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ADVANCING THE MANCHESTER 2015 AGENDA The Strategic Plan of The University of Manchester 2009/2010 Edition
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ADVANCING THEMANCHESTER 2015

AGENDA The Strategic Plan of

The University of Manchester

2009/2010 Edition

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CHAIRMAN’SFOREWORDNorman Askew

I am pleased to provide a Foreword for this newversion of The University of Manchester’sStrategic Plan – Advancing the Manchester 2015Agenda. In this reworking of the Strategic Plan,the University’s vision remains unchanged – itaims to make The University of Manchester oneof the top 25 universities in the world by 2015.

The Board of Governors is well aware that thisvision is bold and ambitious. There have beenand continue to be significant challenges to face,but following extensive review of progress since2004, we remain committed to the Vision andbelieve it to be achievable.

This Plan reworks the Manchester 2015 Agenda.It replaces the nine original goals with threeprimary goals and six enabling goals, whichcontribute to the overall Vision, and continues torefine further the measures used to monitorprogress. This is essential. To succeed, theUniversity will have to be innovative in fosteringworld class research, creating exemplary learningopportunities and engaging the wider society,and effective in nurturing the talents of our ownstaff and students. It will also have to ensure thatkey enabling strategies necessary to develop theUniversity’s resource base and improve efficiencyand effectiveness are pursued with equal vigourin a period of public funding austerity. Advancingthe Manchester 2015 Agenda provides aframework for pursuing such goals up to andbeyond 2015.

Clear progress has been made to date but thereis still much to do. The implementation of thePlan will demand energy, commitment, courageand determination from all sections of theUniversity community and from our keypartners and supporters. It will also requiresuperb execution.

The final part of this document outlines thestructures and the processes through which thisPlan will be implemented. These provide a goodexample of the way the University works: thestructures are flat to ensure efficiency andeffectiveness, but responsibilities andaccountabilities are clear.

It is the University’s staff led by the Presidentand Vice-Chancellor who will be responsible forimplementing this Plan, and in this they havethe whole-hearted support of the Board ofGovernors. However, the Board does not losesight of its responsibility to monitor theUniversity’s progress toward meeting itsobjectives, and holding the Executiveaccountable for this.

This is an enormous challenge for us all, but onethat we continue to approach with greatconfidence and enthusiasm.

Norman AskewPro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Board of Governors

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CONTENTS3

Chairman’s Foreword 1Our Values 4Our Vision 4Our Mission 5Introduction 7

Professor Alan Gilbert President and Vice-Chancellor

Goals, Strategies, Targets and 8Key Performance IndicatorsGoal One - Research 8

Goal Two -Higher Learning 10

Goal Three -Social Responsibility 12

Enabling Goals, Strategies, Targets and Key Performance Indicators 14Enabling Goal 1 - Quality People 14

Enabling Goal 2 -A Reputation for Excellence 15

Enabling Goal 3 -Quality Management 16

Enabling Goal 4 -World Class Infrastructure 17

Enabling Goal 5 -Environmental Sustainability 18

Enabling Goal 6 -Internationally Competitive Funding 19

The Planning and Accountability Cycle 20The University and its Responsibilities 20

The Role of the Board of Governors 20

Planning and Resources Committee 20

Management Accountabilities 21

The Planning and Accountability Cycle 21

Planning and Budgeting 22

Annual Performance Reviews 22

Operational Performance Reviews 23

Faculty Operational Performance Reviews 23

The Operational Performance Review of theProfessional Support Services 23

The Operational Performance Review Process 24

Satisfaction Surveys 24

Planning and Accountability Conferences 25

The Advantages of Formal AccountabilityStructures 25

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Academic freedom that allows all staff andstudents to engage in critical inquiry,intellectual discourse and public controversywithout fear or favour;

Exemplary ethical standards in relation to allour activities and objectives;

Institutional autonomy that accepts the needfor accountability to Government and to otherexternal stakeholders, but preserves theacademic self-governance of the University andallows peers in the “invisible academy” ofinternational scholarship to be the final arbitersof academic quality and research excellence;

Equality and diversity as reflected in policies,practices and support systems that encouragetalented people, whatever their background, towork and study at The University of Manchesteron the basis of equality of opportunity;

Engagement with society, reflected in aninstitutional culture and learning environmentsthat encourage all staff and students to engagein the civic life of their own societies and asmembers of the wider human community inbuilding just, inclusive, economically viable andenvironmentally sustainable civil societies;

Sustainability as a principle guiding themanagement and development of the Universitytowards “best practice” in all aspects of energyuse and efficiency, waste management andenvironmental responsibility; and

Collegiality exemplified in policies, practices andan institutional culture that makes the Universitya safe, rewarding workplace in which all staff arerespected for the roles they fulfil, andencouraged and enabled to realise their fullpotential and to add value to the University’score mission.

OURVALUES

We value the idea of our University asa scholarly community committed tothe creation, application andtransmission of knowledge throughopen, disciplined, rational inquiry, anddistinguished by:

As such, Manchester will be:

A people-centred institution that attracts,values and develops as staff and students many ofthe most able people in the world, and providesthem with a richly stimulating intellectualenvironment in which to realise their full potential;

A research-led institution that engages worldclass researchers in a pioneering researchculture that values the creation of knowledgefor its own sake, for enriching higher learningand for the cultural and material benefits itconfers on humankind;

An innovative institution that values,encourages and facilitates the transfer ofknowledge and technology into solutions thatimprove the quality of human life, address issuesof environmental sustainability and promote thedevelopment of the knowledge economy;

A learning institution committed to providing allits students with rich and stimulating learningenvironments supported by relevant, purposefulcurricula, personalised learning experiences andcutting-edge learning technologies;

A meritocratic institution that is open totalented students from all backgrounds, andseeks to remove barriers to their participation inhigher education;

A socially responsible institution that engages,through its education programmes, its research, itswider alumni networks and its internationalpartnerships, in the great challenges facinghumankind in the 21st century;

A Manchester institution committed toenriching the social, economic, cultural andintellectual life of Manchester and the region – yetconscious that the most important thing that theUniversity can do for its City and region is to beinternationally competitive and globally renowned.

OUR VISION

Our Vision is of The University ofManchester as a world renownedinstitution harnessing virtuosity for theenduring benefit of humankind.

What distinguishes this Vision is thestrong emphasis that The University ofManchester places on engaging thewider society across the full range ofits activities.

In Manchester, translational researchand the development and exploitationof intellectual property are not “thirdmission” activities, they are an integralpart of our research agenda, accordedparity of esteem with basic researchand fundamental discovery.

Likewise Manchester’s educationalmission goes well beyond thedevelopment of highly employableprofessionals, vital though that is, andplaces equal emphasis on preparinggraduates to take personalresponsibility, as citizens, for buildingsustainable civil societies in the 21stcentury and addressing the greatsocial and environmental issuesconfronting humankind.

Our idea of a university is of a strong,independent knowledge institutionseeking not only to understand thehuman and natural world, but to bringknowledge and wisdom to bear onsustaining and improving the qualityof life on earth.

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OUR MISSIONTo make The University of Manchester one of the top 25 universities in the world by 2015 and toremain thereafter a world-leader in the quality of the higher education we offer, the excellence andimpact of the research we undertake and the value of the contributions we make to the economic,social and cultural life and environmental sustainability of the wider society.

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INTRODUCTION

The University of Manchester was founded on 1 October 2004 following the dissolution of The Victoria University of Manchester and The University of Manchester Institute of Scienceand Technology (UMIST). Under the provisions of anew Royal Charter, the staff, students, assets,liabilities, obligations and on-going commitmentsof the two legacy institutions were merged toform the largest university in the UK.

This Manchester “merger” was not motivated byperceived benefits of scale, but because it createda once-in-an-institutional-lifetime opportunity tore-think the idea of a major research-led universityin the early 21st century. The founding vision wasof a powerful new institution mobilised aroundthe pursuit of ambitious “step change”improvement, imbued with a determination todevelop virtuosity in all its activities and inspiredby a determination to mobilise the knowledge,talent and achievements of its community in theservice of humanity.

That transformational vision became theManchester 2015 Agenda, a strategic blueprint forrealising the vision and mission of the Universityand positioning it among the top 25 universities inthe world by 2015.

In re-working the Agenda in 2009, we havereplaced the nine original Goals with three primaryGoals and six Enabling Goals. This change doesnot signal any departure from the original 2015Agenda; rather, it recognises that the nine “goals”set out in the 2004 version conflated theUniversity’s three primary goals and the six keystrategies being followed in pursuit of those goals.This new version, Advancing the Manchester 2015Agenda, thus not only looks beyond 2015, but byhighlighting our three primary goals defines moreclearly the kind of university Manchester is strivingto be. It does this by distinguishing clearly betweenthe ends being pursued and the means – set outin the six Enabling Goals – through which theUniversity is pursuing them.

