campus life strategy...students through web, social media and campaigns responsibility • student...

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CAMPUS LIFE STRATEGYANNUAL PLAN 2019-20CREATING THRIVING CAMPUS COMMUNITIES

The vision for Campus Life is to create thriving campus communities.

We will achieve this vision by delivering high quality professional services

that provide positive student, staff and visitor experiences.

We know that the package of services and support that wrap around

students' academic engagement is critical to their satisfaction, retention

and ultimate success at University.

Thriving campus communities within Ulster University will set the

foundation for a positive student experience and a place where our staff

want to be and our visitors and community members want to visit.

Campus Life has four principles which underpin our way of operating.

We are customer focused, connected & collaborative, sustainable and

innovative:

'to create thriving campus communities.'

ULSTER UNIVERSITY

CAMPUS LIFEVISION

• Our Campus Life teams will have more

opportunities to collaborate and generate

synergies

• We will build greater connections across the

University to enhance the student journey

• We will pro-actively seek opportunities to

collaborate and partner with internal and

external stakeholders to improve the way we

deliver our services.

• We operate on a financially sustainable basis by

prioritising our activities

• We ensure our commercial arrangements are

viable and generate a positive outcome for the

University

• We build environmentally sustainable

approaches into all we do

• We contribute to the social and cultural fabric of

the university.

• We encourage brave thinking and try new ways

of doing things

• We look and learn from others and apply ‘best

practice’ to our own way of working

• We are authentic and courageous in our

approach

• We develop and deliver solutions and

continuously improve how we operate.

• We put the customer (student, staff, visitor) at

the centre of everything we do

• We will communicate in a way that resonates

and reaches students

• We deliver the highest quality professional

services to our customers

• We understand and respond to our customer

needs.

Sustainable Customer-focused

Campus Life

Connected &

Collaborative

ULSTER UNIVERSITY

CAMPUS LIFEOUR PRINCIPLES

Innovative

Priority 1: Support Student Wellbeing

Actions• Greater collaboration with CHERP

to promote wellbeing in curriculum design and support student resilience

• Identification and delivery of timely wellbeing support to students

• Delivery of training support for staff (SafeTalk etc)

• Review and revised Critical Incident Protocol and provide training for all relevant staff across Ulster University

• Coordinate Ulster University's involvement in the NHS Belfast Trust Student Mental Health Service

• Awareness raising of services to students through web, social media and campaigns

Responsibility• Student Experience & Wellbeing

Team• Residential Life Team

Measures of success• 1900 students access Student

Wellbeing appointments• 1000 students accessed training

workshops/digital training resources• 100 staff accessed training

workshops/digital training resources• Services delivered to students

through collaborative co-design of Belfast NHS initiative

• UU Website updated with wellbeing services and tools

Actions• Targeted workshops and seminars

to support and empower students• Expand reach and awareness of the

wellbeing message• Continued activities across Campus

Life to enhance fundraising• Communicate benefits and impact

broadly• Promote Mind Your Mood

Ambassador program


Team

Measures of success• 500 students engaged in Mind Your

Mood activities

Actions• Work in collaboration with People

& Culture Directorate on a coordinated approach to employee and student wellbeing

• Participate in Health, Safety & Wellbeing working groups

• Coordinate procedures to support staff and students through critical incidents

• Campus Life program of activities that support wellbeing across all elements of the student experience

• Contribute to policy reviews and development

Responsibility• Campus Life Directorate• People and Culture Directorate• UUSU

Measures of success• Increased participation in wellness

programs by students and staff by 5%

• Increased by 10% number of staff attending Sports Centre

• Improved staff satisfaction ratings• Reduced absenteeism on previous

year

1.1 Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy

1.2 Organisation-wide wellbeing campaign

1.3 Mind Your Mood Campaign

Civic Contribution - Employment & Widening Access

Operational Excellence - People & CultureAcademic Excellence - Student Experience

Five & Fifty Strategy Alignment

1.4 Enhance Student Resilience and Success

Actions• Deliver Mind Your Money budgeting

workshops• Engage with students through sports

partnerships and UUSU initiatives • Implement Fitness to Study policy

and procedures to prioritise the wellbeing of our students

• Review Bullying and Harassment Policy to include procedures for Sexual Misconduct

• Continued enhancements to CRM system for continuous service improvement and target intervention and support


Team• Sports Services Team• Residential Life Team

Measures of success• 750 students attend Mind Your

Money Workshops• Fitness to Study policy piloted and

communicated to staff• Bullying and Harassment policy

approved by SLT• Co-ordinated 'consent' campaign

run in conjunction with UUSU• 2000 students with Reasonable Ad-

justment Recommendations (RARs) for disability support processed

Priority 2: Diversify and grow partnerships and income

Actions• Develop Commercial Strategy• Manage Commercial Spaces on all

campuses• Attract tenants for GBD commercial

units• Plan the transition of the Online

Store from ISD to Campus Life• Work with CFO on implementation

of Cashless Campus initiative• Support Campus Life trading entities

on enhancements to commercial operations

Responsibility• Campus Life Directorate• Commercial Services Team

Measures of success• Commercial Strategy approved by

SLT by June 2020• 95% of Retail spaces let by June

2020• Plan for Online Store move in place

by June 2020

Actions• Review of available spaces for

conference and events across each campus

• Prepare pricing model for Conferences and Events

• Develop packaged offering by campus that can be promoted to the market

• Work with academic ambassadors, Visit Belfast, Council authorities and private- sector conference promoters to promote UU conference and events offering

