Derby Recognised For Championing Leadership
18 March 2010
I am absolutely delighted that we have been nominated for this award. It's the pinnacle of professional recognition by our peers regarding leadership and management
”Vice-Chancellor Professor John Coyne
The University of Derby's excellence in leadership and management in the current economic climate has been recognised - with the news it is in the running for a prestigious national honour.
It has been shortlisted for the Times Higher Education Supplement's Leadership and Management Awards in the Outstanding Leadership and Management Team category.
More than 800 people are expected to attend the awards evening when the winners in 18 categories will be unveiled on Thursday June 17, at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane, London.
Derby's values-led approach to leadership and management has served the institution well in challenging economic times and, despite the recession, the University delivered its best ever year in terms of success.
The institution's adopted values are Quality, Valuing People, Customer Focus, Challenge and Innovation, and Opportunity and Openness.
University of Derby Vice-Chancellor Professor John Coyne said "I am absolutely delighted that we have been nominated for this award. It's the pinnacle of professional recognition by our peers regarding leadership and management.
"It's an endorsement of the approach that our leadership team brings to the University of Derby. We are enjoying a period of unprecedented success. This has not happened by accident but is the result of high quality, professional and motivated staff throughout the University delivering first class performance.
"The management team plays its part in setting direction and creating the environment in which our excellent staff can prosper. We are only nominated at this stage but already such recognition has given a terrific boost to us all."
THE magazine editor Ann Mroz said: "When we launched the Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards last year amid the gloom of a deep recession, we were taken aback by the magnificent response and heartened by the sense of immense pride in the work being carried out, often in challenging circumstances.
"These awards are designed to celebrate the HE sector's leadership, management, financial and business skills. They showcase the extraordinary innovation, teamwork and commercial acumen of UK higher education institutions."
Over the last 12 months, several of Derby's departments won or were shortlisted for national awards recognising excellence and the University enjoyed its largest, best qualified student entry. Employment has increased, staff to student ratios have improved and staff engagement measures, in terms of feedback, were much higher than the average in the sector.
Substantial ongoing investment in our Derby and Buxton Campuses and the acquisition of the Derby Theatre has further boosted the student experience, and University of Derby Corporate has been launched to provide innovative support for businesses.
Derby's achievement has been driven by a cohesive high quality leadership team committed to improving the University. The comprehensive and integrated approach reaches from the Vice-Chancellor to each section head within the institution, which emphasises and champions the leadership role.
Other areas of Derby's leadership approach include:
- an annual leadership conference which brings all those in leadership together around common strategic themes;
- an emphasis on good governance and a highly effective and engaged Governing Council, strong leadership from the chair and a high level of accountability by the Governing Council on Executive;
- Vice-Chancellor Professor John Coyne holds a dozen public sessions each year where he presents the University performance and takes questions and challenges;
- the key strategic meeting of the year is effectively a 'summit' - a two day conference off site involving the Governing Council, Senior Management Team and Academic Board as equal partners, with full involvement of our students;
- the Executive is also held accountable to the student body through the annual student representatives' conference where members of the leadership are publicly quizzed on matters of importance to students.
The latest shortlisting follows on from last year's success at the same awards when the University of Derby went on to win the Outstanding Finance Team category in the very first Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards.
For more information about this news release, contact Deputy Head of Corporate Relations Simon Redfern on 01332 591942 or 07748 920038, or email s.redfern@derby.ac.uk.
