Dear all,
As we are about to start the new academic year, I would like to give you a quick update on three items: a proposal to improve our estates and facilities; the creation of new iPoints on each campus and two school name changes.
Estates Strategy Update
In my last update I outlined the work of the Estate Strategy Oversight Board to address the various challenges that we face with our facilities across our three campuses. Following a detailed options appraisal, the University Leadership Team has now endorsed a preferred option along the following lines:
- Colleagues who are not tied to a specific campus would move to the Stones buildings we purchased recently at the Gyle. This would release space across all of our three campuses for teaching but most importantly unlock the blockages to significantly improving facilities for the three Merchiston based schools. If we get this right, we could create a new high-quality working environment at the Stones, supported by new flexible working spaces on our three campuses.
- The School of Engineering & the Built Environment (SEBE) would move into existing buildings at Sighthill, following suitable redevelopment. This will allow us to significantly improve our facilities for SEBE for teaching and research. It will also create the space needed within the Merchiston Campus to allow for an exciting redevelopment for the School of Computing and School of Arts & Creative Industries.
- As there is no new build required, we could deliver real improvement relatively quickly. An indicative timeline would be: moves to the Stones by summer 2017; SEBE moving to Sighthill by summer 2018; and rolling improvements to Merchiston as space is freed. Some significant improvements to Merchiston can also happen well in advance of a SEBE move (e.g. to the reception, catering and outdoor spaces). I believe this proposal gives us the most cost effective route to significant estates improvement, an especially important consideration in the current financial climate, and keeps in mind an overarching aspiration to bring all colleagues back onto the three campuses at some point in the future (although any move back out of the Stones would not be for a number of years).
These proposals could provide a very exciting opportunity to improve our facilities in support of the Academic Strategy of the University, addressing issues raised by colleagues across the University over recent years. I appreciate however the headlines I have outlined above will beg more questions than answers, and hence to kick-off wider discussions I have organised open meetings on each of our campuses in September:
- Merchiston Campus - 20 September, 11am-1pm, H9
- Craiglockhart Campus - 20 September, 3-5pm, Rivers Suite
- Sighthill Campus - 22 September, 1-3pm, 1.D.04
Please RSVP using the voting buttons on the email you will have received or
email Ceri directly with your preference.These meetings will provide an opportunity for Eric Munro, myself and colleagues from the Estate Strategy Oversight Board to present the thinking behind these proposals, address initial questions, listen to ideas and concerns, and start to engage colleagues on the many practical considerations if we are to bring these proposals to life.
iPoints
I am delighted to share with you our plans to launch University iPoints on each of our campuses early in the new academic year. This exciting development will enhance the service we can provide by providing clear and visible points of contact for our students, visitors and staff.
The iPoints will be established for the start of the new academic year and located at the entrances to Craiglockhart and Sighthill with a future development at Merchiston that will form part of larger scale estates works taking place at that campus. You can see a few slides providing layouts and pictures of the
types of furniture you can expect to see for Sighthill and Craiglockhart here. Changes at Merchiston will follow as part of the wider plans to reconfigure the foyer space. The iPoint locations will be open inviting spaces where colleagues from a number of services will be available to assist staff, students and visitors with information and advice. As such they will have comfortable seating and spaces that allow conversations and discussions to take place, whilst we will be retaining iPoint rooms (currently associated with Student Hubs) on campus for more confidential meetings and discussions.
We realise that fully developing a new integrated service desk approach will need to be phased over a longer period and that the service we offer will continue to further evolve and develop. This is another great example of a number of professional services working together to achieve real transformational change and thanks to everyone involved for their work so far. I have asked
David Telford to lead on this, so please contact him if you would like to know more. I’m also happy to answer any questions you might have.
School name changes
Academic Board has recently approved name changes for two of our schools. The School of Life, Sport & Social Sciences is changing to the School of Applied Sciences and the School of Nursing, Midwifery & Social Care will now be the School of Health & Social Care. These changes reflect the creation of new visions within the schools following the move to a school-based structure last year. The new names reflect a more coherent view of our provision within the schools and should be better understood externally.
Please let me know if you have any questions and I look forward to seeing many of you at the open sessions in September and the 1:1 sessions outlined in my previous update (please contact
Ceri Bain for availability), or alternatively please don’t hesitate to contact me directly.
Regards,
Alistair