Each primary Goal and each Enabling Goal hasbeen translated into a specific Target linked to anumber of implementation Strategiesaccompanied by Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).Together, these KPIs form a template for theUniversity to use annually in determining itssuccess (or failure) in implementing its strategies.

The University is committed to replicating thissystematic approach to planning and performancereview across its individual Faculties, Schools andProfessional Support Directorates and Offices. Byestablishing goals, targets, strategies and KPIs at alllevels, and ensuring that these are aligned with theoverall 2015 Agenda, the University seeks totranslate its high level institutional aspirations intoa practical, measurable change agenda impactingon all its activities.

The University undertakes a detailed annual “stocktake” of performance against goals, targets,strategies and KPIs at all levels of the organisation.Taken as a whole, annual Stock Take Reports since2005 confirm that the Manchester “merger” hasbeen completed successfully. They also indicatethat the University is achieving, in most areas, thekinds of “step change” transformation requiredfor the success of the Manchester 2015 Agenda.

The journey from 2004 to 2015 is only at the half-way stage, but our performance so far indicatesthe Manchester 2015 Agenda is indeedachievable. Fully implementing it remainsparamount, but we are already beginning to lookbeyond 2015 to the challenges of maintainingstrategic momentum over the longer term.

Over the period since 2004 our externalenvironment has been relatively benign, and thishas allowed the University to focus primarily onthe internal agenda of taking maximum advantageof the opportunities afforded by the Manchester“merger”. The 2008 global financial crisis has nowushered in a far more testing operatingenvironment. During much or all of the nextdecade, the Manchester 2015 Agenda will have tobe pursued amidst public funding austerityreflecting levels of public debt in the UKunprecedented in peacetime. Reductions insupport for both teaching and research havealready been introduced, but the full impact ofpublic sector stringency on the higher educationsector will not begin to be felt until after theGeneral Election likely to be held in 2010.

Ensuring that morale, ambition and strategiccommitment remain high in difficult and uncertaincircumstances, and that the University remainscompetitive, nationally and internationally, will bea major challenge over the next decade.

Through even the most difficult period, however,the University will continue to pursue its Mission ofsecuring a place for Manchester among the top 25universities in the world by 2015. Beyond that2015 planning horizon we are already anticipatingnew challenges and opportunities. This Plan hasbeen shaped by the knowledge that reaching2015 will be an important milestone on acontinuing institutional journey, not in any sensethe culmination of our founding vision.

Professor Alan GilbertPresident and Vice-Chancellor

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Professor Alan GilbertPresident and Vice-Chancellor

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RESEARCH

The University of Manchester is an internationalresearch powerhouse, committed to building aworld-class reputation for the scale and qualityof its research. According to the 2008 ShanghaiJiao Tong Academic Ranking of World Universities,Manchester is 40th in the world and 6th inEurope, up 13 places since 2005. The 2008Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) placedManchester in the top four or five major researchuniversities in the UK.

The University combines breadth in its researchactivity with quality in depth in key areas.RAE2008 highlighted exceptional performancesin a wide range of disciplines across all Faculties.

The University is consistently ranked very highlyfor its intellectual property and commercialisationactivities and in the top three in the UK for thenumber of invention disclosures it makes.

From the outset, the University hasacknowledged the Shanghai Jiao TongAcademic Ranking of World Universities as itspreferred measure of international standing.We will continue to monitor our overallresearch performance using this ranking, whilealso monitoring citation outcomes, usingresearch benchmarking as a basis forcontinuing improvement in researchperformance and valuing the recognition ofindividual researchers reflected in the award ofinternational honours and prizes and/orelection to a major learned academy.

STRATEGIES FORRESEARCH1. To value research virtuosity for its ownsake, placing the very highest value onoutstanding research performance andoutstanding researchers irrespective of thediscipline in which they are located or thescale of the University’s engagement inthe particular field of research in whichthey work.

While understanding the importance of scale,teamwork and inter-disciplinarity in many fieldsof research, the University recognises that itsresearch performance and reputation restsultimately on the excellence of individualresearchers. We will therefore value, nurture andreward outstanding researchers whether or nottheir research activities are associated with theUniversity’s strategies for building concentrationsof research excellence.

2. To invest strategically in building aninternationally recognised research profilearound a number of world-leadingconcentrations of research excellence.

The University of Manchester has beencommitted since its establishment in 2004 todeveloping its research profile around theprinciples of concentration and selectivity. Theseprinciples have informed the establishment ofkey research institutes and the appointment oficonic scholars in areas where world-leadingresearch concentrations seem achievable.

Recognising that it does not have the resourcesto be world-leading across the whole spectrumof its current research activities, the goal hasbeen to develop genuinely world-leadingcapability in a small number of important fieldsof research, while also continuing to supportsmaller concentrations of excellence andoutstanding individual researchers working inother fields.

The University is therefore investing in clusters ofworld-leading activity with a view to establishinggenuine international research leadership in fiveor six research fields, together with the capabilityto contribute to cutting edge researchpartnerships, nationally and internationally, in 20-25 further areas.

Our world leading clusters will have genuinelyglobal visibility as foci of research excellence indepth; will be magnets for internationallyeminent research leaders and brilliant earlycareer researchers alike; will have a sustainedcapacity to command major research fundingand will create the kind of impact on researchthinking around the world that will make thempreferred partners in major academic andcorporate collaborations.

On that basis, Manchester is already world-leading in nuclear science and technology, and isclose to being world-leading in cancer studies,research into global poverty and its amelioration,radio-astronomy, cell matrix biology and keyareas of the social sciences, including socialcapital formation.

GOAL ONE

To make The University of Manchesterone of the 25 strongest researchuniversities in the world by appointingand retaining world-leading researchers,producing research outcomes of thehighest international significance andgiving postgraduate research training,applied and translational research andknowledge transfer activities parity ofesteem with fundamental and curiosity-driven research.

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3. To broaden the range of research fundingsources, especially by placing greateremphasis on European funding and fundingfrom industry sources.

The University expects all research and research-and-teaching staff to undertake externallyfunded research, and is concerned that suchfunding currently is drawn from too few sources.

Accordingly, the University is committed todiversifying its sources of research income. Whilerecognising the importance of growing itsproportionate share of Research Council andHEFCE funding streams, it accepts that animportant indicator of success in the future islikely to be its ability to derive income streamsfrom a broader range of public and privatebodies, particularly from European and industrysources. In relation to the latter, the University ispursuing systematic, mutually-beneficialpartnerships with major national andinternational companies.

4. To ensure that translational research isgiven parity of esteem with basic researchof the highest international standing.

The University of Manchester seeks to leverageits research outputs for the benefit of the widersociety and has a strong track record in thecommercialisation of the intellectual property (IP)it creates.

Pursuant to this commitment, the Universityseeks to promote parity of esteem betweenapplied and basic research, and has developedappointment and promotion criteria accordingly,together with other more direct incentives forcreators of IP to undertake translational research,knowledge transfer and the kind of research-based innovation that leads to positive social,economic and/or cultural outcomes orcontributes directly to wealth creation.

5. To provide world-class postgraduateresearch and training as a vital, integralpart of the overall research activity of the University.

The University is committed to recruitingoutstanding postgraduate research students andto providing them with world-class researchtraining and the opportunity to conduct world-class research. Superb postgraduate research andtraining is a core function of a researchuniversity, both in contributing to presentresearch excellence and as an investment infuture success.

ANNUAL KEYPERFORMANCEINDICATORS (KPIs) In monitoring progress towards itsGoal One Target, the University willuse the following KPIs:

KPI 1.1 Annual improvement in ShanghaiJiao Tong “Academic Ranking of WorldUniversities”, 2009-15.

KPI 1.2 Annual improvement in the meancitation impact of research publicationsproduced in the University.

KPI 1.3 Annual improvement in researchgrant and contract income per academicstaff FTE relative to UK benchmarkuniversities.

KPI 1.4 Annual growth in postgraduateresearch student enrolment andimprovement in completion rates relative tonorms of UK benchmark universities.

KPI 1.5 Continuous improvement in totalthird party investment in Universityintellectual property as measured through athree-year rolling average.

TARGET By 2015, to be ranked in the top 25research universities in the world inthe Shanghai Jiao Tong AcademicRanking of World Universities.

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell FRS, DeputyPresident and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, hasoverall strategic leadership for the researchagenda within the University.

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The University of Manchester accords its role as aprovider of higher learning the same unqualifiedpriority that it brings to its role as a leadinginternational research university. The Universityalso accepts a major on-going responsibility toprepare generations of outstanding students notonly to be internationally mobile professionals ofthe highest quality, but also to serve as informed,thoughtful, globally responsible citizens.

With its large student population, the Universityrecognises that achieving this Goal is a majorchallenge. An Undergraduate Education Review,initiated in 2007-08, committed the University tomaking Manchester a distinctive centre of higherlearning able to attract outstanding students andprovide them with a world-class learningexperience founded on outstanding teaching,personalised, richly-interactive learningenvironments, purposeful curricula offering abroad, liberal educational experience alongsideexcellent professional education, superb libraries,classrooms, laboratories, lecture facilities andinformal learning spaces and access to cutting-edge on-line learning environments.

