Organisational Change Proposal: UCL Graduate School
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Context
The Graduate School at UCL has been in existence for twenty years and has
delivered significant benefits to UCL, in particular allowing UCL to lead on the
provision of an enhanced, broader training experience for doctoral students. The
Graduate School has been responsible for strategy for postgraduate education,
maintaining standards, and support for research students beyond their discipline
particularly through the comprehensive skills development programme, but not, as in
many US Graduate Schools, marketing, admissions, or research project approval
and direct supervision. However, over that time, UCL has changed and developed
significantly. Hence, the 2010 White Paper signalled that a review of the School
would be timely in the light of the changing context for its operation.
“Postgraduate research students … are essential to the development of
the research base, the future academic community and researchers in
business and industry. They are central to the research culture and
community at UCL. UCL’s innovative PhD programmes also provide
excellent opportunities for collaborative research activity with external
organisations.”
“We have set up a review of the role of the Graduate School in the light
of our ambition to increase the numbers of outstanding postgraduate
students at UCL”
The 2011 UCL Research Strategy highlighted the importance of doctoral education
within research activity, and the importance of a distinctive high-quality UCL
experience intended to develop research leaders and prepare students for various
career pathways that would draw on their research experience.
This organisational change proposal has been produced with input from members of
SMT and the Head of the Graduate School. The drivers for change are as follows:
1)
UCL has placed greater emphasis on the role of faculties in planning, and the
management of the institution. This has been reinforced by the appointment
of teams at faculty level, led by executive deans. Given their unique
contribution to the vitality of research environments, many faculties have made
doctoral students central to their plans and activities. This has led to a desire
from faculties for devolution of operational matters relating to research
students currently undertaken by the Graduate School. Growth in research
student numbers means that many faculties have communities of research
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students which are larger than the total research student population of many
universities. Many aspects of support for research students, in terms of
funding, supervision, examination, quality assurance etc, are already delivered
through faculties and departments.
2)
Other areas of UCL have undergone change, and now offer services within
which activities undertaken by the Graduate School could sit, with advantages
of economies of scale, expertise, and critical mass. For example, the
university now offers a much more extensive programme of in-house training
and development through Human Resources, although demand from early
career researchers is considerably greater than supply, and there are
synergies and efficiencies to be gained by moving such activity out of the
Graduate School, with the Head of the Graduate School retaining a role in
providing academic leadership, setting strategy, defining budget priorities and
holding the delivery unit to account.
3)
Nationally and at UCL, research ethics and integrity issues have taken a much
higher profile. There has never been any compelling organisational reason
why the servicing of the Research Ethics Committee should sit with the
Graduate School, and it is proposed that this responsibility should move to
Student and Registry Services to sit alongside other similar processes.
4)
The Office of the Vice-Provost Research has grown and taken on a central
and very successful role in developing, implementing and evaluating UCL’s
research strategy. It is focused on policy and strategy, and in the context of its
role as now defined, it is anomalous that the Graduate School sits outside it,
given the key role that research students play in the delivery of the research
mission.
5)
There is a clear expectation on the part of funding bodies and others that
universities will have a graduate school that can take a lead on ensuring that
their expectations for breadth and quality of training experience are met.
Thus, the need in this regard is primarily for a central function which can take
on external representation, the development and monitoring of policy and
strategy, and to encourage cross-disciplinary interactions.
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Functions of the Graduate School
The current functions of the School are as follows:
Policy/Funder Engagement
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Leads on relationships with the RCUK Postgraduate Training policy groups,
other national bodies such as VITAE, the UK Council for Graduate Education
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and the QAA, and international bodies dealing with research training matters
such as DG(Research) and LERU, and ensuring their requirements are met.
The development of policy papers such as those on Teaching Assistantships
and Postgraduate Pathways.
Initiation and driving of infrastructure projects such as EROS (Electronic
Recording Of Supervisors) and the research student administration module in
PORTICO
Regulation/Quality
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Chair of Research Degrees Committee (secretariat support is provided from
Student and Registry Services (SRS).
Secretariat for Research Ethics Committee.
Support for Departmental Graduate Tutors including annual information packs
and database of contacts
Support for Researcher Development Working Group, RDC working groups,
and research degree administrators forum
On-line survey of research student experience
Code of Practice for Research Degrees for the Research Degrees Committee
Training and Support
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Development and maintenance of the Research Student Log.
