University governance : Interaction between faculties and central administration

This two-day seminar is a joint event organized with HUMANE, the Heads of University Management and Administration Network in Europe (www.humane.eu.org), a network of 200 heads of administration in Europe.   ESMU hosts the Secretariat of both DEAN and HUMANE and has in its mission to promote good management practices at all decision-making levels in European universities.  Cross-fertilization of ideas and exchange of expertise is key in these  activities.

 There are 15 places available for HUMANE members and 15 for DEAN members.   

SEMINAR OUTLINE

 How far does the responsibility of the Rector and the dean extend as far as faculty management is concerned ?

In many universities, University management is centralized under the responsibility of the Rector/President, with a “Head of Administration” (Kanzler, Registrar, Gerente, Director) in charge of the overall administration. Whenever the Minister of Education and Sciences is in a position to influence the university organisation strongly through, then in some countries the Head of Administration reports directly to the Minister, which can lead to complicated interactions with the Rector/President. 

 In the European Union we can notice a growing trend to keep the government further away from university management and to promote self-governance. This puts more responsibility on the shoulders of the Rector/President; it also changes the role of the Head of Administration who ends up with a single boss : the Rector/President. In some universities, the title of the position has been altered to vice-rector/vice-president to reflect this change; the term for the position is usually for a fixed period.

Faculties also face challenges related to governance.   Academics (professionals) show little interest in management issues.   Rules are considered to be in the way of carrying out research and teaching programmes.  Since researchers also have to keep within allocated budgets and regulations, there is a need for management right to the level of individual academics.

 Since research is clustered with disciplines in faculties, there is, in large universities, also a need for management at the level of these faculties.   This usually is the direct responsibility of the dean.   If the Rector/President is prepared to delegate part of his power to the Dean to increase the efficiency of university management, then the question arises to what extent the Dean is eager to take on this role and to delegate specific tasks himself to the vice-dean or faculty director.

 When faculty management becomes more professional, the responsibility and position of both the Head of Administration and Rector change since the power is shared with the deans.

The seminar will encourage a discussion about the pros and cons of different leadership and management models based on the situations described above. Deans and Heads of Administration will be invited to present case studies which will lead to exchange of practical experiences with a view to identifying common trends and desired developments.

If you have ideas in these fields or would like to contribute with a presentation in the seminar, please contact

 Please register with Tim Evans

Last year we discussed the idea of intensive study visits. Many members reacted to this idea positively and with much enthusiasm. We are now delighted to announce that the first study trips will take place in two of the highest-ranking universities in Europe - the University of Helsinki and the Helsinki School of Economics.

 The first programme is from Wednesday 1 February 2006 until Friday 3 February 2006.

The study trip is almost fully booked. One place vacant. 

As you know, the participants will experience an intensive programme. Plenary sessions will introduce the universities and their excellence, explore the topics and demonstrate the ideas and tools used by the host universities. Additional work in small groups led by local experts will provide us with opportunities to deepen our understanding of these tools and the experiences of the universities. Each day will finish with a plenary session to review the day’s discussions and the participants will be expected to deliver a written analysis of one of the cases in the course of the event.

 The trip can not be all work and no play. It will therefore be accompanied by a social programme, which will take place after the study programme is finished.

We will evaluate the trip thoroughly, but are already discussing possibilities for future study trips. If you have any suggestions or wishes, do not hesitate to contact Anton Nijssen  (++ 31 6 235 231 63 or by e-mail: ajnijssen@wxs.nl or r.h.t.bleijerveld@uva.nl)

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This seminar will focus on the diversity of HR and pay frameworks applied to university staff in the various countries of Europe. The following mains subjects will be discussed:

 Ø      General statutory frameworks: are staff members managed according to national regulations or a local university contracting system? Are they depending on civil service rules or from common law?

 What kind of changes has been experienced recently in this respect? Is there a difference between the status of academic and non academic staff?

 Ø      Influence of the university on recruitment and career management : is the university the direct employer or not ? Does the university have a free choice of its staff or do external institutions interfere in the selection process? Does a trend towards more – or less – autonomy in this field exist?

