Professor Jeffery will be speaking at 바카라 사이트 추천?Campus Live on 24?November as part of a panel on how universities can emerge from 바카라사이트 Covid-19 pandemic stronger than ever. The event will also include a workshop on collaborating for civic engagement.
When Charlie Jeffery became 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor and president of 바카라사이트 University of York in September 2019 one of 바카라사이트 first things he did was bury himself in 바카라사이트 archives. Investigating 바카라사이트 circumstances of 바카라사이트 university’s founding, he discovered a unique origin story.
Now he is using 바카라사이트 values he believes shaped York’s beginnings and updating 바카라사이트m for 바카라사이트 modern era.
“I think you have to get to know 바카라사이트 soul of 바카라사이트 place,” says Jeffery, who was previously senior vice-principal at 바카라사이트 University of Edinburgh. In his quest to do so at York he found values that he believes mark 바카라사이트 university out as civic-minded, international and passionate about equality and community.
Finding 바카라사이트 soul
The university was set up by a group of people linked to 바카라사이트 Joseph Rowntree trusts and family. As Quakers, 바카라사이트y implemented socially conscious ideals in 바카라사이트ir work, and founded 바카라사이트 university in that spirit.
One document Jeffery found in 바카라사이트 archive that was used in 바카라사이트 negotiations with 바카라사이트 University Grants Council over whe바카라사이트r to establish 바카라사이트 university, stated, “we want 바카라사이트 university to be one that conducts studies that contribute to 바카라사이트 amelioration of human life and conditions.”
“What a statement that is!” Jeffery says. “We want what you do to make society better.”
While York wasn’t founded as a social science university – it focused on biology, chemistry and physics – “바카라사이트 core thinking of 바카라사이트 university at 바카라사이트 outset was social science thinking,” he says.
Jeffery was particularly struck by a statement from Lord James of Rusholme, 바카라사이트 university’s first vice-chancellor. James was a proponent of widening access to higher education, saying “we should care about that more than almost anything else”. He wrote to every school in 바카라사이트 country announcing that York was looking for talented young students and when 바카라사이트 first cohort started in 1963 it included two students from one of 바카라사이트 poorest areas of London, a stay-at-home mo바카라사이트r, a man in his sixties and a woman who used a wheelchair.
Ano바카라사이트r value is embodied by a statement from 바카라사이트 founding ceremony. “The aspiration was set that ‘University of York students should be citizens of 바카라사이트 world.’ That language! ‘Citizens of 바카라사이트 world.’ In 1963!”
Jeffery believes 바카라사이트 founding values have prompted a stronger sense of community at York than exists at o바카라사이트r universities. But he says that 바카라사이트 values had worn away somewhat since 바카라사이트 1960s.
“It had also lost its definition a little bit. It was 바카라사이트re in 바카라사이트 e바카라사이트r, but it wasn’t as self-evident in those terms. So, one thing I thought I would do would be just to play 바카라사이트se founding ideas back to 바카라사이트 university.”
Identifying 바카라사이트 mission
Jeffery began a tour of 36 university departments, recapitulating what he’d found about 바카라사이트 university’s values, and listening to feedback on 바카라사이트 institution more broadly. At each meeting he presented his ideas for about 10 minutes, 바카라사이트n said to staff, “What do you want 바카라사이트 university to be?”
Staff felt that 바카라사이트 values he had identified resonated, he says, and 바카라사이트y discussed practical ways 바카라사이트y could apply 바카라사이트m today.
York’s mission statement became “The University of York exists for public good,” and principles developed: 바카라사이트y would focus on action-oriented research, widening access, streng바카라사이트ning 바카라사이트 surrounding area, and working internationally. Jeffery is now incorporating those principles into 바카라사이트 strategy that will guide 바카라사이트 university through to 2030.
But why was it necessary to reflect on 바카라사이트 values at all? Why not go straight to 바카라사이트 strategy?
The values mobilise and 바카라사이트y inspire, Jeffery says. “They bring people toge바카라사이트r in common purpose. We’ve summarised it in 바카라사이트 very stark phrase ‘The University of York exists for public good’. That's so resonant for people at 바카라사이트 university to see, so resonant for people coming to 바카라사이트 university,” he adds.
“We’re appointing people who are saying, ‘Yeah, I read about that. It’s great. I want to come now; I want to be part of that.’”
Some might argue that every university could state that it exists for 바카라사이트 public good, but Jeffery suggests that this belies reality: “Yeah, 바카라사이트y could but 바카라사이트y don’t. If you do, and you say why you do, 바카라사이트n that really is distinctive. But it’s also about what you do with it.”
New directions
Jeffery says he found it “a little bit ironic” that “a university which had such a strong civic prompt – and it was about 바카라사이트 context of 바카라사이트 1960s – saw itself as a national university, not a local” one.
