University of Tasmania Strategic Direction - November 2018 - utas.edu.au
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University of Tasmania
Strategic Direction
November 2018
> utas.edu.au
Contents Introduction 1 Place-based and globally connected 2 Right-sized and responsive 5 Regionally networked to provide quality and access 7 People-centred 8 What all this means in practice 10 Embedding action into our strategic processes 12 With thanks 13 ii University of Tasmania utas.edu.au
Introduction Conversation and collegiality are at the heart of universities, and this year we have been having rich discussions around a series of themes that could guide our future. Space for such conversations should always be available. Equally, there comes a point when we need to settle some of those themes, so they can guide our decisions and our choices. Now is a good moment to summarise where we are settling as we move from these broad discussions about identity and direction to detailed planning. These conversations have shaped a view that our University be place-based, but globally connected and excellent, and right-sized and responsive. Also, that it shifts its operating approach from a hub-and-spoke model to one which is regionally networked and designed to deliver quality and access to higher education for the whole state. We have highlighted the importance of a people- centred approach, of working with each other through the College model to deliver our mission, and to find simpler ways to operate so more of our time is spent on what matters. The following attempts to honour the contribution of hundreds of members of our community, drawing together the basis of a new strategic direction for our University community. It is only a summary and as such will always be at risk of being read to over or under emphasise a theme, an idea or part of University life. I hope that where this has occurred it will be read as an invitation to a conversation. utas.edu.au University of Tasmania 1
Place-based and
globally connected
Honouring our first Today education, knowledge and creative Our teaching has huge
productions are critical to future social
people and their ongoing and economic wellbeing, and even more
impact
contribution so in a regional island setting with a small We educate a great proportion of the
Any conversation about place in Tasmania population. In a world where globalisation population from teachers and nurses
needs to start with acknowledgement favours large, globally connected to engineers and artists. How well we
of the traditional owners and their deep metropolitan areas, regional economies equip our students for Tasmania’s future
history with these lands and waters. As will always have to work harder to find the will in turn shape how well educated our
a culture whose system of knowledge distinctive sources of advantage that are children are, how healthy our community
is structured by place, which at times is needed to generate wealth, services and is, how well run our farms are and so on.
talked about in the language of ‘country’, infrastructure required to support a decent We don’t just prepare them for careers
there is opportunity to ever deepen our quality of life here. Regional areas like but increasingly we support their re-
understanding of what a place-based Tasmania have to deal with the challenges skilling, up-skilling, and preparedness to
university is and might be. We can do this of complex social disadvantage left by the successfully engage in a global society
through conversations with Aboriginal disruptive impact of the global economy, throughout their lives. The more we
Tasmanians and we can celebrate that, which has seen work and opportunity leave understand how and what we teach
despite dispossession and invasion, their the state to locations with lower labour contributes to Tasmania, the greater the
culture has the strength and depth today or input costs, and greater economies of impact we will have.
to make a shaping contribution to our scale. While for some in Tasmania these
are relatively buoyant times, our task is As we think about the impact of teaching
future. and learning, we must never lose sight
to look to these considerable long-term
challenges. Our population is ageing. We of the intrinsic value and excitement of
have poor social and health indicators that learning and inquiry itself. For all we think
A place where we do things are second only to the Northern Territory. about the many and broad purposes of
for Tasmania and from We have challenges with our underlying education, it should never be reduced to
Tasmania measures of economic competitiveness a utilitarian or instrumental project.
such as productivity.
Place shapes our mission and how we
Central to our place-based mission is our
deliver it. It starts with Tasmania because
ability to work in partnership with the
Our research and creative
that is our home, but it does not end there.
Being the University of Tasmania makes us community, industry and government to expression can shape the
both a University for Tasmania but also one solve the complex problems underlying state
where we do things from Tasmania. these issues and to create a prosperous,
The freedom to expand the frontiers of
inclusive and sustainable future for
We are a university that was founded knowledge and creative expression should
Tasmania.
to serve an entire state and its people, always be the starting point of universities.
and we remain the only university We have enormous capacity across a Such freedom is integral to progressing
specifically for this society. Such societies generation to do so through our teaching, knowledge and securing a plural society.
are characterised by the value they place our research, the creative output we It is a freedom we can choose to exercise
on education, discovery and creativity produce and the partnerships we form. in many ways. Our mission invites us to
as ennobling ends of human life in choose to focus a significant portion of our
These ideas have long characterised the
themselves. Equally, sustainable social, inquiry on shaping the future of the state.
