How to engage with Size and Shape
See how we will keep you up-to-date on the developments of Size and Shape.
Staff engagement
For our Size and Shape programme to be a success we will make sure everyone at Sussex has the opportunity to engage and share their views.
We believe seeking staff views on the big changes that affect us all is essential. We are not required to do this, but we believe strongly that it’s the right thing to do – and you will have pleny of opportunity to share your views.
In October, we begin a month-long period of information sharing; discussion and feedback in Schools and Divisions on what is next for the programme. Heads of School and Divisional Directors will be running sessions where they share their draft proposals with their teams.
Staff can than feedback their thoughts, either during the session, in team meetings, or anonymously via an online survey.
The University will not be finalising any of the proposals until this has happened – as we want staff to have the opportunity to input into how our University is reshaped.
You can now see the presentations which have been shared with Schools, Divisions and Professional Clusters.
How can staff get involved?
Staff should attend their School or Divisional Town Hall and please take time to provide your feedback.
Filling in our survey
You can give your feedback to the engagement session within your division or School.
Share your feedback via the online form:
As the consultation and engagement process develops we will update these pages on a regular basis and communicate this to all staff via regular updates.
- Video transcript
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CAPTION: A message about Size and Shape from the University Executive Group
STEVEN MCGUIRE: I’d like to thank everybody for their efforts this past year. It’s been a year like no other and people have worked very, very hard, and shown enormous resilience and goodwill. Campus is coming back to life, and I look forward to welcoming you back here into Jubilee, and across Sussex. The past year has been difficult, and the operating environment in which universities find themselves is more competitive than ever, and it’s important that Sussex prepare itself for the challenges ahead.
KATE O’RIORDAN: Sussex 2025 is the University’s strategy. It’s all about Sussex. We started the strategy in 2018 and we’ve delivered some amazing things during that time. We’re launching a new Student Centre, we’ve got the Spirit of Sussex award, we’ve been moving towards Inclusive Sussex. Sussex is a fantastic institution and we need to be amongst the top 25 institutions in the country, and we know we can be there. Now is the time to take charge of that strategy and really make sure that we move Sussex to be the institution that we know we can be.
STEVEN MCGUIRE: The higher education environment globally is incredibly competitive. International student numbers in the UK are not likely to recover for several years. There are cost pressures as well. Pensions are going up and our fee income from domestic students is going to be flat for the next few years. We’re a fantastic university in many respects. We’re known throughout the world for some of the quality of our teaching and the ideas that we generate. We should use this opportunity to develop a new Sussex and take the University in different directions.
KEITH JONES: At the heart of Size and Shape, we have an opportunity to craft our own future. We will move away from simply being reactive to threats, to one of taking advantage of opportunities. Those opportunities are articulated within the academic vision of the University.
ADAM TICKELL: The University of Sussex is of course, an absolutely terrific institution. But unfortunately, in the UK context, we are relatively small. This means we just don’t have the capacity to invest across the University in the way that we’d like, so the aim of the Size and Shape project is to find the space to invest in areas where we can truly be excellent. I really mean excellent at research, excellent at providing an outstanding education for people, at maximising the employability of our graduates and engaging with our community, whether that’s here in Brighton and Hove, or elsewhere in the world.
STEVEN MCGUIRE: So, in this incredibly competitive and volatile environment, we need to make sure we equip Sussex with the ability to adapt. So over the next few months, we’ll be having an engagement process where you’ll have an opportunity to think about the shape and size of Sussex. We need to future-proof the institution. We have enormous strengths here at Sussex, and it’s important we build on those and make the most of the opportunities that are going to present themselves in the next few years.
ADAM TICKELL: This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for us all to shape the future of the University, and I would really, really encourage you to take part in the engagement sessions.
KEITH JONES: So, have your say, and help us shape the future of the University.
CAPTION: Get involved with Size and Shape this term