Universities must be research active – and that includes vice-chancellors
All VCs should be research active. That is my view anyway. I have just come back from three days in Vienna which, every year, hosts the European Geoscience Union annual conference.
The last time I presented at a big international meeting was a few years back and it is good to be reminded of how stimulating and worthwhile they can be.
During my interview for the job at Northampton, the question of research came up and some on the panel seemed surprised that I would want to continue with it. Surely being a vice-chancellor means you have more lofty things to worry about? Wouldn't it be a distraction from the day job? How will you possibly find time?
Take the first point. Universities are places where new knowledge is generated. It is what marks them out from other educational establishments and those that excel at it are de facto members of a global elite. Research of quality brings with it kudos, money and, most significantly for practitioners, job satisfaction.
All academic staff (and those with the desire on the support side) should be involved in generating new knowledge in addition to transmitting it, so why should VCs be any different?
Thinking and remaining passionate about your subject, to me the hallmark of a good university teacher, is hardly a distraction or impairment to successful management – provided you get the balance right. I can't speak for others but I would find it impossibly depressing to turn my back on a subject I care deeply about and take pride in my contribution. Perhaps those who do weren't much good at it in the first place?
What about the time bit? Simple: make time. One of the comments often heard in universities is that staff don't have time for research or similar outward-facing activity because they are too busy attending a relentless succession of committee meetings. Solution: cull them (committees not staff!), and do so ruthlessly.
We have shut down more than 100 committees at Northampton and most people are none the wiser as they were largely talking shops. But even this may not be enough, the simple fact is that you have to take responsibility as an individual and put in the hours at evenings and weekends too as deadlines approach. Again balance is everything, but the rewards are more than worth it. The upshot is that I hope to go forward into the REF, I say hope because the decision is not mine, it will be made by the research committee. Being a research active VC acts as a leveller and sends out a powerful message – if I can do it, so can you.
On the wider issue of research, there is often a tension in the so-called teaching universities where some see it as an expensive luxury. Internally, there can also be a lack of clear understanding bordering on naivety that research means outputs and outcomes and that those who do not deliver should not be carried by those who do. Good performance management is critical here.
But even those institutions with a teaching-first commitment like mine would be foolish to turn their backs on research. Instead, it is important to define what kind of research activity fits best with the values and mission of the institution, not just those demanded by the REF. At Northampton, and I suspect others like us, this is a blend of mostly applied research, by and large near market, that spills over into enterprise, professional practice and consultancy. And, most importantly, it must inform the student experience.
Professor Nick Petford is vice-chancellor at The University of Northampton. He tweets at @nick_petford