University and are held dear by so many of
economic and cultural progress requires its people. In affirming this direction, we The ways our research can shape the
ever higher levels of capability and are building on a cultural DNA that runs state start with its ability to offer insights
constant discovery to solve the complex deep in the University. and creative productions that change
problems and questions that we face. our understanding of the nature of
There are always these two parts to our Tasmania itself. Virtually every part of the
mission and we need to avoid false forced University can contribute to those new
choices that we need to do one over the and evolving understandings, from our
other. Our task is to find the way to historians, sociologists and lawyers to our
do both. economists, climatologists, ecologists and
epidemiologists. Our great strengths in the
2 University of Tasmania utas.edu.au
creative arts offer the capacity to generate are few places where the United Nations and Antarctica has produced research
the unique perspectives only available Sustainable Development Goals, which strengths in oceanography and climate
through the arts and to communicate them the University has embraced to help science. Our view of the southern sky has
in compelling ways. shape its strategic direction, could be for years led to a world-class academic
more important. Our research is vital to pedigree in astronomy and astrophysics.
While reshaping how we understand
understand what they could mean for the The nature of our island and its population
things can be the most powerful form of
University, Tasmania and the world. allows the study of population health not
change, where we choose to direct our
possible anywhere else in the world. We
research attention and energy will also All the while, we continue to discover the
are an island whose dependence on the
have an impact. undiscovered in our wild places on land
sea has given us a rich maritime history. It
and at sea. Those living things that are new
On the policy front, the research we do makes us a natural home for the Australian
to us are reminders of the preciousness of
generates evidence-based, long-term Maritime College with its national mission
the place where we live, work and explore.
policy ideas for our tough problems from and international reach. With its distinctive
And that sense of wonder in the discovery
housing and transport, to environmental expertise the College has a vital role to
itself also reminds us that, whatever good
management and improved public health. play for Australia as we seek to create a
it does, great research is always an end
sovereign naval shipbuilding capability.
On the economic front, we have the in itself.
capacity to create the knowledge that
will both keep enterprises competitive
across the state and create new jobs Partnerships are critical Place shapes how we deliver
that Tasmania’s future needs. Across the to our mission our mission
sectors of our economy, enterprises need
to be more productive and competitive in Being place-based doesn’t just shape our
As the sole university for Tasmania, we
a global marketplace that works against mission, it shapes how we deliver it. We
have a unique ability to work in partnership
regional players. have an incredible natural environment
with government and community to deliver
close at hand and the possibilities to
Productivity is important, creating jobs public services like health and education.
provide a truly immersive experience
is vital. In Australia, enterprises older Similarly, we can engage in long-term
for our students. Few other universities
than about five years are on average net partnerships for economic development
can offer the opportunity to engage
destroyers of jobs. Most new jobs come with different levels of government and
with wilderness and ecosystems like
from growing new enterprises, and these industry. Equally important can be the way
our University can. The student learning
jobs are more likely to be well paid if they we work collaboratively with companies or
experience can engage with the rich and
rely on the type of skills and knowledge community organisations. These university
complex history on our doorstep. Equally,
that come from university-level education. partnerships should be characterised
our smaller scale and closeness to local
by both a commitment to collaborative
communities should characterise our
Our place-based focus insists that we work and the essential preservation of a
University communities as personal and
remember that many of Tasmania’s social truly evidence-based and independent
connected. That unique experience we
difficulties are grounded in economic perspective. To manage any tensions, they
create for our students should always be
disadvantage. We must, therefore, work need to be relational and built around a
at the centre of our concerns.
both to support the creation of quality shared mission and values, rather than be
jobs and provide the education to make transactional in nature.
them accessible. As we think about these
social challenges, we have capacity for our
research to discover innovative solutions to From Tasmania to the world
deliver public and community services and,
critically, to build capability in communities If part of our place-based mission is to
to lead the solutions themselves. be the University for Tasmania, we are
strategically placed in the world to do vital
Our work occurs in an environment of
things from Tasmania.
extraordinary significance and beauty.
