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University Management

Office of Planning

During academic year 2021/2022, the UOP continued to provide technical and advisory support to the various units within the Vice-Chancellery and the other business units within the University system as they implement strategic and operational initiatives to assist the UWI to fulfil the mission and vision of its “Triple A” Strategic Plan 2017–2022.

To facilitate its work and build team camaraderie, the UOP held six staff meetings over the review period conducted via Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These meetings were both operational and developmental.

Developments within the Human Resources Operation

During the reporting period, Ms. Saveitra Perry assumed the role of Administrative Secretary at UOP’s Mona Office effective November 2021; this position has been vacant since 2018. In addition, Ms. Sharon Hamilton, Project Officer III, was confirmed with the distinction of tenure in the university system at University Appointments Committee in May 2022.

The Work Portfolio

To achieve its goals, the UOP organized its work across four non-mutually exclusive units, namely: Strategic Planning, Business Intelligence/Institutional Research, Economic Engagement/Industry Partnerships and, Business Process Re-engineering/Project Management. These units carried out technical as well as routine administrative work across seven broad portfolios of work. These include but are not limited to;

  • survey design and implementation.
  • policy research to develop proposals for new business.
  • strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation.
  • development of ICT systems and analytical tools for monitoring and evaluation of major projects.
  • execution of special projects based on demand, that will enhance the work of the University.
  • participation in university ranking exercises.
  • proposal developments to enhance operational efficiency.

The various achievements of the work done across these portfolios are listed below.

Major Activities

In the 2021/2022 academic year, the UOP carried out its work to support the three pillars of: Access, Alignment and Agility within the UWI Triple A Plan. The activities across its core portfolios were geared towards achieving the objectives and targets within the plan.

ACCESS

This strategic goal focuses on programmes and initiatives that are geared towards the UWI reaching the underserved community to provide tertiary educational opportunities to them. The UOP’s involvement in this area included but was not limited to:

  • Concept paper development and drafting of critical university reports to support the objectives related to Access.

Some of the major papers and reports that were drafted and presented at various meetings by members of the UOP team over the course of the academic year were:

  • Financing Tertiary Educational Institutions: The Hybrid Model, September 2, 2021.
  • A Model for Student Retention at the UWI. The model and paper were presented at the following University Meetings: Committee of Deans; Board of Undergraduate Studies and Board of Graduate Studies and Research over the period October 11–14, 2021.
  • Strategic Plan: “The UWI Triple A Strategy 2022– 2027: The Revenue Revolution.” The plan was presented at the following University Meetings: Committee of Deans Board of Undergraduate Studies, Board of Graduate Studies and Research, and University Finance and General Purposes Committee Meeting over the period February 7–11, 2022. The final paper was presented at a special sitting of the Annual Business Meeting of the University Council on July 29, 2022, where it was approved for implementation.
  • Statistical Digest, 2016/2017 to 2020/2021.
  • Reports on the Student and Staff Satisfaction Surveys 2022. These reports were presented at the following University Meetings: Committee of Deans; Board of Undergraduate Studies and Board of Graduate Studies and Research over the period May 16–20, 2022.
  • Development of standardised metrics across The UWI and working guidelines for implementation of same in AY 2022–2023.
  • Report from the UWI survey of campus visual art collections.
  • Student protocol for an examination of gender issues at The UWI”.
  • Survey to ascertain the perceptions of academic regalia of the graduation platform party. A report was also prepared based on the survey results.
  • Survey instrument to look at perceptions of staff on gender and gender-related issues.

UOP’s Retreat with Campus Planning Officers (CPOs)

In May 2021, the UOP convened its inaugural retreat with CPOs and it was agreed that this retreat would be held annually. As such, the UOP hosted its second retreat with CPOs on June 9, 2022, via Zoom. The audience comprised members of UOP’s BI.IR unit and the Strategic Planning and Monitoring Unit; fellow CPOs and other distinguished guests (i.e., the Campus Principal and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Cave Hill Campus; Campus Registrars – St. Augustine and Mona Campuses, and the Deputy Campus Registrar – St. Augustine Campus).

The objectives of the retreat were:

  • Review the status of the AY2021/2022 Action Plan.
  • Consider and harmonise the key work elements of the institutional research and business intelligence portfolio of all entities.
  • Review the rollout of the key operational metrics for the UWI and identify the approach to filling the gaps.
  • Discuss approaches to best utilising and leveraging UOP’s data portals (i.e., One UWI BI System) and prototypes, i.e., Tuition Price Elasticity of Demand (TPED) and Student Predictive Retention (SRP) Models) for institutional effectiveness and efficiencies.
  • Sensitise the campuses to the key elements of the new strategic plan and its rollout.

The UOP developed an agreed action plan detailing the strategies required in moving forward.

ALIGNMENT

The alignment goal looks at how the UWI is embracing closer links and collaboration with industry sectors by using its research and innovation to bring practical solutions to remedy problems.

The UOP’s contribution in this area included but was not limited to:

  • Research and writing of proposal for better alignment of UWI Non-UGC Business Portfolio.
  • University Press Governance Models. This research was presented to The UWI Press Board of Directors, Strategic Retreat on January 8, 2022.
  • Publication of Newsletter

The UOP maintained its production of the UOP Bulletin. The bulletin is based on the STEEP Model (Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental and Political) and highlights major developments in the higher education sector that will impact the strategic direction of the UWI. For the reporting period, the unit produced three issues of the Bulletin. These are:

  • Trends in Higher Education Vol. 4 Issue 1 – Economic Trends (October 2021).
  • Trends in Higher Education Vol. 4 Issue 2 – Environmental Challenges in the Post-pandemic Periods (February 2022).
  • Trends in Higher Education Vol. 4 Issue 3 – Political Issues and Considerations (May 2022).

