DSC Upate - June 2019

[Start transcript]

VISUAL: RMIT University logo.

VISUAL: Mid-shot of Paul Gough sitting.

TEXT ON SCREEN: Prof. Paul Gough. Pro Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President College of Design and Social Context.

[Paul Gough]

Hi, it's good to see you all again. This is my monthly update, and this time I've got my wonderful Director of Planning and Resources, Judy McGannon. Hey Judy, you tell us what you do.

VISUAL: Mid-shot of Judy McGannon sitting.

TEXT ON SCREEN: Director, Resources and Planning, College of Design and Social Context.

[Judy McGannon]

Planning. So, everything to do with taking the strategy of the University, what that means for DSC and making sure that the operations, both within the college and schools and across the University, meets our needs. Building really effective relationships with all of our business partners, whether that be in finance, IT, property, communications or marketing. Making sure that I'm there for a really effective advocate for what DSC requirements are. Leading the professional staff in the college. And I do that, not only through the people who report to me in the college office, our wonderful people in the planning, the projects, the infrastructure and academic services areas, but also through the network of our senior managers and managers planning resources in schools.

VISUAL: Mid-shot of Paul Gough sitting.

[Paul Gough]

That's-- it's an enormous job. I mean, the college revenue budget is $380 million. We have many-- 30 odd buildings, some of them very odd. And, of course, we are in the middle of this enormous project around the academic discipline road mapping, which a lot of staff have been involved in. So, tell us how those roadmaps will play into your world of the states, of finance, of staffing, resources, procurement. How are you going to make a difference in those roadmaps?

VISUAL: Mid-shot of Judy McGannon sitting.

[Judy McGannon]

The roadmaps for me are really underpinning our academic intent. I found it really energising to listen to our Associate Dean's discipline, all 23 of them. Step through the vision they have for where their discipline could be. And, for me, what's been particularly exciting is to hear how future focussed they are. Where we think about our students and the opportunities for them to find employment, the way that the world of work is changing, not just here in Australia, but globally.

What also I find is really important from my perspective is the way they integrate research. And the power of the discipline of bringing together our academic community, understanding the capability and thinking about, through all of our partnerships, the opportunities that lie ahead. So, from where I sit, they are going to provide a really important lens on strategic workforce planning. And a practical example of that is this year in the University's areas of focus, the people area focus, we will, as DSC, be able to think through what our workforce of the future is going to be. So, by the end of this year, we'll have strategic workforce plans across all of our schools and disciplines. The discipline roadmap is at the heart of that.

VISUAL: Mid-shot of Paul Gough sitting.

[Paul Gough]

So, let's touch on this idea of prioritisation. How do you help the Deans and the Associate Deans, and the Program Managers prioritise, in terms of space and people and timing?

VISUAL: Mid-shot of Judy McGannon sitting.

[Judy McGannon]

Well, fundamentally it comes down to what our strategic intent is. And I've seen that. As we've been thinking through our discipline roadmaps, our discipline roadmaps and understanding where we are at the moment and where we'd like to be, involves us thinking not just about the lens of financial performance, which, of course, is important in my role, but also around student outcomes. Around the quality of learning and teaching, and around where we sit in terms of competition in the market, whether that be for research or for learning and teaching. So, when it comes down to prioritisation, it's always weighing up a number of factors. And, yes, we think about value for money, but we really have to think about what is the value for students.

VISUAL: Mid-shot of Paul Gough sitting.

[Paul Gough]

A lot of the staff watching this will have heard of something called, Project Pi, or if they haven't heard of it, they will hear about it soon. What is Project Pi and how do you play into it?

VISUAL: Mid-shot of Judy McGannon sitting.

[Judy McGannon]

As a university, if we can deliver passion with purpose, which is part of our current strategic plan, that means we need to get through all of the clunkiness of our systems and processes. And at the heart of that, is to think about not only the technology that we need to move towards using, but also the way that we work. And so, I'm finding the start of that project to be really exciting.

VISUAL: Mid-shot of Paul Gough sitting.

[Paul Gough]

So, you're at the heart of us building a new School of Design and a new School of Vocational Education. What part did you play in both of those fantastic adventures?

VISUAL: Mid-shot of Judy McGannon sitting.

[Judy McGannon]

One of the key things that my role brings is considering the huge role that professional staff play in DSC. And professional staff partner with academic staff and work alongside those, both academics and teachers. So, with the VE School, I was really fortunate to be the Director of DSC VE Futures and had an instrumental role in working closely with our six higher ed schools to consider how we could best create a VE School with professional staff working alongside senior educators and teachers to provide the best possible experience for students.

VISUAL: Mid-shot of Paul Gough sitting.

[Paul Gough]

Finally, if there's one thing that you could do in the organisation that would make your job easier, what would it be?

VISUAL: Mid-shot of Judy McGannon sitting.

[Judy McGannon]

If I could magic space from nowhere. If I could satisfy everybody's desire to have the perfect space to learn in and work in, I think I'd be the most popular person in the university.

VISUAL: Mid-shot of Paul Gough sitting.

[Paul Gough]

Judy, it's great talking to you, you are an indispensable part of the architecture of the College, and you make my life so much easier. Thank you very much indeed.

VISUAL: Mid-shot of Judy McGannon sitting.

[Judy McGannon]

Thank you, Paul.

VISUAL: RMIT University logo.

[End transcript]