Strategic Plan 2010 2015.
Objectives Achieving Excellence Excellence indicates the very highest quality, significantly exceeding the norm, as reflected by the Made in Sheffield stamp. It reflects a refusal to accept the ordinary. We aim to create an environment that supports and promotes success, encouraging staff and students to achieve and excel. What are our goals? Our priorities up to 2015 We will do this by... Key measures of our success that we can benchmark our performance against (KPI number) 1 To be recognised worldwide for excellence in research-led learning and teaching and for research and innovation of the highest international quality. Demonstrate the distinctiveness of our course and research portfolio. Enhance our position in external assessments and peer review of academic performance for both research and learning and teaching activities. Increase our market share of external income. Placing equal value on learning and teaching and research and innovation in our academic strategies, policies and organisational practices. Identifying what makes our portfolio and our graduates distinctive, and communicating that distinctiveness to prospective students and sponsors. Increasing our profile and promoting the Sheffield Academic amongst global peers and prospective partners. Placing the Sheffield Academic concept at the heart of how we recruit, support and develop high quality academic staff. Recruiting and retaining academic staff of the highest quality. Average tariff score on entry (KPI 8). Student satisfaction (overall satisfaction from NSS) (KPI 11). Percentage of First and 2:1 degrees awarded (KPI 12). Research income per academic FTE (KPI 16). Research Excellence Framework (REF) performance (KPI 18). Giving those staff the facilities and support they need to stay at the forefront of their disciplines, and encouraging them to collaborate with partners of internationally leading status. Preparing for a REF 2014 performance that exceeds the RAE 2008 outcomes. 2 To be recognised worldwide for an outstanding and distinctive student experience which produces graduates who are in demand. Ensure the highest quality of learning and teaching is delivered throughout the University. Achieve greater national and international recognition of the strength and value of our approach to research-led teaching. Promote the attributes of the Sheffield Graduate worldwide. Prepare our students for the international labour market. Achieve greater recognition, amongst employers worldwide, of the quality of our graduates. Enhancing the welcome and induction for all students. Ensuring all students are taught by inspirational researchers. Investing in research facilities to ensure that we teach in a research-rich, well resourced and inspirational setting. Preparing course and portfolio information that demonstrates our claims of distinctiveness and excellence. Communicating the attributes of the Sheffield Graduate and the distinctiveness of the Sheffield learning experience. Encouraging students to take advantage of social and cultural opportunities outside their studies. Providing learning experiences that equip students for work. Evaluating and promoting our success in fulfilling the knowledge and skills requirements of national and international employers. Number of undergraduate students per academic FTE (KPI 5). Student satisfaction (overall satisfaction from NSS) (KPI 11). Percentage of graduates in further study or employment (KPI 14). 3 Attract and retain the best students, staff and partners. Raise our profile as a high quality university amongst prospective students, staff and partners. Attract international researchers and people holding personal fellowships. Deliver a PhD experience that is recognised internationally for its quality and distinctiveness. Provide opportunities for academic staff to achieve the attributes of the Sheffield Academic. Effective communication and relationship building, promoting our successes amongst national and international opinion formers and key peer groups. Establishing a national and international reputation as a university where academic ambition is nurtured. Creating high-quality strategic partnerships for learning and teaching and for research and innovation. Reviewing and defining our access commitment to make sure we attract students of the highest academic ability from under-represented groups. Placing market research portfolio replenishment and recruitment of the best students at the centre of our development activities. Percentage of staff who are proud of working for the University (KPI 25). Percentage of first degree entrants from low participation neighbourhoods (KPI 10). Meeting the career development needs of academic staff in the context of the Sheffield Academic concept. 2
