STATEMENT OF STRATEGIC INTENT
2001 - 2005

May 2001

VISION STATEMENT

Central Queensland University is tropical Australia’s leading university in environmentally sustainable land and water utilisation, industrially relevant engineering and contemporary communication, with a commitment to continue proactive roles in promoting high standards in Indigenous and international education, distance education, flexible learning, innovative teaching and quality research.

BROAD GOALS

In translating its vision into reality, the University will pursue a set of interdependent goals emphasising a commitment to the improvement of higher educational opportunity and equity, and a concerted focus on excellence, innovation, and community partnership.

Educational Opportunity and Equity

The University aims to ensure that the quality and comprehensiveness of the higher education provision made available to the communities of Central Queensland is the finest of any available to the people of any region in Australia.

• In collaboration with TAFE, the School sector and other training providers, rapidly advance the Central Queensland region’s level of educational attainment toward the state and national averages.

• Excel in educating, to successful course completion at all levels up to doctorate, students drawn from a diversity of backgrounds reflecting the demographic characteristics of the Central Queensland population and beyond, with emphasis on persons whose backgrounds may militate against high expectations of success in university study.

• Further develop and implement the integrated multi-campus structure through which the University delivers its programs to its Central Queensland catchment region and beyond.

• Produce learning resource materials of the highest quality and integrate the course offerings for distance and on-campus students through flexible learning strategies.

Excellence and Quality Improvement

The pursuit of excellence pervades all dimensions of the University’s program: teaching and learning, research, community service, and the support and management of these activities. This pursuit of excellence is characterised by a focus on achievement, innovation, quality improvement, and an emphasis on quality client service reflected in the positioning statement: "Where Students Come First."

• Develop an ethos of quality client service throughout the University and a coherent action plan to implement this ethos throughout all dimensions of teaching, research, community service and their management and support.

• Develop an improved capacity to respond quickly and effectively to emerging specialist and generalist needs encompassing a range of education and training provision and research activity.

• Achieve enhanced regional, national and international recognition for the quality and innovative characteristics of the University’s activities, and strengthen its international profile in higher education learning, scholarship and research.

Innovation

Social, economic and technological change demands innovative approaches to the solution of problems, the continued improvement of performance, and enhancing the welfare of the community. In recognition of this, the University aims to promote innovation across the spectrum of its activities.

• Develop and implement innovative teaching and learning practices, with a major emphasis on distance, open and flexible learning approaches incorporating the development of resource based and on line learning.

• Configure the University and its modes of educational delivery to achieve maximum flexibility in the way courses are offered over time and space.

• Pursue the application of modern information and communication technologies to teaching and learning, research, community service, and their management and support.

• Develop strategic alliances and relationships through which the University will be recognised and which will offer it distinctive niches as a leader in innovative programs and activities.

• Foster specialised postgraduate study opportunities that will attract outstanding research-oriented postgraduate students.

• Develop, in targeted areas, innovative research activities and outcomes which will enhance the University’s reputation both nationally and internationally.

Community Partnership

Central Queensland University emphasises working in partnership with its communities, and a strong sense of responsibility to its communities pervades all University endeavours.

• Further develop the University’s regional partnerships with the diverse Central Queensland community.

• Contribute to the cultural, social and economic enrichment of the community through the activities of both staff and students across all campuses.

• Play a leadership role, through teaching, research and community service, in defining and promoting the future development and profile of the region, the State and the nation during a period of global change.

CORE VALUES - truth, accuracy, honesty, civility and courage

Central Queensland University’s core values are standards not only for its teaching and research but also for the conduct of all internal and external transactions. The University’s aim is to instil these values in all staff and students as qualities of character. These core values, which are fundamental to the work of every university worthy of the name, are:

• Truth - that truth is superior to error is a value on which all research is
  predicated.

• Accuracy - that accuracy is superior to inaccuracy is a value on which all
  scholarship is predicated.

• Honesty - that honesty is superior to dishonesty is a value on which every
  university’s condemnation of plagiarism is predicated.