The information from these bulletins are used to assist owners of strategic initiatives to make data driven decisions on the execution of same, taking into consideration the changing dynamics of the environment within which the institution operates.

AGILITY

The Agility goal looks at how the UWI is making its business processes nimbler in order to respond to growth and development opportunities in both its internal and external environments.

To this end, the office engaged in work along the following lines:

  • With the assistance of the strategy steering committee, which comprised all the strategy officers from the Campuses and the University Centre, the UOP engaged in quarterly review of the progress and status of the initiatives that have been put forward from each Campus and the Vice Chancellery for the Triple A Plan 2017–2022.
  • The UOP also continued to provide virtual training sessions to Faculty and Staff who are engaged in the monitoring and evaluation of the strategic plan, on how to navigate the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) System.

On Friday July 15, 2022, the UOP in collaboration with Dr. Dion Greenidge, Key Strategy Officer (Cave Hill Campus) hosted the first in a series of workshops with the Campus Planning Officers from both the Cave Hill and Open Campuses at the Sagicor Cave Hill School of Business and Management to further explore the implementation of the new phase of the UWI Triple A Plan.

The UOP also developed a number of critical analytical tools such as: the Electronic Balanced Scorecard System (BSC), the One UWI BI System, the Tuition Price Elasticity of Demand (TPED) Model and, a Student Predictive Retention (SRP) Model to provide decision makers with the relevant tools to assist them in making data driven decisions as they implement initiatives to achieve the targets set out in the Triple A Plan.

Retreats and Workshops

To facilitate the development of the new phase of the Triple A Plan, Free and Laughing Incorporated was commissioned to design and facilitate two two-day virtual workshops to ensure maximum participation and involvement in the deliberations for this new phase of the plan. The retreat happened over two cycles, September 28 to 29, 2021 and December 1 and 2, 2021 respectively. The participants at the retreat comprised members of the UWI EMT, Campus Bursars and Registrars, specially invited members from each campus in addition to members of the University Office of Planning.

The following outcomes emanated from Phase 1:

  • Agreement on the Revenue Revolution objectives, targets.
  • Agreement on the Contribution of Campuses towards the Revenue Revolution financial target of US$50 million each year.

The second phase of the Strategic Planning Retreat was held over the period December 1 and 2, 2021 via Zoom. The following outcomes emanated from Phase 2:

  • Final agreement of the ten strategic objectives and the development of fifteen Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
  • Each Campus and Centre presented their Top 3 Initiatives to contribute to the main outcome of the Revenue Revolution, i.e., earning net of US$50 million.

Emanating from these retreats, the UOP planning team then went into the Work Activity Room (WAR) to assemble the various submissions and design a draft plan. The Draft Strategic Plan “The UWI Triple A Strategy 2022–2027: The Revenue Revolution” was developed and tabled at the various university meetings before seeking final approval at the Annual Business Meeting of Council. The draft plan was approved at the Annual Business Meeting of Council on July 29, 2022.

The UOP also engaged in the development of concept papers on a number of areas to drive greater efficiency in The UWI’s operations. These include but are not limited to:

  • Developed a prototype for a competitor analysis database for the UWI. This database will provide The UWI with a comprehensive set of information on all institutions that provide direct or indirect competition to The UWI. This is an ongoing exercise.
  • Established a system to track and monitor The UWI’s cost saving and revenue generation initiative to rebalance its financial position. The “10 in 2” financial model tracking system was developed and launched by the UOP. This activity is ongoing as The UWI maintains a tight lid on the management of its costs structure.

General Routine Activities

Besides the technical work on major projects, the UOP also engaged in routine activities aimed at enhancing the operational effectiveness of the institution.

These include but are not limited to the coordination and submission of data to the following ranking agency:

  • Times Higher Education World University Rankings – data collection exercise and aggregation of same for all campuses for submission to the THE.
  • The UWI also participated in The Times Higher Education 2022 University Impact Rankings. There was a general increase in the participation of universities in the rankings; however, the UWI’s performance remained somewhat stable for SDG 3 (Good Health and Well Being), (Gender Equality), SDG13 (Climate Action) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) which are the compulsory SDGs. Overall, The UWI was ranked in the 401 to 600 band.
  • Chairing of interview panels for a number of posts across The UWI.

PROJECTED ACTIVITIES FOR THE 2022/2023 ACADEMIC YEAR

For the academic year 2022–2023, the Office will be engaged in a number of activities in rolling out the New Strategic Plan, 2022–2027 while monitoring and evaluating the “Triple A” Strategic Plan, 2017–2022. Specifically, the Office will provide support with policy formulation through research data collection and analyses for the production of concept papers and proposals to support the pillars of Access, Alignment and Agility in the plan.

In addition, the Office will push on with its routine work, which includes but is not limited to:

  • Sensitization process across the UWI system for the tools developed by the UOP to assist decision makers in making data driven decisions in the implementation of their initiatives to meet the targets of the strategic plan, 2022–2027.
  • Monitoring of Plan 2022–2027 and working with Marketing and Communication for robust sensitization of the plan to the entire community.
  • Support campuses in the implementation of the One UWI Metrics for monitoring operational performance across the campuses and the UWI Centre.
  • Design and execute the Staff and Student Engagement Surveys for 2023.
  • Explore possibility of The UWI entering into the QS World University Ranking.
  • Continue with routine activities (e.g., facilitate interview panels, data collection and analyses for ranking exercise, conduct of surveys and institutional research for internal UWI clients, provide support for the development of proposals and business cases for revenue revolution project, etc.)