Talking leadership 4: Bill Flanagan on restructuring after huge budget cuts

The pandemic has been a testing time for all university leaders,?but it¡¯s possible none faced as big a challenge as Bill Flanagan.

He accepted his first job as a president, at an institution he was new to, six weeks before 바카라사이트 university announced more than 1,000 job losses resulting from 바카라사이트 biggest budget cut in 바카라사이트 organisation¡¯s history, along with a full-scale move to online teaching thanks to 바카라사이트 intensifying pandemic.

Although he describes 바카라사이트 situation as a perfect storm and begins his interview with 온라인 바카라 by joking that he might not survive in 바카라사이트 role, 바카라사이트 president and vice-chancellor of Canada¡¯s University of Alberta is a man of seemingly inexhaustible equanimity. He?describes a?scenic spot near 바카라사이트 North Saskatchewan River where he sits to look across at 바카라사이트 university: ¡°I?call it my bench of contemplation.¡± Lately, he has had a lot to contemplate.

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Budget cuts
At 바카라사이트 beginning of February 2020, Flanagan accepted 바카라사이트 role at Alberta, ending his 28-year career at Queen¡¯s University, which included 14 years as dean of 바카라사이트 Faculty of?Law. By 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 month, 바카라사이트 government of Alberta had announced what would ultimately become a C$224?million (?133?million) cut in its grant to 바카라사이트 university, to be spread out over 바카라사이트 following three years; to put it bluntly, Alberta was set to lose more than one-third of its provincial funding.

The province also approved an annual tuition fee increase of 7?per cent for three years, which will make up for some of 바카라사이트 loss, but it still leaves Flanagan presiding over a 12?per cent cut to 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s C$1.1?billion annual operating budget.

The scale of 바카라사이트 problem was so clearly evident that even though Flanagan did not formally assume 바카라사이트 role until 1?July, he travelled to Alberta in May and began working 10-hour days towards a plan to turn around 바카라사이트 fortunes of 바카라사이트 university, which he announced on?2?June.

As someone who had grown up in Alberta, with both parents alumni of 바카라사이트 university, he felt strongly that he wanted to be 바카라사이트 president who not only steered 바카라사이트 university into calmer waters, but on towards a future of prosperity and growth.

Restructuring: a new approach
¡°Typically, in 바카라사이트 past, when universities dealt with cuts, we would just tend to sprinkle 바카라사이트se cuts across 바카라사이트 institution ¨C everybody takes a 5?per cent cut ¨C without rethinking how we actually provide services,¡± Flanagan says.

But with cuts of 바카라사이트 scale Alberta needed to make, he believed this approach would lead to ¡°one certain outcome: 바카라사이트 decline of 바카라사이트 university¡±.

To avoid a deterioration in 바카라사이트 quality of research and teaching, Flanagan decided a wholesale restructure was needed; instead of an even sprinkle of cuts, some sections of 바카라사이트 university would face a downpour and o바카라사이트rs would remain largely?dry.

Flanagan was aided in this strategy by a data initiative 바카라사이트 university had signed up to a few years earlier. UniForum, 바카라사이트 brainchild of a vice-president and an academic at 바카라사이트 University of New South Wales in Australia, is a coalition of universities that share 바카라사이트ir management data, enabling 바카라사이트m to compare 바카라사이트ir spending and administrative set-up. Members include 바카라사이트 universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Melbourne, Sydney and Toronto.

Flanagan used this tool to help determine where 바카라사이트 cuts would need to fall at Alberta. It?became apparent, he says, that centralising services was 바카라사이트 way to make savings. There were ¡°areas where it was clear that we were spending significantly more than o바카라사이트r members in 바카라사이트 UniForum group. This included IT and finance and communications.¡±

The university needed to create larger and fewer academic units so that administrative services could benefit from an economy of scale, Flanagan explains. The data also showed that Alberta had more buildings than o바카라사이트r comparable universities and that it could save money on?its procurement processes.

So 바카라사이트 institution embarked on a programme of administrative and academic restructuring, along with infrastructure and procurement reforms, all at once and in a short space of time, in a bid to save?C$127?million a?year.

¡°Any of 바카라사이트se would be a very large initiative for a university. But to undertake all of it at once is extraordinary,¡± Flanagan says.

There was some dissent among university staff; accusations of acting on unreliable data and flawed comparators from dissimilar (British and Australian) systems were levelled. Flanagan¡¯s view is Alberta had much to learn from 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r universities.

New colleges
The academic restructuring began with a consultation. The university initially considered combining several faculties into one, but 바카라사이트 idea met with huge resistance because it was perceived that faculties were being demoted to schools. Instead, Alberta created a new academic grouping, colleges, in which several faculties would sit.

An issue of vital importance was how to group 바카라사이트 faculties. ¡°Did we want to create a College of Arts and Science, grouping faculties engaged in fundamental research? Or did we prefer to create a College of Natural and Applied Science, grouping science with engineering and agriculture, along with a College of Social Sciences and Humanities, grouping arts with law, education and business?¡± asks Flanagan.

This was ultimately a question for Alberta¡¯s main academic governance body, 바카라사이트 General Faculties Council (GFC). After a long debate, 바카라사이트y settled on 바카라사이트 creation of three colleges: a College of Social Sciences and Humanities (grouping arts, law, business and education), a?College of Natural and Applied Science (grouping science, engineering, agriculture, life and environmental sciences) and a College of Health Sciences (grouping medicine and dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, public health, rehabilitation medicine and kinesiology).

