Strategy for the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences

Strategy for the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences

BACKGROUND In these years, the Danish university sector is undergoing extensive changes. The international competition is, and will become, significantly harder. We are increasingly competing with other Danish and foreign universities for the best staff and students as well as funding. At the same time, the whole sector is still challenged by the transformation from elite university to mass university. We have to guarantee the highest academic standards and at the same time prepare a wide range of young people to enter an increasingly changeable labour market. In addition, the political and societal expectations and demands for higher quality and relevance in education programmes and research are growing. Our education programmes must meet the needs of the labour market, and we are increasingly being challenged on our ability to produce research at the highest international level and to use it actively in relevant research-based education programmes and other activities for the benefit of society. Finally, nothing indicates that the university sector will receive larger grants in the years to come quite the contrary. The changes happening in the world around us mean that we have to change course. If we do not respond, we will find it harder to attract qualified staff and dedicated students and to secure a sound financial basis for our activities. Moreover, the students we attract will have increasing difficulties matching the requirements of the labour market. Therefore, we need a new strategy, so that we can continue to do what we are meant to do and what we are dedicated towards: create knowledge and value for society. 1

THE STRATEGY We must create value for society through our education programmes, research and knowledge exchange globally, nationally and regionally. This is our raison d être. Therefore, it must be natural for us to base our activities on the challenges facing society, to include our surroundings in our work and to focus on the needs of employers and at the same time have the courage to be forward-looking and do things in new ways. We carry out research to educate students and impart new and relevant knowledge to society. This requires research at a high international level. Therefore, we have to prioritise and focus on the research areas where we can make the biggest difference and where the research can benefit our national as well as international surroundings through our education programmes, knowledge exchange and interdisciplinary collaborations. At the same time, we have to become even better at making our knowledge visible and bringing it into play together with our surroundings, so that no one can question our value to society. In other words: We must create relevant knowledge of the highest quality. We educate students from all parts of society with different interests and skills. Our education programmes must make a difference for all of them. The programmes must be attractive to both students and employers and to the Danish society that funds them. Our graduates must be in demand globally, nationally and regionally. We are an international university with regional anchoring. Therefore all our education programmes must be of high quality at all campuses, both academically and pedagogically, and they must clearly reflect our specific research strengths. They must be academically and financially viable, thus enabling us to secure the present and to invest in the future, and we must invest in finding the most motivated and dedicated students and match them with the right programmes. THE STRATEGIC GOALS We must base our educational activities, research and knowledge exchange on the challenges to society and the needs of employers. We must have attractive and viable education programmes that lift dedicated students towards relevant jobs through high-quality education at all campuses. We must have focused research groups at a high international level and with selected spearheads, which are all clearly integrated in our education programmes and knowledge exchange. 2

FOUR KEY STRATEGIC INITIATIVES: 1: A PRIORITISED AND ATTRACTIVE PORTFOLIO OF EDUCATION PROGRAMMES 2: A PRIORITISED AND RELEVANT RESEARCH PORTFOLIO 3: AN ENHANCED AND VISIBLE KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE 4: A SUPPORTING AND SUSTAINABLE STRUCTURE A FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE This strategy sets out the direction and framework for our efforts. It provides a clear basis for making necessary and realistic prioritisations. The specific initiatives and actions should be developed and implemented locally in close cooperation between the involved parties and should be coordinated strategically across the Faculty. 3

1. A PRIORITISED AND ATTRACTIVE PORTFOLIO OF EDUCATION PROGRAMMES OBJECTIVE Development of a prioritised and attractive portfolio of education programmes consisting of: Core programmes run by the Faculty s strong research groups and with a broad appeal to students Specialised programmes based in the Faculty s strongest research groups and in demand among especially interested students with the following characteristics: Healthy finances in all core programmes and in the overall portfolio A strong match between the programmes and the needs of the global, national and regional labour markets A strong match between students and programmes based on a widespread use of supplementary admission criteria A clear pedagogical profile with student involvement, practice orientation and business relevance Effective and binding cooperation across programmes and campuses to ensure the research basis and pedagogical quality of the programmes 4

ACTIONS Financial analyses of the education programmes as well as register-based analyses of the education programmes societal relevance to be used in the prioritisation of the programme portfolio Prioritising and focussing the programme portfolio based on the self-evaluation as well as the financial situation, societal relevance, research basis and regional presence of the programmes Gradual roll-out of supplementary admission criteria for the Faculty s education programmes Developing and adjusting the role as Head of Studies, with a focus on strengthening the strategic management of and responsibility for the education programmes, including the pedagogical profile, coordination of the programme portfolio and external visibility of the programmes Setting up an Education Board consisting of Heads of Studies, selected academic staff members and student representatives, who will be responsible for: Developing a clear pedagogical profile based on student involvement, practice orientation and business relevance Developing principles for research-based teaching and talent programmes Developing ideas for increased student and lecturer involvement in the education programmes in collaboration with SDU s Centre for Teaching and Learning Ongoing follow-up on the research basis, pedagogical quality and societal relevance across programmes and campuses Developing and clarifying the division of responsibilities between the Education Board, Study Boards, Heads of Studies and Course Directors, e.g. when it comes to developing and approving programmes and courses and to ensuring coherence and progression in the programmes Establishing a centre for the development of IT-based teaching methods based in SFEO and in collaboration with the Education Board and SDU s Centre for Teaching and Learning with the aim of: Developing new forms of learning that support the Faculty s pedagogical profile Improving the possibilities for using IT to facilitate teaching activities across campuses Developing new examination types Initiating the work to obtain an international accreditation 5

