions and answers. Our first Forum will be followed by light refreshments in Alere Function Centre to give us all a chance to meet our new colleagues in a more social environment. We hope that you can join us. For those of you who cannot attend, the Forum will be livestreamed here. Future Forums are planned for:
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 |