PRO VICE-CHANCELLOR AND DEAN OF THE FACULTY OF HEALTH AND LIFE SCIENCES APPOINTMENT DETAILS FEBRUARY 2017 Welcome from Professor Alistair Fitt, Vice-Chancellor Dear candidate Allied Health Research and will provide a model of education, research and ongoing professional development that attracts and retains I am delighted that you have expressed an interest in becoming our Pro the volume and calibre of students to which we aspire, and which Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. will directly benefit patient health. As part of these ambitious plans, Oxford Brookes has established its position as one of the top modern we expect to be ranked within the top five UK Schools of Nursing universities in the country, consistently ranked amongst the highest and Midwifery within five years and amongst the leading schools in its peer group. With a long-standing reputation for innovation, it internationally within ten years. continues to redefine excellence in higher education as a distinctive and The faculty also comprises a vibrant life sciences community with a successful player in a complex and competitive market. particularly strong research-led bioscience department with a portfolio We are keenly aware of the economic, social and cultural world around of research council and charity grant funding, a world-class bioimaging us, and our responsibility to contribute to society and ensure that our centre and dynamic doctoral training programme that includes students thrive. We seek to offer a dynamic portfolio of courses, a membership of the Oxford BBSRC Biology DTC. sustainable approach to research, and an agile infrastructure so that we Our Pro Vice-Chancellors and Deans are all members of the University’s maintain our position as a premier learning and teaching institution with Senior Management Team and hold a portfolio for a strategic area of a strong research record. cross-university activity. The focus of the portfolio will be discussed and This is a very exciting time for the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences determined with the successful candidate, and may change from time and we are seeking an exceptional leader to maximise opportunities to time. right across the faculty, resulting in a step change in our impact and We are looking for an exceptional individual, capable of providing our reputation. outstanding academic leadership and taking forward faculty ambitions We have much to build on: our close, positive and dynamic for research, teaching and innovation, as well as a proven track record partnerships with Oxford University Hospitals Foundation Trust and in managing change. The successful candidate will have the necessary Oxford Health Foundation Trust; our Oxford brand and proximity to standing to act as a figurehead and representative of the University London; and our unique position as the only modern university with a nationally and internationally, especially in relation to health and life partnership in an Academic Health Science Centre. In addition we are sciences. S/he will strongly identify with the ambitions and values of committed to continuing the faculty’s trajectory of success both in the the University and will be able to engage with stakeholders from across Research Excellence Framework – where we saw successes across a the whole university community as well as nurture strategic external number of units of assessment – and in our positive National Student partnerships. Survey results. The redevelopment of the main science building on Thank you for your interest in this position. I hope that the following our Headington campus, as well as the move of our Swindon-based pages and accompanying documents will give you a helpful and courses to a new, modern facility, mean we have excellent teaching exciting picture of the University and its potential. and research facilities to support this aspiration. On the health side, this is a unique period of change in Nursing, Midwifery and the Allied Health Professions both in terms of funding and the model of education. To meet these challenges, as well as take full advantage of the opportunities, we are in the process of creating a new School of Nursing and Midwifery in partnership with our local Professor Alistair Fitt NHS trusts and are recruiting its founding director. The School will also Vice-Chancellor be home to our newly formed Oxford Institute for Nursing, Midwifery & SUCCESS AT OXFORD BROOKES Oxford Brookes is a forward-looking university with a longstanding reputation for employability. Our graduates go on to jobs with local and global companies including IBM, BMW, Microsoft, Virgin Atlantic and KPMG amongst others. We also have significant research strengths - 94 per cent of Brookes research was judged to be internationally recognised and 59 per cent judged ‘world- leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ in REF 2014. ■ 87 per cent of Brookes students are satisfied with their student experience, meaning the University continues to outperform the sector average (National Student Survey 2016) ■ Nine subjects ranked in the Top 20 nationally in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017 ■ 12 years of success with our Associate College Partnership, which offers students alternative ways to gain qualifications ■ 230,000 accountancy students worldwide can top-up to a Brookes degree through an innovative partnership with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants ■ Oxford Brookes University contributes over £1m a day to the UK economy. To achieve the next level of success, we are working to deliver our 2020 strategy. In particular we are working towards: ■ A student experience of unparalleled reputation and renown ■ A modern, inspirational setting to study and learn ■ A world-class, focused and selective research portfolio ■ An enviable international reputation and footprint ■ Building our role as a key regional influencer ■ Outstanding partnerships, speaking to our connectedness ■ Sector-leading infrastructure, services and IT ■ Financial sustainability, generating surpluses for agreed reinvestment plans. 2020 STRATEGY OUR MISSION Oxford Brookes University is committed to leading the intellectual, social “Oxford Brookes University will provide an and economic development of the communities it serves through teaching, exceptional, student-centred experience which is research and creativity that achieve the highest standards. based on both internationally significant research OUR STRATEGIC GOALS External and pedagogic best practice. We will build on a Student experience We will be a university dedicated to improving the human condition in Oxfordshire and tradition of distinction in academic, professional We will be a university that enables a student around the world. and social engagement to enhance our reputation experience of the highest standard possible. We will: as a university which educates confident citizens We will: ■ harness the enterprising creativity, characterised by their generosity of spirit.” ■ ensure that learning and teaching are at the knowledge, and commitment of the leading edge and relevant to contemporary University’s academics, staff and students contexts to benefit urban and rural communities ■ provide an environment where students principally within Oxfordshire are proactively engaged in shaping their ■ further develop mutually beneficial experience through influencing learning partnerships to facilitate the application and extra-curricular policy, processes and of the University’s education, research outcomes. and knowledge exchange nationally and Research and knowledge exchange internationally, and to prepare the University’s graduates to be engaged We will be a university that is committed to externally recognised world-leading research global citizens. which is translated and disseminated for the Infrastructure and services benefit of our communities. We will be a university characterised by its We will: sector-leading, high quality, sustainable and cost-effective services, operating within a ■ focus on the areas of research which culture of continuous improvement. are, or have the potential to be, recognised as world-leading and encourage multi - and We will: interdisciplinary research activity across the ■ manage our activities to achieve University self-sustaining and robust finances and a ■ increase the exploitation and dissemination strong position relative to the HE sector of the highest quality research and ■ develop and enhance the quality and collaboration with other higher education efficiency of the University’s infrastructure institutions and the public, private and and services. third sector. THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE Oxford Brookes has a consistent track record of success over many decades. We’re a very popular choice for prospective students from all backgrounds, both in the UK and around the world. We received about 4.8 applications per place in the 2016 entry. Our overall student body of approximately 18,000 has been stable over recent years and about 16 per cent of our Oxford-based students are international students. Delivering an exceptional student experience is central to our strategy, and we continue to measure success in the National Student Survey. In our latest results, 87 per cent of students reported that they were satisfied with their course. A major success story has been our Associate College Partnership. Over the last 12 years this partnership has grown and we now have over 1,300 students at seven different colleges on over 50 programmes. Students coming