A message from Professor Karen Cox, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Project Transform sponsor

Following on from the Vice Chancellor’s and my recent communication announcing a new organisation design model for the University, I wanted to update you on the latest developments.

We have now seconded senior administrative colleagues from across the institution to work part-time on the detailed design of the new model, and to develop the job roles, management structures and guidance required to put it in place. Service Centres will be in place by September 2016 to support our students throughout their student journey. The seconded colleagues are:

• Dr Carol Bell, School Manager, Geography
• Dr Karen Braithwaite, Director of Academic Support & Administration, Veterinary Medicine & Science
• Chris Hulse, School Manager, Medicine
• Katie Laverty, Head of Student Service Delivery, Student Operations & Support (seconded full-time)
• Alex Slater, Head of Faculty Teaching & Learning Support & Development, Engineering

A series of workshops is being organised to allow staff in Schools, Faculties, and Professional Services to inform the working group’s recommendations to Programme Board, along with comments gathered at previous workshops, and from the recent Academic Staff Survey.

APM job roles in the new model will be defined for approval at October’s Programme Board meeting. Once the detailed design and roles get Board approval, we will share plans for appointing to them with individuals, School and Department managers.

APM job roles not connected to the student journey — and therefore not in the scope of Project Transform — are being examined by a separate steering group. Faculty Pro-Vice Chancellors and a number of Directors of Professional Services are involved in taking this work forward. Further updates on this work will be available in September.

All roles connected to the student journey will be managed by the new Chief Student Management Officer, Breda Walls. Breda will take up her post at the University on Monday 24 August to oversee the transition to the new model. A press release announcing this externally will be distributed next week.

I want to thank colleagues across the University — particularly in APM roles —for their hard work and support so far. Our success as an institution with a global reputation for excellent teaching and outstanding research would not be possible without you. These new roles and structures, combined with the new technology platform being developed by Project Transform, will allow us to improve the experience of every student at The University of Nottingham, and give APM staff more opportunities for personal and professional development.

I will be in touch in September following Programme Board. If you want more information on the organisation design elements of the project, please contact the representatives above, or Adrian Simpson, the Organisation Design Lead in Project Transform.

Karen Cox
Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Project Transform sponsor