Islands are great reminders that we have Many of Tasmania’s world-class research
to work with ecosystems not against strengths are built on our rich history
them. Sustainability is a theme that needs and remarkable place in the world.
to echo through all that we do. There Our proximity to the Southern Ocean
utas.edu.au University of Tasmania 3
Place-based beyond the Our connectivity long pre-dates It matters for Tasmania that we have our
globalisation and should never be reduced eye firmly on international standards
island and online to it. We are united through values and because, in many ways, global excellence
We need to consider what place-based relationships rather than through the matters more in regional places than it
means for the important work we do off value of transactions. Through these does in big metropolitan places. Where
the island, especially on our campus in relationships we can bring the best of our success is so tied to the world, we and
Sydney and through our partnerships global understanding to the most remote our students should always have a global
in China. ‘Place-based’ is an approach places, and from those places contribute outlook. It is why it matters so much that
to education rather than something for the insights that come from the unique we welcome international students and
Tasmania alone. We can apply it anywhere vantage point of looking from the edge academic colleagues to be part of our
we are operating. Critically, it means rather than the centre. community. For whatever opportunity we
attending to the needs of the communities provide, they give us the opportunity to
We should always care about our standing
and people we are working with and asking see the world through a global prism. Being
in global academic communities. It is part
how does the place we are working in part of our community brings long-term
of the calibration of our competence and
shape what we do? In Sydney, we have a relationships that build global networks.
how we signal to those looking to make
very focused program built around deep These help our island to be truly connected
important contributions here in Tasmania
relationships with the healthcare system. to the world today. In time, as students
that they are joining a community of peers
Being place-based in approach is critical and colleagues – local and international
of equal standing.
and it is one of the ways we can sustain – make their home here or far away, they
being a distinctive contributor in a highly It is here that rankings have their place. will retain their bonds and affections for
competitive system. For all their imperfections, they are a signal this place.
to others and provide us with data that
Equally, what does place-based mean when invites questions about aspects of our
we are delivering our online offerings? performance and ensures we are never
Our online courses are an opportunity to just self-referential in our evaluations.
share with a much wider community the
fruits of what we have learned from our
place-based approach. Indeed, some of our
most successful online offerings, like family
history and the dementia MOOCs, have
arisen from a very strong engagement with
the specifics of our place and they offer
people the opportunity to engage richly
and distinctively with their places.
Globally connected
and excellent
While a strong local focus is a starting
point, in today’s world we have to look
to the globe. One of the great strengths
of a geographically remote university is
that we are part of a global community of
scholarship that is remarkably borderless.
Across our disciplines are globally uniting
practices of inquiry and standards for
scholarship. The enterprise of discovery
and learning is a global one. It reminds us
that the project of pushing the boundaries
of understanding and creativity is a project
of and for all humanity.
Image courtesy Tourism Tasmania and Jason Charles Hill
4 University of Tasmania utas.edu.auRight-sized and responsive
Challenging the growth Regionality: For reasons we will explore Reaching this surplus will take time and
below, we need to be able to offer place- to do so we need to be bigger and more
model by allowing mission based education across the state and efficient than we are today. In terms of
to shape our scale and scope place-based research that is connected to being bigger, we need to grow the number
When we have a clear place-based mission, the needs of our regions. of domestic students who study our core
we don’t need to grow indefinitely. Rather, offerings, both as undergraduates and at
Access: We need to be able to offer higher
we can determine what size and shape postgraduate level. They are the backbone
education for people with a whole range of
we need to be to sustainably deliver our of our ability to maintain critical mass
backgrounds. There is not a single model
mission of contributing to Tasmania’s in our disciplines. Yet year-on-year this
to do so and we need to support multiple
future and making our global contribution number has been shrinking right across
models, which is why developing our
over the long term. the University. Mostly, it is driven by an
University College is so important.
ever-larger number of Tasmanians going
These are questions of breadth, Such a broad scope is resource intensive. to Victoria to study. We have been losing
regionality and access, which shape It requires more people and a wider about 1% a year for a long time, so that
the size we need to be to deliver spectrum of skills than in universities with today more than 1 in 5 leave Tasmania, and
our mission. narrower missions. The physical footprint in the North and North-West it is 1 in 4.
