‘research-excellent academics’; rather each School will contribute to an appropriate University-wide profile for an academically excellent University focused on business and the professions. “This is a question of a shift of balance and we recognise the contribution every member of our academic staff makes to the success of the institution,” explains Professor Curran.
“
“
Phase One will accelerate progress towards our Vision and improve the reputation of our University “Academic colleagues who contribute to excellent and professionally relevant higher education have been and remain critical to the success of City, given our focus on business and the professions. However, to improve our reputation and achieve our aspirations for 2016, we have to start to increase the number of academic colleagues who combine excellent and professionally relevant higher education with internationally-excellent and world-leading research.”
The Phase One investment programme will recruit leading academic staff to 14 areas of academic strength or potential. Specifically we aim to recruit 25 Professorial staff and each will be able to appoint one Lecturer and two fully-funded Doctoral students. Interestingly, City is one of the few universities to have opted to use a recruitment company to help recruit at Professorial level. “We believe [using a recruitment company] will help us to identify the right academic staff for City and will help us to move effectively through the process,” says Professor Curran. Acting strategically
What happens next? November 2011: Start of Phase One academic staff recruitment December 2011: End of Schools’ analysis of academic staff profiles January 2012: Consultation begins February 2012: Interviews for new ‘research-excellent academics’
Phase One does not preclude future investment under the Strategic Plan but enables City to ensure a more rapid transformation in time for the REF by acting strategically and appointing the 25 Chairs and associated Lectureships during the current academic year.
March 2012: Council approval of City Strategic Plan 2012-2016
Phase One will not create a net change in the number of full-time equivalent academic staff across the University. The new appointments will, over time, replace staff leaving through natural turnover which, coupled with voluntary severance should enable City to balance its academic staff profile.
October 2013: Research Excellence Framework census date
Professor Curran concludes: “The University has already been taking steps to deliver our Vision for 2016 through recent staff recruitment, funded by operational savings. The new Phase One investment will accelerate progress towards our Vision and reinforce our determination to improve the reputation and standing of our University.” u
City has published background information on our Vision for 2016, the Phase One investment and questions and answers on our staff intranet.
September 2012: First tranche of new academic staff arrive
Find out more
Under our Vision, we will improve our reputation by raising performance in all areas around this circle (in education and research).
Deans and Heads of Departments have already started briefing on the Phase One investment activity, but if you have further questions that haven't already been answered, you can submit your own, for the University to answer, if appropriate, on the intranet pages.
The most effective starting point for intervention is in the top left: more 4*/3* research. Council agreed to do this through Phase One investment, thereby starting the process of improving all elements around the circle.
You can read more here: https://intranet.city.ac.uk/staff/ cityvision
3 This is a virtuous circle which underpins high-quality universities; all elements are equally important, are connected and are not in any order.
www.city.ac.uk/staff 7