The University recognises that students must befully engaged in this planned transformation ofundergraduate education, and that they will bethe primary judges of its success. The Universityis therefore committed to listening to its studentsand providing them with opportunities to providetimely and systematic feedback on the quality ofthe higher education that they receive.

STRATEGIES FOR HIGHERLEARNING1. To embed the “Purposes of a ManchesterEducation” in all programmes and tointroduce a broad-based curriculum whichallows all undergraduate students todevelop non-discipline specific skills.

The University has adopted a formal Statementof the “Purposes of a Manchester Education” toinform curriculum development, delivery andassessment across all its undergraduateprogrammes. This purposeful approach isdesigned to ensure that all Manchester graduatesleave the University with advanced criticalthinking and higher order conceptual reasoningand analytical skills; mastery of a discipline;broad intellectual and cultural interests; a soundpreparation for professional and vocational workin a particular area; an informed basis uponwhich to develop personal values and makeethical judgements; awareness of the challengesof citizenship and leadership in diverse, globalenvironments; advanced skills of written andverbal communication and a personalcommitment to equality and diversity. TheUniversity is committed to providing aninternational learning environment for all itsstudents and, where appropriate, incorporatingan international dimension in all its curricula,including the opportunity for study abroad.

The University is also committed to providing itsstudents with the opportunity to develop keyemployability skills central to their future success.This includes increasing student access to theeducational experience currently provided by itsManchester Leadership Programme, whichprovides opportunities for students to combineformal leadership and enterprise skills trainingwith community work.

By 2011, all graduates will be given a HigherEducation Achievement Record (HEAR) indicatingthe full range of professional and personalcompetencies acquired whilst at the University.

2. To ensure that all students have a highquality personalised learning experienceand frequent personal contact withacademic staff.

The University is committed to providingManchester students with a personalisededucational experience in which learning isinteractive rather than passive and individualstudents have frequent, meaningful opportunitiesto engage personally with teachers, mentors andadvisors, formally and informally. The University istherefore committed to streamlining itscurriculum to allow more resources to beinvested in the provision of a high-quality,personalised learning experience. As well asemphasising personalised support from lecturers,tutors, mentors and/or advisors, the University isalso encouraging increasing use of Peer AssistedStudy Sessions (PASS).

3. To pursue exemplary fair access andadmissions processes to identify and attractthe very best students to Manchester,regardless of background.

The University seeks to attract the very beststudents, regardless of background, and iscommitted to exemplary fair access andadmissions processes designed to identifyexceptional national and international students,including those with disabilities or fromeducationally disadvantaged backgrounds. TheUniversity also recognises that fair and meritocraticadmissions policies need to be underpinned bygenerous, merit-based and needs-focused bursaryand scholarship programmes.

To provide superb higher education tooutstanding students from allbackgrounds and to produce graduatesdistinguished around the world for theirprofessional employability, leadershipqualities and broad liberal education.

HIGHER LEARNING

GOAL TWO

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4. To engage students at School, Facultyand University levels in the regularevaluation of all aspects of their Manchestereducational experience.

The University regards student feedback as a keymechanism for ensuring the development of aquality learning experience, and places a highpriority on facilitating systematic feedback atprogramme, discipline, School, Faculty andinstitutional level as well as encouraging electedstudent representatives to play a role in theoversight of all educational programmes. At aninstitutional level, great attention is paid to thefindings of internal Unit Satisfaction Surveys andto the results of the annual National StudentSurvey for final year undergraduates.

5. To place Manchester in the vanguardinternationally in the use of on-line learningenvironments.

The University is committed to enrichingteaching and learning through the provision ofhighly interactive on-line learning materials andsophisticated learning environments providingfor personal interactions between staff andstudents and with fellow students. The primaryaim is to enrich campus-based learning throughthe development of high-quality interactivelearning resources, but the University alsorecognises the importance of developing itsglobal profile through world-class on-line off-campus learning programmes. The Universityhas already made significant progress inimplementing Blackboard Vista as its VirtualLearning Environment (VLE) platform and placeshigh priority on the need to ensure that its fullpedagogical potential is exploited.

6. In consultation with students, to improvethe quality, range and responsiveness ofstudent support services and facilities

The University is committed to providing studentswith excellent student support services and toenhancing an already impressive range ofstudent facilities extending from an outstandingLibrary, which offers seamless use of anoutstanding array of electronic, print andmanuscript resources, and the significantcollections of the Manchester Museum andWhitworth Art Gallery, to some of the bestrecreational and sporting facilities in the country.Among its capital planning priorities is acommitment to augment the learningenvironment by developing a state-of-the-art“Learning Commons” over the next two years.

7. Encouraging and rewarding excellence,innovation and creativity in teaching andlearning and in supporting the studentexperience.

The University is committed to employment andpromotion policies and procedures that value,support and reward excellent teachers. It alsovalues highly all other staff engaged inenhancing the quality of the Manchesterstudent experience.

ANNUAL KEYPERFORMANCEINDICATORS (KPIs) In monitoring progress towards itsGoal Two Target, the University willuse the following KPIs:

KPI 2.1 Annual improvement in overallstudent satisfaction as measured by theNSS and the University’s internal UnitSatisfaction Surveys.

KPI 2.2 Annual improvements in studentretention and progression rates.

KPI 2.3 Annual improvement in rankingamong Russell Group universities in termsof graduate employment outcomes.

KPI 2.4 Annual improvement in studentsatisfaction with the quality of learningmaterials and student support provided on-line by the University.

KPI 2.5 Survey by survey increases in thenumber of students confirming that theyhave received at least weekly contact fromtheir Academic Advisor/mentor/tutoroutside formal lectures and tutorials.

Professor Colin Stirling, Vice-President forTeaching and Learning, is focusing on qualityassurance and improvement in teaching andlearning and also plays an important role inthe enhancement of the student experience.

TARGET To be ranked in the top 10 of RussellGroup universities by 2012 and the topfour by 2015 in terms of overallsatisfaction as measured by theNational Student Survey.

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SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

GOAL THREE

The University of Manchester is committed tothe idea of a 21st century university as a keyinternational institution with responsibilitiesgoing well beyond fundamental andtranslational research and the training of superbprofessional graduates.

The University understands that the greatchallenges facing contemporary societies will beresolved, if at all, only by further advances inhuman knowledge, and believes that the keydecision-makers in 21st century societies will behighly educated citizens able to make informedjudgements about complex issues.

Accordingly, as a major knowledge institution,the University accepts that it has an importantcontribution to make to the sustainability ofeconomic systems, civil societies and the naturalenvironment in the 21st century.

The University sees applied research, theexploitation of intellectual property and publicengagement as integral to its research mission -not as “third mission” activities. But it acceptsas a major “third mission” responsibility, anobligation to ensure that its graduates areinformed, ethically aware, socially responsiblecitizens, capable of thinking globally andequipped to assist in the creation andmaintenance of just, prosperous, sustainablecivil societies.

The University accepts a special responsibility forthe development and wellbeing of the City ofManchester, the Greater Manchester region,England’s North West and the UK more generally,but has no doubt that the greatest contributionit can make to these local, regional and nationalconstituencies is to secure and retain a placeamong the great research and teachinguniversities of the world.

STRATEGIES FOR SOCIALRESPONSIBILITY1. To encourage members of the Universitycommunity to bring advanced knowledgeand expertise to bear on public discourse,policy-development and the formation ofpublic attitudes, values and understanding.

The University seeks to encourage and empowerstaff, students and graduates to expressinformed opinions on matters of public interestwithout fear or favour.

2. To provide alumni with opportunities to support the University’s priorities forsocial responsibility.

The University sees lifelong partnerships betweenuniversities and their graduates as a potentiallytransformational means of exercising influenceand leadership in 21st century societies, andseeks to mobilise its international network ofalumni (currently embracing more than 233,000graduates) around the great global challengesfacing humanity.

3. To ensure that a Manchesterundergraduate education challengesstudents to develop strong personal value-systems and to accept responsibility forserving the wider community.

The University attaches great importance toproviding as many students as possible withopportunities to engage in supervised voluntarywork of benefit to their local communities, andsees volunteering as an integral part of itsManchester Leadership Programme.

Through its Brooks World Poverty Institute, theUniversity is committed, nationally andinternationally, to understanding and tackling thecauses of poverty, and to offering high leveltraining and skills development for professionalsand volunteers engaged in tackling poverty andsocial disadvantage.

More broadly, the University strives to promotesocial responsibility as a lifelong commitmentamong its staff and students, and to providethem with opportunities to gain experiencethrough local social programmes and initiatives.

4. To champion equality and diversity in all its activities and to promote educationaland employment opportunities both in itsimmediate neighbourhood and in the wider world.