• Civility - civility is the mode of discourse that enables the university to
  operate as a community of people with often incompatible beliefs and values.

• Courage - courage is required to uphold the other core values when under personal or social pressures that would compromise them.

BROAD STRATEGIES

Central Queensland University is developing an interdependent, mutually reinforcing set of broad strategies intended to establish CQU as an innovative global provider of flexible and resource based learning with an enhanced capacity as a multi campus institution to meet the higher education needs of the Central Queensland region and beyond. These broad strategic directions, through which the University will pursue the achievement of its vision and broad goals, are outlined below.

Development as a Provider of Flexible Learning

The University’s review of distance education and flexible learning, commencing in 1997, has highlighted a number of strategic areas for change that will allow CQU to enhance its position as a leading provider of flexible learning within a global higher education market. The review process, incorporating the production of a comprehensive discussion paper, a further working paper on online delivery, and a wide ranging round of consultations, has culminated in the preparation of a Strategic Plan for Flexible Learning. This white paper, adopted in April 2001, will be implemented progressively during 2001- 2004 and beyond. It identifies specific goals in each of the following eight facets of its underlying model.

• flexibility for students
• relevance of learning and responsiveness for students
• social responsibility
• a learning community
• financial resources
• human resources
• physical infrastructure
• organisational structures and systems

The model also highlights the importance of quality assurance mechanisms.

A further consultative process has commenced to develop during 2001, a business plan to manage the implementation of this white paper. The business plan will be updated annually on a rolling triennial basis.

At the same time, recognising the synergies to be achieved by consolidating the various organisational units that support teaching and learning, CQU has established (May 2001) an integrated Division of Teaching and Learning Services which has brought together the formerly separate areas of Distance and Flexible Learning, Educational Services and Learning Support, and Educational Media Services. This will facilitate a more effective implementation of flexible learning across the university, and make more efficient use of available resources. So that innovations can be nurtured, developed further and diffused within and beyond the institution, a Learning, Evaluation, Innovation and Development (LEID) center will be established within this Division. It will provide a basis for the evaluation of current flexible learning practices as well as leadership in the development and diffusion of flexible learning praxis.

Development as a ‘Hybrid University’:

Commercial Strategy for Global Delivery of Resource Based Learning

Even if it wins the maximum conceivable level of public funding, the University will need additional resources to achieve the breadth and level of excellence in educational provision that it envisages for the Central Queensland region.

To gain these added resources, the University is therefore implementing, in conjunction with Campus Group Holdings and such other international partners as may be appropriate, a commercial strategy for the global delivery of higher education. Consistent with CQU’s strategy to focus on flexible student-centered learning, the model for this delivery is high quality resource based learning, supported at each location by appropriately qualified academic staff conducting small group face to face teaching.

This model has been introduced successfully at CQU’s international campuses in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Fiji, operated in partnership with Campus Group Holdings. These campuses, already generating increasing levels of revenue, are being further developed as profit centres. With the venture capital provided by the University’s commercial partner, no publicly funded assets are exposed to risk. The after - costs surpluses from CQU’s share of the revenue will be directed to debt redemption, capital development, and new academic initiatives at the Central Queensland campuses.

Whilst the details of this developing global strategy are commercial in confidence, further alliances are being developed which will give access to an expanding number of delivery sites internationally. These include Hong Kong (in alliance with the Hong Kong College of Technology) and Kuala Lumpur and Singapore (in alliance with Hartford Institute). Opportunities in mainland China are being explored in conjunction with the Queensland Office of Higher Education.

CQU is thus developing as a hybrid university, comprising two complementary components, "CQU Regional" and "CQU Global". "CQU Regional" operates as a multi campus university with a broad curriculum and a growing reputation for research of local relevance and the rapid transfer of research findings into the curriculum. It invests its experience, expertise and reputation in the courseware and assessment standards, which it controls, at all of the "CQU Global" delivery sites world wide. In this sense, "CQU Regional" supports "CQU Global". In turn, "CQU Regional" is supported through the surpluses generated by "CQU Global", and by the marketing advantages gained by the Central Queensland region through the increasing international awareness of the brand name.