Cultivating Ambition We set challenging and important goals. We are willing to grapple with the most difficult intellectual and practical problems of our time and are not easily daunted. We want to attract and retain people with ambition and provide them with opportunities to realise their dreams and develop their talents. What are our goals? Our priorities up to 2015 We will do this by... Key measures of our success that we can benchmark our performance against (KPI number) 4 Inspire and enable our students to stretch themselves and achieve greater things. Encourage our students to set and achieve the highest aspirations and goals for their futures. Foster enterprise in our students so that they contribute to the economic wellbeing of society. Expose students to the University s research work. Develop students ability to learn and work autonomously through relevant research-based learning in their own discipline and through the development of skills in information processing. In conjunction with the Union of Students and the voluntary sector, provide opportunities for all students to enhance their life experience outside the University. Reviewing the way we embed enterprise and personal development opportunities in our portfolio. Ensuring that students understand and benefit from the employability focus in their courses. Enabling all students to gain experience of research and an understanding of its impact on society. Increasing the number of Sheffield Graduate award recipients. Increasing the number of students taking part in ambassadorial, project work and voluntary/social enterprise initiatives. Student satisfaction (overall satisfaction from NSS) (KPI 11). Percentage of students no longer in higher education after one year (KPI 13). Percentage of graduates in further study or employment (KPI 14). 5 To create an environment that enables all staff to achieve at the highest level. Ensure that recognition and reward schemes encourage high ambition. Ensure all academic staff are prepared for teaching. Ensure staff pursue ongoing professional development to stay effective and inspiring as teachers and as researchers. Enable staff to equip themselves for leadership roles in teaching and research. Placing the Sheffield Academic concept at the centre of all we do to support academic staff. Holding annual personal development discussions to identify Initial or Continuing Professional Development needs, within the context of the Sheffield Academic concept. Recognising individuals achievements in both teaching and research. Agreeing the quality and volume of measures of research outputs for the REF 2014. Number of postgraduate taught students per academic FTE (KPI 6). Number of postgraduate research students per academic FTE (KPI 17). Research Excellence Framework (REF) performance (KPI 18). Give our teachers and researchers the support they need to be part of major international networks. 3
Objectives Making a Difference Universities are one of society s engines of change. We seek to create, discover, share and apply knowledge through teaching and research in ways that make a difference and ensure that our work has a genuine cutting edge. We also want to make the experience of being part of the University something that shapes the life and prospects of everyone who comes here. What are our goals? Our priorities up to 2015 We will do this by... Key measures of our success that we can benchmark our performance against (KPI number) 6 To provide learning and other developmental opportunities that transform the lives of students. Engage fully in raising educational and developmental aspirations in our city and region. Reviewing and defining the terms of our access commitment. Building on our achievements, to make the University a realistic and preferred option for students from under-represented groups. Increasing our outreach provision in the city and region. Percentage of first degree entrants from state schools/colleges (KPI 9). Percentage of first degree entrants from low participation neighbourhoods (KPI 10). 7 To be known as a university which combines the highest academic standards with a commitment to realising the impact and public value of its activities. Demonstrate a closer engagement between the student body, academic departments, the people in our city and region, and our wider society. Translate our research into practical applications that enrich the culture and economy of Sheffield and the region. Increasing student participation in educational activities outside the University. Participating fully in the creation and establishment of the Local Economic Partnership. Deepening and growing our research partnerships with the private sector. Increasing the number of licences and spin-out companies emerging from our research. Licence numbers granted (software and non-software) in the year (KPI 19). Total value of contract research with non-funding organisations (KPI 20). 8 To be recognised for our interdisciplinary strengths and approach to important global challenges. Strengthen our strategic approach to collaborative and interdisciplinary research which leads to internationally recognised outputs. Remove barriers to ensure that we attract collaborations across academic disciplines and Higher Education. Mapping the potential contribution we can make to meeting the major national and global societal challenges. Developing a strategy and action for realising the potential of our interdisciplinary work. Research income per academic FTE (KPI 16). Research Excellence Framework (REF) performance (KPI 18). 4
