Vice-Chancellor's introduction
Autumn is here and teaching is in full flow across the University. The ‘buzz’ on campus was good to see at Freshers’ Fayre and other welcome events and I know many are working hard to maintain that energy and excitement in the coming weeks in our learning, research and the wider student experience.
Of course, the big welcome news of last week was for our Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Gold rating. In this Bulletin we take a deeper look at this national assessment and the comparison between Russell Group and modern universities, and how some of the most widely known universities did not achieve the same Gold standard as we did. We should be very proud of what we have achieved.
There are also updates on extending our placement year offer, a review of University committees, National Hate Crime Week, research and innovation success, and details of how to join a VC Address session - perhaps particularly important as we have reached a crucial moment in the development of our University.
Join me at the VC Address
Every autumn I present an Annual Address for all colleagues, which I use as an opportunity to celebrate our successes, provide an update on our strategic progress, and consider our next steps during the year ahead. Following the address, there will be a question and answer session where I encourage attendees to ask questions of me and UEB members on what has been presented.
This year’s address may be one of the most important as we reach a critical juncture for the University. Through hard work and collaboration across the University we have succeeded in achieving a significant upturn in quality, recognised by our continued Gold-rated TEF status, our excellent National Student Survey and Research Excellence Framework 2021 results, and our improving positions in the league tables. However, funding being reduced in real terms combined with falling student recruitment means that if we are to realise our 2030 vision and ensure we are a university fit for the future, we must continue to carefully consider our systems and processes, and how we use the limited resources available to us.
Attending a VC Address session is one of the best ways to understand what has been accomplished, where we are and what we need to do next. This year there will be two in-person sessions and one live broadcast from CCIXR which you can watch online. Colleagues only need to attend one of the following sessions:
- Tuesday 17 October at 3.30pm in Park 1.09. This is an in-person event. Book your space.
- Thursday 19 October at 3.30pm in Anglesea 2.08. This is an in-person event. Book your space.
- Wednesday 1 November at 2.00pm in CCIXR, Eldon. This is a live online broadcast. The viewing link will be shared nearer the time.
You can pre-submit your questions anonymously at bit.ly/VCAddress.
Extending our placement year offer to students
As part of the University ‘reset’, we are embracing innovative ideas to boost declining student numbers. We are moving at pace and challenging ourselves to think boldly. The latest example of this is a new approach to the undergraduate placement year.
Employability matters hugely to students, as it does to their parents and influencers. Our goal is to ensure that career-readiness is at the heart of every degree course we offer. We already provide comprehensive support to develop employable skills; the evidence of which is clear in our graduate outcomes data. Yet we can do more to shout about placements in our marketing activities – especially since students who complete placements typically enjoy a significant boost to graduate job prospects and earning potential.
So, we are taking the bold step of becoming the first UK university to offer students a choice to do a placement year when they are ready. From our 2024 intake onwards, all undergraduates will be encouraged to pursue a placement at the traditional time, between their penultimate and final years of study. But if they feel unready, want more time to explore options, are keen to complete their study journey alongside their friends or are unsuccessful in their first attempt, we will give them all our support to apply for a placement after their final year of study.
This radical new step offers us a unique proposition in a competitive marketplace. It speaks to our strengths in supporting and nurturing student employability, and provides the option of a ‘softer landing’ for an anxious generation. We believe it will attract the attention of prospective students, and their parents and influencers – and that it will ultimately enable us to deepen the life-changing experience we offer, by increasing placement uptake. The proposition is currently being developed, with more details to be shared soon.
TEF Gold - further analysis
The excellent news about our TEF Gold rating was published last week, which is such a significant achievement and acknowledgement that our teaching is of the highest standard. My thanks again to all who made this possible - you should feel proud.
It’s important to recognise the contribution of the University of Portsmouth Students Union (UPSU) in this success. Both through their submission on behalf of our students to the TEF, and crucially the role that UPSU and our course reps play in engaging constructively with the University to ensure that the student voice is paramount in everything we do. Thanks to all our colleagues who collaborate with students on this throughout the year.
As I mentioned in last week’s all-staff email, we are 1 of only 27 Gold-rated universities in England, and 1 of 5 in the South East, with Oxford, Chichester, Solent and the Open University, who are headquartered in the region, as the other four.
It’s also interesting to note that the Gold-rated universities in our region include some Russell Group universities like Oxford - traditionally seen as world-class, research-intensive universities - and some modern universities like ourselves and Solent who were established from 1992. Yet, not all Russell Group universities achieved Gold, such as our near neighbour Southampton who achieved Silver.