In essence, this commercial strategy is intended to enable the University to provide a breadth and level of higher education in Central Queensland at standards well above what is possible through traditional funding approaches.

Reflecting the implementation of its commercial strategy, CQU has changed dramatically over the past five years. Whilst continuing to preserve its focus on serving its regional base, CQU has rapidly developed a complementary focus on international programs and commercial activities which now comprise a substantial and ever increasing proportion of its total operation. The major component of growth has occurred in fee paying international programs delivered at an expanding number of locations in Australia and overseas. The most significant growth has been taking place at CQU’s Australian International Campuses (Brisbane, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Sydney), with additional growth at a number of overseas locations (Fiji, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia). The broad dimensions of this growth are illustrated by the following table which also indicates the differential in growth between fee-paying and DETYA-funded student load (EFTSU).

Growth in CQU Student Load (EFTSU) by Student Funding Type,
1997-2001

Source: DETYA reports and CQU data as at 31 March (includes Research Training Scheme load)

Development of Central Queensland Campuses

Overall Strategy

At the same time, the University aims to continue to expand the size of operations on both its Central Queensland and international campuses. Consistent with the intent of its commercial strategy, all Commonwealth funded student load will be allocated to the Central Queensland campuses in order to improve higher education access and participation in the region. As profit centres, the international campuses will concentrate on fee paying programs for both international and domestic students. In addition, CQU will aim to increase the number of international students enrolled at the Central Queensland campuses, reflecting the imperative for stronger international perspectives in an increasingly globalised environment.

Whilst maintaining the viability of its activities at Rockhampton and in distance education, CQU will continue to focus on the development of its newer campuses at Bundaberg, Mackay and Gladstone. After several years of rapid growth, both the Bundaberg and Mackay campuses have some 1000 enrolments (800 EFTSU). Given the availability of additional funded load, they have the capacity to reach the threshold of 2000 EFTSU regarded by DETYA as sufficient to sustain a cost efficient campus operation. The Gladstone campus continues to strengthen its focus on programs in engineering and technology, although not achieving as rapid an enrolment growth overall.

The University has recently reassigned some undergraduate distance education and Rockhampton places to make additional undergraduate HECS places available at Bundaberg, Gladstone and Mackay. However, the ceiling on operating grant load currently imposed by the Commonwealth means that further growth in funded places at these campuses requires a continuing redeployment of load away from Rockhampton and/or distance education. Whilst CQU is undertaking such redeployment on a strategically selective basis, it cannot continue doing so without substantially altering the opportunities for regional access to higher education as well as threatening the viability of its Rockhampton and distance education operations.

Any future Commonwealth allocations of funded growth will be assigned to the Bundaberg, Gladstone and Mackay campuses, and funding strategies will be developed to provide capital funds for expansion of facilities at these campuses.

Within the short term, the limited number of funded student places available means that it is not feasible to develop even the Bundaberg or Mackay campuses sufficiently to enable them to offer CQU’s full range of programs. Thus, concerted attention is being given to the development of teaching and research niches for each campus that respond to the particular needs and aspirations of their host communities. This activity is involving the campus advisory committees which include key members of the local communities.

Bundaberg Campus

The Bundaberg campus is developing a profile of programs to address the critical need of its host community for economic diversification to enable growth and development. This is reflected in an emerging program of applied research in water quality, and relevant new academic programs. These include the recent introduction of undergraduate degree programs in Aviation Technology, in Multi Media Studies and in Tourism, as well as Sociology, Geography and Environmental Management majors within the Bachelor of Environmental Science program. Planned new initiatives include the introduction of the first year of undergraduate degree programs in engineering, new degree programs in Human Movement Science and in Occupational Health and Safety, and the expansion of the BA program to include full majors in Geography and History.