Breadth: We need to have the staff of campuses and buildings needed to
We have not succeeded in attracting
to offer the broad range of subjects a support this mission is considerable
a balancing number of students from
modern society and economy require, and and costly.
the mainland. This decline is ultimately
at the levels required from pre-degree The right size is not just the ability to pay a threat to the character and future of
to postgraduate. Similarly, we are the our staff and our way each year but also the University. If we don’t have a critical
principal agent for conducting the research the ability to save enough each year to mass of students to support teaching
that the island needs, and we have to be support our research, teaching and the and research in particular areas, these
suitably equipped for that task. broader student and staff experience. areas will cease to be sustainable and
Here the University of Tasmania has a they won’t be able to continue, as has
substantial task. We have not in modern already occurred. As the number of those
times, or even before then, been able areas increase, our capacity to have the
to produce a model which allows us to breadth of offerings a university needs
operate in the way we need to, to deliver to be a generalist institution will be lost.
a consistent process of renewal on our The decline in core domestic numbers
campuses and keep up to date the cutting- has largely been masked financially by the
edge facilities required to be a research- rise in international students, but they
intensive institution. Our existing facilities will always only be attracted to a limited
were largely built with Commonwealth part of our offering. The sustainability of
funds more than a generation ago. the rest depends on us restoring those
numbers in core subjects.
If not for the nationally unique
Commonwealth, State and University Our state’s population of about 500,000
investment in the Northern isn’t big enough to support a university
Transformation, we would be facing the that operates at the scale and level of
prospect of campus closures in Launceston excellence that the Tasmanian community
and Burnie – not their renewal. Now we requires. Today, more than half the
are more confident in the mission we revenue that funds the University comes
need to deliver, we cannot afford it to be from outside Tasmania in the form of
dependent on scarce public resources for international students, mainland students
which there is intense competition across taught online or in Sydney, and grants
the sector. We have to be able to make from the Commonwealth and other off-
our own way. Today we barely break even. island funders.
To be sustainable, we need to generate
Our model of being a university needs
savings of about $30 million a year. That
to adapt to serve the larger number of
sounds a lot but, in reality, it is necessary
international students for educational and
for us to be self-sufficient and deliver our
sustainability reasons. Our international
mission with the sense of confidence and
numbers have risen very rapidly, and we
purpose we require.
utas.edu.au University of Tasmania 5Image courtesy Richard Jupe, The Mercury, News Ltd
have work to do to ensure international but also ensuring that we deepen the creating a truly distinctive offering that sets
students are welcomed and supported capabilities available to the state and us apart from other Australian universities.
as an essential part of the University. The ourselves by growing our proportion On one view, this is an existential
educational significance of international of postgraduate and research higher challenge. From another, it is a moment of
students grows as we get a greater degree students. freedom. What might seem bold or risky to
balance of students from a wider range others may simply be essential for us. We
To attract sufficient Tasmanians and
of places. That greater diversity then can be energised by this, as there is much
mainland students at every level in a very
reduces the risks of being overexposed to power in differentiating and optimising
competitive higher education market, we
specific countries, particularly in turbulent yourself around your intrinsically valuable
need to make our place-based identity
geopolitical and economic times. mission compared to something that you
not just our mission but our source of
are doing only to be competitive.
As we set out to build the right student competitive advantage. We need to be
profile, we need to focus not just on bold about being place-based, using this
supporting the breadth of our offering to shape how we offer our degrees and
6 University of Tasmania utas.edu.auRegionally networked to provide
quality and access
Regionality, access absolute terms, there are people whose courses that provide professional pathways
circumstances mean that travelling great across the state and, in each location,
and quality distances or living away from home is to conduct the research that meets the
As a university for Tasmania and its people, simply not possible. They need an offering distinctive needs of that region. We will
part of our distinctive mission is to provide close enough to home. Online study is further enhance the equitable nature
a regional and accessible offering. We do only a partial solution, especially for of our offering as we offer more of our
that for a state with the most regionally people whose prior education has not built courses statewide.
distributed population and with far greater strong learning skills, and whose success
A way of talking about having our
levels of disadvantage than other states. is best enabled by face-to-face education.
capability located across the state, rather
A strong university presence in regions If we are to be a more inclusive state,
than focused in a single location, is in
is important both for their economic and then it is precisely these populations for
terms of changing from a ‘hub-and-spoke’
social futures, and for the ease of access to whom education will make the greatest
model to a regionally networked model.
education for regional communities. difference.