Working Together Solutions to important problems increasingly depend on collaboration: between staff and students, across disciplines and in partnerships with others locally, nationally and internationally. We aim to build inclusive teams, maximising the benefits of difference and drawing on the skills and potential of the widest possible range of colleagues. What are our goals? Our priorities up to 2015 We will do this by... Key measures of our success that we can benchmark our performance against (KPI number) 9 To create enduring local, national and global partnerships/collaborations. Increase staff awareness of the new constituencies of learners and the added value that collaboration can bring to their work (and to students learning experiences). Develop innovative partnerships with leading players across the world. Demonstrating the benefits of collaboration in teaching and research. Creating an appetite for partnership working within academic departments. Developing partnerships and collaborations that generate new postgraduate and international students, enduring high quality research partners and peer networks from across the world. Developing a strategic approach to increasing the number of partnerships which enable students to apply their skills and talents prior to graduation. Total value of contract research with non-funding organisations (KPI 20). Take a more proactive approach to the way we identify internship, placement, and project opportunities for our students, with regional, national and international employers. 10 To nurture a community in which equality and diversity contributes positively to student and staff experiences. Develop our partnerships with and seek greater involvement for student ambassadors in the delivery of learning and teaching. Embed equality and diversity values and practices in all we do. Increasing the role of student ambassadors within learning communities. Ensuring that students feel part of learning communities, in their departments and in the wider University. Considering and addressing areas of under-representation. Student satisfaction (ov erall satisfaction from NSS) (KPI 11). Percentage of staff who are proud of working for the University (KPI 25). Percentage of female senior academic staff (KPI 26). 11 To enhance how we administrate learning and teaching and research and innovation activities. Ensure that our internal regulatory environment is as light-touch as possible whilst also being robust in the face of external scrutiny. Make greater use of new technologies to improve student learning experiences and support staff. Continuously improving quality assurance and regulatory systems. Seeking IT solutions to support our transition to a light-touch internal regulatory environment. Seeking IT solutions to support our daily work activities. Ensuring that the full potential of learning technologies and other media to enhance student learning and to support our staff is pursued. Percentage of professional/support staff costs to total staff costs (KPI 27). 5
Objectives Protecting the Future We have to think beyond the short-term. In order to safeguard our academic activities and the student experience for the future, we must ensure our research and teaching are sustainable. We need to use resources effectively, transparently and responsibly to be resilient and adaptable in the face of change. What are our goals? Our priorities up to 2015 We will do this by... Key measures of our success that we can benchmark our performance against (KPI number) 12 To ensure we operate sustainably in the future. Prepare for a markedly different financial and consumer landscape in Higher Education (which will affect our academic offer, tuition fees and core funding for teaching, research and capital funding and access to income from non-funding bodies). Develop and consolidate a competitive research income portfolio. Manage our resources efficiently, economically and effectively. Connect our research on sustainability issues to the way we operate as an institution. Prioritise research and innovation that addresses challenges related to sustainability. Maintaining our financial strategy and our plans for creating an appropriate University surplus. Understanding our proposition to future students, our distinctiveness and market position. Planning effectively for operating in a new tuition fee and HEFCE funding landscape. Understanding the nature of future full-time, part-time, mixed mode and distance learning student markets for the University. Planning year-on-year increases in collaborative funding (including income from Public Private Partnerships). Increasing our market share of research income per academic FTE. Seeking collaborations within the Higher Education sector that enable us to excel, enhance our reputation and make an impact. Planning how we will sustain improvements to the campus and facilities as public resources for capital funding diminish. Total income per academic FTE (KPI 1). Percentage ratio of tuition fees and education contracts to total income (KPI 3). Ratio of current assets to current liabilities (KPI 21). Net cash inflow from operating activities as a percentage of total income (KPI 22). Percentage of buildings in category A and B (gross internal area: non-residential) (KPI 23). Carbon emissions (KPI 24). Seeking ways to maximise our resources in challenging times. 