Mackay Campus

The Mackay campus is developing its programs further in response to the demand created by Mackay’s economic development and population growth. Some research activity in environmental management has commenced. Major new facilities have been built on the campus to accommodate both the CQ Conservatorium of Music and other academic areas, and to complete the integration of the Conservatorium and its activities within the University community. Recent developments include introduction of a degree program in multi media studies, consolidation of the Bachelor of Communication (Professional Communication) program, and expansion of the offer of the Bachelor of Health (Nursing) to include all years of the program. Plans for 2002 include expansion of the BA to include full majors in Geography and History.

Gladstone Campus

The Gladstone campus will continue to develop its engineering, technology and environmental management programs serving the needs of Gladstone’s growing industrial base. Particular attention will be given to activities relevant to proposed developments based on alumina and magnesium. These include activities associated with the Australian light metals initiative and CQU’s Memorandum of Understanding for joint research with the University of Queensland. The recent appointment of a Professor in Process Engineering and Light Metals (PELM), and the approaching completion of the State-funded PELM building to provide industrial research laboratories on campus, will facilitate strategic partnerships with industry in sustainable upstream processing and light metals, contributing to the development of the region.

Emerald Campus

Population growth (and student demand) in the Emerald region is closely linked to employment opportunities dependent on the economic development of the region’s mining sector. Reflecting the current economic situation, the Emerald campus has relatively little potential to increase undergraduate enrolments in the immediate future, due to limited student demand in the local community. Thus, delivery of undergraduate programs at Emerald will become a collaborative operation with the local TAFE campus — the only campus location in Queensland offering both TAFE and higher education. At the same time, the University is developing applied research niches at Emerald addressing the needs of its region. These niches center upon agriculture and irrigation, natural resource management (including water quality, salinity and land clearing), human resources management in the mining industry, and applications of information technology in rural communities.

Rockhampton

The further development of CQU Rockhampton City Centre (which began as the Rockhampton Smart City initiative) continues to be a major priority. This multi faceted, multi purpose initiative emphasises innovative collaboration with the community involving new communications technology, and offers benefits to both community and University. It is providing CQU with additional facilities in the Rockhampton city centre, including refurbished heritage buildings made available through the support of local, State and Commonwealth government. This is enabling the strategic relocation of a range of University activities selected for their capacity to capitalise on the collaborative opportunities offered by a city centre location. Such activities, involving several hundred students and staff, include the Community Informatics (COIN) initiative, the CQU Press bookshop, CQU’s community relations office and centre for continuing professional education, undergraduate programs in Journalism and Early Childhood Education, and the Master of Arts Administration. The heritage courthouse precinct is providing a venue for an expanding program of community oriented musical performances and cultural events conducted by the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music (Faculty of Education and Creative Arts).

Distance Education

As well as being adapted to encompass more flexible, resource based learning, the wide range of CQU’s offerings in distance education will also become more focused and strategically positioned toward market niches where CQU can achieve a comparative advantage. Distance offerings in areas of comparative weakness will be considered for rationalisation to enable redeployment of load to the developing Central Queensland campuses.

At the same time, CQU’s established strengths as a provider of distance education will be used to promote greater diversity within the student body through increased higher education participation by targeted equity groups (e.g. NESB, Low SES, women in non traditional fields) for which the university aims to improve its equity performance. In addition, collaboration with Network Queensland (formerly the Queensland Open Learning Network) will be explored with the aim of improving higher education access and learning support for rural and isolated students. These strategies will complement the development of the Central Queensland campuses in improving higher education access and participation across regional and rural Queensland.

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES FOR 2001 - 2005

The University’s strategic priorities for implementation of its vision, broad goals and strategies over the next five years are outlined below. These priorities comprise an integrated package, complementing and overlapping one another in their intent and focus. Collectively, they will enable CQU to strengthen its role as an integrated multi-campus university committed to equity and partnerships with the diverse communities it serves, and recognised internationally for the quality and innovation of its programs. They will be given concentrated attention and commitment of resources over 2001-2005.