Over time we can further strengthen
For Tasmania’s regions to have levels of More broadly, there is a basic equity our networked model by locating key
prosperity and inclusivity comparable to concern that where there is publicly professional services regionally as well.
other parts of Australia, they need to be funded higher education there should be
The Northern Transformation project
producing an equivalent value of exports. equivalent opportunities to access that
is our vehicle to deliver for the North
This brings wealth into regions. What education for all citizens, especially given
and North-West this model of regional
enables the trucks made in Burnie to be the lifetime expansion of opportunity and
and accessible education. It is first and
sold around the world and to beat those income it provides. Where the distances
foremost a regional social and economic
from lower labour-cost countries is the to access that education for significant
development effort for which we need
knowledge and skill embodied in their groups of the population are very much
buildings. It aims to ensure that we create
design and production. To sustain that greater than for others, then they can’t
access to a broader range of professional
advantage requires the knowledge and skill meaningfully be said to have equitable
pathway qualifications, a regionally
to advance ahead of competitors around access. Again, this makes the case for the
focused research effort, quality course
the world. importance of regionally based education
offerings and vibrant campuses, which
in a state and country committed to
Sustaining such advantages is far easier helps us achieve a critical mass of students
equivalent opportunities for all.
if a university is around the corner rather in these locations. The last of these
than hundreds of kilometres away. Much What these regional and access elements points is critical because in the North and
the same can be said of agriculture: if we of our mission mean is that we need to North-West more than 25% of students
can produce higher yields of valuable crops seek to provide equivalent access to leave the state for their higher education.
with fewer inputs, and deliver them fresher
to market, the size and value of what is
created can grow. Constantly increasing
those outputs involves solving challenges
on farms, literally on the paddock or in the
hothouse. The nearer you are to being on
hand, the easier that is to do.
Similarly, we have long ago discovered that
changing social conditions from outside
communities – let alone at a distance – is
hard, if not impossible. To tackle complex
embedded social disadvantage is a place-
based project. You need people working in
communities, with communities, in ways
that regional campuses make possible.
For the social and economic futures of
these regions we need a university that is
networked into the communities in each of
the state’s regions.
These geographic presences are critical
to deliver on the value of accessibility. In
utas.edu.au University of Tasmania 7People-centred
Given that we don’t have the capital to Putting our people at Where a university serves a society, as
renew our physical infrastructure, it is we do, it matters that we ensure the
only through Commonwealth and State
the centre breadth of that society is present in
funding that we can provide it. Before we Universities are purposeful communities our University. It creates an inclusive
received that support, the question the committed to a mission and the growth culture and community that has within
University faced was the viability of our and flourishing of the people who are a it the myriad of perspectives needed
Launceston campus. Unless the Northern part of them, both staff and students. to understand what serving our society
Transformation project is a success, that really means. Diversity is pivotal to good
question will arise again, so it is critical we Keeping that focus is not easy in the decision-making and rigour in our inquiry.
get this right. contemporary world. There are the Our diversity expresses the priority we
challenges of operating at a very large give to these values. And our diversity
Importantly, the Northern Transformation scale with the need for some standardised makes it clear our priorities need attention.
project is not a standalone effort. It is a process; the financial pressures of limited We have demonstrated that diversity
one-off opportunity to deploy the pillars of funding in a competitive sector; the pull can be improved. We need to create it
our university-wide mission (‘place-based’, of transactional rather than relational everywhere and more substantially.
‘right-sized’ and ‘regionality, access and models; and language from the world of
quality’) in the North and North-West of profit-maximising public companies. Development-focused: As a community
the state. focused on education, professional
To ensure we keep a people focus, we are development and growth should be
Our regional presence is important for developing a clear People Strategy. Part of integral to how we operate. Importantly,
access, but this alone is not enough. There that focus comes from the very character that needs to be considered separate from
are two other critical elements of the kind of university we want to be: performance assessment. The evaluative
of our access model. values-based, relational, diverse, and and the developmental are different tasks.
