Strategic Plan 2009 – 2013

Mission

Our mission is to continue to be an internationally competitive teaching and research University which addresses global challenges and is responsive to the needs of the local community, of Wales and of the wider world.

In order to deliver our mission we aim to :

provide students with learning opportunities of the highest quality and offer a distinctive environment for study;
respond to the changing needs of society for skilled, educated and employable graduates;
produce high quality research which is internationally acknowledged, responding to intellectual, cultural, social and economic needs;
work in partnership to serve the community, the UK, Europe and the wider world;
play a full part in the social, cultural and economic development of Wales, including support for the Welsh language.

In order to achieve these aims, the University has identified ten strategic aims, which are elaborated upon in its plans.

Key Priorities for the Planning Period

The University has identified a number of key priorities for the current planning period. The University’s approach to them will be informed by the requirement to ensure its sustainability over the next five years and beyond. These priorities are enlarged upon further in the main body of this plan, where they are placed in the context of the strategic aims identified for the University.

i. Responding to the external environment

The University has a major role to play in contributing to the development and success of HE in Wales and particularly in supporting the economic, cultural and social development of Wales. In order to fulfil this role and to address the challenges of the constantly changing environment in which it operates, the University has developed robust processes to monitor its performance. These will also assist the University to identify ways in which it can continue to expand and develop its activities and to best place itself within the marketplace, responding to the evolving needs and priorities of its major stakeholders and securing a sustainable future. The University has identified the following priorities for the current planning period:

To address the potential reductions in public expenditure as they may feed through to the HE sector, including planning on the basis of at least a 5% cut in expenditure across the University’s activities; and to support individual departments to develop the strategies and processes necessary to absorb these reductions.
To monitor the economic, social, political and demographic changes in the external environment which could impact on the University’s ability to continue to recruit students; and to ensure that its student recruitment processes and marketing strategies are responsive and appropriately resourced to adapt to a changing student recruitment market.
To monitor developments relating to the future form of national research assessment, the Research Excellence Framework (REF); and to ensure that internal methods for monitoring research performance and supporting research excellence place the University in a strong position to respond to the demands of REF.
To contribute to the achievement of the Welsh Assembly Government’s Reaching Higher Strategy in ways which are appropriate to its mission, including meeting the specific targets contained in the Reaching Higher template, and to engage in a number of activities which will assist in responding to the Reaching Higher priorities.
To engage with the National Assembly’s One Wales agenda, promoting and contributing to the priority of ‘learning for life’ and to respond appropriately to the Transformation agenda.
To respond fully to decisions of the WAG, following its consideration of the outcomes of the Strategic Review of HE in Wales.
To continue to maintain and develop appropriate partnerships and collaborations with HE institutions and other public and private sector bodies, where such links will enhance the University’s teaching, research, administration and third mission activities.

ii. Financial Sustainability

Operating within a financial climate which is subject to considerable change, the University will continue to manage its resources carefully and proactively, to ensure that it is able to sustain its core activities and invest in future developments. In particular, it will work to ensure that it is able to deal with changes in funding which may arise in the next five years and will continue to seek to increase income from existing and new income streams. Priorities identified for the medium term are:

To implement policies designed to ensure the financial sustainability of the University.
To maintain effective and efficient financial management.
To maintain a sound financial position and ensure financial resilience.
To expand the University’s work in fundraising, seeking to secure a more robust and sustainable endowment funding stream.
To continue the process of implementing our ten year Estates Strategy in order to contribute to our long-term sustainability.

The main challenge for the medium term is ensuring the economic sustainability of the University’s activities, to ensure financial resilience and maintain financial health in the context of the increasing financial constraints placed on public expenditure. The University will seek to meet these challenges by continuing to diversify its sources of income, by increasing the proportion which derives from sources other than the Funding Council and by continuing to maintain strict financial controls.

iii. Research

Research is an integral part of The University’s mission and work. In an increasingly competitive and selective funding environment the University will combine ambition with realism in its planning, identify areas of competitive advantage, benchmark itself against international comparators and pursue an integrated strategy. The University notes the following priorities in research over the next five years:

To implement the revised strategy with its objectives and associated targets.
To engage in high quality research which sets intellectual and policy agendas and attracts increased income from Research Councils and other research funders.
To maximise AU’s ratings in the successor to the RAE, building on the success in the 2008 RAE.
To implement the aims and deliver the objectives of the Aberystwyth/Bangor Research and Enterprise Partnership and other research collaborations within and beyond Wales.
To maximise the opportunities presented by the merger of IGER into the structure of AU, building research and teaching excellence within the newly established Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS).
To continue to identify and exploit opportunities for collaboration.
To emphasise the economic and social impact of research and to stimulate the linkages between research, enterprise and innovation.