1. Quality Management and Improvement

CQU’s rapid growth and expansion of commercial activities have highlighted the need to improve its information systems, administrative processes, and underlying planning, management and quality assurance structures. Responding to this imperative, the University has invested major resources ($20M) to implement new PeopleSoft administrative systems, although problems in system conversion have impacted adversely on financial reporting capacity. Priority attention is being given to overcoming these shortcomings and to capitalising on the potential for competitive advantage offered by introduction of new processes associated with implementation of the PeopleSoft systems. Key priorities include the following.

• Improve financial management and reporting to meet the expectations of the Queensland Auditor General.

• Improve the University’s ability to mange a rapidly growing, increasingly diverse and complex multi campus operation in which commercial activities, particularly fee paying international programs, already account for nearly 40% of total student load (preliminary 2001 data) and continue to expand rapidly. The commercial operations of the University’s residential college, travel business, bookshop and CQU Press must be supplied with accurate and timely information.

• Redevelop the University’s strategic planning processes to achieve closer links between planning, budgeting and quality assurance.

• Develop a quality management framework across all areas of university activity, embracing both quality assurance and continuous quality improvement processes, and incorporating appropriate provisions for benchmarking and performance review.

• Within this framework, progressively integrate the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Flexible Learning with the Teaching and Learning Strategy and Implementation Plan in order to maximise the quality of learning outcomes.

• Improve productivity and reduce unit costs in the delivery of programs and courses through developing pedagogically appropriate, more cost effective educational delivery.

• Continue to seek agreement from similar universities to undertake the collaborative benchmarking of research and research training performance utilising a selection of relevant McKinnon-Walker criteria.

• Establish a Continuous Improvement Unit to facilitate the ongoing improvement of information systems and related business processes, together with refinement of existing processes and practices, in order to maximise the benefits gained from implementation of new PeopleSoft systems.

2. Regional Partnerships

• Seek to further integrate the University’s teaching, research and community service in ways that enhance local and regional employment and economic development.

• Strengthen collaborative activities with industry in the region, especially in response to anticipated new developments within the Rockhampton - Gladstone corridor (e.g. light metals processing and high value added metals casting).

• Further implement the CQU Rockhampton City Centre initiative (formerly Rockhampton Smart City) in collaboration with the community.

• Expand and strengthen joint activities and collaboration with the TAFE/ VET sector.

• Develop cooperative links and activities with community groups to enrich the campus experience.

3. Research Profile, Research Management, Links between Research and Teaching

• Focus on the further development of research that contributes to the scientific, technological, economic, social and cultural development of the Central Queensland region, with emphasis on environmentally sustainable land and water utilisation, industrially relevant engineering, and contemporary communication.

• Strengthen the University’s research management of research and research training by implementing and refining the priorities, future directions and objectives outlined in the Research and Research Training Management Report 2001.

• Improve research performance against those measures used in the Institutional Grants Scheme and Research Training Scheme funding formulae in order to at least maintain funding levels once these schemes are fully applied to CQU in 2004.

• Ensure that the curriculum in all areas is continuously enriched and informed by the rapid transfer of relevant new research.

4. Flexible Learning and Educational Delivery

• Progressively achieve the goals presented in the Strategic Plan for Flexible Learning through the development and implementation of a business plan outlining a coherent program of actions updated on a rolling triennial basis.

• Review and re-develop the existing Teaching and Learning Strategy Statement and Implementation Plan 1999-2001 to facilitate the effective implementation of the Strategic Plan for Flexible Learning.

• Continue to develop innovative teaching and learning strategies, adapting and strengthening the University’s role as a provider of distance and flexible learning to ensure the availability of a range of teaching and learning approaches which can meet the diverse needs and circumstances of students.

• Develop more effective "self service" learning resources for students, and develop in students, independent learning skills.

• Make optimum use of staff-student and student-student interaction and feedback to enrich the learning experience and to improve learning resources and educational delivery.

• Be a university of the electronic age; a university which has members who manage their own information well and effectively access and evaluate external information; a university which offers programs that equip students with information management skills and a university which is a respected facilitator of learning.

• Enhance the quality of the campus experience offered to attending students in order to enrich their personal and professional development, and improve the opportunities for distance students either to access these experiences or to find alternative ways of gaining equivalent enrichment.