• Update processes and systems for the booking and management of conferences and events across Campus Life

• Provide coordinated service to other areas across Campus Life to support the professional operation and delivery of conferences and events

Responsibility• Commercial Services Team

Measures of success• Produce and distribute new

Conference and Events product offering to the market by February 2020

• Increase number of conferences and events by 10%

• Drive increased income from conferences and events from 2020/21

• Positive customer feedback.

Actions• Management of Catering Services

on all campuses• Develop new Catering and

Hospitality Model to deliver services (including GBD) from September 2021

• Procurement of new services out to market by June 2020

Responsibility• Campus Life Directorate• Commercial Services Team

Measures of success• New catering providers in place for

start of September 2021• Negotiate uplift in commission for

UU in contracts that will deliver increased revenue in 2021/22

• Work with existing catering providers to improve customer service and quality

2.1 Develop and implement a Commercial Services Strategy

2.2 Management of Catering and Hospitality Services

2.3 Develop a new Conference and Events package and promote to external customers

Global Vision - Diverse University CommunityOperational Excellence - Financial Sustainability

Operational Excellence - World-Class Infrastructure

Civic Contribution - Campus IdentitiesAcademic Excellence - Student Experience


Actions• Residences Strategy approved by

SLT February 2020 and commence implementation

• Drive increased occupancy on all campuses through coordinated campaign to students and parents

• Survey students in residences to assess satisfaction

• Package accommodation offering with Conference and Events team to enhance occupancy over summer period

• Embed new after-hours resourcing structure to improve student pastoral care and critical incident response

• Work in collaboration with Student Wellbeing team, improving procedures and training for staff to support management of student wellbeing

• Develop options for Jordanstown campus accommodation

• Develop offerings that deliver appropriate support for our international students

Responsibility• Residential Life Team• Student Experience & Wellbeing

Team• Commercial Services Team

Measures of success• University owned accommodation

occupancy >95%• 90% student satisfaction rating in

2019/2020• Summer revenue of £400,000 in

2019/20• Achieve revenue and surplus targets • Improve occupancy in Student

Roost accommodation in 2019/20 • Staff trained, night-support team in

place supporting student wellbeing/manage critical incidents

• Residential Life Strategy approved by SLT

• Deliver 200 Residental Life events to 10,000 students

Actions• Review and prepare commercial

operating Business Plan • Implement seasonal programmes

and promote to the University and broader community

• Implement new tourism product offering to drive civic engagement and commercial return

• Coordinate and connect with UUSU initiatives to engage students in Theatre activities as well as volunteering, student placements and work opportunities

Responsibility• Riverside Theatre Team• Commercial Services Team

Measures of success• Business Plan for Theatre

Operations connected to Funding developed and agreed by June 2020

• 60 public events held in 2019/20

Actions• Complete Sports Review • Prepare Sports Strategy based on

approved options from Review• Implementation of new on-line

membership and payments systems and processes to improve the member experience

• Enhanced service offering at each sports facility to drive membership and facilities hire

• Build partnerships to enhance civic engagement, grow sports club participation and income

• Deliver major events in collaboration with Commercial Services Team

• Champion 20x20 Women's Initiative in collaboration with UUSU

Responsibility• Sports Services Team• Commercial Services Team

Measures of success• Sports Review presented to SLT in

December 2019 • Sports Strategy prepared and

approved by SLT by June 2020• Increased membership and usage

by 5% in year• New online booking system in place

in 2020• Increased income from partnerships

and major events 10% per annum• Increase female participation in UU

Sport by 20%

2.4 Develop and Implement Residential Life Strategy

2.5 Develop Sports Strategy 2.6 Implement Riverside Theatre Plan

Priority 3: Strengthen our campus communities

3.1 Enhance vibrancy on each campus

Actions• Collaboration with UUSU on

delivering a program of activities on each campus

• UUSU Student Voice fora for students

• Collaboration with Provosts to agree and implement priority initiatives on each campus aligned to Civic Contribution strategy

• Hold staff Campus Fora with Provosts on each campus

• Work in collaboration with COOLT, Faculties and Global Engagement on campus initiatives to enhance student experience