The main challenge for the medium term is continuing to attract the level of funding necessary to support world class research during a period of increasing selectivity in research funding. The University will meet this challenge through the implementation of its revised Research Strategy to improve the quality of its research outputs and to encourage and stimulate applications for external funding. The University will also work to develop the aims and objectives of the Aberystwyth/Bangor Research and Enterprise Partnership, to embed the research expertise of IGER into AU and, with Bangor University, to establish a strategic alliance in the area of the biological, life and environmental sciences.

iv. Student Recruitment and Academic Provision

The University has succeeded in recent years in building a strong position in the student recruitment marketplace, often against national subject recruitment trends. Its success in this area has been supported by continuing work in the areas of marketing and of bursary provision and student support as well as in the provision of a high quality portfolio which is regularly reviewed through a responsive system of portfolio renewal. As a result, the University is confident of its ability to maintain student numbers over the next five to ten years, in an increasingly competitive market. A number of priorities in relation to this area are:

To maintain an effective and transparent bursary system which will support widening participation and other key objectives in student recruitment, including equality of opportunity for all students.
To continue to develop the Reaching Wider Widening Access Partnership to meet regional needs and address the Widening Access Strategy of HEFCW and the Welsh Assembly Government.
To provide a varied portfolio of courses which adapts to new intellectual agendas and is aligned with the needs of a diverse student body and the world of work.
To ensure a high quality of teaching provision across the portfolio and to maintain high levels of student satisfaction.
To enhance Welsh-medium teaching provision.

The main challenges for the medium term are retaining our student numbers, through continued good recruitment and through improving retention rates, and enhancing the student experience to meet the needs of a diverse student body and to continue to widen access to HE to ensure that barriers to study are identified and removed. The University will meet these challenges by offering flexible pathways into HE, an effective and transparent bursary system to support widening access, and a portfolio of courses which adapts to a changing world and is aligned with the needs of a diverse student body. The University will continue to enhance its student support activities and to develop and focus its marketing strategies.

v. Governance, Staffing and Sustainability

In all its activities the University will seek to ensure that good governance practice standards are met. Priorities in relation to this area are:

To promote equality of opportunity for staff and students, reviewing and implementing policies to ensure that good practice in equality is disseminated and further embedded across all the University’s activities.
To provide a modern information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and exploit its potential for supporting teaching, research and effective communications.
To promote personal career review and development and to provide appropriate support services for staff at all levels.
To develop and support existing and future leaders and managers of academic and support services.
To maintain and develop the physical infrastructure so as to support the University’s mission.
To be a responsive, efficient and accountable organisation.
To respond, through the curriculum and through practical measures, to issues of sustainability, waste management and energy efficiency.
To continue to review environmental policies and expand environmental initiatives, in pursuance of the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System Standard.
To develop the University’s ten year Estates Strategy.

The main challenges for the medium term are continuing to attract and retain high quality academic and support staff in an increasingly competitive marketplace and whilst ensuring that the University’s equalities policy is fully implemented to ensure that there are no barriers to the University’s ability to recruit excellent staff. Challenges to the maintenance of the fabric of the University exist in making appropriate progress with backlog maintenance and the improvement of the estate in the context of the revised Estates Strategy. The University will meet these challenges by working on strategies for developing, motivating and rewarding staff and will work to develop its Human Resources services, ensuring the implementation and ongoing review of its equalities policy and monitoring of its impact. The University will also work to generate and release funds for improving and developing the estate and will ensure that there are appropriate processes for the effective management of building and maintenance projects.

Planning Process

This Strategic Plan provides the context for, and is supported by, a range of specific strategies, each of which has its own action plan and/or annual operating plan. These include:

Research Strategy (see section 1)
Learning and Teaching Strategy (see section 2)
Postgraduate Strategy (see sections 1 and 2)
Widening Access Strategy (see section 3)
Welsh Medium Strategy (see section 4)
Race Equality Policy (see section 5)
Staff Development Strategy (see section 5)
Third Mission Strategy – Joint with Bangor University (see sections 7 and 4)
Information Services Strategy (including the new e-learning strategy – see section 8)
Estates Strategy (see section 9)
Capital Funding Strategy (see section 9)
Waste Policy (see section 9)

Both the Strategic Plan and the specific strategies and action plans which support it are reviewed annually.

This Strategic Plan is supplemented by the University’s ‘Operational Plan’, produced annually and published both for circulation within the University and on the University website. The Operational Plan outlines particular challenges faced during the forthcoming year, and key priorities for the planning period. The document sets the agenda for the annual planning round and is considered a key document in the University’s strategic planning process.

Monitoring of Plans

In addition to the monitoring arrangements in place for the individual plans which support this Strategic Plan, we monitor our progress against the targets set out in this plan on an annual basis and report this to the University’s Council. Progress against targets is considered as part of the process for revising targets for the next year to ensure that all of the targets contained in the plan are achievable and realistic whilst remaining ambitious.