5. University Funding Base

• Strengthen the University’s academic profile and viability through continued growth in enrolments, identification of niche markets and development of programs to serve these markets, enhancement of the University’s public profile, and the pursuit of new business development opportunities.

• Develop the University’s relationships with both private and public sector organisations in the offering of CQU awards, degrees and training.

6. International Role and Perspectives

• Better position CQU as a university with an international perspective able to prepare its students to deal with a globalised society and economy, and continue to expand its international role and program of activities.

• Expand international enrolments at all campuses and develop international perspectives in both teaching and research to enrich the educational program and experiences available to all students and to enable graduates to understand and contribute effectively to an increasingly globalised community.

7. Community Service

• Strengthen the contribution that the University’s community service activities (e.g., the programs of the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music) make to the educational, cultural, social and economic enrichment of its communities.

8. Integrated Multi-Campus Operation

• Strengthen the links and coordination across all CQU operations involving the five Central Queensland campuses, distance education, the Australian International Campuses (Brisbane, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Sydney) and CQU’s overseas operations (Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia) to ensure consistent standards of educational delivery and support.

• Progressively develop the physical and intellectual infrastructure of the Bundaberg, Emerald, Gladstone and Mackay campuses in order to achieve across the Central Queensland region a more effective operation as an integrated multi-campus university.

• Review and progressively adapt teaching, research and management practices to better suit a multi-campus operation.

9. Human Resources Development

• Strengthen the University’s programs for the strategic recruitment, development and management of its human resources, including the full implementation of performance review, planning and development.

• Actively pursue the improvement of teaching and of postgraduate research supervision and training through more concerted academic staff development.

• Work to implement CQU’s new Enterprise Bargain Agreements to further achieve a more flexible working environment that will improve the quality of life for staff and increase the productivity of the University.

10. Access and Equity

• Build upon the University’s strong achievement in access and equity to increase further the opportunities for persons from a diversity of backgrounds to participate successfully in higher education, and implement more effective strategies for recruiting students drawn from diverse backgrounds (e.g. NESB, Low SES, women in non traditional fields).

• Investigate a more focused delivery of distance education in collaboration with Learning Network Queensland to increase opportunities for rural and isolated students to undertake higher education and receive improved learning support through the network of open learning study centres.

• Enhance cross cultural awareness and the understanding of Indigenous perspectives throughout all sections of the university community and integrate this awareness and understanding into the conduct and support of teaching, research and community service.

• Develop course articulation arrangements that will improve opportunities for higher education participation and increase the range of pathways through which students can achieve university qualifications.

• Improve the transition to university and the rate of participation with success in CQU’s award programs through improvements to selection processes, bridging and preparatory programs, the secondary/first year interface, and support for commencing students.

• Implement the recommendations that the Student Retention Working Party will be developing during 2001, actioning them progressively over the duration of CQU’s new Enterprise Bargain Agreements.

12. Student Support

• Strengthen and expand the University’s innovative student mentoring initiatives.

• Strengthen the effectiveness of the University’s student services and their focus on quality client service.

• Support the Student Association in its endeavours to expand the provision and range of services accessible to all students regardless of geographical location or student status.

13. Management Systems and Infrastructure

• Consolidate the role of the newly established Information Technology and Telecommunications Policy Committee and develop a Strategic Plan for Information Technology and Telecommunications to provide a framework for provision of appropriate infrastructure for the effective support of the university’s teaching and research activities.

• Further develop information technology and communications links and infrastructure across all campuses.

• Implement new PeopleSoft administrative/management systems to enable more efficient and effective management of operations in the areas of finance, student administration, and human resources, and to improve productivity, cost efficiency and client service across the University.

• Further develop and improve physical facilities across all campuses, and achieve more effective utilisation of physical facilities, to support the effective achievement of the University’s academic goals and to provide increased opportunities for the broad development of students.

• Support the implementation of a University Greening Campaign intended to improve all facets of environmental management across the University community and its campuses.