Firstly, we need an offering for students development-focused. Performance assessment is about the
of all ages whose educational experiences Values-based: To be place-based is to put alignment between an organisation and
haven’t equipped them for a traditional at our core a broad set of values about an individual. It asks, ‘Did someone focus
university pathway or who are looking for what we are trying to improve. To have on agreed goals, put their fair share of
the advanced skills needed to progress integrity, these values that guide what effort into achieving those goals and bring
in life, but not as part of a full university we do should characterise how we do the expected level of skill to the tasks?’
degree. This is where our University it. In practical terms, that means these Professional development is a different
College plays an essential role. University values should play a central role, from conversation about how someone is going
College provides a distinctive set of recruitment and promotions through to career-wise. This includes growing their
offerings for those students. Importantly, performance management. capacity to do excellent work in their
the way the courses are delivered is current role as well as developing the
designed to enable students to reach a Relational: To take seriously being a capabilities to play other roles. Ensuring
standard that, if they want to continue community, our approach to people should we have the right frameworks for this
their studies, they can articulate straight be relational rather than transactional. approach, and that those in leadership
into the third year of a bachelor degree In practical terms, that means seeking roles have the necessary feedback and
program. To achieve that uplift in capability more secure models of employment that coaching skills, is part of the People
requires a different pedagogy. This is embody long-term mutual commitments Strategy.
critical if we are to sustain both access and to one another. Where short-term
excellence. employment is needed, it means we must
examine closely our support for these staff.
Secondly, we need to ensure that we We have much work to do to move to this
The College Model: focusing
operate as a single higher education sort of community. Our rates of fixed-term outwards and working ‘with’
system with TasTAFE. It is vital to ensure and casual employment, and the terms we
the University College and TasTAFE have What we refer to as the College Model and
employ people on, aren’t consistent with
complementary offerings, that there are its basic structure began as a project to
that starting point. We have already begun
clear articulations from TasTAFE courses organise the University more effectively
to make changes and our new approach
into the University’s courses, and that our and efficiently. It recognised that academic
to strategic planning – which incorporates
University students can readily access capability is best created through
multi-year people plans – will map a path
TasTAFE courses that will provide valuable disciplines, and that the integrating of
to far greater change.
skills to build on their degrees. multiple disciplines together into Schools
Diverse: A healthy university community enables us to develop distinctive academic
will be a diverse one for a range of reasons. and professional capabilities. That said,
8 University of Tasmania utas.edu.auwe can do more of other things. The only
way in which we can get resources to do
the activity we really need is to stop doing
the activities that are wasting our time and
effort and are not adding value to our core
objectives.
Central to that task is working through
our processes to figure out how we can
make all of them work with many fewer
steps and fewer requirements. Picking
up the lead from other universities, like
St Andrews in the United Kingdom, we
are taking a Lean approach that focuses
on eliminating waste in all its forms
(duplication; asking for information we
don’t use; waiting; double and triple
handling; error that leads to things being
redone etc). As we take waste out, some
roles will change because there will be
tasks that don’t need doing, freeing people
affirming the importance of the Disciplines, and capabilities to work with Colleges to up to focus on tasks that makes use of their
Schools and Institutes remains important. enable our mission to be successful. The skills. Over time as some people’s roles
first key here is the ‘with’. It is not about evolve, there will not be a need to find new
We also have been building on that
Divisions doing things ‘to’ the College or people to do the tasks they once did. In
structure to devolve authority to create a
even ‘for’ the Colleges any more than it is time, our staff profile will evolve to better
more empowered and agile organisation
about Colleges going it alone. The second support our need to work efficiently and
that is outwardly oriented towards
key idea here is that what should organise operate sustainably.
delivering our mission. The rationale for
us is not the internal agenda of a College
this is we should devolve authority to those A team has been put in place to guide and
or Division but the external perspective of
best positioned to pursue our mission, focus our effort. They will work actively
what we are trying to achieve for Tasmania
and that we will move far more quickly if with those involved in core processes
and the World.