13 To safeguard the high quality of our student experience and support of staff. Optimise the effectiveness of the learning and teaching experience by reviewing the teaching calendar and how students are assessed. Ensure our research infrastructure is maintained, developed and used in the most cost-effective and sustainable way. Reviewing and refreshing our course portfolio. Innovating within course curricula and in the way we support students. Reviewing and investing in our research infrastructure. Ratio of maintenance and capital expenditure to Insurance Replacement Value (IRV) (KPI 4). Research expenditure per total expenditure (KPI 15). 14 Encourage our students and alumni to care about their University and its future. Build relationships with our alumni. Make alumni part of the University community. Planning for building a greater number of relationships with alumni. Increasing the level of philanthropic interest in and level of donations to the University. Total income per academic FTE (KPI 1). Encourage alumni to champion the University and increase philanthropic interest in our ambitions. 6
Leading the Way We believe that universities have a responsibility to look ahead to important new problems and to offer intellectual leadership to society in response to them. We expect our staff to be leaders in their fields and in the governance of the University. We encourage students to think how they too can shape the world both now and in our future. What are our goals? Our priorities up to 2015 We will do this by... Key measures of our success that we can benchmark our performance against (KPI number) 15 To be recognised as a University that sets national and international research agendas in response to the needs of society. Extend the horizons of our staff and students so that their ambitions are set in a global context. Communicate our achievements and their impact more effectively and strategically. Developing a University Innovation, Impact and Knowledge Exchange Strategy. Developing research agendas that enable us to contribute to solving major global challenges. Research Excellence Framework (REF) performance (KPI 18). Percentage ratio of recurrent teaching and research grants from funding bodies to total income (KPI 2). Number of overseas students per academic FTE (KPI 7). 7
Key Performance Indicators Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) No Key Performance Indicators (KPI) Measures Purpose of KPI Desired direction of travel Latest value Value of KPI sought by 2009-10 Value of KPI sought by 2010-11 Value of KPI sought by 2015-16 Rank in Russell Group Russell Group Upper Quartile Russell Group Lower Quartile Russell Group median 1 Total income per academic FTE ( s) To improve our relative position within the Russell Group 182,441 (09-10) 173,784 177,424 188,344 16 (09-10) 201,207 (09-10) 182,441 (09-10) 189,645 (09-10) 2 3 Institutional sustainability Percentage ratio of recurrent teaching and research grants from funding bodies to total income Percentage ratio of tuition fees and education contracts to total income To improve our relative position within the Russell Group To improve our relative position within the Russell Group 27.65 (09-10) 27.47 27.23 26.25 18 (09-10) 27.31 (09-10) 25.58 (09-10) 25.21 (09-10) 31.01 (09-10) 26.42 25.17 21.42 18 (09-10) 28.91 (09-10) 22.45 (09-10) 23.94 (09-10) 4 Ratio of maintenance and capital expenditure to Insurance Replacement Value (IRV) 7.3% (09-10) 0 0 4.50 Comparisons with other institutions are unreliable because of differences in methodologies in calculating IRV. 5 Number of undergraduate students per academic FTE To maintain current performance 6.87 (09-10) - 6.5 6.5 10 (09-10) 7.12 (09-10) 4.30 (09-10) 6.56 (09-10) 6 Number of postgraduate taught students per academic FTE 1.35 (09-10) - 1.38 1.50 10 (09-10) 1.42 (09-10) 1.13 (09-10) 1.29 (09-10) 7 Academic profile and market position Number of overseas students per academic FTE 8 Average tariff score on entry 1.48 (09-10) - 1.5 1.6 6 (09-10) 1.48 (09-10) 1.07 (09-10) 1.32 (09-10) 425 (09-10) 410 412 422 12 (09-10) 473 (09-10) 409 (09-10) 426 (09-10) 9 Percentage of first degree entrants from state schools/colleges To maintain our relative position in the Russell Group 86.0 (09-10) 86 86 86 3 (09-10) 84.5 (09-10) 64.3 (09-10) 72.1 (09-10) 10 Percentage of first degree entrants from low participation neighbourhoods To maintain our relative position in the Russell Group 8.2 (09-10) 8.7 8.7 8.8 1= (09-10) 6.3 (09-10) 3.3 (09-10) 5.0 (09-10) 11 Student satisfaction (overall satisfaction from NSS) To maintain current performance 90 (10/11) - 90 90 4 (10/11) 87 (10/11) 84 (10/11) 86 (10/11) 12 13 The student experience and learning and teaching Percentage of First and 2:1 degrees awarded Percentage of students no longer in higher education after one year To maintain our relative position in the Russell Group To maintain our relative position in the Russell Group 73 (09-10) 73 73 73 15 (09-10) 81 (09-10) 73 (09-10) 76 (09-10) 2.6 (09-10) 2.5 2.5 2.5 6 (09-10) 4.1 (09-10) 3.3 (09-10) 3.6 (09-10) 14 Percentage of graduates in further study or employment To maintain current performance 92.5 (09-10) 92 92 93 11 (09-10) 93.0 (09-10) 91.4 (09-10) 92.5 (09-10) 8
