making the difference Strategic plan abbreviated version

Transcription

1 making the difference Strategic plan abbreviated version

2 Maria José Recalde Vela Student and president of AWAKE COLOFON Tilburg University PO Box LE Tilburg The Netherlands Phone: +31 (0) Pictured on the cover: Jaap Denissen Professor Text: Translation: Design: Print: Fotographs: Executive Board Corporate Communication and Taalcentrum-VU Communicatie Team, s-hertogenbosch Prisma Print Dolph Cantrijn 2 Making the difference

3 MAking the difference Tilburg University is on the threshold of an important phase in its existence. To be able to react appropriately to social changes, Tilburg University has to build a more sharply defined profile. We must have the courage to make choices, and this requires honing our strategy. In the coming period, we will therefore focus our attention as well as our resources on what we are - or want to be - good at, so that what we stand for is clear to the world around us. In doing so, we will continue to hold fast to our mission of Understanding Society. What we will go for Understanding Society Tilburg University is convinced that it can contribute to solving social issues by developing and transferring knowledge and by bringing people from various disciplines and organizations together. Tilburg University is committed to actively contributing to society. We want to serve civil society and make it a better place for all citizens. Our university has always promoted the social embedding of our teaching and research. Our mission of Understanding Society is based on the Christian and humanist traditions in which we have our roots. Important principles include sustainability and diversity in the framework of corporate social responsibility. We stand for a society based on these values and we work to give substance to these values in cooperation with citizens and social organizations, authorities, and the business community. Tilburg University - Strategy

4 Our efforts to put our mission into practice will be clearly visible and identifiable. We will work to ensure that, by 2020, Understanding Society will be broadly recognized and understood as our distinguishing quality among our university s stakeholders, and that students and talented staff will also choose to be associated with our university for that very reason. Tilburg University will grow to become the defining society-oriented University. How we are going to achieve this choice no. 1 Quality choice no. 2 Innovation choice no. 3 Network choice no. 4 Internationalization choice no. 5 Effectiveness Five clear choices indicate how we will be directing our energies in the coming period to give substance to our mission. This is how we will make the difference. 4 Making the difference

5 Sigrid Suetens Associate professor choice no. 1 Quality comes first In all the choices we make, quality takes precedence over quantity. Whether in research, teaching, or valorization, it is our ambition to meet the highest international standards in everything we do. Excellent teaching and research are essential, but it will take more to meet our expectations. The first thing is a clear vision of our identity. A distinct portfolio of degree programs and research lines is vital. The same goes for a consistent set of core values relating to teaching and research and a clear and working vision of how to disseminate and apply knowledge in our society. Striving for quality is characteristic of our employees, students, and alumni. They are the true face of Tilburg University. Tilburg University - Strategy

6 choice no. 2 Innovation according to a focused method These changing times require us to innovate and rise to the challenges we set for ourselves. We will do so based on our mission. We will innovate and give more substance and meaning to Understanding Society through Social Innovation. This approach, based on existing research initiatives, for example by Netspar and Tranzo, will be further developed into the Tilburg method of Social Innovation. We will thus concentrate more strongly on urgent social issues and sweeping socio-cultural change processes. As a society-oriented university, we will continue to use our innovative strength to work together with other organizations to provide solutions to major challenges in society. Together we will initiate new strategies, concepts, ideas, products, services, and models that address societal needs, leading to added societal value. Our ambition is to become international leaders with this approach to Social Innovation. To this end, the Tilburg method of Social Innovation will be given a structural impulse in the coming years, both in terms of PhD and other research and in the field of education. 6 Making the difference

7 Stijn van Kruijsdijk Communications officer choice no. 3 Connections through networking Tilburg University will strengthen and expand its collaborative efforts and its role in various networks. These networks are not only a useful source of contacts for research, education, and valorization, but they can also be beneficial for attracting contract funding and EU grants. Effective interaction with our environment requires a more open and enterprising internal culture. This is an important reason for the university to encourage an entrepreneurial mindset. We also intend to intensify and increase the benefits of our partnerships with other universities, including institutes of applied sciences, and with social organizations, the business community, the public sector, student associations and alumni, helping us to make the difference. Tilburg University - Strategy

8 choice no. 4 Focused international cooperation Everything we do at Tilburg University is based on our international, academic orientation. International cooperation is a precondition for achieving our ambitions in teaching, research and valorization. We also intend to distinguish ourselves more clearly and build a sharper profile in our international relations. We will therefore limit the number of international partnerships we engage in. In accordance with this strategy, our collaborative efforts will be highly selective. International research and/or teaching activities will take place more and more often as part of these alliances. In addition to these partnership activities, Tilburg University will also actively participate in international networks focused on knowledgesharing and advocacy. These networks will increasingly give rise to consortia that focus on European or global research themes. In addition, these networks will facilitate international mobility in education. 8 Making the difference

