Sustainable transformation sees changes to advancement, development of library services
A single department to communicate message and manage experience and a new librarian to develop services on the Sydney campus are the next markers on Avondale’s road map for sustainable transformation.
Advancement now incorporates communication, marketing services, alumni relations and philanthropy. The new librarian will develop more electronic services and resources in nursing and health.
Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Kevin Petrie announced the decisions in the third of a series of documents for consultation—the first explained the objectives of the process (to develop a viable operating model and return to a balanced budget within two years) and the second announced a faculty re-structure and the introduction of a research fellowship. Feedback from staff members and an external review of advancement and marketing services informed decision making.
The creation of a single Advancement department comes after a review that: evaluated models for providing marketing services in higher education; examined the department’s tasks, grouping them around the core activities of message and experience; identified the skills needed to complete the tasks, and; created new roles in content creation, creative production, digital communication, events and marketing and public relations and philanthropy, all reporting to a director. With a reduction in the number of full-time equivalent hours, Advancement will receive a percentage of the income it generates to fund the employment of casual or contract staff members and may need to use the skills of staff members in other departments and schools to achieve all of its goals.
The employment of a new librarian consolidates responsibilities—with a 0.7 reduction in full-time equivalent hours—while expanding and improving reference services through training and online content and support. And it will better align library services across Avondale’s Lake Macquarie and Sydney campuses. Applications for the new role close on September 18.
In other actions, following an analysis of the viability of courses, senior executives are meeting with schools to discuss offerings and delivery and accept written submissions. The document emailed by Petrie to staff members this past Friday (September 4) describes changing offerings as “complex” and the impact as reaching “well beyond that of the course/strand itself”—most make a financial contribution to corporate or support services, for example.
With the resignation of the financial controller and the outsourcing of rental property management—with a 0.5 reduction in full-time equivalent hours—staff members in Financial and Business Services have been reallocated tasks. Most have received new job descriptions.
A report of an audit of how Avondale delivers information technology services is now with senior executives. And it has identified an issue—the number of non-integrated information systems—that will require further action.
A report commissioned for the higher education sector has informed the drafting of a new governance structure model. Avondale University Council discussed the model at its meeting on August 6. A final draft is expected to be completed next week.
The drafting of guidelines for the previously announced research fellowship is complete and is now being discussed. Applications open in October.
And an analysis of building use on the Lake Macquarie campus will identify opportunities to rationalise the number used and provide savings to the cost of electricity, depreciation and insurance.
“We recognise that the weeks and months are passing quickly,” reads the document. “We had expected to have final decisions . . . completed by this time. There has, however, been value in taking the time to discuss and to come to a consensus. . . . This building of consensus has meant we have often gone in search of further data or have returned to the drawing board for a fresh look at things. Thank you for your patience as we continue to build a future that is both sustainable and transformative.”
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