Agenda and Papers - University of Edinburgh

number of academic reading parties. We have also lead free cycle commuter training for University
students/staff as part of the ‘get active getting there’ campaign.
Peer Comparison
25. The University commands a nationwide reputation for its sport and exercise provision. However,
this position is under constant threat as more and more Universities seek to use sport as a major
plank in their marketing plans. This is evidenced by the huge investment in sports facilities over the
past few years in support of curricular and extra-curricular programmes (new capital developments
at Leeds Carnegie, Loughborough, Surrey, Birmingham, Sunderland Universities, as well as
Aberdeen Sports Village, are especially impressive), which constitutes a major challenge to the
UoE/cSE’s current top ranking. Clear plans are in place to uphold the University’s sporting success,
including forging strategic partnerships with selected National Governing Bodies of Sport (to
recruit/support talented athletes), appointing more specialist coaches to lead performance squads
and further improving our physical conditioning and sports specific facilities but this will require a
long term commitment/investment of resources.
26. The cSE plays host to Scottish Universities Sport, which is the governing body for HE sport in
Scotland. This is a privileged position and underlines the sector wide respect the University enjoys
for its leadership around sport and fitness promotion. Our facilities, programmes and support
services are widely acknowledged to be at the forefront of those available across Scottish
Universities and beyond.
Section 5 ~ Management of enhancement of good practice
27. The cSE has a well structured in-house communications network to generate ideas around service
improvements and this feeds into the annual planning process. This includes a developed
framework of monthly one2one staff exchanges, weekly Unit meetings and local service
development workshops (1/2 day sessions) to review current service offerings at local level, and
suggest better ways of working. In addition, cSE promotes a number of x-Unit forums (held 3-times
per year) to ensure exchanges across a wider group of Units ~ examples of sessions held during
2010-11 are the Fitness Forum, Marketing and Communications Forum, Health and Safety Forum
and Memberships Forum. These work well in pooling ideas, supporting planning, assuring
communication and promoting service enhancement. This concept is developed yet further at the
cSE’s annual staff council/conference, which is a large representative staff gathering that debates
service performance, priority actions and resource requirements for the year ahead ~ the product of
this very inter-active and collegiate session feeds into the cSE’s annual planning submission.
28. Moreover, the cSE Director issues a weekly cSenews circular (in
email format to all staff) to ensure free flow of ideas and views ~
this covers new developments, user feedback, planning
information as well as domestic announcements around
upcoming meetings, staff absences and social events.
29. In addition to the internal staff csE news, cSE also prepares a
printed newsletter each semester for cSE members and visitors
to provide information updates and news items, which augments
the cSE’s hugely popular ‘What’s On’ leaflet. This is all topped up
by regular bulletins on the cSE’s revamped web-site, and with
daily updates on facebook/twitter and the cSE’s Clubcom network
that connects to all the in-house plasma screens and personal
viewing screens.
10 JCA/Report to SQAC~2010-11