9 choice no. 5 ONE single, effective university Our ambition consists of making clear choices with quality as the guiding principle. An unwavering condition for achieving this ambition consists of ensuring highly qualified staff. Tilburg University will therefore continue to focus on the high quality of our employees. We will encourage connections and interdisciplinary cooperation between people and teams, and foster quality of leadership within an effective organization. We envisage a more open and diverse workforce, and we will focus on talent development, working towards broader employability of our personnel. We are convinced of the importance of the quality of leaders in initiating and driving innovation, and we therefore recognize that we need to appoint talented managers and promote leadership skills among those already holding leadership positions. Our management development will be continued full speed ahead. In order to remain resilient to the challenges and rigors of the future, we will create a more effective organization. The goal is to create a simple, more flexible, and more transparent university in which staff can feel part of a greater whole and combine their strengths with those of others. Decision-making will become more transparent and processes will be streamlined. The underlying principle is to ensure unity at Tilburg University: one organization where support activities are carried out together rather than in different places. Wherever possible, policy must be developed for the entire organization and jointly implemented. We will strive for a less bureaucratic organization: a work environment with more scope for enterprise and an excellent working climate. Tilburg University - Strategy

10 A professional organization requires professional office facilities. In effect, the office space on campus is occupied less than 40% of the time and the interior of the office buildings is not conducive to modern communication and cooperation. In the coming period, we will therefore gradually introduce modern work concepts that are compatible with the choices made in this strategic plan. The choices mentioned above are not only necessary to increase our effectiveness as an organization, but also to promote our financial security and to ensure the sustainability of the quality that we envisage. What this means for our primary activities Research Teaching Valorization Our primary activities will make perfectly clear that we mean to make the difference. They show what we stand for. Although we are on track in research, teaching, and valorization, our ultimate destination needs to be specified more clearly. This will make our strengths and our added value more clear to us and to the world around us. 10 Making the difference

11 Research In our research, we will be focusing more on our strong points, such as our high-quality disciplinary research and the multidisciplinary approach to social issues in the context of the Social Innovation agenda. High-quality disciplinary research forms the basis of our university s reputation. It meets the highest international quality standards. We will make every effort to ensure continued excellence. We will continue to invest in our fundamental research in the various disciplines, as well as in interdisciplinary cooperation. We will need to increase our efforts in the coming planning period to sharpen our university s profile and engage in more effective fundraising. In this regard we expect the most from greater intensification of our multidisciplinary research. According to our vision of Social Innovation, a link must be forged with the complex societal issues of our time. They require a concerted approach integrating economics, law, Catholic theology, social and behavioral sciences, and the humanities. Because these disciplines each make their own contribution to Understanding Society, we believe in maintaining our focus on them and in establishing connections between them. To stimulate the multidisciplinary approach, we intend to foster greater integration and promote cooperation. Last but not least, we are aiming for steady growth in the rate and number of completed PhDs. Tilburg University - Strategy

12 Teaching We also intend to combine our energies and resources in our teaching activities. Globalization, digitization, decreasing financial resources, and constantly changing legislation are having a substantial impact. Expectations regarding education are mounting and the requirements are becoming more stringent. These developments serve as encouragement for us to improve the quality of our education even further, to increase graduation rates, and to clarify what we stand for in our teaching and what sets us apart from the others. We therefore choose to provide our students with an education designed to give them a broader social awareness, using a unified and clear educational concept. This concept builds on our strengths combined with innovations. It consists of improving the quality of education, strengthening the societal orientation, and enhancing the campus feeling. Our green campus offers a wonderful setting for creating an international community in which Lonneke van de Poll Professor Making the difference

13 students and staff stimulate and challenge one another, and engage in a valuable transfer of knowledge. Furthermore, we are striving for steady growth in new enrollments to achieve a market share of at least 5%. Valorization In the internet age, transparency and knowledge-sharing are the norm. Organizations are expected to be externally oriented, to be useful members of society, and to be socially accountable. Tilburg University is very much aware of the fact that this creates obligations, especially for a university whose mission is Understanding Society. We use a variety of means to involve others in our societal environment in our teaching and research activities. This is not only a legal obligation, but also the result of our university s desire to contribute to a healthy society. Fundamental research will remain the basis, but it will be complemented by research involving application, development and innovation. In pursuit of valorization, one of our core tasks, we intend to intensify our interaction with our environment, alumni, and other stakeholders. As part of these activities, we are striving for an enterprising, externally-oriented university that will be open to partnerships and distinguish itself with Social innovation. Employees and students are valued for their contribution to our mission. It is, after all, these people who make Tilburg University what it is. Only they can deliver the innovation and the qualitative leap forward that will allow us to make the difference like never before. Tilburg University - Strategy