UK Projects

Strategy, governance and business planning.

• Leader of a team working for the Committee of University Chairmen charged with identifying and disseminating good practice in the governance of UK universities. The findings were launched at a national conference and published as “Final Report to the CUC on good practice in six areas of governance of higher education institutions” at www.shef.ac.uk/cuc/pubs.html

• Research into the international markets and key competitors for a major provider of open learning (2006)

• Review of the effectiveness of the Board of Kingston University. (2006)

• Making sense of governance in higher education. Co-author of a series of self-study modules for governors. (2006)

• Feasibility study for UUK and HEFCE of the formation of a UK-wide “International Unit” for all higher education agencies in order to avoid duplication of activities and improve co-ordination in research and intelligence. (2005)

• Organisation and delivery of a series of seven seminars in the regions of the UK for members of governing bodies on good practice in governance and the new Code of Good Practice. (2005)

• Production of a risk analysis for the UK prior to a decision to embark on BRIDE, a major programme of academic collaboration between British and Russian universities. (2004)

• Member of a team helping Universities UK with a strategic framework for strengthening the management capacity of senior university staff and preparing the business case for the Leadership Foundation, now published by UUK at www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/mediareleases/downloads/LFbusinesscase.pdf(June 2003)

• Advising the Vice Chancellor of a major university on the strategic reviews under way and identifying other strategic issues that needed study (late 2002)

• Work for HEFCE and the ACU on a business plan for an international academy for university management (July 01)

• Advising a global consortium of universities on its business plan for web based products and the market for a particular set of courses (2001)

Evaluation and programme review

• Team member of the Summative evaluation for HEFCE of the Teaching Quality Enhancement Fund. (2005)

• Reviewer of the business plan of Netskills, the national ICT training agency for staff and students in HE, and report on its progress against the plan with recommendations for further funding. (2004)

• Team member in a summative evaluation of the Teaching and Learning Programme of JISC, in which over 60 projects were funded to innovate in the application of ICT in learning and teaching (with the Higher Education Consultancy Group) (June 2003 to Feb 2004)

• Team leader of a strategic review for JISC of the Resource Discovery Network, the national internet resource catalogue. (with the Higher Education Consultancy Group). (June-August 2003)

• Co-directing an evaluation of the JISC programme for implementing Managed Learning Environments (MLE) in institutions and integrating them with the institutional Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), with the Higher Education Consultancy Group. (June 2003 to Oct 2003)

• Chair of an evaluation panel of the Centre for Higher Education Research and Innovation (CHERI) at the Open University responsible for writing the panel report (2002)

• Leader of a study for the Joint Information Systems Committee reviewing the effectiveness and management of their advisory and production services for staff and students in HE and FE. (August 02)

• Leading a team evaluating the Teaching Quality Enhancement Fund for HEFCE (Nov 01)

• Co-directing a major project for HEFCE mapping the state of research in nursing and the allied health professions and producing a business plan for further investment. (Nov 01)

Various

• Team member in a study for the HE Academy and JISC benchmarking the e-learning activities of five institutions. (2006) 

• Project manager for the Leadership Foundation of the second Sino-UK Leadership Development Network involving 14 universities from both countries. (2005/06)

• Team member in a study for HEFCE scoping the potential for, and implications of, using credits in the revised funding method for teaching. See www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/rdreports/2005

• Production of a mapping study of international activity in training and developing senior university managers for the UK’s Leadership Foundation for Higher Education. (May 2004)

• Project co-ordinator of the UK-Sino Higher Education Leadership Development Network in which 11 senior managers (mostly at Deputy Vice Chancellor/Vice President level) from leading UK and Chinese universities visit each other's institution and work together on a joint management development project. (July 2003 to May 2004)

• Review of the portfolio of the Pro Vice Chancellors in a major university with recommendations for the future brief of two retiring postholders. (January to April 2003)

• Team member in a study developing information and support materials (relating to finance, audit and estates) on the web for governors of HE Colleges, see www.hegovernance.ac.uk (2002)

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Overseas Projects

• Devising the process for developing a national higher education strategy in Bangladesh and working with the various groups and committees set up by the University Grants Committee over an 8 month period, including final editorial support with the strategy document. (2005/06).

• Supporting a team of senior academics and policy makers in developing an Umbrella Act for higher education in Nepal. (2005)

• Presenting papers on sector governance and higher education reform at conferences and workshops in Seoul, Granada, Beirut and Amman. (2004/06)

• Authorship of a Technical Note for the World Bank summarising recent international developments in the governance of tertiary systems and highlighting possible reforms to the national system in Russia. (2004)

• Development of a work plan and detailed scoping study of activities to be undertaken leading up to the creation of a regional association of vice chancellors in SADC member countries of southern Africa. ( March 2004)

• Overall co-ordination and delivery of sessions at a major regional workshop of higher education reform in Thailand organised by the World Bank for senior officials and university presidents in South East Asia. (April 2004)

• Resource person for a World Bank workshop on tertiary education systems reform in the State of Karnataka, India. (March, 2003)

• Team leader of a World Bank project developing the business plan for a Caribbean Distance Education Network. (March-May, 2003)

• Assisting the African Virtual University with the development of its business plan for submission to donors globally. (2002/03)

• Advice to the South African University Vice Chancellors Association (SAUVCA) on strategy regarding the Minister’s proposed university mergers and on a national capacity building programme for senior staff. Drafting the Association’s three year strategic plan. (May 02)

• Reviewing the business plan and budget for an educational charity based in Brunei and Malaysia wishing to produce web based packages teaching English to international students. (2002)

• Development of a set of performance indicators by which the Department of Education in South Africa might measure the success of the universities in achieving national goals. (2002)

• Working for the World Bank with the Ministry of Education in Bangladesh to help them plan a national strategic planning exercise for the higher education sector. (2001 and 2002)

• Developing and running a workshop on internationalisation for staff from private and public universities in Malaysia. (May 02)

• Helping a South African university prepare its strategic plan by facilitating a workshop of the senior Executive team. (May 01)

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Last modified: 23-Apr-2006