Welcome events for new research students and introductory sessions on skills
and the log.
Development and Management of the Skills development programme. These
range from half day classroom sessions to residential programmes, covering
topics such as time management, project management, entrepreneurship,
communication skills, learning and teaching, etc. with 12000 registrations in
2012/13.
Management of Bloomsbury Postgraduate Skills Network, providing a unified
portal for access to courses from nine universities.
The School disburses the following funds:
o Research project funds,
o Student conference fund,
o AHRC study visit and conference fund,
o University of London Trust Fund awards
o Staff conference fund,
o Bridging fund for research staff between contracts,
o Fellowships fund,
o Yale/UCL doctoral exchange,
o External training fund.
o Financial support for academic societies for postgraduate students.
There are currently eight of these listed on the School’s web pages.
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Overseeing supervisor and research degree examiner training (administered
by CALT)
Liaison with the Students Union
Graduate School Handbook ‘The Art of Research’
Advice for staff and students on research degree matters and informal
resolution of sensitive difficulties for individual research students.
Scholarships

Overseeing the decisions on UCL’s Graduate Research Student, Cross
Disciplinary Research, and Overseas Research Student awards managed by
Student Funding.
Competitions
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Research poster competition, Research Review competition, Research
Images as Art.
Student complaints
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Head of Graduate School chairs panels to consider complaints by graduate
students under Student Grievance Procedure. Review and reform of UCL
student complaints and academic appeal processes is also a White Paper
commitment.
Proposed Changes
Rename: There is currently some ambiguity about the role of the Graduate School in
relation to taught master’s programmes. SMT supports the proposition that the
School should focus exclusively on research students. In acknowledgement of this
the name of the School should be changed to the UCL Doctoral School.
In order to ensure a linked approach to research students and research strategy, the
role of head of the Doctoral School should be incorporated within the Office of the
Vice-Provost (Research) as a Pro-Provost role at 0.5 FTE. The Pro-Provost will chair
the following groups:
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Research Degrees Committee – reporting to Academic Committee and
leading on quality assurance and regulations
Doctoral Training Strategy Committee – reporting to Vice-Provost (Research)
and responsible for ensuring Faculty plans and delivery of support for
research students realise strategic aims and policies
Student Recruitment and Admissions Committee Research Students Subgroup – proposed to reflect the distinctive recruitment requirements at this
level
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
Researcher Development Working Group – taking forward the existing groups
work on development pathways for researcher careers
In addition the Pro-Provost will be deputy chair of the Research Staff Consultative
Group, chaired by Vice-Provost (Research).
The Pro-Provost, as head of the Doctoral School, should focus on the development
of institutional strategy, and liaison with external bodies including research councils
and LERU, evaluation of plans and delivery by other units, and should be relieved of
operational responsibilities in order to facilitate that change of emphasis.
Refocus: The proposals are designed to refocus the Doctoral School on the following
priorities:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
Continuing to lead policy formulation for research student experience and lead
on the relationship with national and international funding agencies and
networks such as LERU and the UK Council for Graduate Education
Providing a forum within which it can be agreed at what level within UCL
support for further improving the experience of research students can be most
effectively and efficiently delivered (i.e. centrally, at the School level, at the
Faculty level, or at the Department level);
Providing a forum for evaluation of Faculty and Professional Services
Divisions plans and effectiveness in the support of doctoral students;
Developing a vision for the UCL PhD student experience (building on the
ambitions of the 2011 White Paper and Research Strategy), and defining the
most appropriate model for PhD training which reflects the various and
different needs across UCL (eg four year training, the creation of Centres for
Doctoral Training, etc);
Continuing to promote a person-centred vision that sees the research degree
to be part of an extended preparation for a career that uses skills acquired
through research;
Pro-Provost will be an ex-officio member of all activities working on
establishing better interactions with international scholarship programmes and
improving international marketing of doctoral studentships generally;
Supporting the Vice-Provost (Research) in responsibility for ensuring that
coherent bids are submitted to funding agencies to maximize the number of
PhD awards are won by UCL by working with School Research Facilitators,
Deans, etc, and overseeing effective progress of Doctoral Training Centres
and Doctoral Training Partnerships supported by either external or internal
funding.
