Nottingham Trent University Strategic Plan 2004 – 2010 Launched 29 March 2004 October 2007 Edition © 2004-2007 NTU ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Copyright in the whole and every part of this document belongs to NTU (the "Owners") and may not be used, sold, transferred, copied or reproduced in whole or in part in any manner or form or in or on any media to any person other than in accordance with the terms of the Owner's Agreement or otherwise without prior written consent of the Owner. © 2004-2007 NTU All Rights Reserved Page 1 of 54 Table of Contents 1 Vice-Chancellor’s Foreword .......................................................... 3 2 Executive Summary ...................................................................... 4 3 Nottingham Trent University – An Introduction............................ 7 4 Mission and Aims.......................................................................... 9 5 New Organisational Structure..................................................... 10 6 Key Challenges and Opportunities .............................................. 13 6.1 Supporting HEFCE’s Aims and Objectives....................................... 13 6.2 Meeting the Needs of Corporate Clients......................................... 18 6.3 Collaboration and Integration ...................................................... 19 7 Strategic Platform 1 - A Course Portfolio that Meets our Mission 20 7.1 NTU Academic Vision .................................................................. 20 7.2 Preparing for the World of Work ................................................... 28 7.3 Attributes of the NTU Graduate .................................................... 29 7.4 Reviewing the Way We Work ....................................................... 29 7.5 Flexibility and Customisation ....................................................... 29 7.6 Flexibility in Delivery .................................................................. 30 7.7 NTU on-line – E-learning ............................................................. 30 8 Strategic Platform 2 – The Application of Market Intelligence .... 33 8.1 Aims ........................................................................................ 33 8.2 Market Intelligence Strategy........................................................ 33 9 Strategic Platform 3 - Freedom to Invest and Innovate.............. 35 9.1 Financial Management ................................................................ 36 10 Strategic Platform 4 – A Resource Structure to Drive the Business ................................................................................................... 38 10.1 Human Resources ...................................................................... 38 10.2 Estate ...................................................................................... 41 10.3 NTU on-line – IT Infrastructure .................................................... 44 11 Strategic Platform 5 - Gold Standard Customer Service.............. 46 12 Strategic Platform 6 - Strengthening Organic Growth by Collaboration, Partnerships and Acquisitions.............................. 48 13 Making It Happen ....................................................................... 50 14 Achievement Aims to 2010 ......................................................... 52 Table of Figures Figure 6-1 - HEFCE Strategic Aims, as shown in the HEFCE Strategic Plan, April 2007, Publication 2007/09. ............................................................... 13 © 2004-2007 NTU All Rights Reserved Page 2 of 54 1 Vice-Chancellor’s Foreword This is an ambitious plan. It has been designed to capture the aspirations of staff and students, to build the kind of university that they would like to be part of, now and into the future. We are confident that we can deliver this strategy because it reflects staff’s commitment to students, to research and to society, and it builds on Nottingham Trent’s history of delivering education and research that make a real difference to people’s lives. Many of the aims are not new. They are goals that the university community has always wanted to achieve but for a variety of reasons wasn’t able to. What is new is a strategy that will deliver the changes, and the courage to implement them. In the past, aspirations were held back by an apparent lack of resources. In fact, the asset base is strong but it simply wasn’t used to maximum effectiveness. By realigning our assets and our energies on value adding activity, we will realise this vision. The strategy is a long term plan that will build a basis for sustainable strength. We have been guided by the desire to build a university that will still be in excellent shape when we pass it on to our successors in the second or third decade of this century. The City, the County and the Region will benefit from this renewed strength. We expect to be judged by the stakeholders of today and the future by our success in delivering these aims. Professor Neil Gorman Vice-Chancellor © 2004-2007 NTU All Rights Reserved Page 3 of 54 2 Executive Summary The Strategic Plan addresses a framework for 2004-2010. Our Mission is to deliver education and research that shape lives and society. Our aims are: 1. To develop confident and ambitious graduates equipped to shape society 2. To provide education that promotes both intellectual initiative and the highest academic standards to prepare students for life and career 3. To be the university of choice for business, industry and the professions in our areas of expertise 4. To be recognised both nationally and internationally for the effectiveness of our teaching and the relevance of our research 5. To transform the learning and working environment to create an inspiring and innovative culture 6. To have the courage and the will to implement change Our key stakeholders are our customers and the society in which we live and work - regionally, nationally and globally. We will meet society’s changing needs by ensuring that the courses we offer and the research that we undertake is relevant to modern world issues. As a community, we will do all we can to nurture the kind of graduates who will not only make a contribution to society through their work, but will also make a positive impact on society as active global citizens. Through the implementation of this strategy, and within our areas of expertise, NTU will position itself to be: • the university of choice for students who want to engage in all aspects of university life, to gain the skills, knowledge and self-confidence to succeed in their chosen profession, making a positive impact on the people they meet and the societies in which they live; • the university of choice for professionals who want to achieve higher, earlier in their career; • the university of choice for corporate clients who want a professional approach and concrete results from research, training and consultancy services and from the graduates they employ. The ‘strategic platforms’ are six university-wide initiatives that are instigating change in the University, putting us in a position to deliver our mission: 1. A Course Portfolio that Meets our Mission (Section 7) 2. The Application of Market Intelligence (Section 8) 3. Freedom to Invest and Innovate (Section 9) 4. A Resource Structure to Drive the Business (Section 10) 5. Gold Standard Customer Service (Section 11) 6. Strengthening Organic Growth by Collaboration, Partnerships and Acquisitions (Section 12) What matters to our students and other customers is the experience they have with the University. Through the effective implementation of these six platforms, we will achieve our aims and deliver education and research that make a difference: a strong course portfolio, delivered through gold standard customer service, informed by market intelligence, made possible through our freedom to invest and innovate, a resource structure that drives the business, and working in partnership. © 2004-2007 NTU All Rights Reserved Page 4 of 54 NTU will take a leading role in delivering the strategic aims of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) (Section 6.1). Research that shapes lives and society is central to the mission of the University and to the achievement of its aims. The University values what research is, what it does and those who undertake it - not only within our own academic community, but also through communications with the wider research community with which the University increasingly collaborates. Research that is outward looking and characterised by its orientation to real-world influence enables the University to make a self-sustaining contribution to society, culture and the public interest. Therefore, the University needs an active research culture, in order to be a market leader in a knowledge-driven economy. The positive relationship between research and teaching is an essential part of this principle. NTU is committed to acting as a business for the benefit of business and students, reaching beyond normal university-business interaction. We have aligned our portfolio of courses and research to match the priorities of society, current and future government priorities, and the strategy of the Regional Development Agency. The needs of the public sector are often neglected, and NTU is committed to addressing this gap and to meeting the needs of both the professions and the para-professions. The entire portfolio of courses is continuously reviewed. The Course Portfolio that Meets our Mission strategic platform