HE senior mgrs_Apr18 - Bournemouth University

The global university: the RoehamptonUniversity experienceJane Broadbent and David WoodmanIn embracing the concept of the GlobalUniversity, Roehampton University has developeda mission that emphasises and celebratesdiversity. We are of the view that education isenriched for all when a diverse community ofstaff and students is fostered and supported. Inour conception of diversity we recognise the needto build our community to both include and learnfrom those from different nations and cultures toensure all members of the University communityhave the skills needed to reach out to the globalcommunity. Roehampton University’s Vision seesour role as ‘Challenging, inspiring andsupporting students to grow as individuals and tobe responsible citizens and leaders in a complexworld.’ The values that underlie this cite ourdesire to work to promote social justice in avariety of ways including engagement withdifferent communities. For example, Roehamptonis a member of the CARA (Council for AssistingRefugee Academics) network of UK universities,which, , through its pathfinder grant scheme,helps support the special needs of refugeeacademics. This work clearly supports theUniversity’s mission but it, in addition, broadensthe frame of reference of all the academic andadministrative staff who are involved. Studentsalso benefit, when refugee academics share theirexperiences in the classroom as part of theprocess of helping them to understand the UKcontext of learning and teaching.We aim to be excellent in all aspects of ouractivity and in this sense our teaching andresearch will contribute to the global communityin both the development of knowledge moregenerally and in the development of ourgraduates as global citizens. Hence we recognisethe importance of promoting the exchange ofstudents, academic and administrative/professional colleagues in both learningand teaching and research activity.Internationalisation is recognised as an importantelement of our academic strategy and isdescribed in more detail in the UniversityInternationalisation Strategy, which states,The University’s own vision for its futuredevelopment builds on our historic desire topromote equality, diversity, mutual respect andunderstanding: ideals which underpinsRoehampton’s mission as a University. Byfacilitating exposure to different social andcultural traditions and fostering an internationalperspective among both staff and students wewill help prepare our students to be leaders andresponsible citizens in an increasingly complexworld as well as to take up successful careers ina globalised economy.In summary, Roehampton is working towards theinternationalisation of its curriculum as well asthe student and staff experienceOne key aspect of leadership in strategydevelopment is that of interpreting the externalenvironment, predicting the changes taking placenow and in the future and considering the effectsuch changes may have on the institution. In thissense senior management must not only identifyopportunities but also become advocates forchange. This will involve convincing colleaguesof changes they may not have thought aboutand it is also important to recognise that not allrelevant change will be palatable toorganisational colleagues.Senior Managers can, by themselves, achievevery little. Alongside the identification of a set ofstrategic challenges, the need to engagecolleagues in such challenges is paramount. Tomake progress in any aspiration requires theinvolvement of the whole of the Universitycommunity and that requires that the communityis involved in the building of strategy as well asits delivery. A clarification of this approach is tobe found in a contribution our Vice-Chancellorgave to the Leadership Foundation’s Engagemagazine in late 2007:I think it’s really important to listen tostudents. When putting the plan together,the most valuable interactions for me weretalking with people in small groups wherepeople felt able to speak up. Students have alot to offer on advising the university on itsfuture direction, especially in timesof unpredictability.Senior managers need to be facilitators while36The Global UniversityThe role of senior managers