No Key Performance Indicators (KPI) Measures Purpose of KPI Desired direction of travel Latest value Value of KPI sought by 2009-10 Value of KPI sought by 2010-11 Value of KPI sought by 2015-16 Rank in Russell Group Russell Group Upper Quartile Russell Group Lower Quartile Russell Group median 15 Research expenditure per total expenditure 0.25 (09-10) 0.24 0.25 0.26 9=(09-10) 0.29 (09-10) 0.22 (09-10) 0.24 (09-10) 16 Research income per academic FTE ( s) 17 Research Number of postgraduate research students per academic FTE 64,455 (09-10) 62,696 65,107 67,518 14 (09-10) 81,042 (09-10) 62,246 (09-10) 66,400 (09-10) 0.75 (09-10) - 0.77 0.82 16 (09-10) 0.83 (09-10) 0.75 (09-10) 0.80 (09-10) 18 Research Excellence Framework (REF) performance - methodology to be confirmed tbc tbc tbc tbc tbc N/A N/A N/A N/A 19 20 Knowledge transfer Licence numbers granted (software and non-software) in the year Total value of contract research with non-funding organisations ( s) 12 (09-10) [IP income 1,046,000 in 09-10] 22,039,000 (09-10) 30.8 33.6 42 17 (09-10) [Sheffield ranked 10th for IP income in 09-10] 25,034,700 27,811,400 30,588,100 14 (09-10) 116 (09-10) [UQ IP income 1,690,000 in 09-10] 40,402,000 (09-10) 12 (09-10) [LQ IP income 618,000 in 09-10] 15,003,000 (09-10) 63 (09-10) [Median IP income 915,000 in 09-10] 24,767,000 (09-10) 21 22 Financial health Ratio of current assets to current liabilities Net cash inflow from operating activities as a percentage of total income 1.51 (09-10) 1.28 1.29 1.28:1 8= (09-10) 1.76 (09-10) 1.05 (09-10) 1.37 (09-10) 6.2% (09-10) 5.2% 5.7% 7.5% 16= (09-10) 8.6% (09-10) 5.8% (09-10) 7.8% (09-10) Percentage of buildings in category A and B 23 (gross internal area: non-residential) Estates and infrastructure 24 Carbon emissions (tonnes) 65 (09-10) 57 60.00 77.00 17 (09-10) 82 (09-10) 65 (09-10) 77 (09-10) 37,727 (09-10) 35000 28000 25000 Comparisons with other institutions are not meaningful due to variations in size and activity. Some internal tracking of peer institutions is undertaken. 25 Percentage of staff who are proud of working for the University n/a n/a n/a n/a Competitor data not available for this measure. 26 Staff Percentage of female senior academic staff (Grade 10) 17.9 (09-10) 17 18 23 12 (09-10) 19.23 (09-10) 14.95 (09-10) 18.46 (09-10) 27 Percentage of professional/support staff costs to total staff costs To maintain current performance 40.07 (09-10) 40 40 40 7 (09-10) 43.77 (09-10) 40.91 (09-10) 41.15 (09-10) 9
Managing our resources The Strategic Plan: Managing our resources Context Achieving our goals over the next five years depends on the effective management of our resources. Everyone, particularly Professional Services staff, has a part to play. Our key resources are people, money, space, information, and student support. This section summarises our priorities for those resources and our University-wide approach to governance. 1. People All staff, academic and Professional Services, have a role to play in delivering our academic strategy, so it is vital to create an environment where everyone can flourish and succeed. We will continue to promote and develop a culture of excellence, innovation, inclusion, commitment and respect. We will encourage openness and transparency. We will develop a diverse community of highly motivated, fully engaged staff with a strong sense of belonging. We will ensure effective management of staff costs in line with University strategy and respond flexibly to opportunities, challenges and risks in both the internal and external environments. Human resources priorities for the period 2010 2015 will be to: Build up leadership capacity to ensure we have people who can lead and manage through future challenges and changes ahead. We will focus on the development of leadership and the strengthening of management capabilities across the University. A new development programme, the Sheffield Leader, will be put in place for new and aspiring heads of department. Continue to nurture and develop a culture of belonging and engagement. We will pay special attention to keeping staff involved in and briefed about changes, and we will continue to work with the trade unions to maintain and develop good industrial relations. Reward excellence through fair and open processes. We will develop and implement a new pay framework for senior professional staff to reflect the recently revised banding structure, and we will continue to implement the hourly paid/atypical framework, to ensure fair pay and conditions for all. Sustain a motivated and diverse University community where staff and students work together to enhance delivery of the University s academic strategy. We will continue to promote