The University strives to be exemplary inmanaging equality and diversity issues among itsown staff.

Within Greater Manchester, it is committed tobroadening educational opportunities for localschool children at both primary and secondarylevels, and to providing skills training for theunemployed in adjoining communities, togetherwith practical job creation schemes.

An important international dimension of theUniversity’s social responsibility agenda is itsEquity and Merit Scholarships programme,through which it invests jointly with alumni inassisting talented students from disadvantagedbackgrounds in developing countries to accesshigher educational opportunities.

To make the University a force forgood, locally, nationally andinternationally, by bringing knowledgeto bear on the great issues facing theworld in the 21st century, and byproducing graduates prepared toexercise social leadership andenvironmental responsibility.

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5. To advance public engagement withscience, technology and the human heritagemore generally.

The University is committed to raising awarenessof the benefits of higher education throughoutreach activities that engage primary andsecondary pupils and their teachers and parents,and assist further education students wishing toprogress to university.

The University also accepts an importantresponsibility for enriching the cultural lives andscientific understanding of its local community. Inpartnership with a number of other universities,it secured “Beacon of Public Engagement” statusin 2008, and attaches significant priority to thework of its Manchester Museum, Whitworth ArtGallery, John Rylands Library, Deansgate, andJodrell Bank Observatory in engaging withschoolchildren and people from under-represented groups.

6. To work closely with City authorities andother local organisations to support thesocial, economic and cultural developmentof Greater Manchester.

The University recognises that the success ofGreater Manchester as a major city region is vitalto the University’s own chances of realising itsambitions to be a world-leading institution ofhigher education. It is committed to workingwith City authorities to enhance the standing ofManchester as a dynamic node in the globalknowledge economy.

As well as tackling social and educationaldisadvantage in its immediate neighbourhood,the University is a magnet for highly talented andinternationally mobile “knowledge workers” anda matrix from which intellectual property iscreated and small high-tech companies emerge.

Located in “The Corridor, Manchester”, a majorcluster of educational, medical and high-techindustrial enterprises, the University is workingwith its precinct partners to improve theinfrastructure, public realm and overall amenityof the precinct.

TARGETBy 2015, to be securing at least 100,000hours of student volunteering perannum primarily to assist localcommunities; at least a million visitsper annum by members of the widercommunity to the University; and atleast 750 Equity and Merit Scholarships

ANNUAL KEYPERFORMANCEINDICATORS (KPIs) In monitoring progress towards itsGoal Three Target, the University willuse the following KPIs:

KPI 3.1 Annual increases in the proportionof black and minority ethnic (BME) staff inthe University’s staff profile, and in theproportion of women in academic positionsat the level of Reader and above.

KPI 3.2 Formal annual assurance from theAssociate Vice-President (Equality andDiversity) that staff and students withdisabilities are being properly supportedand provided for as evidenced by usersatisfaction surveys.

KPI 3.3 Annual increases of ten per centover the period 2009-15 in the number ofstudents engaged in supervised volunteeringthrough the Manchester LeadershipProgramme or other programmes.

KPI 3.4 Annual increases in the number ofManchester Equity and Merit Scholarshipsawarded to support the education oftalented students from disadvantagedbackgrounds in some of the world’spoorest countries.

KPI 3.5 Annual growth in the numbers ofexternal visitors to the ManchesterMuseum, the Whitworth Gallery, the JohnRylands Library, Deansgate, and the JodrellBank Observatory, together withattendances at University-sponsored publiclectures and cultural events.

Professor Rod Coombs, Vice-President forInnovation and Economic Development, isleading the way for the University to unlockmaximum technological potential from itsresearch, providing great benefits forsociety and for the staff who create theIntellectual Property.

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The University’s most precious asset is the peoplethat it employs. The support and engagement ofstaff are also vital for the delivery of all the goalsoutlined in this plan.

The University is committed to attracting,retaining and developing the best people andhas prepared a comprehensive People andOrganisational Strategy which contains thefollowing commitments:

STRATEGIESThe University is committed to:

1. Appointing quality peopleThe University is committed to recruitmentpolicies and processes designed to secureacademic and support staff of the highestcalibre. It seeks to make academic appointmentsto people who are producing - or have thepotential to produce - internationally significantresearch outputs and/or high quality scholarlyteaching. Equally, it seeks to ensure that itsprofessional support staff are outstanding in theirareas of responsibility.

Accordingly, in making appointments, theUniversity operates consistently on the principlethat, wherever possible, it is better to leave a position unfilled than to appoint a sub-optimal candidate.

2. Practising equality of opportunity andvaluing diversityThe University will pursue policies and practicesthat ensure equality and diversity in theworkplace, and is committed to the ideal of aUniversity workforce that mirrors the social,ethnic, disability and gender make-up of thewider society.

3. Rewarding, supporting and developingquality peopleThe University encourages and assists staff toachieve their full potential by recognising andrewarding excellence and by providing all staffwith systematic feedback on their performanceand opportunities for improving their skills and expertise.

4. Empowering quality peopleThe University, as a collegial community, seeks toengage effectively with its employees, bothinformally and through structured channels ofcommunication. It is committed to conductingmeaningful staff satisfaction surveys andresponding constructively to feedback.

ANNUAL KEYPERFORMANCEINDICATORS (KPIs) In monitoring progress towards thisTarget, the University will use thefollowing KPIs:

KPI 1.i The continuing appointment ofvirtuoso scholars, including theappointment of a further Nobel Laureate orequivalent by 31 December 2010, ideallyon a full-time basis.

KPI 1.ii Annual increase in the proportionof core academic staff classified on thebasis of internal research profiling as world-leading and/or internationally significantresearchers.

KPI 1.iii Annual increases over the period2009-15 in the proportion of all academicpromotions being made primarily on thebasis of teaching excellence.

KPI 1.iv Annual improvement over theperiod 2009-15 in the proportion of staffhaving undertaken professional trainingand development programmes.

TARGET By 2015, to have secured substantialimprovement in the quality of theUniversity’s workforce and theeffectiveness of its employmentpractices as exemplified by:

• the presence of at least five NobelLaureates (or scholars of equivalentstanding in disciplines in whichNobel Prizes are not awarded) on theUniversity’s staff, at least two ofwhom are full-time employees;

• at least 80% of academic andresearch staff being categorised onthe basis of external peer review asbeing world-leading orinternationally significantresearchers; and

• at least 80% of staff being satisfiedwith their job at The University ofManchester.

QUALITY PEOPLE

ENABLING GOAL 1

To be an exemplary employersuccessful in recruiting, developingand retaining outstanding people.

Nobel Laureate Professor Joseph E. Stiglitz (belowleft) chairs the University’s Brooks World PovertyInstitute. Nobel Laureate Professor Sir John Sulston(below right) chairs the University’s Institute forScience, Ethics and Innovation.

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To strengthen the power of “Manchester” as ahigher education brand, nationally andinternationally, by engaging and mobilisingstaff, students, alumni and other keystakeholders around the aspirations andachievements of the Manchester 2015 Agenda.

Premier international universities have potentreputations that make them destinations ofpreference for many of the best students,teachers, scholars and researchers in the world.They are iconic institutions. Their “brands” aresynonymous with excellence; their leadingscholars are high profile public intellectuals; theyare centres of artistic and aesthetic virtuosity;and for their graduates, their names andreputations open doors to the world’s mostprestigious workplaces.

A reputation has to be substantiated bymatching achievements. While performance isparamount, strong universities, like other qualityinstitutions, should take care to shape, protectand enhance their reputations. In seeking tobuild the reputation of the University and tofurther its primary goals, “Manchester” isconsciously seeking to position itself in the mindsof influential internal and external stakeholdersas a powerful, innovative and aspirationalresearch and teaching university.

STRATEGIESThe University is committed to:

1. Maintaining clarity of purposeReputation and “brand strength” are builtaround clear, consistent, powerful messagesabout quality, purpose and competitiveness.Since 2004, Manchester has sought to positionitself as an innovative institution that knowsclearly what it wants to achieve.

We will maintain such clarity of purpose, leavingourselves and others in no doubt about what wevalue, what our priorities are and how we aretrying to realise our aspirations, even if by sodoing we make it easier for critics to highlightour failures. Indeed, we value a reputation as aninstitution that acknowledges failures and seeksto learn from them.

2. Mobilising our Collegial Community We recognise that effective communication startswithin the University, and that our staff andstudents are the most powerful ambassadors forthe University brand. Accordingly, internalcommunication and collegial engagement are

given high priority. We are committed to keepingthe campus community informed in a timelymanner about issues affecting the University, andproviding staff and students with meaningfulopportunities for engagement. The aim is toprepare all members of the University communityto be informed, enthusiastic advocates of thevision, mission, values and goals that drive theManchester 2015 Agenda.

