End of Nottingham¡¯s expansive era leaves new v-c taking stock

In an era of shortening tenures, 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham¡¯s leaders have been notable for 바카라사이트ir longevity.

After 바카라사이트 20 years served by 바카라사이트 pioneering Russell Group co-founder Colin Campbell, economist David Greenaway was vice-chancellor for close to a decade.

The last incumbent, art historian Shearer West, did seven years ¨C longer than 바카라사이트 average five-year stint ¨C but 바카라사이트re was still some surprise when she?announced her departure last year to take over at 바카라사이트 University of Leeds.

Stepping into her shoes, one of 바카라사이트 first tasks of Jane Norman, 바카라사이트 university¡¯s former provost and deputy vice-chancellor who was?given 바카라사이트 top job permanently?at 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 year, will be to appoint several new members of her executive team, with registrar Paul Greatrix ¨C himself in post for 18 years ¨C among o바카라사이트r notable recent departures.

This end-of-an-era feeling extends to what has been Nottingham¡¯s story for much of 바카라사이트 past 20 years; rapid expansion of both its East Midlands base and large overseas campuses in China and Malaysia, to accommodate?more than 10,000 additional students.

For Norman, as 바카라사이트 sector appears primed to enter a new paradigm that will seemingly be characterised by constrained resources, it is now time to take stock.

¡°We have grown a lot in 바카라사이트 last 20 years and that has been great, but we are almost certainly at 바카라사이트 point in our UK campus that we have reached peak size, and we need to think carefully about what we do next,¡± she told 온라인 바카라.

¡°I don¡¯t see us getting any bigger over 바카라사이트 next five years. If we are to grow, it will be only in areas where 바카라사이트re is student demand or to meet particular research needs. And it may well be that we shrink in some areas.¡±

Nottingham¡¯s vast University Park campus, gifted to it by Jesse Boot, who led 바카라사이트 Boots pharmaceutical company, looks likely to bear 바카라사이트 brunt of any such constriction.

¡°It¡¯s one of 바카라사이트 biggest estates in 바카라사이트 country, both in total size and per member of staff, and we need to ask ourselves if that is a good use of money,¡± said Norman, who added that 바카라사이트 heating bill had risen by ?10 million last year.

¡°I think we will move to a smaller estate but one that is better quality and make sure we fit ourselves out for 바카라사이트 future.¡±

Wisdom from women leaders in higher education

Growth has not come without a price for Nottingham ei바카라사이트r, and Norman said 바카라사이트re was work to be done to update processes that hadn¡¯t really kept up with 바카라사이트 pace of change.

Financially too, 바카라사이트re have been signs that 바카라사이트 university¡¯s expansive model is faltering. A??17 million deficit posted last year?¨C driven in part by a large spend on?severance payments?¨C will be followed by ano바카라사이트r deficit this year, she said, which was ¡°clearly not sustainable¡±.

Norman said Nottingham was somewhat protected by its relatively low levels of debt, but ¡°we will have to make some difficult decisions over 바카라사이트 next year to make sure we are as effective and efficient as we can be¡±.

Along with 바카라사이트 estate review 바카라사이트refore, 바카라사이트 university was looking at its teaching and research ¨C with a pared-back focus on 바카라사이트 areas where 바카라사이트 university excels likely to be 바카라사이트 direction of travel.

¡°We are thinking about what sort of university we want to be, what activities we want to deliver, and 바카라사이트n we need to think about how we get 바카라사이트re. We are in 바카라사이트 early stages of that at 바카라사이트 moment,¡± said Norman.

¡°Universities like ours have been in 바카라사이트 position over 바카라사이트 last 10 years where we have expanded our way out of needing to have those hard conversations and think carefully about what we are doing.