 Ø      Pay system : On which principles are pay systems based? Is it a  local system in each university of the country or a national one for all the universities in the country? What is the legal base to set the pay of each employee and its evolution : individual contracts only, collective  bargaining.

 Ø        Pay scales : What is the maximum and minimum level of pay for each of the following category of staff? Is the level set locally or nationally?

 ·        For university professors,

·        For other academics,

·        Administrative and technical staff at various levels,

·        Executive positions; President, Rector or Vice Chancellor, Heads of administration…

 Ø      Pay structures and incentives  Is promotion or seniority the only factors of pay increases or does a performance based system exist ? Are systems for profit sharing in place, for example, for spin-off enterprises, patents, research contracts, vocational training programmes etc? Is the University allowed to add complementary pay or other kinds of financial incentives? Which Universities have original approach in this aspect of pay management?

 If you have ideas in these fields or would like to contribute with a presentation in the seminar, please contact Jean-Pascal Bonhotal,  Jean-Pascal.Bonhotal@univ-lyon1.fr

 Please register with Tim Evans

Study visit will take likely place on first week OCT-06

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INVITATION LETTER

PROGRAM

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SEE HOTEL INFORMATION

Interesting paper ( pdf format ) : Study on the economic and technical evolution of the scientific publication markets in Europe

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This seminar pretends to give a general overview of the “state of the art” in relation with the information flow in which are participants: institutions, authors, editors, users…

University Libraries pay a lot of money to publishers for their publications. But most of the time university researchers make these publications. Nowadays distribution is easy by Internet, so free access to publications is in reach. The publisher’s added value by review committees (again university researchers) can be replaced by reviews by everyone directly linked to the publication.

There are a lot of questions however on author’s rights, quality, reputation and so on. This seminar deals with these questions and we will have the view of authors, editors, librarians and Heads of Administration.

THE SEMINAR HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO FEW ATTENDANTS. 8-MAY-06

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Increasingly, Higher Education institutions are having to compete – for students, for research contracts, for funding, and for business links. As a result, more and more attention has been paid to marketing universities and their services.   

External marketing can take a range of forms. Most obviously, for many institutions, it has increasingly involved employing professional staff with a marketing or public relations background to help the University to establish a clear and individual identity  (its ’Unique Selling Point’)  and to develop ways of getting that message across in publicity materials such as the prospectus and course leaflets and in advertising, to ensure that news stories about research and academic activities which reinforce that message are placed in the regional and national media, and to manage communications about developments which may have a public relations impact.  

External marketing might also be undertaken through   

• Work with schools and other colleges to establish progression links for potential students, and to offer summer schools and competitions for school age pupils to bring them into contact with the University and its campus and facilities
• The alumni network which may be used to seek funding, or to make links with the businesses in which graduates are employed with a view to future research or enterprise links, or to provide success stories which can be used to encourage others to attend courses
• The appointment of national or international figures to the faculty, to attract other good staff and prospective students
• The appointment of business managers drawn from private sector organisations, to make links with businesses and sell commercial and consultancy services offered by the university
• The use of external consultants to maximise fundraising and income generation. 

The Zurich seminar aims to explore the ways in which marketing initiatives have developed and are developing across Europe.  We are hoping to provide an overview of how universities in different European countries are using marketing approaches and the lessons we can learn from the successes and failures of different approaches.   

We would be interested in reflections on how marketing impacts on and relates to institutional cultures and ways of working; innovative approaches to marketing higher education; problems and solutions; cost benefits; and leadership and management issues.

 We would like to invite HUMANE members who are interested in these issues to contribute their experiences and exchange ideas.  I am therefore inviting brief proposals for presentations at the seminar on any of the issues mentioned – or indeed other aspects of marketing which would be of interest to colleagues. Proposals may be based on a keynote presentation or a workshop proposal which would give colleagues the opportunity to engage in wider debate.

 If you have ideas in these fields or would like to contribute with a presentation in the seminar, please contact Jane Hopkinson, jhopkinson@plymouth.ac.uk

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