3. Engaging our Alumni The University has more than 233,000 graduatesaround the world, many with the potential tobecome powerful and influential advocates andsupporters of our Agenda. In engaging alumniand benefactors, we will give priority tostrengthening the University’s internationalstanding as a strong, innovative, sociallyresponsible institution. We will seek to engagealumni as partners in global social responsibilityby encouraging them to contribute personally ascitizens, not just financially as donors, to thetackling of major global challenges.

4. Communicating professionally withexternal stakeholdersThe University will use a range of strategies andmedia to promote understanding of and supportfor its Agenda, including printed publications,the internet, public lectures and briefings andpro-active Media and Public Relations. We willconsciously manage the Manchester brand byensuring that information is prepared, targetedand delivered as effectively as possible.

5. Engaging with policy makers, opinionformers and appropriate partnersThe University will identify, prioritise andsystematically engage with external stakeholdersand policy makers, including key opinion leaders,Government Ministers, politicians, civil servantsand other decision-makers, locally, nationally andinternationally, whose views and/or responsibilitiesmay impact on the reputation and developmentof the University. We will focus institutionalpartnerships and collaborations where we havegood strategic reasons to invest time, effort andfinancial resources, and we will seek to avoidengagements that, for whatever reason, maycompromise Manchester‘s reputation.

ENABLING GOAL 2

A REPUTATION FOR EXCELLENCE

ANNUAL KEYPERFORMANCEINDICATORS (KPIs) In monitoring progress towards thisTarget, the University will use thefollowing KPIs:

KPI 2.i Survey-by-survey increases in theproportion of respondents to theUniversity’s Staff Satisfaction Surveyreporting support for the Manchester 2015 Agenda.

KPI 2.ii Annual growth in the numbers ofalumni attending functions and engaging inthe on-line alumni community worldwide.

KPI 2.iii A growing proportion ofrespondents to the University’s regularExternal Stakeholder Survey expressingunderstanding of and support for the 2015 Agenda.

KPI 2.iv Annual growth in volume ofpositive media coverage of the Universitymeasured by professional monitoringprocedures.

TARGET By 2015, 80% of those responding toour External Stakeholder Survey tobelieve that the University is rankedamong the top 25 research universitiesin the world.

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To adopt the highest professionalstandards in managing our people,assets and financial resources and inpursuing continuous qualityimprovement.

The University of Manchester is committed tomanaging its people, assets and financialresources on a disciplined basis that bothensures financial sustainability and allowssubstantial, continuing investment in theUniversity’s strategic goals.

STRATEGIES In managing its people, assets and resources, theUniversity is committed to:

1. Planning effectivelyThe University is committed to a structuredapproach to planning that is based on clearpolicies and procedures and efficient short,medium and long-term planning processes, andis sufficiently flexible to allow for rapid re-planning if and when circumstances change.Accordingly, we maintain strategic andoperational plans at all levels and adopt arigorous, annual Planning and AccountabilityCycle to ensure that meaningful reporting ofperformance against plan can be providedannually to the Board of Governors.

2. Pursuing continuous improvement The University seeks to embed a culture ofcontinuous improvement in all its managementsystems and processes, and to measure suchimprovement through accurate benchmarkingand gap analysis against appropriate nationaland international comparator institutions.

3. Emphasising financial responsibilityThe University requires all budget holdersconsistently to deliver financial outcomes withinor better than budget, to manage resourcesprudently and efficiently, to contribute, wherepossible, to revenue growth, and to understandand implement financial management instrategic terms.

4. Requiring accountabilityThe University requires all managers andsupervisors to accept a binding personalresponsibility for meeting all their complianceand/or reporting obligations, particularly thoserelating to health and safety, risk managementand legal and regulatory compliance. TheUniversity attaches the highest possible priorityto managing financial resources and capitalassets efficiently and effectively, achieving valuefor money from public funds, and to regular,systematic accountability to the Board ofGovernors through the Board’s Finance, Audit,and Risk Committees.

ENABLING GOAL 3

QUALITY MANAGEMENT

ANNUAL KEYPERFORMANCEINDICATORS (KPIs) In monitoring progress towards thisTarget, the University will use thefollowing KPIs:

KPI 3.i Continuous improvement in levels ofstaff satisfaction with line management asindicated in the University’s StaffSatisfaction Surveys.

KPI 3.ii Annual success in achievingtargeted budget surpluses.

KPI 3.iii Year–on-year increases in operatingcash generated as measured in the end ofyear accounts.

KPI 3.iv Annual reduction in the overall“cost of administration” as a proportion ofrecurrent expenditure.

TARGETYear on year increases in operatingsurpluses as a percentage of totalincome between 2010 and 2015,reaching a target of four per cent by 2015.

The four Vice-Presidents and Deans and theRegistrar and Secretary (clockwise from left):Professor Alistair Ulph, Faculty of Humanities;Professor Colin Bailey (Acting Vice-President andDean), Faculty of Engineering and PhysicalSciences; Professor Martin Humphries, Faculty ofLife Sciences; Professor Alan North, Faculty ofMedical and Human Sciences; Albert McMenemy,Registrar and Secretary.

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To develop and maintain a world classcampus, with buildings, infrastructure,equipment and estates supportservices that are fit-for-purpose in aworld-leading university.

The University’s asset base is valued at £4 billionincluding a number of iconic buildings andcollections. The University see the creation of aworld-class campus, including high qualitybuildings, its world-class Library and cutting edgeresearch, educational and Information andCommunication Technology infrastructure, as avital element in the Manchester 2015 Agenda.

Accordingly, the buildings and infrastructure ofthe University have been transformed since2004, with capital developments totalling morethan £400 million being completed on time andwithin budget. There has also been significantinvestment in IT infrastructure to ensure that itis fit-for-purpose to support the needs ofresearch, teaching and learning, andprofessional support services.

While the final phase of an ambitious capitalprogramme remains to be completed, theUniversity is also facing the continuing challengeof ensuring that high quality estate andinfrastructure are fully maintained and that thecompetitiveness of our research facilities,equipment and infrastructure is not compromised.

STRATEGIESIn investing in its estate and infrastructure, theUniversity is committed to:

1. Building and maintaining a world classcampus The University will develop and maintain itsbuildings and campuses at a level of excellenceand fitness-for-purpose that fully matches andfacilitates our determination to be one of thefinest universities in the world,

2. Contributing to a major knowledgeprecinctThe University will work in partnership with theCity of Manchester, the Central ManchesterUniversity Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust andManchester Metropolitan University to enhancethe attractiveness and amenity of “The Corridor,Manchester” as a major knowledge precinct.

3. Enhancing the student experienceAs well as building and up-grading teachingspaces to provide the amenity and technologicalcapability required for contemporary higherlearning, the University will develop a newworld-class “Learning Commons” that placesstudents at the heart of the learning experience,and maintain excellent catering, recreational andsports facilities. In partnership, whereappropriate, with private providers, the Universitywill also seek to ensure that all students haveaccess to good, custom-built residentialaccommodation.

4. Facilitating public engagement The University will continue to encourage and, asappropriate, invest in its major cultural assets,including the John Rylands Library, Deansgate,the Manchester Museum, the Whitworth ArtGallery and the Jodrell Bank Observatory, to helpeach reach its full potential for engaging thewider public in the scientific, technological andcultural development of the modern world.

ANNUAL KEYPERFORMANCEINDICATORS (KPIs) In monitoring progress towards thisTarget, the University will use thefollowing KPIs:

KPI 4.i All capital projects to be completedon time and within budget.

KPI 4.ii Survey by survey improvement inlevels of student satisfaction with theUniversity’s facilities and infrastructure.

KPI 4.iii Survey-by-survey improvement in levels of staff satisfaction with theoverall environment.

KPI 4.iv The proportion of non-residentialbuildings defined as being in goodcondition and the proportion with good orexcellent functional suitability as defined bythe Estates Management Statistics Service(EMS) Definition D20a and D21.

TARGET To have world class environments,facilities and equipment for all staffand students by 2015.

ENABLING GOAL 4

WORLD CLASSINFRASTRUCTURE

University Place (below) is the University’s £65 millionflagship building on Oxford Road. It houses a state-of-the-art 1,000 seat lecture theatre, a Visitor Centreand a number of student support functions.

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ENABLING GOAL 5

ENVIRONMENTALSUSTAINABILITY

To make environmental sustainabilitya key priority in the managementand development of the University.

The University has one of the UK’s largestcommunities of researchers with interests insustainability and the environment, and hostsan extensive, research-led portfolio ofsustainable development and environment-related programmes.

As a large organisation placing great emphasison social responsibility, the University iscommitted to meeting the highest possiblestandards of environmental sustainability in allits activities.

The ten-point Talloires Declaration commitssignatories to increase awareness ofenvironmentally sustainable development; createan institutional culture of sustainability; educatefor environmentally responsible citizenship; fosterenvironmental literacy for all; practice institutionalecology; involve all stakeholders; collaborate forinterdisciplinary approaches; enhance capacity forprimary and secondary schools; broaden serviceand outreach nationally and internationally;maintain the movement.