2. A PRIORITISED AND RELEVANT RESEARCH PORTFOLIO OBJECTIVE Development of a prioritised and relevant research portfolio consisting of: Excellence groups with potential for a Centre of Excellence or equivalent Strong groups robust, with vitality and critical mass Upcoming groups with a clearly demonstrated potential with the following characteristics: Well-defined, focused and coherent research areas at a high international level, which are clearly integrated with the education programmes and knowledge-exchange activities Clear goals for the quality of the peer-reviewed research and its relevance to the education programmes and society Local research management with strategic coordination across research groups and departments to avoid parallel environments and to ensure critical mass Increased focus on and potential for external funding Highest research ethics and scientific standards The above should be supported by a strategic allocation of resources at departmental and Faculty level, enabling a dynamic development of the desired portfolio as well as interdisciplinary activities. 6

ACTIONS Developing the existing portfolio of research groups, including: Formulating criteria for excellence, strong and upcoming research groups Identifying potential excellence, strong and upcoming groups based on the self-evaluation and the above criteria Addressing potential academic overlaps and merging parallel research environments Strengthening, merging or phasing out weak research groups Decentralised development and implementation of individual goals for the groups, including goals for: The peer-reviewed quality of the groups research and its relevance to the education programmes and the global, national and regional society The groups integration with the education programmes (including PhD programmes) The groups contributions to selected knowledge-exchange activities Clarifying the division of responsibilities between the Heads of Department and the Research Group Leaders, and developing and describing the leaders roles and responsibilities, including: Development and implementation of focussed research and publication strategies Development and implementation of strategies for recruiting academic staff Career development and guidance for the academic staff Developing and implementing principles for resource allocation and follow-up procedures at Faculty and department level Developing the support for research funding applications for the new portfolio of research groups 7

3. AN ENHANCED AND VISIBLE KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE OBJECTIVE Creating a significantly strengthened portfolio of activities within: Adult and continuing education and alumni activities Research-based consultancy and analysis through revenue-funded projects Research and development with external parties Research dissemination and public sector services Inclusion of practical elements in the education programmes with the purpose of: Increasing the visibility and societal relevance of the Faculty s research and educational activities and enabling the Faculty to become an agenda setter within selected areas Creating a more diversified revenue basis for the Faculty through a significant increase of income from adult and continuing education programmes, revenue-funded projects and research and development with external parties where the activities: Are inspired by and developed in close interaction with employers and other end users Are based on the Faculty s strengths within research and education Are driven by local initiative and have local anchoring but with joint support and coordination across research groups and departments 8

ACTIONS Preparing local strategies for knowledge-exchange activities based on user needs and local research strengths Developing an overall strategy for adult and continuing education Establishing and coordinating activities from two committees for knowledge exchange: A committee consisting of highly profiled researchers and external parties. This committee will be responsible for identifying and implementing selected agenda-setting initiatives (preferably interdisciplinary and cross-cutting) based on important societal challenges and the Faculty s research strengths A committee consisting of researchers with special experience in cooperating with business partners and other external parties. This committee will be responsible for developing methods to improve the academic output of business collaborations and to enhance business-related activities throughout the Faculty Reorganising the faculty-wide and local administrative support: Developing the support for adult and continuing education activities offered by the Secretariat for Graduate Diplomas and the Professional Master Secretariat Establishing a faculty-wide communications platform to increase the visibility of the departments activities Developing a faculty-wide framework for revenue-funded projects Developing the contact to and activities for alumni 9

4. A SUPPORTING AND SUSTAINABLE STRUCTURE OBJECTIVE Development of a structure for departments, education programmes and administration that: Secures the framework for and support of the strategic goals and the key strategic initiatives Is financially sustainable and provides incentives to fulfil the strategy Supports local activities and ensures strategic coordination across education, research and knowledge-exchange activities Promotes collaboration across the Faculty and creates a common identity and culture Promotes collaboration with other Faculties and with the surrounding society Gives the academic staff optimal conditions for research, teaching and knowledge-exchange activities Gives the administrative staff optimal conditions for working in a competent, efficient and collaborative way Is coordinated with other administrative activities at SDU Supports the well-being of employees and a good working environment 10

ACTIONS Adapting the departmental structure to the new portfolio of research groups Developing and implementing a budget and finance model that supports the strategy Developing and adapting the administrative structure based on the new departmental structure and the self-evaluation, including: Developing the administrative support for the new Head of Studies function Developing the support for research funding applications for the new portfolio of research groups Derived consequences of the key strategic initiatives, e.g. changed communication needs and increased focus on pedagogical use of IT Developing the role as Head of Studies in order to strengthen the strategic management of and responsibility for the education programmes Developing and strengthening the role of Research Group Leader with a focus on enhanced leadership skills and strategic management of the research groups Developing and implementing incentive structures and clear career paths that support promotion and prestige through research, education and knowledgeexchange activities Developing clear career paths for the administrative staff through competency development that supports administrative professionalism as well as process and cooperation skills 11