UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA,
NSUKKA, NIGERIA
UNN Strategic Plan
FOREWORD
This Strategic Plan proposes great strides for UNN over the next five years. It also sets high expectations and offers a framework and guide for the University as it fulfills its vision and aspiration for future performance and academic excellence.
This strategic plan is premised on the principle that UNN is one institution even though it has become a comprehensive collection of diverse faculties, colleges, centers, educational programs and support agencies spread out in three dispersed campuses.
Accordingly, this strategic plan focuses on the University as a whole while recognizing the respective responsibilities and capacities of the component faculties, colleges, centers and support agencies to perform and achieve excellence within their respective disciplines but in accordance with the umbrella strategic goals.
Furthermore, this strategic plan recognizes the dynamic nexus between the leadership of UNN and the responsibilities and capacities of the component units. The premise of this strategic plan is that within the diverse critical strengths and or weaknesses of the component units, there remains UNN as the central focus. Thus, the challenge regarding implementation of the strategic plan would be how to effectively exploit UNN’s diversity and comparative strengths to attain the envisioned new heights as a world class institution.
This strategic plan is a product of wide and intensive consultations among the various faculties, departments, centers and other administrative units of the university. It represents the invaluable, committed and informed contributions of various members of the University community who unreservedly shared their knowledge and skills throughout the process.
The implementation of the policy will drive the activities of UNN in the coming years and will create a trajectory that will in the long term transform UNN into a world class university. However, in the short to medium term, it will help to propel UNN to become the best ranked university in Nigeria and amongst the best in the sub-region
Professor Benjamin Chuma Ozumba
Vice Chancellor
Table of Contents
Vision, Mission and Core Values. 4
1.1 Why Develop a Strategic Plan?. 8
1.3 Organization of the Plan. 11
SECTION II: THE ESSENCE AND COMMITMENTS OF UNN.. 12
SECTION III: THE INSTITUTION AND ITS ENVIRONMENT. 20
3.5.1 Continuing Trend of Globalization. 21
3.5.2 Pace of Technological Innovation in the Creation and Sharing of Knowledge. 22
3.5.4 Governance Framework. 23
3.5.5 Infrastructure Challenges. 24
SECTION IV: GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND ACTIONS. 25
4.5 GOAL NO. 5: IMPROVE AND SUSTAIN EFFORTS TO INCREASE INTERNALLY GENERATED RESOURCES. 37
4.8 GOAL NO. 8: ENHANCE AND STRENGTHEN THE GOVERNANCE AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE. 43
IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK………………………………………………………………………………………………………46
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Introduction
The distinctly unique pathways to University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) becoming a world class university were defined from its inception. To achieve a collective vision and translate it into actionable initiatives, the current Vice Chancellor, Professor Benjamin C. Ozumba, established a Strategic Planning Committee to drive the visioning/strategic planning process that will yield a road map for UNN through his tenure and ensure that UNN becomes an enduring world class university. This plan is intended to stimulate the requisite change, and become the foundation for transformation. It is also intended to address the new challenges of globalization, cross-border provision of tertiary education services and quality multi-disciplinary research output, and the intricacies of the present knowledge and information driven society. The strategic plan will show UNN stakeholders the institution’s renewed dedication to excellence in all forms of business operations. It will constitute a contract, between the university and its various stakeholders, to deliver the dividends of performance and academic excellence.
Approach
The Strategic Planning Committee adopted a “bottom-up” approach to planning, innovation and creativity. Although the Committee steered the planning process from the center, most of the ideas and input came from the faculties, schools, institutes, college, departments, staff, students, and other relevant stakeholders. The approach encouraged the component units, guided by a template, to provide information about their history, vision and mission statements, values, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. They identified both generic and specific strategic issues that are relevant to them. They also reviewed their products and/or services, stakeholders and their needs, as well as their competitors, core competencies and success factors. Building upon this contextual background, each component unit proffered broad strategic goals for their unit as well as the University for the next five years. Utilizing all of these submissions, the Committee then identified the cross cutting issues, the key challenges facing the university and the broad umbrella strategic goals for the University.
Vision, Mission and Core Values
The motto of UNN, which is “To Restore the Dignity of Man”, provides the basis for deriving the university’s mission and vision statements as well as its core values. UNN’s vision statement is “to create a functional, globally competitive and research focused University of Nigeria which is not just an ivory tower but responsive to the needs of the society while delivering world class education and knowledge.” This vision underscores Dr. Azikiwe’s inspiration for comprehensive quality education within a collaborative and open culture.
The mission statement is “to place the University of Nigeria in the forefront of research and development, innovation, knowledge transfer and human resource development in the global academic terrain, while promoting the core values which will ensure the restoration of the dignity of man.” This strategic plan stands on the dimensions of the mission of UNN — research and development, innovation, knowledge transfer and human resource development — as umbrella goal areas within which more specific objectives and actions were developed.
