H15/M06

MEETING OF HEADS Thursday 18th September 2015

PRESENT: Mr Jim Dowling (Chair), Dr Claire Bohan, Dr Brendan O’Connor, Ms Marian Burns, Prof John Carroll, Prof John Costello, Ms Caroline Denham, Dr John Doyle, Prof Barbara Flood, Mr Seamus Fox, Mr William Kelly, Prof Lisa Looney, Prof Enda McGlynn, Prof Barry McMullin, Dr Ciarán Mac Mhurchaidh, Prof Gary Murphy, Ms Barbara McConalogue, Ms Teresa Murray, Prof Rory O’Connor, Prof Joe O’Hara, Dr Sandra O’Neill, Dr Colm O’Reilly, Dr Declan Raftery, Ms Uná Redmond, Mr Paul Smith, Dr Joseph Stokes, Ms Kim Sweeney, (Ms Danielle Montgomery – recording)

APOLOGIES: Mr Steve Aiken, Dr Pat Brereton, Prof Mark Brown, Mr Trevor Holmes, Mr Joe Maxwell, Dr Anne Sinnott, Mr Paul Smith

In attendance: Ms Orna Duggan, Mr Daire Keogh, Ms Kathryn McCarthy, Ms Máire Ní Sheighín, Dr Veronica Lambert (deputising for Prof Anne Matthews)

Welcome and apologies.

1. Minutes of Heads' meeting 23rd July 2015 The minutes were approved.

2. Minutes of Heads' meeting 23rd July 2015 The minutes were approved for posting on the web.

3. Matters Arising There were no matters arising from the minutes.

4. Chair’s Report

4.1 CAO Numbers The Chair reported that DCU had enjoyed considerable success in relation to CAO numbers with a record 3,300 first years being registered including students from St Patrick’s and Mater Dei. A major Incorporation milestone has been achieved and the Chair congratulated everyone involved for their effort.

4.2 Acquisition of All Hallows The acquisition of All Hallows is now near completion and this will provide extra office and teaching space for DCU.

5. Extended Incorporation Update Declan Raftery /Chief Operations Officer – Campus and Related Developments

Mr Declan Raftery briefed Heads on some of the developments under his remit. He said that for the first time, DCU is now a multi campus University and the necessary infrastructure has been put in place for the 2015/16 academic year.

The COO’s office have been working closely with City Council and the Gardaí on an approved transport/walking route which will feature a wifi corridor. Extra bike racks have been installed on the Campus and a bike loan scheme will be shortly made available. Leap cards will also be available as well as a number of ‘Incorporation Car Spaces’.

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The next steps in terms of campus development include:  F Block construction (due to commence October 2015  The completion of roof works  refurbishment (20 offices/46 workstations/3 lecture rooms and wifi upgrade)  New Student Centre  Stokes building extension  Light Rail

Another major exercise which needs to be undertaken is a space mapping audit of all campuses in order to accommodate the new structures. There will also be classroom upgrades, data projector upgrades and a new single point of contact will be created for all classroom issues.

Máire Ní Sheighín/Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences – Timetable Briefing Ms Ní Sheighín attended to brief Heads on the newly launched timetable which is available at: https://www.dcu.ie/registry/timetables.shtml. There is now one integrated timetable system for all timetabled activities and room bookings for DCU, St Patrick’s College and Mater Dei Institute. It was noted that this was achieved through the collaborative effort of staff across all three institutions; principally the timetablers but also including Registry, ISS, Academic staff, Heads, Faculty managers, Deans and administration staff.

Daire Keogh/St Patrick’s College – Overview of ‘September Go Live’ preparations Prof Keogh reminded Heads of the rationale underpinning Incorporation which was that we are ‘better together’. Now that we have achieved a major Incorporation milestone, it should be noted that it may take some time for the new processes to bed down. The emphasis from the outset has been on enhancing the student experience, not just for first years, but for continuing students. The engagement of staff in all institutions in this process has been a superb illustration of change management.

Mr Keogh gave an overview of some of the ‘live’ supports that have been put in place leading up to and for the first two weeks of the semester which comprise technological, face-to-face and written material.

Claire Bohan/Student Support and Development – Developments in Student Support and Development Dr Bohan outlined some of the current developments in Student Support and Development. There are now some 16,000 students located across three campuses and the goal is that they each achieve the ‘same’ student experience.

It was noted that the Student Health Services will be opening shortly on the St Patrick’s Campus and students will have access to a GP and Nurse for specified hours each week.

SS&D is offering a series of workshops, using life coaching techniques, to assist students settle into university life, focus on their academic, personal and professional goals for the year and build resilience. This approach to positive mental health was piloted in 2014/2015 for the first time and was very successful, with approximately 120 students attending the workshops. SS&D plan to roll these out across two campuses during the coming year.

A new SS&D student portal called ‘DCU Engage’ will soon be launched to all students. This portal allows students book careers appointments, search for interesting vacancies and receive email notifications when relevant jobs are advertised. Students can also register for events and apply for the Student Financial Assistance Fund via the portal. This development is a major step in ensuring that students across all campuses are treated equally and have access to the same level of student support. SS&D will continue to develop this portal to expand its functionality and usefulness for students.

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Teresa Murray/Communications and Marketing Ms Murray gave a summary of just some of the many communications and marketing campaigns that have been promoting and creating awareness of, the new DCU. The’ new DCU’ concept has been featured in competitions, badges, t-shirts and in the new prospectus. A similar campaign will start shortly on the CICE campus.

Kathryn McCarthy/Training and Development – Staff Information and Training for Incorporation It was noted that 54 information and training events had been hosted during the period July to October 2015. A review of these sessions is being conducted in order to identify future training needs. Academic leadership and management development will be made available to staff taking on future leadership roles. Information sessions will be repeated throughout 2015 and 2016 and adapted to the needs of staff. There is a rolling plan in place to include colleagues from the Church of College of Education.

7. Any Other Business 7.1 GURU System The Dean of Engineering and Computing informed Heads that the GURU system will be gradually rolled out to the new DCU in 2015/16. For those not already aware, GURU is a system that was developed in-house, and is a tool for academic and administrative staff. GURU will provide tailored views of all information currently held in ITS. In future, the preparation of exam papers will be carried out via GURU eliminating the need for sensitive papers to be carried around campus in hard copy. Exam papers will be digitised and can be distributed to external examiners in a secure fashion.

Led by Project Manager Mr David Molly, GURU has been piloted to targeted large groups and staff are asked for their patience and support as it is rolled out to a wider DCU audience. However it was noted that staff should be able to envisage the benefits very quickly.

The substantial work carried out by Mr Molloy on this project was acknowledged by Heads.

7.2 Mr Jim Dowling - Retirement This was the Mr Jim Dowling’s last meeting of Heads as he is due to retire end September. He extended his thanks to all Heads and Deans for their attendance and contributions during his time as Chair.

Next Meeting: 15th October 2015

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