New integrated services structure announced

The University is proposing significant enhancements to the structure of its shared services for students and academic staff under the "One University" model.

The model aims to provide efficient and effective support structures that are consistent for academics and students across the three campuses and the internal and distance learning modes.

The University Shared Services Blueprint for Change issued to staff today is developed from the draft blueprint put out on June 30 for consultation and feedback.

It proposes changes in reporting lines that affect several hundred staff. Some positions will be disestablished and some new roles created. The University has consulted staff and unions and has put in place a freeze on permanent appointments during this process to enable staff whose positions are disestablished to have the option to apply for one or more of the new roles or for an existing vacancy.

The highlights of the proposal include:

• A single University service to support academic policy and regulation that will unify and simplify academic decision-making.
• New campus-based teaching and learning centres operating under a national leadership that shifts development resources closer to those who use them.
• Alignment of student enrolment and academic services into a robust, coherent national service that enhances the consistency of students' experience.
• Drawing together for the first time all marketing functions, including student recruitment.
• Academic policy and regulatory functions currently undertaken in the University's five colleges will now come under the leadership and management of the Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International).

The academic administration service functions currently undertaken in the colleges, including domestic admissions, will shift reporting line to the Assistant Vice-Chancellor and University Registrar.

Student learning services, currently undertaken in campus registrar offices and academic development and teaching support, currently delivered by the Centre for Academic Development and e-Learning, predominantly in Manawatu, will be integrated into three new campus-based centres of teaching and learning centres, under the leadership and management of the Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International).

A range of specialist Maori student support positions in the colleges and student liaison roles within National Student Relations will shift to a new broad-based team under the Office of the Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Maori and Pasifika).

All marketing and communications functions will be nationally-led under the Assistant Vice-Chancellor (External Relations) with the exception of international marketing, which will remain in the International Office under the Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International).

The number of positions to be disestablished and the number of staff affected by that is slightly lower than originally proposed. This is in part because some positions have been reconfirmed into slightly different roles while some proposals were withdrawn following consultation with staff and consideration of the many submissions made on the draft blueprint. There has also been a decision to not fill some vacant positions. The proposal will disestablish 65 positions and create 37 new positions. There will be an overall reduction of just over 30 full-time equivalent staff across the University.

Staff members are invited to make submissions on the preliminary decisions outlined in the blueprint by 5pm on August 30. Following consideration of the feedback, final decisions will be made in the week of September 6 and communicated to staff.