The UNN’s core values, which embody its essence and are the sacrosanct principles or qualities that are expected to define all practices and activities within the institution, include integrity, accountability, transparency, respect, meritocracy, creativity, team work, open mindedness, and social responsibility.
The Aspiration
UNN aspires for her graduates to succeed and play leadership roles in science, technology, government, agriculture, the arts, law, business, education, public policy, health care and in every sector of the globe.
UNN aspires to produce future Nobel Prize winners in various disciplines; but also recognizes that attaining such levels requires not only the exceptional brilliance of the individuals but also the ability of UNN to attract, stimulate, and sustain such levels of performance, creativity and excellence.
The achievement of the aspiration will depend on the collective commitment and capacity of the university to provide faculty, students and staff of rich potential with an institutional environment in which individual and collective creativity can thrive.
The challenges facing UNN require new forms of engagement and leadership, as well as partnerships with various stakeholders, particularly private sector stakeholders. Globalization is making new demands on the research, teaching, engagement, and economic development missions of universities including UNN. Re-establishing and creating new relationships with its diverse stakeholders will help UNN meet these demands and regain public confidence, attract increased levels of private investment and assistance, and provide superior education to students from Nigeria and beyond.
At the implementation stage, the achievement of this aspiration will require UNN to define a set of objectives and key performance measures that will be used to monitor and evaluate progress over time. It will also be important to establish comparative benchmark institutions and track those institutions over time based on these dimensions. It will be imperative to conduct routine assessments of the strategically important and/or critical academic areas.
Strategic Goals
The UNN has identified eight broad overarching goals that will be the focal point of university activities and direction in the next five years (2014-2019). These strategic goals are as follows:
- Strengthen and reposition UNN to pursue and maintain educational excellence and world class standards in teaching and community service.
- Enhance and sustain activities to recruit, nurture, and retain a diverse faculty of outstanding scholars and teachers as well as an excellent, diverse and highly talented non-academic staff.
- Enhance and sustain initiatives to recruit, nurture, and retain a diverse international student population and provide them with an education that is innovative, distinctive and of the highest quality while instilling in them a passion for learning.
- Strengthen and sustain the visibility and relevance of UNN to the broader local, national and international communities with emphasis on research and creativity.
- Improve and sustain efforts to increase internally generated resources.
- Enhance and sustain efforts to integrate Information Communication Technology (ICT) into academic and non-academic processes and activities for the purpose of meeting the challenges of a modern, technology-driven, and knowledge-based society.
- Improve and sustain physical infrastructure and municipal services through sustainable public private partnerships and other innovations.
- Enhance and strengthen the governance and organizational structure to ensure more effective running of the university and implementation of this strategic plan.
These eight broad umbrella goals, will inform a more specific time bound objectives and actions that reflect the peculiarities of UNN without ignoring global best practices standards for measuring performance and academic excellence. The summary of these peculiarities is the underlying goal of producing students imbued not just with academic theoretical knowledge but with entrepreneurial skills and orientation. This is the distinctive tradition that the founding fathers bequeathed to UNN.
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION
The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) is a unique institution that from its inception defined distinct pathways to becoming a world class university and a center for academic excellence. Its uniqueness derives from the fact that the idea of its creation was nurtured by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe over twenty-five years before the university actually opened its academic doors to enthusiastic students. Dr. Azikiwe’s inspiration was driven by his lamentation that Africans had been exposed to unbalanced education that made them appear to be unprogressive, stagnant, artificial, intellectually superficial and retrospective. He vehemently called for the mental emancipation and complete re-education of Africans to enable them face the real needs of renascent Africa. Thus, for nearly thirty years, Dr. Azikiwe conceptualized and nurtured the idea of an innovative university which would abide by the principle of matching curriculum with need, a university which would emphasize an aristocracy of mind over matter, and reflect the peculiarities of the Africans especially with regard to comprehensive education and mental emancipation.
UNN, from its inception, developed a curriculum that transcended the then traditional restrictions of learning to classical education. It emphasized Dr. Azikiwe’s educational philosophy of a well-rounded institution with admirable utilitarian tendencies. It was truly to be a university for anyone who was qualified and open to study in vocational and classical areas, as well as in practical and scientific areas. At the time, there was no other institution of higher education in Africa quite like UNN.
Regretfully, the UNN of today can aptly be described as a shadow of the world-class university envisaged by Dr. Azikiwe. Though punctuated with touches of development and physical renovations funded mainly by philanthropists, through internally generated revenue, the defunct Education Trust Fund and now by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), the present state of UNN is arguably deplorable, especially in terms of infrastructure, ranking, academic standards, research, staff development, foreign linkages, community service, and the vicarious competition with other national and international universities. The current ranking of UNN by Webometrics is quite disturbing which is why the present administration is committed to transforming UNN to reverse this undesirable trend.
