| With budget reporting still very much in the front end of my thinking, it was also good to spend time with the new CFO and engage in conversations around how to resolve our shortfall and plan out for future years. As we progress towards the ballot on the new Enterprise Agreements, it was also helpful to just link in with staff at various fora and discuss what opportunities the new agreements provide for UNE and our staff.
The week also afforded time to develop and extend a series of positive conversations with key partners in support of the Tamworth expansion plans, the re-development of our Sydney hub and the opportunities which our proposal for a Virtual Hospital Network across New England offers to the region. These conversations also provided me with a landscape to do further shaping and thinking around the strategic conversations for UNE 2021+, planning of which will start in late March and flow through to mid-May.
Much of the rest of the week was consumed with meetings around planning, the Strategic Taskforces and our need to address UNE retention and progression issues with more focus. The deficits which are emerging in our data repositories and the need to strengthen our business intelligence capabilities is a matter of concern for me and the SET.
On the up side, it was great to hear that UNE staff were recognised by the AAUT for Excellence in Teaching and to hear of other successes, both personal and professional. It is easy to get buried in the various challenges of moving UNE forward – five minutes with students and staff sharing good news stories is always uplifting!
This weekend will see me seeking fresh air and exercise, and working out how to tame the jungle which was my vegetable garden… |
