Perspectives Issue 2 / December 2016

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Teamwork means CDS again leads
the way in investing in people
There was some great news for Cranfield Defence and Security as the School’s Investors in People
(IIP) accreditation was reconfirmed in November.
IIP is a UK quality standard which shows commitment to the learning and development of an organisation’s employees and best
practice in people management. CDS and Campus Services are the only parts of the University to currently hold this accreditation.
Last year, the School was reassessed and achieved 28 out of the required 39 indicators of the IIP Standard. A period of twelve months’
grace was allowed to focus effort on those elements that had not quite met the standard. All the hard work paid off because when the
assessor returned at the beginning of last month, she was impressed by the progress made, stating in her report: “I would like to offer
my congratulations to all employees and the management in achieving this [IIP]. There have been new appointments to the Executive
(PVCS) and the whole team has shown considerable hard work in ensuring that the previous record of good practice is once again
reinstated and is being fully demonstrated. Congratulations for taking the challenge and achieving a fine result.”
A management charter, which uses the newly-launched IIP Standard as a basis, has been adopted by the School. This identifies what
is expected of managers in leading, supporting and improving performance and should mean CDS is well placed for its next review in
two years’ time.
Professor Simon Jones, Pro-Vice-Chancellor – Defence and Security, said: “This is an important success for us as we are in a people
business and the IIP Standard measures how well we manage, develop and support our people in achieving what the University needs
from them. It shows what CDS is capable of when we put our minds to it and work cooperatively. It was an excellent collaborative
effort which brought together the CDS executive and the Human Resources and Organisational Development teams all working with,
and for the benefit of, staff.”
European Partners meeting strengthens existing ties
In a post-Brexit world, it will be more important
than ever to renew teaching partnerships and
explore new collaboration opportunities in
research with our European neighbours.
We currently have more than 70 partnership agreements
with European universities and engineering schools – known
collectively as the European Partnership Programme (EPP) – with
more than 300 students currently studying with us as part of the
Erasmus+ scheme.
More than 20 of our partner universities from six European
countries visited the Cranfield campus in late November for an
event led by Professor Tom Stephenson, Pro-Vice-Chancellor –
Research and Innovation.
In welcoming Cranfield’s partners our Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Peter Gregson described the close links with business as being
in the University’s DNA. It is reflected in our new facilities – the Aerospace Integration Research Centre (AIRC), Intelligent Mobility
Engineering Centre (IMEC) and the Centre for Atmospheric Informatics and Emissions Technology (CAIET).
Richard Fuller, the MP for Bedford and a member of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee, was invited to
speak about his personal reasons for backing Brexit and agreed that clarity was important for students and academics alike moving
forward.
This was followed by group discussions led by Professor Lynette Ryals, Pro-Vice-Chancellor - Education, on opportunities for new
collaboration. Our partner universities in Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Austria and Poland then heard about the broad range of
research at the University in a number of theme showcases.
Sandwiched in between, and following a networking lunch, was an opportunity to tour some of our newest facilities, including the
AIRC which is due to open early in the New Year, some of Environment and Agrifood’s research facilities and the Operations Excellence
Institute.
A number of areas were discussed in a round-up of the day, Next Steps, which focused on potential greater MSc and PhD student
collaboration and academic staff exchange.
There was then an opportunity for our European visitors to meet some of their own double degree students – who are completing their
final year of studies at Cranfield – over informal drinks in the Vincent Building. Finally, our guests mingled with Cranfield staff over
evening dinner.
Professor Daniel García-Almiñana is from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona which currently has 25 of its students
studying aerospace-related subjects with us. He said: “It was fascinating to meet and hear from other colleagues from across Europe
who also have relationships with Cranfield. The day was interesting for so many reasons, particularly to hear about the potential for
extra collaboration in addition to the current MSc scheme such as for PhD students and academic staff exchange.”
There's also a Brexit support and advice page that has been published on the intranet. Find it under
Message from...
Each issue we hear from a member of our Senior Management Team. Putting pen to paper on this
occasion is Professor Simon Pollard, Pro-Vice-Chancellor – Water, Energy and Environment, and
Executive Lead, International Partnerships and Student Recruitment.
International students enrich our communities immensely and make lasting contributions to our University. The ‘International Student
Recruitment Summit’ in October examined how we can grow our international student body further and what practical steps will make
a difference in the short and medium term, notwithstanding the ongoing political discussions within Government on this issue.
Universities that have grown their international student communities significantly have done so by articulating an international
student experience as a platform for success and lifelong learning beyond graduation. They have leveraged the commitment of their
alumni communities as their institutional champions in key regions and global cities. Increasingly important is the need to deploy
significant diplomatic effort through government networks for access to international grants and scholarships and to build in-country
sector awareness. Then, underpinning all this is the business imperative to lift academic-to-academic partnerships, where appropriate,
for wider institutional benefit, especially with respect to student recruitment and collaborative research partnerships.
Our Summit heard from a variety of speakers, both internal and external, and a plenary session drew commitments on:
• the need for a revised international strategy in light of the developing political and business landscape
• the need to better communicate our internal processes for international recruitment
• the need to showcase our international student offer more visibly.
Focused effort is already underway. Since Cranfield’s first international strategy, published in November 2015, there have been
significant developments. We have:
• set the foundations for a series of student ‘pipeline’ arrangements with universities abroad, whereby overseas institutions send
students to Cranfield to complete their studies
• reconfirmed, or newly put in place, similar relationships with international companies and consortia that send their staff to study
at the University
• confirmed our contract with Muscat University in Oman to teach six MSc courses in Muscat from September 2017 (see page 4)
• signed new Memoranda of Understanding with NTU Singapore, Beihang University, Beijing and RMIT, Melbourne (see page 4)
• reset our International Partnerships and Student Recruitment team under Andrew Jones, as Acting Director, and our current focus
• strengthened our relationships with various international scholarship councils that support their best applicants to study in
the UK.
This is a rapidly developing aspect of any change to university's business however and we have set ourselves
stretching targets for international growth. We will best position ourselves if we develop strong relationships
with international universities that have similar approaches to postgraduate learning and the same
commitment to excellence, if we can build on the superb relationships with academic colleagues abroad
for greater benefit, and if we can use our alumni and client base to champion the benefits of a Cranfield
education, and action on all these is underway.
Thanks go to this edition’s contributors:
Denise Bigwood, Pete Gibbs, Amy Greenaway, Chris Leaman, Duncan Murray, Hannah Park, Toby Shergold, Liam Singleton,
Kate Wescombe (Communications and External Affairs); Jackie Akhavan, Debra Carr, John Hoggard, Simon Jones, Rob Pearce
(Cranfield Defence and Security); Lorraine Bell, Greg Boulton (Education Support) ; Emma Butterwick, Lynette Ryals (Executive Office) ;
Karen Seas, Becky Shepherd (Facilities) ; Scott Neave (Finance); Linda Bryant, Jo Catterill, Barbara Clack, Karen Hinder, Jaq Moore
(Human Resources & Organisational Development); Jen Fensome, Kala Kennedy, Andrew Kirchner, Sandra Messenger (Research and
Innovation) ; Iain Gray, Phil John, Louise Lam, Mudassir Lone, Tim Mackley Tetsuo Tomiyama, Antonios Tsourdos (School of Aerospace,
Transport and Manufacturing); Steve Hallett, Tim Hess, Jerry Knox, Alison Parker, Simon Pollard, Jane Rickson, Leon Terry (School of
Water, Energy and Environment); Anne Laure Humbert, Michelle Mabbett, Liz Varga (School of Management).
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