Supporting the Vice-Provost (Research) in providing leadership and
maintaining oversight on standards of doctoral supervision and examining,
and developing UCL’s supervisor community. The administration of such
programmes would entirely transfer to CALT.
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9)
10)
Delivering some distinctive cross-disciplinary experiences for doctoral
students, especially in cooperation with UCL Grand Challenges.
Taking active lead in developing new doctoral student spaces and coordinating existing ones in the Estates Masterplan with Professional Services,
including for the Graduate Hub, currently in the basement of the South Wing,
and the proposed Doctoral Centre in the front quad (or elsewhere).
Redistribute: To reduce the Doctoral School’s responsibilities for direct delivery, other
aspects of its current work would be as below:
1)
2)
3)
4)
Faculties will be required to produce strategies for research students, with
three year rolling implementation plans, which will be subject to monitoring by
the Pro-Provost and the Doctoral Training Strategy Committee. The plans will
typically be extracts of relevant information from their three-year faculty plans
and associated doctoral training bids, and should be consistent with the faculty
research strategy. Where appropriate Deans may wish to cooperate to
produce school-level or other joint plans. The Doctoral Training Strategy
Committee will review these plans and if necessary recommend any changes
to Deans and the Vice-Provost (Research).
Responsibility for servicing the Research Ethics Committee should transfer to
Academic Services within SRS.
The following should transfer to SRS: Responsibility for maintenance of the
Graduate School Codes of Practice, acting on the direction of the RDC for the
Code for Research Degrees, and the Education Committee for the Code for
Graduate Taught Degrees, and for advice on regulatory matters. The Doctoral
School may continue to receive requests for advice from supervisors and
students from time to time on informal matters concerning the supervisory
relationship. It will respond appropriately communicating with Departments
and Faculties as appropriate, but will not provide advice on dispute resolution.
Such advice should be sought in the first instance from the UCL Student
Mediator.
Most funding for studentships, conference attendance, bridging, and student
societies should be devolved to faculties, which currently take responsibility for
the bulk of funding for research students. (It should be noted that some
Faculties currently rely heavily on these funds to support key aspects of
doctoral training such as fieldwork, and their use should be planned for within
the faculty plans and will be carefully monitored in that context.) Some funding
should be retained within the Doctoral School for cross-disciplinary student
societies, competitions and the like – closer integration with the OVPR should
see more of these occurring with UCL Grand Challenges and similar. There is
a need to maintain an overview of provision and a degree of consistency of
approach and this will be monitored by the Pro-Provost, and the need for a
small number of generic competitions should be kept under review. In a few
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5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
cases, conditions of bequests that fund activities require them to be conducted
across UCL and these must be honoured as required.
The Graduate School currently has a fund for protecting students from
circumstances resulting from exceptional funder volatility and this, and other
hardship related responsibilities, should transfer to the financial aid office in
SRS. The Pro-Provost and Doctoral Training Strategy Committee will make a
statement of expectations on appropriate support (in particular the
maintenance of full stipend) and retain a role in scrutinising the use (or nonuse) of that funding and associated Faculty funds.
Welcome events should be managed within SRS, to the Pro-Provost’s
requirements, as are other induction events and activities, such as the
International Students Orientation Programme and the Transition programme.
Support for the Research Student Log should be transferred to ISD and the
possibility of expanding its remit to include research staff development will be
explored. The Doctoral School and OVPR communications team will retain a
close interest in this activity. The Skills Course website and booking systems
will also transfer to ISD.
Responsibility for delivery of the central doctoral skills development
programme should transfer to Organisational Development within HR and be
linked to support for research staff. The team will remain accountable to the
Pro-Provost and Doctoral Training Strategy Committee for setting priorities
and will retain the budget. The present doctoral training suite in the basement
of 66-72 Gower Street (including a lecture room, computer cluster room and
offices for Royal Literary Fund will transfer to Organisational Development for
use for research student and staff training. Since this is unlikely to meet full
requirements for the linked training activities, it is suggested that two
additional large teaching rooms are block reserved (and temporarily badged)
for this activity outside of term times. Responsibility for the Bloomsbury
Postgraduate Skills Network would transfer with the team.