With detailed consideration of the peculiar challenges and goals of the respective units of the University, this strategic plan lays out broad goals and objectives for the whole University as well as activities and tasks that will culminate in the attainment of those goals and objectives. Accordingly, the focus is on cross cutting issues that transcend the boundaries of the various faculties, colleges and centers; while recognizing that the locus of implementation for many of these actions is, and must be, at the faculty, college or center level. The Strategic Planning Committee as well as its Technical Working Groups made careful and deliberate choices about the appropriate contents of this strategic plan for UNN as one unit with due consideration to the peculiarities and collective capacities of the component units as well as the time constraints.
1.1 Why Develop a Strategic Plan?
As part of his appointment process, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Chuma Ozumba, had articulated ideas on how to address the various challenges that UNN has faced over the years; and how to reposition the University to adequately face the emerging trends in delivering tertiary education in the 21st Century. His goal is to facilitate the transformation of UNN to a world class university and to set it back on a path to exceptional performance and academic excellence. The Vice Chancellor also recognizes and affirms that his ability — and therefore the University’s ability — to succeed depends heavily on the collective adoption and ownership, by all stakeholders, of a vision and attendant ideas that align with those of Mr. Ozumba. Hence, his initiation, facilitation and commitment to this strategic planning and visioning process.
To effectively achieve a collective vision and the attendant ideas; and to translate them into actionable strategic goals, objectives and activities, the Vice Chancellor established a Strategic Planning Committee comprised of representatives of the relevant faculties, colleges and centers from the three campuses. This Committee was mandated to drive the visioning/strategic planning process that will yield a road map for UNN through his administration and tenure. This mandate includes organizing a two-day, all-inclusive visioning/strategic planning session of all stakeholders. This strategic plan is intended to stimulate the requisite change, and become the foundation for the Vice Chancellor’s transformation initiatives. It is aimed at addressing the new challenges of globalization, cross-border delivery of tertiary education services and quality multi-disciplinary research output; as well as addressing the realities of the present knowledge-based and information-driven society. This strategic plan is also intended to put UNN stakeholders on notice that UNN means business and must be held accountable as a public institution. This strategic plan will constitute a contract between the University and its various stakeholders to deliver the dividends of academic performance and excellence.
Other reasons for this strategic plan include:
- The Vice Chancellor and the leadership and staff of the University may become so preoccupied with immediate issues that they can lose sight of the vision and their strategic goals and objectives. While a strategic plan may not be the recipe for success, without it, the leadership of the University is not likely to achieve their goals and objectives. The strategic plan will provide the current administration a clearly defined vision and plan to communicate effectively with the management team, staff, students, vendors and strategic partners. More specifically, it will:
- provide a clearly defined roadmap to accelerate the journey from where the university is currently, to where the university wants to be;
- provide a framework for decisions and/or for securing support or approval;
- provide foundation for more detailed planning;
- explain what the university wants to do, or is doing, to others in order to inform, motivate and involve; and
- assist in benchmarking and performance monitoring.
- This strategic plan will help the leadership of the University to focus attention on the highest payoff activities and allow them to optimize the use of time and resources on activities that will yield the most dividend in terms of sustainable development, financial reward, performance, educational excellence and legacy.
1.2 Approach
Upon settling in as the Vice Chancellor of UNN, Prof. Ozumba established a Strategic Planning Committee consisting of representatives from the major faculties, departments and centers from the three campuses of the University. His intent was to create a faculty-driven planning process, as well as institutionalize a “bottom-up” approach to planning, innovation and creativity. Although the Committee was at the center, and drove and directed the planning process, most of the ideas and input came from the faculties, departments, centers, staff and student organizations, and other relevant stakeholders.
The Committee’s term of reference was to develop a plan or road map of broad directions and priorities for the University and the current administration for the next five years. It was also clear that the strategic plan should not be a budget, but rather a general framework for prioritizing decisions regarding the appropriation of resources such as time, effort and funds. The strategic plan is not intended to pre-determine such decisions or to unduly impose on the prerogatives of the provost, deans, department heads and directors to make specific decisions within the broader strategic goals and objectives.