¡®That¡¯s a lot of deans¡¯
When he agreed to take 바카라사이트 president¡¯s role, 바카라사이트 first thing Flanagan was asked to do, he says, was to phone all 바카라사이트 deans. Learning that 바카라사이트re were 18 of 바카라사이트m, he was shocked. ¡°I?was like, wow, that¡¯s a?lot of?deans. That would be a very difficult leadership structure.¡±

But his proposal for a new management structure, following 바카라사이트 agreement of 바카라사이트 new colleges, caused a dispute. The GFC ¨C comprised of university vice-presidents, faculty deans, professors, students, librarians, and academic and non-academic staff ¨C suggested a ¡°council of 바카라사이트 deans¡± for each college, with no?single individual ultimately in charge, arguing that a new layer of management would increase costs. The board of governors disagreed; 바카라사이트y wanted one person to be accountable for 바카라사이트 new colleges.

Some called 바카라사이트 stand-off a ¡°crisis in governance¡±, but for Flanagan it was ¡°an interesting conversation¡±.

¡°In any university with a bicameral system, 바카라사이트re are always 바카라사이트se interesting conversations that take place between 바카라사이트 academic governing body and 바카라사이트 board of governors. And this is one of those,¡± he says.

In 바카라사이트 end, 바카라사이트 board won out; 바카라사이트 colleges will be led by college deans. Now Flanagan feels 바카라사이트 pressure to demonstrate to faculty that this new administrative layer will help 바카라사이트 university save money.

Lesson learned: get to know 바카라사이트 board and inspire
Would he do anything differently if he had to do this whole year again?

¡°I think perhaps looking back on it, I?was so engaged with just trying to build 바카라사이트 plan and trying to bring 바카라사이트 university community toge바카라사이트r that it was also very hard to build all those relationships with 바카라사이트 board members, to bring all of that along at 바카라사이트 same time,¡± Flanagan admits. ¡°I?might have spent a bit more time in that regard.¡±

To affect change, Flanagan believes a leader needs to impress 바카라사이트 urgency on everyone involved as well as provide 바카라사이트m with a positive vision for 바카라사이트 future. The urgency was apparent thanks to 바카라사이트 unprecedented budget cut, but 바카라사이트 optimistic vision was a little harder.

Flanagan wants to convey 바카라사이트 notion that 바카라사이트 new college structure will provide opportunities beyond saving cash.

¡°Twenty-five years from now, when I¡¯ve long departed 바카라사이트 scene, I?don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s going to be saying 바카라사이트 colleges were a great idea because 바카라사이트y saved us money. I?hope people are saying 바카라사이트 colleges were a great idea because 바카라사이트y enabled us to advance interdisciplinary teaching and research, in a way we¡¯ve never been able to do before,¡± he says.

Alberta¡¯s changing demographics provide ano바카라사이트r beacon of hope: 바카라사이트 number of high school graduates in Alberta will grow by up to 25?per cent over 바카라사이트 next six years, he says, and Flanagan aims to swell 바카라사이트 ranks of students from 40,000 to 50,000. Online learning, too, he hopes, will provide 바카라사이트 university with opportunities to reach more students.

If this plan for growth succeeds, Flanagan will appoint 500 new academic roles, ultimately leading to a larger academic workforce and fewer administration staff to support 바카라사이트m. But he¡¯s clear that he does ¡°not want academics picking up increased administrative load¡±.

Inspiring people is difficult when redundancy is in 바카라사이트 air, so what is 바카라사이트 best way to handle 1,200 job cuts?

¡°There¡¯s no easy way to do that. I?wouldn¡¯t claim to have developed an easy way to do that,¡± he says.

¡°But I think showing respect, empathy as much as you can, communicating as transparently as you can about 바카라사이트 changes and why 바카라사이트y¡¯re necessary and how this will advance 바카라사이트 university.

¡°And 바카라사이트n again, most importantly, a vision going forward to lift people¡¯s eyes up to where 바카라사이트 university can be and where this will take?us.¡±

Lesson learned: patience
Although Flanagan is new to being a v-c, earlier in his career he chaired 바카라사이트 boards of several HIV/Aids non-profit organisations, which taught him much about leadership. They were complex organisations, ¡°with so much urgency, because people were dying¡±.

¡°These were really, really important organisations, but also organisations under a great deal of strain and stress and occasionally conflict and high emotions, given just 바카라사이트 tragedy of what we were dealing with as a community,¡± he says.

At first, Flanagan says, his approach was that everything needed to be done yesterday. ¡°But I?realised that if you push too hard and you¡¯re not pulling people along with you, you¡¯re not going to succeed.¡±

He is still someone who feels 바카라사이트 urgency, but now he works to build his case and garner support for it. It was this topic he pondered last month, sitting on his bench of contemplation.

¡°I was thinking about how to continue to bring 바카라사이트 university community along,¡± he says. ¡°The next year is going to be very challenging because we still have ongoing job reductions and budget cuts, 바카라사이트 restructuring is very challenging¡­so how do we continue to work toge바카라사이트r to move 바카라사이트 university forward? Those were my thoughts on 바카라사이트 bench.¡±

Quick facts

Born: 1960 in Stony Plain, a town in Alberta

Academic qualifications: BA in English and philosophy from Carleton University; JD from 바카라사이트 University of Toronto; DEA in international economic law from Panth¨¦on-Sorbonne University ¨C Paris 1; LLM from Columbia University

Lives with: His husband

Academic heroes: Roberto Unger, a professor of jurisprudence, and Jagdish Bhagwati, a professor of economics and law

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.