As a signatory to the Talloires Declaration, theUniversity is also committed to embedding theconcept of sustainable development in all aspectsof education, research and engagement with thewider economy and society and, whereverpossible, will seek to influence local, national andinternational debate and policies on sustainabledevelopment.

STRATEGIESThe UK Government’s Committee on ClimateChange has recommended a national reductionof greenhouse gas emissions of at least 34 percent by 2020, against a 1990 baseline. In supportof that and other environmentally responsibletargets, the University is committed to:

1. Choosing energy options responsiblyAs a major user of energy, the University willseek to ensure that its heating, lighting andother power requirements are met throughenvironmentally sustainable options, will keepunder regular review the extent to whichcurrent arrangements reflect best-practice andwill plan infrastructure investments around lowcarbon solutions.

2. Using energy responsiblyThe University will encourage and reward energyefficiency by measuring energy usage building bybuilding and, where possible, back-chargingenergy costs to users.

3. Managing disposal prudentlyThe University is encouraging and assisting staffand students to reduce, reuse and recycle wasteand is committed to best-practice standards ofwaste management.

4. Valuing sustainability in procurementThe University is committed to evaluating energyefficiency and taking account of on-going energycosts as important considerations in allprocurement decisions.

5. Facilitating sustainable travel practicesThe University will seek systematically to reduceits carbon footprint by encouraging publictransport options for travel to work and study bymembers of the University community, and bydiscouraging unnecessary national andinternational travel by staff on University business.

6. Exploiting in-house expertiseThe University will seek to draw on its veryconsiderable in-house research and teachingexpertise on issues relating to climate change,energy efficiency and environmentalsustainability, to contribute to national andinternational understanding of these issues, toeducate current students, regardless of theirdiscipline, and to inform and guide the Universityin its own internal management of itsenvironmental responsibilities.

ANNUAL KEYPERFORMANCEINDICATORS (KPIs) In monitoring progress towards thisTarget, the University will use thefollowing KPIs:

KPI 5.i Annual reduction of the University’sabsolute carbon footprint by at least threeper cent per annum, 2009-20.

KPI 5.ii Annual reductions in carbonemissions from energy consumption.

KPI 5.iii Annual increases in the percentageof total waste sent for recycling.

KPI 5.iv Reduction in utilities consumptionof five per cent per annum between 2009-15.

TARGETReduction of the University’s absolutecarbon footprint by at least 40% by 2020.

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ENABLING GOAL 6

INTERNATIONALLYCOMPETITIVEFUNDING

To provide The University ofManchester with a resource baseconsistent with its aspirations as one ofthe leading 25 universities in the world.

The University is committed to acquiring therecurrent and capital resources necessary tocompete at higher education’s highestinternational level. As the University looksforward to advancing its 2015 Agenda into the2020s, perhaps the greatest competitivedisadvantage it will face is a resource base thatcurrently falls well short of that available to theworld’s leading research-intensive universities.

This major resource challenge will be exacerbatedover the next decade by the likelihood of aprolonged period of public funding austerity in theUK driven by unprecedented levels of public debt.

As a result, the need to diversify and expandfunding from non-Government sources is a matterof increasing urgency, not only as a means ofsecuring longer term international competitivenessbut also as a more immediate response todomestic pressures on public spending.

STRATEGIESTo build an internationally competitive resourcebase the University is:

1. Giving priority to generating non-Government revenue growthWhile accepting the importance of reducingcosts and seeking expenditure efficiencies, theUniversity recognises that its primary strategy forimproving its financial competitiveness must besignificantly to increase its revenue streams inways that will generate surpluses for investmentin its strategic agenda.

2. Increasing research funding frominternational agencies The University will give priority to developing theexpertise and networks required to increase theproportion of the University’s research incomederived from international sources, includingEuropean programme and research funding.

3. Emphasising growth in international fee-paying student numbersWith little likelihood of growth in home studentssupported by HEFCE, coupled with thedemographic reality of a 10 per cent decline overthe next few years in the UK population cohortaged 16-21 years, the University will give priorityto expanding its international fee-based

enrolments as rapidly as the supply of eligibleapplicants permits, and will do everythingpossible to maximise growth in this area.

4. Diversifying the provision of other fee-based educational servicesIn seeking ways to leverage its infrastructure andexpertise to generate surpluses, the Universitywill also give the highest possible priority toexpanding high quality: i) PGT programmes, ii)Executive Education and CPD programmes, andiii) On-line, globally scaleable programmes(including both PGT and Executive Education andCPD) in niche areas where the University hassignificant competitive advantages.

5. Supporting the commercialisation ofIntellectual Property (IP)While not regarding revenue generation as theprimary motivation behind knowledge andtechnology transfer activities, IP licensing or thecreation of “spin-out” companies, the Universityexpects that the commercialisation of IP will insome instances lead to significant licensing incomeand/or income from the sale of equity in companiesowned wholly or partly by the University.

6. Developing substantial fundraisingactivitiesThe University recognises that income from fund-raising activities, even if it grows at a veryconsiderable rate, is unlikely to reach volume levelssufficient to have a strategically significant impacton our resource base over the next decade.

Nevertheless, the University is already giving highpriority to fund-raising because it is crucial tobegin building lifelong relationships with recentgraduates now as a basis for high volume fund-raising activities in decades to come, and because,irrespective of the actual volume of funds raised,fund-raising activities are a powerful means ofengaging alumni and other stakeholders in ourwider social responsibility agenda.

7. Being businesslikeIn evaluating opportunities for revenuegeneration, the University will be scrupulouslybusinesslike, requiring fully-costed business plansbefore approving entrepreneurial activities, andidentifying and concentrating especially onstrategies promising optimal long-term growthprospects, profit-margins and scalability.

ANNUAL KEYPERFORMANCEINDICATORS (KPIs) In monitoring progress towards thisTarget, the University will use thefollowing KPIs, some of which arebased on comparisons betweenManchester and a selected group ofinternational benchmark institutions1.

KPI 6.i Annual improvement in a) theUniversity’s research unit-of-resource peracademic staff FTE and b) the University’steaching resource per student FTE, relativeto our benchmarking comparators.

KPI 6.ii Growth of ten per cent per annumover the period 2009-15 in income fromfees for fee-based educational services(including Executive Education and CPDprogrammes, and income frominternational fee-based enrolments in on-campus programmes).

KPI 6.iii Growth of 20% per annum overthe period 2009-15 in income fromprogrammes delivered wholly on-line tooff-campus students.

KPI 6.iv Growth of 20% per annum inincome from donations and bequests.1The University undertakes systematicbenchmarking against the following comparatorinstitutions: The National University of Singapore,Seoul National University, The University of BritishColumbia, The University of California Berkeley,University College London (UCL); The University ofCopenhagen, The University of Michigan and TheUniversity of Wisconsin Madison.

TARGET To grow income from non-governmentsources in absolute terms by at leastten per cent per annum.

Encouraging technology transfer through licencingand ‘spin-out’ companies such as Renovo, establishedby Professor Mark Ferguson to build on his pioneeringUniversity research into wound-healing.

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The preceding sections of this document have setout the University's Core Goals and EnablingGoals, described the tactics through which theUniversity will pursue them and identified the keytargets and performance indicators against whichprogress can be measured. This section focuseson the principles, processes and structuresthrough which performance against these Goalsand Enabling Goals is evaluated and measured.

THE UNIVERSITY AND ITSRESPONSIBILITIESA university is an institution with fundamentalresponsibilities to a range of stakeholders,internal and external. In an immediate sense, itscurrent students and staff are its primarystakeholders. More broadly, however, auniversity is responsible to its graduates formaintaining the quality and reputation of itsawards, to the employers of its graduates forcontinuing to produce high quality professionalemployees, to those who fund it for theefficient, effective use of its resources, as well asto future generations for maintaining theintegrity of the University as a key cultural andresearch institution and as a repository ofknowledge, scholarship and higher learning.

As a major educational institution employingthousands of staff and teaching many thousandsof students on its campus, The University ofManchester also exercises a range of moreroutine responsibilities for such things asoccupational health and safety, goodemployment practices, sound financialmanagement, awareness of social andenvironmental obligations and for maintaining anamenable institutional community.

Pursuant to these responsibilities, TheUniversity of Manchester is committed todeveloping and maintaining governance andmanagement practices that promote excellenceand facilitate the discharge of accountabilityand compliance obligations.

The University has therefore established formalaccountability arrangements designed to ensure(i) that its Board of Governors receives in a fulland timely manner all the information it requiresto discharge its wide-ranging governanceresponsibilities, and (ii) that all internal andexternal stakeholders have opportunities toremain fully informed about and engaged in thelife of the University.

These accountability arrangements are outlinedin the following sections of Advancing theManchester 2015 Agenda, and are knowncollectively as the University’s Planning andAccountability Cycle.

