New Faculty Arrangements update on transition activity

The enabling workstreams that support the integration of the Engineering Faculty and the creation of the New Faculty are well established and underway.  Teams in the enabling workstreams are tasked with ensuring there is a smooth transition.  They are currently working on the following initiatives:

• Organisational Design:  Following a review of staff feedback, we are on track to confirm the outcomes of the consultation this week. This will confirm the new Academic Governance and Professional Staff structures. Staff meetings will be held on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week, with the confirmation document outlining the Review Committee's deliberations published on Friday 25 October.
• Content Management: This team is working to ensure that our key content is updated to reflect the New Faculty and expanded Engineering faculty. This covers the website, intranet, the University Calendar and Prospectuses as well as service queues, knowledge bases and virtual assistants that support both staff and students. The team will also ensure that our social media platforms are updated.
• Finance, Data and Reporting: In addition to ensuring that the organisation Structure (UOS), budgets and financial cost centre structures are updated and in place to support the New Faculty arrangements from next January, this team is also analysing how our data is shared across our many systems. This will enable us to make informed decisions about when we reflect the new arrangements in our different systems. The timeframes for systems changes are not finalised yet, but as the team’s overriding objective is to achieve these updates without impacting the admissions/enrolment/conversion processes, a phased/staggered implementation of changes across our different systems is a likely outcome.
• Operational Continuity: The operational continuity team is focused on ensuring that our key activities supporting students, teaching, and research remain effective through the transition to the new arrangements. Early priorities relate to advisory and admission support for new students, recruitment of Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTA) and Teaching Assistants (TA), Summer School, early start programmes, orientation and other Q1 events, and readiness for Semester One teaching. Transition support for the new professional staff teams will be key during this initial period.

Expanded Engineering Faculty updates

Faculty Naming next steps

We would like to thank all the survey and workshop participants who provided feedback and support to the integrated Engineering Faculty name.  As a result of this engagement from staff, students and external stakeholders, a new name has been recommended to the Vice-Chancellor for approval, with the final decision expected after the 11 November Senate meeting.

Expanded Faculty Engineering achievements to date

 People and Culture:

• Naming survey and hui have been completed, and a proposed name has been recommended to the VC
• A schedule of events to get to know each other for 2024
• Planning has begun for a Pōwhiri in February

Research and Innovation:

• Research support and funding processes mapped and Expanded Engineering Faculty processes drafted for approval
• PhD scholarships and processes have been agreed for 2025
• Research Centre mapping and 2025 support structure proposed

Education and Student Experience:

• Student needs and concerns have been discussed at SSCC meetings
• Final-year presentation dates were shared, and all staff encouraged to attend
• Programmes and Clubs collated for the Expanded Engineering Faculty
• Terms of reference and structure for Teaching and Learning and Academic Programmes committees revised

Enabling Environment:

• Space requirements for programmes documented
• Staff common spaces mapped

Partnerships and Engagement:

• Key university stakeholders have been met to understand current activity, communication and transition plans across key areas: Māori and Pacific, Schools Outreach and Engagement, Scholarships, Philanthropy, International Recruitment
• Engagement plan with external stakeholders created

Upcoming plans – Current to 29^th November:

• Symbols and Representation for faculty
• Student Support and Engagement needs
• Processes and Approvals for teaching and learning
• WTR course plans for 2025
• Decide on 2025 space use, access and communications
• Committee memberships and Terms of Reference
• Vision setting
• Potential opportunities and benefits arising when integrated engineering faculty is launched.

New Faculty updates

New Faculty Naming next steps

As we move closer to the formation of the New Faculty, we would like to express our gratitude for the continued engagement into the naming process by both staff and students. Your input has been invaluable in shaping the future of our faculty, and we now invite you to participate in the final steps.

After a series of constructive hui and feedback, two potential names have emerged:

• Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (H&SS)
• Faculty of Arts and Education (A&ED)

On Monday, staff and students were asked to take part in a final survey to select the preferred name. Please submit your choice via the survey link by noon, Friday 25 October. The name receiving the most support will be recommended to the Vice-Chancellor for formal approval, with the final decision expected after the 11 November Senate meeting.

We are pleased to announce that the Office of the Pro-Vice Chancellor Māori has gifted the New Faculty a Te Reo name: Te Pūtahi Mātauranga, meaning "the confluence of knowledges/disciplines, and of knowing." The name reflects the spirit of collaboration and knowledge-sharing at the heart of our New Faculty.

New Faculty three year rolling Annual Plan

As the academic year 2024 draws to a close, we begin the process of bringing the New Faculty together in readiness for 2025.

As above, we have consulted on a New Faculty name and are in the process of holding preliminary discussions about a faculty vision, identity and culture. As part of these discussions, the Dean, Professor Nuala Gregory, attended the School of Social Sciences (Faculty of Arts) staff meeting yesterday and will visit Humanities next week. The staff in Social Sciences introduced their various discipline areas and each other to the new Dean and held a very productive discussion on a range of matters for the New Faculty. 

Right now, our next task, as part of the annual planning cycle, is to develop a Faculty Plan for the academic years 2025 – 2027.

For this inaugural year, the Plan will focus on the process of merging the three existing faculty plans into a unified whole, and, as such, will predominantly be about a year of transition and consolidation.

Nonetheless, we will need to outline a set of initiatives and actions to be undertaken by the New Faculty in 2025 – and extending over a three-year period to 2027 – to help realise the segment plans, the refreshed priorities of Taumata Teitei and the benefits of coming together as a new entity.

In preparation for this task, the Dean has reviewed the most recent Faculty Plans for each of the three faculties and asked the three current Deans (Greg, Mark and Paola) to now work with their Executive Teams to present an outline of progress on actions which were already in planning or in the pipeline during 2024, so that they can be brought together into a unified programme for the year ahead. 

There will be further opportunities to revisit and update the draft Plan continuing into the New Year, including discussion with the New Faculty Executive, Heads, Deputies, Associate Deans and their teams.

New Faculty Committee structure feedback

As part of our preparations for the New Faculty, a review of the existing committee structures and faculty meetings from the three current faculties has been completed and a proposed new structure has been drafted for consideration.  The approach is currently being reviewed by key senior academics across all three faculties, whose experience is crucial in shaping a governance model. The Director of Faculty Operations is also reviewing professional staffing, to ensure appropriate support for the new structure.  We are working ensure that the committee structures and faculty meetings support our shared academic mission and foster a productive, collaborative environment.