the inclusion of all staff; continue our focus on creating opportunities for women academics to progress; and regularly review our Excellence through Inclusion strategy to ensure it is focused on our future needs. Develop a culture where excellence is nurtured. We will make full use of the skills and experience of all staff and encourage greater internal movement and redeployment. Ensure health, safety and wellbeing initiatives remain a key priority during what will be an uncertain period. We will support specific programmes to address workload allocation and staff wellbeing. Manage resources to sustain capacity and achieve strategic growth to help protect our future. We will pay particular attention to reducing complexity in our processes and managing staff costs within the resources available. We will also complete a thorough review of our local pension scheme arrangements. For more detail, and information about specific actions relating to this area, please see www.sheffield.ac.uk/hr 10
2. Student support Maintaining our world-class student experience will be critical in an increasingly competitive Higher Education landscape. We must continue to meet students growing expectations during the years ahead, from their first contact with the University through to their graduation ceremony and beyond. Our priorities for student support services over the period 2010 2015 will be to: Improve our support for students from initial contact to graduation and beyond focusing on the transitions across the student journey, integration into our diverse academic community, student wellbeing, and development of our students employability skills. Regular feedback from students and other stakeholders will help ensure ongoing improvements to the student experience. 3. Facilities Where our academic strategy delivers growth in student numbers within the faculties, we need to examine critically how we improve and use the University estate. Capital funding from government sources at the levels of recent years is unlikely to continue so a new approach is needed to help us utilise space better. We also need to make our estate more carbon efficient. As institutions have been set challenging targets by HEFCE to reduce their CO 2 emissions, the availability of future capital funding is likely to be very closely tied to performance in driving down these emissions. We need to invest in the infrastructure improvements required to achieve these reductions, as well as encouraging staff to adopt greener behaviours. Our priorities for our estate over the period 2010 2015 will be to: Dispose of facilities and buildings which no longer support our strategy. This will contribute to the financial sustainability of the University over the period. Improve the University s utilities infrastructure, and make improvements to existing buildings, to manage and reduce our carbon emissions in line with HEFCE targets. This will be supported through initiatives to encourage more energy efficient behaviours amongst our staff and students. Make targeted acquisitions of strategic development sites, where they support delivery of our academic strategy. For more detail, and information about specific actions relating to this area, please see www.sheffield.ac.uk/estates Strengthen partnerships between faculty colleagues and Professional Services teams within the University, and also with external partners such as schools, colleges, overseas recruitment agents, employers, and particularly with the Students Union. Ensure our approaches to communication with students reflect their lifestyle and technology preferences. A key priority will be the implementation of an enquirer and applicant portal to improve communications with prospective students, bringing greater efficiency to the process. We will also be reviewing our approach to current student communications. For more detail, and information about specific actions relating to this area, please see www.sheffield.ac.uk/ssd/student-services-strategy Configure, refurbish and better utilise existing University facilities, making additional space available where required to support growth in activity. We will adopt a more integrated approach to timetabling so that we use shared learning spaces more efficiently. For Professional Services, we will launch a major project to co-locate administrative functions. Support the University s aim of improving our students experience. As well as enhancing the public spaces across our campus, we will invest in facilities designed around how students study and learn. The recent investment in our Students Union building will be consolidated through refurbishment of the adjoining facilities in University House. 11