THE ROLE OF THE BOARDOF GOVERNORSThe governance-management relationship in TheUniversity of Manchester operates within a legaland regulatory framework of authority,responsibility and accountability. The University ofManchester’s Board of Governors is constitutedas a non-executive body to exercise ultimateresponsibility for all the operations and activitiesof the institution. It oversees the proper conductof the University’s business, and holds thePresident and Vice-Chancellor and, through thePresident and Vice-Chancellor, other seniormanagers, responsible for:

• managing the University’s academic andresearch activities in collaboration with the Senate;

• appointing, developing, promoting andrewarding staff;

• creating and maintaining a safe, supportive,high quality environment for the Universitycommunity;

• managing the University’s finances, estates andother assets; and

• protecting the University’s charitable status.

The Board has appointed an Audit Committee, aFinance Committee, a Risk Committee, aRemuneration Committee and a NominationsCommittee, which report directly to it. The Boarddelegates to the Finance Committee and theRemuneration Committee a range of mattersarising from its responsibility to oversee themanagement of financial and human resources.Its Audit Committee and Risk Committee areresponsible to the Board for monitoring:

• the probity, prudence, efficiency, effectivenessand value for money of financial and estatesmanagement; and

• the effectiveness with which the Universitydischarges its compliance obligations andmanages risk.

In addition, the Finance Committee hasestablished a Subsidiary Undertakings Sub-Committee to ensure that the interests of theUniversity are properly represented andappropriately protected in the activities of allsubsidiary undertakings.

As a whole, the Board takes responsibility foroverseeing the general direction, development,management and oversight of the University,including its success in meeting strategicobjectives and planning targets.

PLANNING ANDRESOURCES COMMITTEEThe Planning and Resources Committee ischaired by the President and Vice-Chancellorand includes in its membership the Vice-Presidents, the Registrar and Secretary and theDirectors of Finance and Human Resources. It isthe key central management committee andserves as the primary source of advice to theBoard of Governors on matters relating to thedevelopment and allocation of the University’sresources, on strategic planning issues and onthe financial, educational and researchperformance of the University against agreedgoals and targets. Additionally, in consultationwith other relevant committees, it develops, forapproval by the Board, the University’s annualplanning, budgeting, performance evaluationand accountability cycle, annual revisions of theUniversity’s Strategic Plan and an annualUniversity Budget. To facilitate its work, thePlanning and Resources Committee hasestablished the following Sub-Committeeswhich report to it: Finance, Human Resources,Capital Planning and Tuition Fees. It alsoreceives reports from the Risk and EmergencyManagement Group.

THE PLANNING ANDACCOUNTABILITY CYCLE

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MANAGEMENTACCOUNTABILITIESIn The University of Manchester, managementoperates according to the following principles:

• all external reporting obligations aredischarged either through the Board ofGovernors or on the basis of specific Board delegations;

• except at the level of the Board of Governorsor its Committees, responsibility andaccountability rest finally with designatedindividuals, never with a committee;

• the University does not operate through jointgovernance-management committeesincluding senior managers and lay members ofthe Board of Governors, except in particularcircumstances where there is no significant riskof Board members becoming compromised intheir responsibility to exercise independentjudgement in relation to managementdecisions, advice or processes;

• each member of staff has a clearly identifiedsupervisor, understands the rights,responsibilities and obligations associated withhis or her role in the University, andparticipates in an annual process ofperformance review;

• all staff with management responsibilities(Heads of Schools, Vice-Presidents andDeans, general staff managers and seniorexecutive managers) work to clearoperational goals, targets, performancemeasures and reporting obligations;

• all staff with senior managementresponsibilities are clearly held accountable forcompliance with a range of specific financialand budgetary control, risk management andhealth and safety responsibilities;

• substantial financial commitments or otherdecisions involving significant financial or otherrisk are taken only on the basis of properbusiness planning informed by detailed riskassessments and independent due diligencereviews; and

• all formal reporting requirements arecoordinated through the Registrar andSecretary, so as to avoid duplication in thepreparation and collection of information.

THE PLANNING ANDACCOUNTABILITY CYCLEIn addition to the regular monitoring ofmanagement performance and planningoutcomes at successive meetings of the Board ofGovernors and its Committees, PRC and its Sub-Committees, the University operates through anannual round of planning, performanceevaluation and reporting.

Each annual cycle culminates in replanning at alllevels designed to consolidate qualityimprovements and recalibrate planning goals,targets and performance indices, taking accountof progress (or lack of it) to date and changes inthe external operational environment. Theseinterlocking cycles of planning, budgeting,reporting, quality improvement and replanningare depicted in Figure One. The key plans in thecycle are the derivative Strategic Plans for thefour Faculties (The Faculty of Engineering andPhysical Sciences; The Faculty of Humanities; TheFaculty of Life Sciences; and The Faculty ofMedical and Human Sciences) and theProfessional Support Services, which are updatedannually in July to reflect the University’soverarching Strategic Plan and which areinformed by Framework documents produced bythe Policy Vice-Presidents on their respective areaof responsibility. The Faculty and Professional

Support Services Strategic Plans are supported bythe implementation of Operational Priorities,drawn up annually by March. These timescalesmirror those for the preparation of the five yearfinancial forecasts and the annual budget processas each informs and is informed by the other.

The University’s annual Planning Cycle, throughwhich the University reviews its strategic plansand develops successive annual operationalpriorities at all levels, is coupled with an annualAccountability Cycle through which performanceagainst planning targets is reported and progresstowards the overall objectives in Advancing theManchester 2015 Agenda are evaluated. Theseformal processes and cycles enable the Universityto discharge its accountability to the Board ofGovernors and to its various externalstakeholders. They also enable the Performanceand Development Review process, which focuseson individual objectives and performance, to beconducted within the context of the University’sstrategic vision.

Because the University must comply with anexternally-determined schedule of reportingobligations to external agencies, including HEFCEand other funding bodies, these linked Planningand Accountability Cycles establish a timetable ofinternal reporting designed to meet therequirements of that schedule.

Figure One: The Planning and Accountability Cycle

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PLANNING ANDBUDGETINGPlanning is a practical discipline operating at alllevels of the University. The University’s StrategicPlan is the cardinal planning document throughwhich the Board of Governors sets the strategicagenda for the University. The development ofthis new Strategic Plan, Advancing theManchester 2015 Agenda, has been informed bya thorough annual analysis of previousperformance against Plan and a wide-rangingreview of emerging external developments. It hasbeen approved by the Board of Governors andwill be reviewed annually at the Board’s Planningand Accountability Conference. It may beexpected to evolve only in relation to the overalldirection of the University or new and emergingexternal challenges. Strategic planning at allother levels of the University, and strategiesdeveloped by specific academic areas andacademic support units, are derived from theAgenda and expected to reflect the core goalsand enabling goals set out in it, translating theinstitutional perspective into the more focusedperspectives of Faculties and their Schools, aswell as management portfolios.

These strategies need to be translated into thekinds of well-understood and generally acceptedoperational objectives, targets, priorities andperformance measures that can inform day-to-day decision-making at all levels of the University.The Operational Priorities of Schools, Facultiesand the Professional Support Services are thetemplates against which the annual OperationalPerformance Reviews described in Table One areconducted and provide the blueprint for theirannual budgets.

Plan-based, incentive-driven budgeting is thefinal, practical expression of good planning andis informed directly by the University’s strategicand operational priorities. Within the centralUniversity Budget, discretional allocationsrepresent judgements about the extent to whichthe expected outcomes will advance the Agenda.Faculty Budgets are expected to mirror thisprocess, and, within Faculties, allocations toSchools should follow the same principle. As thePlanning and Accountability Cycle evolves, thebudget-approval process will become increasinglystrategic, encompassing the operational planningprocesses and directing University activity.

ANNUAL PERFORMANCEREVIEWSAnnual performance reviews focus on the extentto which the part of the University under reviewhas satisfied the Key Performance Indicators(KPIs) set out in its Operational Priorities over theprevious year, and thereby contributed to theimplementation of Advancing the Manchester2015 Agenda. The formal reviews conductedannually are listed in Table One, together with anannual schedule. These reviews extend down toan individual level through the Performance andDevelopment Review process, a review of pastyear performance and future developmentneeds. The explicit linkage of these twoprocesses should ensure that an individual is ableto relate his or her objectives to the University’sstrategic vision.

Table One: Planning and Accountability – Key Annual Operational Performance Reviews

Date Review Title Review Focus Officers Responsible

October/November Faculty Performance Faculties and Schools President and Vice-ChancellorRegistrar and Secretary

October/November Professional SupportServices Performance

Registrar and Secretaryand ProfessionalSupport ServicesDirectors

President and Vice-ChancellorVice-Presidents andDeans

November Senior ExecutivePerformance

Vice-Presidents Registrar and Secretary

President and Vice-Chancellor

January Governance Performance of theBoard of Governorsand Board Members

Chairman, Board ofGovernors

January Chief ExecutivePerformance

Appraisal of thePresident and Vice-Chancellor

Chairman, Board ofGovernors

July Performance andDevelopment Review

All members of staff Line Manager

THE PLANNING ANDACCOUNTABILITY CYCLE

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OPERATIONALPERFORMANCE REVIEWSFor the Planning and Accountability Cycle, thekey management reviews are the OperationalPerformance Reviews of the Faculties and theProfessional Support Services carried out duringOctober and November each year. Each FacultyOperational Performance Review (OPR) includesdetailed analysis of the operational performanceof the constituent Schools (or equivalents) withinthe Faculty concerned. The Professional SupportServices OPR includes detailed analysis of itsoperational performance at Central, Faculty andSchool level.