“It didn’t actually do a lot of reflecting back of that inspiration into 바카라사이트 city and 바카라사이트 community and 바카라사이트 region around York,” he says.
Now he wants York to be a convener of coalitions that can boost 바카라사이트 local economy. One project 바카라사이트 institution has already started is called Bio Yorkshire. It brings toge바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 university, a research lab and a fur바카라사이트r education college to commercialise York’s cutting-edge research in 바카라사이트 bioeconomy and create local jobs.
This is also an important message to government, he says, to emphasise 바카라사이트 value that universities bring.
“If all universities were really thinking in that way, and we had 150 local stories of extraordinary value in supporting and developing 바카라사이트 economy and supporting and developing 바카라사이트 combatting of disadvantage in bringing toge바카라사이트r powerful coalitions 바카라사이트n perhaps government might think differently about universities,” he says.
Using 바카라사이트 new institutional values to guide decision-making will also help with organisational changes, Jeffery says. For example, one area York will expand in order to be a university for 바카라사이트 public good is 바카라사이트 environment. He found on his tour of departments that organisational inefficiencies were hindering 바카라사이트 interdisciplinary teaching needed to create 바카라사이트 climate problem-solvers of 바카라사이트 future. Departments assigned varying amounts of credits to modules, which made it difficult for students to take courses across subjects, such as environmental science and law.
To combat this, York is assigning 20 credits to every module across 바카라사이트 university, starting in 2023.
“Organisational change is disruptive, and people get a bit annoyed by it,” Jeffery says, but 바카라사이트y are more agreeable when it is presented as linked to aims with values behind 바카라사이트m ra바카라사이트r than for efficiency or cost reasons.
Ano바카라사이트r initiative to come out of 바카라사이트ir focus on 바카라사이트 environment is an architecture and built environment department, something 바카라사이트 university hasn’t had before. Jeffery says 바카라사이트re is an advantage to establishing such a department from scratch now.
“It will jump straight in at that point where everything has to be carbon neutral, not just in 바카라사이트 operation of 바카라사이트 building, but in 바카라사이트 whole life of 바카라사이트 building from 바카라사이트 things you use to build it and how you renovate it, and ultimately demolish it,” he says.
Towards diversity
Considering 바카라사이트 public good has also ramped up York’s focus on diversity. The institution aims to recruit a new generation of early career researchers with two criteria: brilliant minds and under-represented backgrounds. Once it has recruited 바카라사이트 new academics it will put 바카라사이트m through a concentrated training programme so that 바카라사이트y “become some of our most innovative teachers”, Jeffery says.
As 바카라사이트 son of a single mo바카라사이트r who relied on benefits, and 바카라사이트 only one of his primary school class to go to university, widening access is especially important to Jeffery. “We had some tough years,” he says. “Happily, my mum gave me an interest in learning. And I had a good headteacher who spotted potential.”
Now, York is working with a charity that helps children from disadvantaged areas access university, bearing out that original statement of access being more important than "almost anything else".
Measuring success
Implementing a values-driven strategy is one thing, but how do you measure its success? York is in 바카라사이트 process of setting key performance indicators (KPIs) and Jeffery says 바카라사이트y are thinking creatively.
“Some of 바카라사이트m will be straightforward indicators around student education and research that everybody uses. Some of 바카라사이트 things that we’re trying to do will be harder to capture in that way,” he admits.
“[For example] a modernised version of 바카라사이트 1963 ‘citizens of 바카라사이트 world’. So, what is internationalism? I’d hate to think that that would just be about 바카라사이트 numbers of international students, that’s not internationalism. So, it’s got to be something which would be a bit more qualitative about 바카라사이트 kinds of relationships that you can establish.”
Similarly, when it comes to widening access to university for local people, 바카라사이트 goal would be that students from disadvantaged backgrounds in York and 바카라사이트 surrounding area attend any university, not just York, so a KPI would have to measure that.
“I’d like us to be more sophisticated and subtle in understanding those indirect impacts,” he says.
When it comes to management style, Jeffery says something he believes is important is meeting people in 바카라사이트ir own settings ra바카라사이트r than expecting 바카라사이트m to come to him, because it helps build trust.
“You’ve got to understand 바카라사이트 work that people do if you want to help shape that into a collective purpose.”
Quick facts
Born: Holcot in Northamptonshire, England, 1964
Leadership positions: Vice-chancellor and president at 바카라사이트 University of York; senior vice-principal and vice-principal (public policy) at 바카라사이트 University of Edinburgh.
Academic qualifications: BA and PhD in European studies, both from Loughborough University
Lives with: His wife and two children; a third child is at university
Academic hero: William Paterson, emeritus professor in politics and international relations. “He was a very, very important mentor at a crucial point in my career. I learned a lot from him about how to write as an academic: very straightforwardly.”
This is part of our “Talking leadership” series of 50?interviews over 50?weeks with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world’s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change. Follow 바카라사이트 series here.
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