Broadcast: News items

Dear colleagues,

Our first round of engagement meetings two weeks ago generated rich data in answer to the big questions posed by the Sussex Engagement Group. In addition, colleagues are also continuing to provide their insights and expertise via the Size and Shape engagement web page. There is also an appetite to extend the engagement activities, and so we shall likely be putting recommendations to UEG to initiate one or more Town Hall meetings for staff.

The Sussex Engagement Group continues to explore the responses received from the first round of engagement meetings. The volume of responses from Sussex staff is impressive, and to me reflects the dedication of staff at Sussex – and your understanding of how important it is to be part of this opportunity to set out our future direction and success.

Some thoughts I take from the comments we have had back include:      

• Support for the academic vision
  
  
• Support and understanding of the need for cross subsidy and a desire to engage in further conversations about the criteria that might guide cross subsidy decisions
  
  
• Suggestions that portfolio reviews should be undertaken more regularly.

It’s important to appreciate that this is my initial take on some of the feedback, but that it will be the Sussex Engagement Group, who gives their recommendations to UEG, and that we are still receiving feedback.

So, the Sussex Engagement Group will continue to explore the findings from the engagement activities, and we will provide more detail with colleagues when we have produced the final engagement report.

I hope this process has provided you with the opportunity to identify what you’re proud of as a School or Division, identifying improvements to processes, exploring inter-departmental collaboration and to think about what might need to stop, start and continue.

By looking at what is working well, seeing what could be improved, and what should be stopped, you will be able to provide insights to help shape our future and feed into our final report.

Finally, the Sussex Engagement Group meets again this afternoon (Friday 14 May), and I will be back in touch next week with an update from that meeting.

With best wishes and thanks,

Keith

Professor Keith Jones
Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, and Acting Provost