decisions can be taken at the most local to identify together any waste and to
level possible. For this model to work, we need to invest support them to implement changes
in our academic leaders, so they can lead that will reduce that waste. The key
We need frontline leadership in our
strategy development, look after our here is working with those who know
Schools, Institutes and Disciplines for
people, enable successful change and current processes well, for they are also
pursuing our various objectives – from
deepen our partnerships. We will need to best placed to identify how they can
improving fisheries management to
bolster our regional leadership. We have be improved. Respecting this in-house
seeking law reform – while retaining
heard that clearly from our campuses knowledge is central to the Lean approach.
the scope and scale we need to tackle
and community on Cradle Coast and While the team can address core university
whatever big questions we choose to
in Launceston, particularly at a time of processes, there is much we can all do
ask. Equally, we need to recognise the
significant investment in the regions and to get time back by embracing the Lean
importance of collaboration across
our place-based and equity missions. model in our daily work lives. We need
Colleges and the University in answering
many of these questions. For example, to spot the time-wasting things we can
the greatest determinant of improving control and change them. Likewise,
health or educational outcomes might be Focusing on the things and whenever we see unnecessarily elaborate
reduced poverty; the best way to create activities that add value processes being designed, we should be
start-ups may be through commercialising comfortable pointing out that ‘that’s not
engineering solutions; or a town’s We have a big agenda ahead of us. very lean’ and suggesting a simpler way.
economic future might be best shaped by Focusing on what will really make a
the creative arts. difference and freeing up people’s time to
focus on our priorities is imperative. That’s
In this model, our Divisions play a vital role partly where the simplification agenda is
as partners who bring distinctive expertise key. We have to do less of some things, so
utas.edu.au University of Tasmania 9What all this means
in practice
A challenging agenda lies We have a real opportunity to show how Taking a mission or a vision and making it
our University can bring tangible benefit real is a challenge, and it will require us to
ahead if we wish to achieve to a whole state and provide an exemplar change the ways we think about and do
the strategic opportunities for the world. There is only one place in things. Specifically, there are a number of
outlined above. Australia, perhaps one of only a few places high-level practical imperatives that help
in the world, where a university can work focus us in practice. These are:
together with government, business, other
• Create and deliver across the regions
agencies and community to deliver a new
a distinctive and differentiated core
model of higher education, embedded
offering and student experience to
deeply in its place.
retain Tasmanian students in the
state and attract students from
We could summarise our role We can do this because of our privileged
the mainland.
as the following: role as the only university here, the
• Produce distinctive research and
wonderfully distinctive nature and scale
creative output, which make important
of our island-based state, and the enduring
contributions to the future wellbeing of
commitment and depth of talent of
‘We are a place-based our people.
Tasmania and the world.
University with a mission • Increase the volume and diversity of
to improve the state learning pathways in partnership with
TasTAFE, industry, government and local
of Tasmania, and from communities.
Tasmania contribute • Grow Tasmanian higher education
to the world.’ participation across the regions.
• Diversify and grow our international
student markets.
• Generate annual savings of $30 million.