Skills and Log Induction Sessions - Skills Programme Manager (proposed in
OD) will continue to organise these sessions under the direction of the
Doctoral School, with involvement from Log support and development role
(proposed in ISD) who will also continue to contribute to the sessions.
Formal grievances from research students are already handled by SRS with
the Pro Provost chairing the panels.
For the purposes of external presentation, UCL will continue to present the
Doctoral School as an integrated provision for research students. As in UCL
now, and in our peer institutions, operational management will be undertaken
in different parts of the organisation, but with the Pro-Provost, the Research
Degrees Committee and the Doctoral Training Strategy setting policy and
monitoring planning and performance.
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Benefits
The proposals will shift the focus of the Doctoral School towards policy and strategy,
working with faculties on their strategies, and monitoring implementation. Given the
importance of ensuring that UCL develops, communicates, and implements a
coherent strategy on doctoral education, this shift in the emphasis of the role will
better enable UCL to fulfil its mission. Improved integration of doctoral training
strategy with UCL’s wider research strategy will also be a significant benefit.
Responsibility for operational matters will largely transfer elsewhere. This will provide
a better fit with the role of faculties, and will enable synergies to be realised with
other units responsible for committee servicing, training, regulatory matters, etc.
Linkage of central training support for doctoral students and research staff has clear
benefits, although the role of academic leadership in setting priorities and plans must
be maintained and strengthened.
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Consideration of alternative options
The option of the status quo is seen as being sub-optimal, given the issues raised in
the context section and the benefits above. UCL’s needs and modes of operation
have changed over the last ten years, and the commitment to review the Graduate
School made in the White Paper was an acknowledgement of the need for change.
The change will focus the new Doctoral School on policy and strategy, leaving others
with accountability for implementation. Other alternatives would not achieve this clear
distinction, and would not achieve the desired objective of refocusing the Doctoral
School’s work.
The integration of the Pro-Provost role and Doctoral School into the Office of the
Vice-Provost (Research) ensures an appropriate connection between policy and
strategy for research students and wider research policy and strategy. Alternative
hosting units, such as Office of Vice-Provost (Education) or Student and Registry
Services would have fewer connections with this agenda. Thus it also seems
appropriate for the roles most closely associated with the Pro-Provost and matters of
policy to move into the OVPR.
Support for the Ethics Committee has never had a particular focus on doctoral as
opposed to other research. It seems to naturally belong within Academic Services
associated with their support of the Research Governance Committee and
investigation of allegations of research misconduct. The only obvious alternative is to
retain with Doctoral School in OVPR. As a general policy, the Research Governance
Committee is looking to separate support for formal ethics processes from more
informal activities to support cultural factors around research integrity. Since the latter
will be mainly hosted out of OVPR over the next few years, it is preferable that the
Ethics Committee support move to join the other formal processes in Academic
Services.
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The transfer of the doctoral skills development programme into Organisational
Development is not without challenges, given its more educational philosophy and
the important emphasis on developing skills and attitudes of value for a career
outside UCL. Alternative structures might see a single team operating within the
OVPR or another unit (such as CALT, Careers Service, SRS or UCL Advances).
However, no alternative structure allowed both the integration of doctoral and
researcher skills development and the integration of research staff with broader staff
development. In total this transfer and linkage will mean more posts with a strong
involvement in doctoral skills development, which is beneficial given the wide
diversity of courses, and the likelihood of peaks and troughs in workload. Moreover,
retaining strong oversight and responsibility for non-staff budgets for doctoral skills
development within the Doctoral School, ensures that the programmes delivered will
remain strongly linked to educational requirements. In the event that this
arrangement fails to deliver a programme satisfactory to the Doctoral Training
Strategy Committee, we will review the team structure again.
Responsibility for maintaining and developing an institution wide IS system, such as
the Research Student Log, naturally belongs within ISD, rather than OVPR, which
has no similar system support roles.
Alternative proposals involving expanding the existing Graduate School team by
transferring other delivery and support posts elsewhere with focus on research
graduate students into a single large Doctoral School unit with extensive operational
responsibilities would unduly separate doctoral education from other Faculty
activities, and would be immensely complex to operate effectively.