Managing our resources 4. Finance The University is entering the period 2010 2015 in a strong financial position. But there are challenging times ahead. We need to continue our investment in the people and facilities required to deliver the University s academic strategy. Our financial priorities over the period 2010 2015 will be to: Continue to diversify the range of sustainable income sources and increase the proportion of unrestricted income. We will do this by growing the number of post-graduate students, increasing the level of research activity funded by industry and charities, and deepening relationship with our network of alumni to encourage more people to support their University through philanthropic gifts. Focus on ensuring value for money in all our core and supporting activities. Continue to increase the transparency and timeliness of financial information to enable better decision making, and more locally-based financial decision making where appropriate. Our finance and procurement system will be continually improved to support this aim. Encourage the appropriate level of growth within faculties, based on a robust approach to resource allocation reflecting both income and costs. Ensure high standards of financial probity and accountability through robust financial processes and ensure that the University s financial strategy targets are met. For more detail, and information about specific actions relating to this area, please see www.sheffield.ac.uk/finance 5. Information Our students and staff expect an increasingly diverse range of information delivered in secure yet flexible ways. Improvements in how we deliver information will help the University work more efficiently and reduce the environmental impact of our operations. Our priorities for information services over the period 2010 2015 will be to: Continue to invest in a wide range of digital and print collections to meet the expectations of students and staff. Improve the digital access to our own collections, and the wider scholarly knowledge base. Increase the access to digitised core reading materials, helping to reduce carbon emissions, improve the learning experience for our remote students, and meet the expectations of our on-campus students for access to digital content. Improve how we manage and make available to others the University s research output both our published works and underlying data. This will support the Research Excellence Framework and improve open access. Focus on how we support our students learning by providing new modes of study, new technologies to support learners, support for information literacy and well-designed learning spaces. We will disseminate learning best practice, and share expertise in how best to embed new Web 2.0 technologies in the way we teach. Recognise the increasing mobility and flexibility of students and staff. Provide IT and telephony solutions to give students and staff more choice in how, when and where they work. We will continue to ensure our information systems are simple to use, connect appropriately to other systems and encourage collaboration. Continue to assure the quality and safe storage of our data, and meet compliance requirements for HEFCE and other statutory agencies. For more detail, and information about specific actions relating to this area, please see www.sheffield.ac.uk/cics and www.sheffield.ac.uk/library 12
6. Governance and management Since the introduction of the faculty structure in 2008 09, we ve made significant progress in improving and devolving strategic planning and decision making, whilst increasing the transparency of management information. Faculties and supporting governance structures have strengthened communication between the Vice-Chancellor s executive board and colleagues across the institution. Closer working between Professional Services and faculties, and a new approach to resource allocation, has improved accountability for performance. This will continue. Our priorities for governance will build on this foundation over the period 2010 2015 and will: Further enhance the effectiveness of governance through a review of Council and its committees. Continually improve our approach to identification and management of risk, to enable effective and robust decision making. Ensure our service functions continually improve and demonstrate value for money, informed by regular benchmarking of external best practice. Adopt new ways of working in order to reduce complexity and simplify key processes which support the management and governance of the University. Ensure sufficient funds are available so that strategic investments can be made and we can respond effectively to external opportunities. Contribute to sector-wide debates about Higher Education to help improve the overall sector and learn from others best practice. Monitor progress against our strategy, and ensure planning and investment decisions are taken in line with our overall strategy and values and a robust evidence base. For more detail, and information about specific actions relating to this area, please see www.sheffield.ac.uk/pgs 13
The University s strategic plan is structured around our six guiding principles in our Mission, Vision and Identity: Achieving Excellence, Cultivating Ambition, Making a Difference, Working Together, Protecting the Future and Leading the Way. It outlines what we want to achieve and our priorities over the period 2010 2015, how we will go about it and the key performance indicators which will help us monitor how we are doing. Last updated Febuary 2012