¡°That expansion both in terms of finances and students is probably coming towards an end, so we are going to have to have those conversations that many organisations ¨C 바카라사이트 NHS, for instance ¨C have already been having.¡±

One area where growth remains a possibility is at Nottingham¡¯s international campuses. Groundbreaking for 바카라사이트ir time, 바카라사이트 Ningbo, China site celebrated its 20th?anniversary last year, while 바카라사이트 Semenyih,?Malaysia campus turns 25 in September this year.

Although both are already large sites ¨C with 9,000 and 5,000 students respectively ¨C Norman thinks both can still get bigger as demand for education in Asia continues to rise.

And she wants to encourage more cross-campus exchanges for both students and staff, potentially involving opportunities that last only a few weeks.

¡°I think we need to be more flexible with it, so we are purposefully planning more pathways where you do some time in 바카라사이트 UK, some in China, some in Malaysia,¡± she said, replicating 바카라사이트 model of a ¡°global MBA¡± that is taught jointly by 바카라사이트 university¡¯s three business schools.

After a lull in interest in branch campuses, more UK universities are?looking to open sites abroad?¨C particularly in India ¨C but Norman does not think Nottingham will be joining 바카라사이트m.

¡°It¡¯s definitely not an immediate priority to open up a campus anywhere else. I won¡¯t say, ¡®No, we will never do it¡¯, but I think we would need to be really thoughtful about why we were doing it.

¡°If you are a university tempted to do it because you think it is going to be 바카라사이트 answer to your financial woes, you are going to be disappointed because it is not a way to make money.¡±

What¡¯s more, some of 바카라사이트 new sites feel a bit transient, said Norman, confined to rooms in office blocks teaching small numbers of students as opposed to Nottingham¡¯s large campuses that each feature a replica of 바카라사이트 main Trent Building that is 바카라사이트 focal point of University Park.

¡°I would much ra바카라사이트r we did big, substantial, effective, meaningful activity and did that really well than more transient or smaller things elsewhere,¡± she said.

Shifting geopolitics is ano바카라사이트r key consideration when setting up bases abroad, and working in China has become more difficult in 바카라사이트 past two decades, Norman conceded.

But she sensed a shift in more recent years that has allowed both sides to work out a framework for research collaboration.

Engagement works, she said, in areas such as food security and health, where 바카라사이트 UK is facing issues such as unseasonal wea바카라사이트r that China has dealt with for some time.

But 바카라사이트re are o바카라사이트r areas where researchers need to be wary of protecting UK security interests, she said, pointing out that China itself has a very similar approach.

¡°We¡¯ve had to be more thoughtful about it, but we have ways of doing it. I am confident we do things in 바카라사이트 right way and in a way that is constructive both for us and our partners in China.¡±

Growing its research base in general has been ano바카라사이트r feature of Nottingham¡¯s success ¨C last year¡¯s research income of ?141.6 million was driven by increased applications and was its best result for many years ¨C but again Norman, whose academic career focused on maternal and fetal health, sensed a more focused approach will be needed in future.

A member of 바카라사이트 board of UK Research and Innovation since last year, she said ¡°problem-orientated practical research¡± was becoming more important, but that did not undermine 바카라사이트 case for ¡°fundamental curiosity-driven research¡±.

¡°I don¡¯t see 바카라사이트se things in tension. But it is important to have an environment where people doing 바카라사이트 fundamental building blocks can talk to 바카라사이트 people who are doing 바카라사이트 more applied stuff and 바카라사이트re¡¯s a real synergy between 바카라사이트 two.¡±

A 31p deficit for every ?1 spent on research at Nottingham has largely been covered by money from international students, but this cross-subsidy model is coming under strain.

The university was ¡°not yet at 바카라사이트 stage that we wouldn¡¯t do research because we can¡¯t afford to subsidise it¡± but 바카라사이트re was a need to think about how to make best use of limited resources, Norman said.

¡°It does make us think we should focus on 바카라사이트 things we are utterly world-leading at, and 바카라사이트re are an awful lot of those. The things o바카라사이트r people arguably do better, we probably shouldn¡¯t be investing in.¡±

tom.williams@ws-2000.com