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Timetable
It is proposed that the changes will be implemented wef 1 July 2014.
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Posts affected
The following posts are located in the Graduate School:
Head of Graduate School, professorial post, 0.5FTE. It is proposed that the new post
will have a revised job description, with a reporting line to the Vice-Provost
(Research) rather than the Vice-Provost (Operations). The title of the post will be
Pro-Provost (Doctoral School).
Graduate School Administrator. It is proposed that this post will transfer to the
Doctoral School with a revised job description emphasising executive support for the
Pro-Provost and development, delivery and evaluation of UCL’s strategy for research
students and research staff development. This role will be titled “Senior Executive
Officer, UCL Doctoral School”.
PA to Head/Secretary to Ethics Committee. It is proposed that this post should
transfer to Student and Registry Services with the remit for the Ethics Committee.
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Within the OVPR there is a vacancy for a “Deputy Office Manager”, which will be
redefined to include 0.5 role as PA to the Pro-Provost.
Skills Development Programme Manager and Skills Courses Officer. It is proposed
that these two posts will transfer with job descriptions, which may require minor
amendments, to Organisational Development in HR.
Web Developer and IT Support Officer. This post supports the development,
administration and user support for the Research Student Log. It is proposed that this
role will transfer to ISD along with responsibility for the student log.
Web/IT Support Administrator. This post supports the organisation and running of
Graduate School events and publications as well as the Graduate School’s website,
intranet and systems. It is proposed that this post will transfer to OVPR as the
Doctoral School Web/IT Support and Administrative officer, reporting to the Senior
Executive Officer (Doctoral School) and liaising as needed with the OVPR
Communications Team. Core responsibilities will remain similar, but will broaden to
reflect new needs of Doctoral School and in particular supporting the Senior
Executive Officer’s wider policy role.
Administrative Officer. The bulk of the responsibilities of this post relate to financial
administration, and with the transfer of responsibility for Graduate School Funds
elsewhere, this post is at risk.
To support the additional administrative responsibilities within SRS Student
Administration (Codes of Practice, advice on regulatory matters and welcome events
management) an extra post will be created there. This new role is substantially
different from the post at risk.
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Savings to be delivered by the proposed change
The current proposal is not designed to deliver cost savings but is intended to result
in a more coherent and rational arrangement of services and a more efficient delivery
of these services to UCL students and staff. The proposals relevant to the current
Graduate School Divisional budget envelope are broadly cost-neutral overall.
Evaluation of any risks involved in the proposed change and the equality impact
assessment
No risks are foreseen at this stage. However, the staff concerned will need to work
constructively together to ensure a smooth transition to the proposed new
arrangements.
The proposed change is not expected to impact on the progress of any of UCL’s
equality policies or workforce equality targets.
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The proposed change, as it relates to restructuring within what is currently the
Graduate School, is not expected to impact significantly on the equality profile of the
proposed UCL Doctoral School staffing.
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Consultation timetable and process
The period of consultation on the proposals will begin on Thursday 6 February. The
consultation will be open for 15 working days and will thus close on Thursday 27
February.
A meeting with Trade Union representatives will be offered at the start of the
consultation process.
The Vice Provost Operations will respond to any comments received on the
proposals on completion of the consultation period. It is not expected that responses
to comments will be made during the consultation period.
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Communication
The Vice Provost Operations will confirm in writing to those staff in the Graduate
School affected by the proposed change by no later than Friday 14 March what
changes will be implemented in the light of the consultation process.
Once the communications in the above paragraph have been completed, the Vice
Provost Operations will arrange for appropriate written communications to be sent to
UCL’s academic departments and faculties etc., informing them of what changes will
be implemented.
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Guiding Principles
All employees will be treated fairly and consistently in accordance with all relevant
UCL employment and equality policies and consistent with all legal requirements.
This document includes an equality risk/impact assessment of the proposal (see
above). It is the intention of UCL to avoid redundancy wherever possible and where
redeployment is possible specified support will be offered to staff through any
transition period.
There will be meaningful consultation with affected employees and recognised Trade
Union representatives. UCU, UNISON and UNITE representatives will be provided
with a copy of this proposal and have been invited to meet with the Vice Provost
Operations if they wish to discuss the proposals.
Rex Knight
Vice-Provost (Operations)
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