This regional picture is also reflected nationally with only 7 of the 19 English Russell Group universities achieving Gold such as Cambridge and Imperial College while others like Durham, University College London, King’s College London and the London School of Economics being rated Silver. I mention this because when it comes to recruiting students, Russell Group universities have recruited more, as a proportion, than post-92 universities - yet the quality of teaching differs as assessed by TEF.
Overcoming this deep-grained bias towards certain groups of traditional universities will be very challenging - particularly in the minds of some parents - but we must do what we can to emphasise our distinction over the next four years. We are a Gold-rated teaching institution because we care about our students and their success - one of a relatively small number across the country. We shouldn’t be shy shouting this from the rooftops!
Committee review
The mention of the word committee can bring mixed emotions. At their best committees can encourage collaboration, empower people and improve decision-making; at worst they can entangle you in frustrating bureaucracy, directing focus away from the strategic towards the parochial, whilst stifling innovation and challenge to the status quo.
As part of our ‘reset’ UEB have established a project to review our committees, including their purpose, authority and structure, as well as membership and processes. The aim is to strip out the unnecessary, improve efficiency and harness our collective talents in a smarter way.
The project is being led by our Executive Director of Corporate Governance, Claire Dunning, supported by colleagues from across the faculties and professional services. A session was held with UEB in early September which discovered the good and bad of existing practice, and helped define the success criteria for our future committee structure. The team is using the outputs from this workshop to develop options for consideration before Christmas, with a view to designing and delivering the changes for the next academic year.
This project will be an essential building block in focussing our limited resources on value-adding activity that supports our education and research activity, whilst creating opportunities for staff career progression that develops a truly diverse workforce.
National Hate Crime Week
As we welcome our students and colleagues to the start of the academic year, we recognise the rich diversity of students with different voices yet we are one community. Our university exists within a wider society where individuals, at times, are less respectful of our differences. Each year we aim to raise the profile of hate crime during National Hate Crime Week, to encourage us all, as a university community, to work together to tackle hate crime and unacceptable behaviours when we see it.
During the week we will be creating opportunities through a range of events including Biscuits and Bravery (on 18 October) to raise awareness of what is a hate crime, how to report it and allyship. The university is a Third Party Hate Crime Reporting centre, which means that people can report a hate crime anonymously to the police. The week finishes with ‘Show Racism the Red Card day’ on Friday 20 October and we hope to see colleagues and students wearing a spatter of red as a symbol of our community of unity and respect. Further details will be shared with colleagues shortly.
Research and innovation success
Our researchers continue to make strides towards solving some of society's key challenges, and to significantly extend our research impact nationally and globally. Below are a few recent highlights from our research and innovation community:
We are part of a £55m programme of investment to help drive forward change in the energy system and help to meet the UK’s net zero target by 2050. The University will receive a share of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding as part of their work with The UK Hub for Research Challenges in Hydrogen and Alternative Liquid Fuels (UK-HyRES); a five year collaboration between several universities. Dr Chris Jones will lead on the ‘social’ cross-cutting theme.
The Faculties of Business and Law and Cultural and Creative Industries (Karen McBride, Joe Cox, Claire Bailey- Ross and Federica Alberti) have combined with York University for a successful bid worth £471,779 from the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The project ‘Valuing Digital Cultural and Heritage Assets’ will help government bodies such as the DCMS to have more accurate valuations of these resources to reach wider and more diverse audiences, thereby increasing consumption and exports of UK creative and cultural assets.
In the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the new Port Cities and Maritime Cultures research centre helped to secure a prestigious Leverhulme Early Careers Fellowship award for Dr Zack White, who will be mentored by Professor Brad Beaven. The University of Portsmouth was one of only two post-92 universities to be successful out of 65 awards. Dr White's project is called Sepoys & Slave Seamen: Race, Empire & the law in British India, 1795-1830.
And last month, 126 people, including delegates from Japan, Australia, Norway, USA and Canada, attended the inaugural Research and Innovation (R&I) showcase at the Historic Dockyard, a celebration of the world-leading activities taking place across the three research themes in the School of Sport, Health and Exercise Science. The day provided an exciting opportunity to highlight the impact of our research and inspire exciting future collaborations.
Staff events
As well as the VC Address mentioned above, there are other opportunities for colleagues to talk with and ask questions of me and members of UEB in the coming weeks including:
- Cafe Conversations - Thursday 19 October from 1.00pm to 2.00pm - Chimes, ground floor, University Learning Centre
- All-Staff Briefing and Q&A - Tuesday 28 November at 3.00pm - access online via Zoom