• Improved communications with students and staff about campus activities

Responsibility• Campus Life Directorate• Student Experience & Wellbeing

Team• UUSU• Provosts• Marketing and Communications

Measures of success• NSS Student Satisfaction Rating

increase in 2020/21• Increased civic engagement

measured by community footfall/visitation on campus

• Campus Fora held twice per year with students and staff

3.2 Transformation Program for Student & Campus Experience

Actions• Lead the Transformation Student

Experience Working Group• Coordinate initiatives to enhance

experience at Jordanstown campus through the Alive Jordanstown Campus Sub-Group

• Work in collaboration with UUSU and Marketing & Comms to establish panel of students to co-design the student experience

• Contribute to the Transformation planning for GBD

• Preparing effective transition plan for students with a disability impacted by the move

• Working with Estates to ensure new campus is accessible for all

Responsibility• Campus Life Directorate • UUSU• Marketing & Comms

Measures of success• Achievement of workstream

milestones in Student and Campus Experience Project

3.3 Enhance student preparation, welcome /success

Actions• Work with UUSU and Faculties to

plan, coordinate and deliver 2020 Welcome to UU

• Review and assess success of 2019 Welcome to UU

• Coordinate and deliver the Countdown to UU campaign 2020

• Use student panel to develop & test campaigns and communications

• Collaborate with Schools Engagement team on activities to prepare secondary students for university

• Educate parents and secondary students on the value of on-campus student accommodation

• Support International & GB students with transition to N.I. life

• Support Open Day and Recruitment activities


Team• UUSU• Provosts• Marketing and Communications

Measures of success• Coordinated and organised

Welcome to UU• Improved student and staff

satisfaction with Welcome to UU 2020

• Increased number of applicants and new students reached through countdown to UU campaign

• Students feel more prepared for UU (as compared to 2018/19)

Operational Excellence - People & Culture Global Vision - Diverse University Community

Civic Contribution - Campus IdentitiesAcademic Excellence - Student Experience


Academic Excellence - Researcher Development

3.4 Enhance Civic Engagement and Partnerships

Actions • Further develop community sports

outreach and partnerships• Improve accessibility and

‘openness’ of each campus to community groups/organisations and individuals

• Champion innovative ways of enhancing civic engagement e.g. Festivals, open days

• Enhance community visitation to our campuses

• Deliver program of events through the Riverside Theatre and connect with the Arts and Culture strategy

• Enhance conference and event activities on campus

• Support the Belfast community engagement activities

Responsibility• Campus Life Directorate• Sports Services Team• Residential Life Team• Commercial Services Team • Provosts

Measures of success• Increased community visitation

numbers on each campus• Improved reputation of UU in the

community.

4.1 Implement the Customer-First Transformation Program

Actions• Completion of Customer Service

training for staff• Introduction of Customer Services

Charter• Set benchmarks around service

delivery quality• Review of end to end student

journey • Review of Campus Life services,

systems and processes to determine areas for improvement

• Ongoing integration of Reception Services


Team• Sport Services Team• Residential Life Team• Commercial Services Team

Measures of success• Improved customer satisfaction

measured through surveys• Reduced time spent on

administrative activities

4.2 Assess UUConnect Student Centre Initiative

Actions • Expand student services delivered

through UUConnect in Jordanstown to enhance student experience

• Complete assessment of UUConnect Jordanstown service

• Prepare business case of expansion of UUConnect model to other campuses

• Monitor and evaluate impact• Consider introduction of a

dedicated UUStudent Comms Platform


Team• Student Administration

Measures of success• Number of students using service• 80% of enquiries handled at first

point of contact• Expansion of the Services delivered

to students in 2019/20• Measure student satisfacton with

service

Priority 4: Deliver outstanding customer service

Five & Fifty Strategy AlignmentAcademic Excellence - Student Experience

Operational Excellence - Financial SustainabilityGlobal Vision - Diverse University Community

Operational Excellence - World-Class Infrastructure

Priority 5: Empower and engage our team

5.1 Ongoing Implementation of Campus Life Strategy

Actions• Engagement with staff on Campus

Life 2019/20 Annual Plan priorities

• Regular review and monitoring of progress against strategic activities

• Manage budget and risks• Update Campus Life page on

university website and Portal detailing our services and support

• Regular Insight articles and social media to promote Campus Life activities.

• Consultation on the Sports Services staffing structure following approval of Sports Strategy

Responsibility• Campus Life Directorate• People and Culture Directorate• Sports Services Team

Measures of success• Staff satisfaction monitored• Operate within budget• Risk Register updated• 8 face-to-face Campus Life staff

sessions in 2020

5.2 Staff Development

Actions• Identify training and development

needs for Campus Life portfolio• Customer service training

delivered to all staff• DARs completed for 50% of

Campus Life team • Social opportunities to engage

and build team morale• Recognise, reward and celebrate

success


Team• Sport Services Team• Residential Life Team• Commercial Services Team

Measures of success• Reduction in staff turnover,

absenteeism rates compared with 2018/19

• Improved staff engagement and satisfaction

Operational Excellence - People & Culture


Campus Life Strategy Annual Plan 2019-20

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