10 University of Tasmania utas.edu.auIn addition, there are some concrete examples of how our strategic direction will be translated in practice:
Place-based means in Right-sized means in Regionality, access
practice that we will: practice that we will: and quality means in
• Acknowledge Aboriginal • Deliver our core mission within
practice that we will:
Tasmanians and ensure their five years and generate savings • Provide a model of statewide
understanding of place informs of $30 million a year; access to courses that
our curriculum, research and • Have a truly distinctive place- create an excitement and
practices as a university; based ‘only at the University increased value in learning
• Articulate clearly what of Tasmania’ offering; and that support professional
measurable outcomes for • Stop any further flow of pathways;
Tasmania we will achieve Tasmanian students to the • Grow our distinctive academic
working in partnership with mainland and attract enough offerings to support each
others in the state and what to the state that all our core region, starting next year;
contributions we will make to offerings have numbers that • Continue to expand the reach
the nation and the world; mean they are economically of our offerings through
• Be clear about how we will self-sustaining; models like the one we have
make a difference through • Provide a high-quality established on the West
what we do as a university experience to our international Coast, especially after the
whether through the students; new campuses in Burnie and
capabilities we develop, • Focus on increasingly Launceston are established;
knowledge we discover, the diversifying the origins of our • Sustain, grow and, where
cultural products we create, international students; and needed, create the centres of
and/or the partnerships • Sustain and grow a distinctive, research excellence that each
we form; sizeable and profitable online region’s distinctive social and
• Focus on how we can use our offering of our distinctive economic futures require;
distinctive environmental, courses for an off-island • Strengthen our Schools, such
social and historical context audience. as Education, that are in
to inform what we teach and locations outside Hobart;
research, and how we do this; • Ensure that we give sufficient
• Ensure that our off-island priority to the successful
offerings are also place-based delivery of the Northern
with a focus on delivering for Transformation program;
their communities; • Continue to grow the
• Make sure we are performing University College in both
at levels commensurate with scope of qualifications offered
the contribution we want to and number of students it
make and people we want to reaches; and
attract; and • Establish clear articulation
• Be clear on how we measure pathways between TasTAFE
excellence, including the and the University of
place of our ERA ratings and Tasmania, and ensure TasTAFE
discipline rankings. and University College
offerings are complementary.
utas.edu.au University of Tasmania 11Embedding action into our strategic
processes
With finite time and resources, It is vital that we are able to draw together The Colleges, Schools and Disciplines
themes from across our organisation, so will be expected to develop SMART
it is important for us to be that we are all aligned to one plan for the (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant,
able to plan over longer time University and a core set of priorities. timebound) Goals for their strategies,
frames. It is also important This would include recognising good work with progress against these reported
to recognise that we cannot that has already occurred, in developing quarterly. The Divisions will play a key role
a number of strategies and plans for in supporting the Colleges, Schools and
do everything and that we research, student retention, teaching and Disciplines in the development of these
will need to prioritise around learning, inclusion, diversity and equity. SMART Goals, and their plans and activities
a small number of activities, As we turn our mission into a strategic will be guided by the strategies of the
staged appropriately, where plan, we need to focus on what impact Colleges.
we can make for Tasmania through our
we can make a difference and teaching, research and partnerships.
All of these strategies should be designed
to work towards long-term goals while
guide people day-to-day. Our true measures of success lie on a
retaining the agility to respond to the
horizon of more than five years.
unexpected opportunities that can
The five-year Strategic Planning Process accelerate our progress and manage the
will commence in early 2019. The risk of an uncertain world.
Colleges, Schools and some Disciplines
These plans will be developed from
will be crafting their own individual plans,
February with presentation to our
outlining how they will contribute to the
University Executive Team (UET) in early
key outcomes for Tasmania, in the context
April. Amendments and redrafting will
of the institutional strategic direction.
occur from April – May, followed by final
Their plans will consist of key strategies,
presentation to University Council.
the initiatives needed to deliver these
strategies (both new and existing) and also
the supporting plans that will enable them
to deliver these strategies.
These supporting plans include the People
Plan, Financial Sustainability Plan, and
Stakeholder Engagement Plan. Key themes
from the Colleges’ long-term Research
Strategies and areas where planning has
been underway for some time will need to
be included in the plans.
12 University of Tasmania utas.edu.auWith thanks
The Cascading Conversations of these past few months
have informed and shaped the formulation of this strategic
direction. No document can capture all the richness
or diversity of those conversations. While I am sure
conversations will continue, as they should, I hope there is
here a sense of a common ground and a basis upon which
we can work together.
Our task now is to take these ideas and work with them
both individually and institutionally. They will challenge
us to create and adapt to change in ways both obvious
and subtle. Each of us needs to be ready to embrace new
ideas and park old ones that don’t fit with this new way of
working. An important part of having a shared strategic
direction is that it empowers everyone to make the change
whenever they see the opportunity.
Together, we can shape a University driven by a sense of
passion and creativity, made truly unique by both its place
in the globe and the people who belong to it – people
bonded by a shared vision of making a positive difference
to a place we love and a world we care for.
Thank you for helping bring this vision to life.
Kind regards,
Professor Rufus Black
Vice-Chancellor
utas.edu.au University of Tasmania 13> utas.edu.au CRICOS Provider Code 00586B
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