In order to ensure that the OperationalPerformance Reviews provide a comprehensivereview of performance throughout the University,there are additional Operational PerformanceReviews for areas lying outside the corestructure. There is an Operational PerformanceReview focusing on the University’s culturalassets, the Manchester Museum and theWhitworth Art Gallery, and a separateOperational Performance Review of the JohnRylands University Library, reflecting the uniquenature of this key academic service.

FACULTY OPERATIONALPERFORMANCE REVIEWSThe purpose of annual Faculty OPRs is to assessthe progress of each Faculty towards the goalsand enabling strategies set out in Advancing theManchester 2015 Agenda and their own FacultyStrategic Plan and Operational Priorities. AReview Group, consisting of the President andVice-Chancellor, the Deputy President andDeputy Vice-Chancellor, the Registrar andSecretary, representatives from the Policy Vice-Presidents, as appropriate, the Directors ofFinance and Human Resources, the Head of thePlanning Support Office, and a studentrepresentative, meets each Vice-President andDean and the Heads of School [or equivalents] ofthe Faculty concerned.

The Review is based on detailed analysis andevaluation of performance against theUniversity’s Strategic Plan, its core and enablinggoals, strategies and targets, primarily bymeasuring success in implementing Faculty andSchool Operational Priorities and securing qualityimprovement during the previous twelve months.Performance against all key performanceindicators (KPIs) is monitored carefully, andaccount is taken of the findings of SatisfactionSurveys of students, staff and other stakeholders.

This review of performance covers the wholerange of activity within Faculties and Schoolsincluding the quality of: research performance;higher learning and teaching includingenhancing the student experience; socialresponsibility including public engagement;sustainability; financial and HR management; riskmanagement and compliance. It is supported bya detailed set of KPIs and measures.

THE OPERATIONALPERFORMANCE REVIEW OFTHE PROFESSIONALSUPPORT SERVICESThe purpose of the annual Professional SupportServices OPR is to assess the quality, effectivenessand efficiency of administrative support providedby the Professional Support Services for theeducational, research and scholarly purposes ofthe University. The Review Group, consisting ofthe President and Vice-Chancellor, the DeputyPresident and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, the Vice-Presidents and Deans, representatives from thePolicy Vice-Presidents, as appropriate, and theHead of the Planning Support Office, meets theRegistrar and Secretary, the Directors of Finance,Human Resources, Estates, Sport, Trading andResidential Services, IT and other Directors orHeads of Office as appropriate.

In assessing the performance of the ProfessionalSupport Services against its Operational Prioritiesand identified key performance indicators, theprimary focus is on its effectiveness andefficiency and how it supports academicexcellence in the Faculties, Schools and ResearchInstitutes of the University. Account is also takenof the findings of Satisfaction Surveys ofstudents, staff and other stakeholders.

In particular, the review focuses on the qualityof: support provided for key academic activities;the delivery of key enabling services such as IT,estates management, commercial and residentialservices; financial and HR professional support;support for the student experience; theefficiency and effectiveness of routine businessprocesses; sustainability; risk management andcompliance with the University’s statutory andlegal obligations.

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THE PLANNING ANDACCOUNTABILITY CYCLE

THE OPERATIONALPERFORMANCE REVIEWPROCESSThe Review Group conducting the OPRs issupported by the Planning Support Office andundertakes detailed analysis and evaluation ofperformance against the Operational Prioritiesderived from Advancing the Manchester 2015Agenda, including metrics derived from KPIsand the findings of student and staffsatisfaction surveys.

These annual OPRs are essentially formative.Their outcomes include (i) the identification ofareas of emerging good practice to beconsolidated and generalised over the next 12months, (ii) the documentation of anyunderperformance together with agreedprocesses for remediation, and (iii) advice aboutany re-planning that seems desirable to improvethe alignment of Faculty, School andProfessional Support Services Directorate plans,as appropriate, with the priorities of Advancingthe Manchester 2015 Agenda. From one yearto the next, the focus will remain on the extentto which gaps between current performanceand Agenda targets are narrowing. TheRegistrar and Secretary, assisted by the PlanningSupport Office, is responsible for monitoringfollow-up activities.

SATISFACTION SURVEYSThe University conducts five major Surveys aspart of its performance review process. These areas follows:

• the Student Unit Survey is conducted eachsemester to monitor levels of satisfactionand/or dissatisfaction with the teaching,learning and learning support provided tostudents. In the annual OperationalPerformance Reviews discussion will focus onthose units falling below 0 and above 1.5 (ona scale from minus 2 to plus 2);

• the Student Satisfaction Surveys are conductedbiennially to monitor the satisfaction ofundergraduate, postgraduate taught andpostgraduate research students with theirexperience at the University, to augment theresults of the external National Student Survey;

• a Staff Satisfaction Survey is conductedbiennially with all staff employed at theUniversity. Operational Performance Reviewswill focus on those areas where moraleproblems appear to exist, dissatisfactionappears serious and/or where there is obviousroom for improvement or potential forbuilding on good practice;

• Management Satisfaction Surveys areconducted annually to seek the views of keyindividuals at various levels of the organisationon the effectiveness of leadership andmanagement across the University. There arespecific, tailored surveys seeking levels ofsatisfaction with leadership and managementof Faculties, the Professional Support Services,the John Rylands University Library and PolicyVice-Presidents;

• a Survey of External Stakeholders is conductedbiennially to seek systematic feedback fromthe University’s most significant externalstakeholders, including local and regionalbusiness and community leaders, regional andnational politicians, media representatives,heads of public sector agencies with particularlinks to the University, leading educationalistsfrom the tertiary and secondary sectors, andso on. The focus is on the levels of externalunderstanding and support for the activitiesand goals of the University, and perceptions ofwhere The University of Manchester issucceeding and where it might be expected toperform more effectively.

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Table Two: Planning and Accountability Cycle – Key conferences

Date Conference Participants Officers Responsible

February Faculties and Schools Conference

Objectives

• Strategic and Operational performancereview

• Forward Planning

• Professional Development

• Heads of School

• Associate Deans

• Heads of Faculty Administration

• Planning and Resources Committee

• Senior Executive Team

• President and Vice-Chancellor

• Registrar and Secretary

March Planning and Accountability Conference

Objectives

• Report on performance against previousyear’s Operational Priorities

• Review and updating of UniversityStrategic Plan

• Setting operational priorities for theforthcoming year

• Board of Governors

• Planning and Resources Committee

• Senior Executive Team

• President and Vice-Chancellor

• Registrar and Secretary

PLANNING ANDACCOUNTABILITYCONFERENCESTo complete each annual round of planning andaccountability, the OPR reports and surveys feedinto two key Annual Conferences at whichperformance against plan in the previous yearinforms the beginning of a new round ofplanning and budgeting. Table Two lists the keyAnnual Conferences, which are supported bydiscrete Away Days of the Senior Executive todiscuss and review activities and priorities in thelight of the Operational Performance Reviews,the Budget and Five Year Planning.

THE ADVANTAGES OFFORMAL ACCOUNTABILITYSTRUCTURESThese formal accountability processes linked toannual cycles of planning, implementation,reporting, performance evaluation and re-planning have been developed in the Universityboth to assist the Board in discharging itsonerous responsibilities and to facilitate qualityimprovement at all levels of the University. Theyalso serve to strengthen the University in otherimportant ways.

Firstly, exemplary internal processes of planningand accountability safeguard institutionalautonomy. A robust, formal accountabilitystructure that creates a credible, consistent set ofsystematic and transparent internal processes isalso intended to meet the needs of Governmentagencies and other external bodies withoutadditional preparation. The result is a Universitybetter able to control its own destiny.

Secondly, such formal structures minimize theburden placed on academic staff by ad hocadministrative demands and reportingobligations. The Planning and AccountabilityCycle has been designed to simplify, notcomplicate, the many reporting and complianceobligations demanded of University staff at alllevels. By replacing repeated ad hoc requests forinformation with systematic, timely reportingprocesses, the accountability arrangements seekto minimise duplication in reporting.

Finally, an effective accountability structurepromotes collegiality. Because it provides regularopportunities for staff and students to evaluatethe programmes, activities and services offeredby the University, and the quality of professionalsupport services provided, such a structureempowers the University community. Bydisseminating information in a predictable form,it also helps create an environment in whichdevolved decision-making is possible.

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