The Strategic Planning Committee began meeting during the first week of September 2014. Its first engagement was establishing a framework that will facilitate a “bottom up” approach to the planning process and the meaningful participation of the respective faculties, colleges, departments, support agencies, staff and students and other stakeholders. The framework required each of the component units to provide relevant information in accordance with a template. Each faculty, college, center or department was asked to provide the following information relevant to them: history, vision statement, mission statement, values, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. They were also asked to identify generic, as well as specific, strategic issues that are relevant to them; relevant to their products and/or services, stakeholders; and relevant to their needs, competitors, core competencies, and success factors. They were further asked to identify strategic goals for the University by building on the strengths, resolving the weaknesses, exploiting the opportunities and avoiding the threats. For each strategic goal, each faculty, college, center or department also identified strategic objectives and proposed an implementation plan.
Members of the Committee met individually with the respective faculties, colleges, centers, departments, support agencies, staff and student organization to brief them on the strategic planning/visioning and to guide them on the provision of the required information. Based on the information received from these component units, the Committee identified cross cutting issues, defined the key challenges facing the University and summarized the collective broad strategic goals for the University as a single unit. A major consideration in the Committee’s deliberations is a reasonable balance between ambitious aspirations and being realistic about the availability of new resources to fund the priorities of the strategic plan.
Subsequently, the Committee organized a two-day strategic planning/visioning session that included, as much as practical, all UNN stakeholder-groups. The first day was mostly a plenary session that allowed the Vice Chancellor and the key stakeholders to revisit the vision of the founding fathers of the university; why the university was established; how the university got to where it is today; whether or not the university’s current vision is being realized; how the mission and objectives have changed over time; whether or not changes (if any) were driven by internal or external factors; how the university had been managed and funded; whether or not the university had sought to grow and/or expand the scope of its services; how productivity and performance have varied over time; etc… The various stakeholder-groups proffered strategic goals and initiatives for sustainable development, performance and academic excellence. The stakeholder-groups included the governing council, the Vice Chancellor and his deputies, deans, provosts, heads of departments, directors, academic and non-academic staff, the Alumni, Student Union Government, Staff Unions, government parastatals, community leaders, the private sector, and elected officials.
The outcome for the first day was the validation of the cross cutting issues, the key challenges facing the University and the broad strategic goals identified by the Committee. On the second day the Committee organized breakout technical sessions. Ten Technical Working Groups (TWG) were created based on the competencies and experiences of the members. Each TWG was assigned a broad strategic goal with the mandate to:
- Review, re-articulate and re-present the goal in a manner that ensures that it is quantifiable, consistent, realistic and achievable.
- Identify the strategic objectives.
- For each objective, identify the activities that will culminate in the achievement of the objective.
- For each objective, develop an implementation plan which covers resources, time-scales, deadlines, budgets and performance targets, and potential funding sources.
Overall, this strategic plan is a product of wide consultations within the various academic and administrative faculties, departments, centers and other institutions of the University. It represents the aggregation of the invaluable, committed and informed contributions of various faculties and college who shared their knowledge and skills throughout the process.
1.3 Organization of the Plan
This strategic plan is organized around four topics. Section I, the Introduction, presents the background information, the reason for developing the strategic plan, the approach and the organization of the document. Sections II and III establish the context for the strategic plan by affirming the essence and enduring commitments of UNN and stating assumptions about UNN’s changing environment and challenges. Lastly, Section IV presents specific objectives and actions that fall within umbrella strategic goal areas.
SECTION II: THE ESSENCE AND COMMITMENTS OF UNN
To provide context for this strategic plan, this section presents the history, vision and mission of UNN and outlines the core values and the enduring commitments of the University.
2.1 History
The conceptualization and creation of UNN was nurtured by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe over a twenty-five period. From 1934, when he returned from the United States, Dr, Azikiwe continued to lament the mal-education of Africans which he blamed for their being unprogressive, stagnant, artificial, superficial and retrospective. Consequently, he advocated for the mental emancipation and complete re-education of Africans to enable them face the real needs of renascent Africa. Thus, for nearly thirty years, Dr. Azikiwe conceptualized and nurtured the idea of an innovative university which would abide by the principle of matching curriculum with need, a university which would emphasize an aristocracy of mind over matter, and reflect the peculiarities of the African, especially with regard to comprehensive education and mental emancipation — a university that will restore the dignity of man.
Dr. Azikiwe’s educational philosophy underscores his idea of a well-rounded institution with admirable utilitarian tendencies, which constituted the core of his dream for the University of Nigeria. As he pointed out in his monumental book, Renascent Africa:
An ideal university, no matter where may be its location, in Manyakpowuno or in Kukuruku, is where you will notice that the curriculum is balanced and consequently, its graduates know a little of the Classics, the Humanities, and the Sciences. This is the criterion of the efficacy of university education in any part of the world (144).
To achieve this grand feat, Dr. Azikiwe and his team of dedicated patriots chose the American land-grant university system as a progenitor of UNN. As the forerunner of the American land-grant system, Michigan State University was chosen as the pilot institution for this creation. In 1960, a team of eminent academics and administrators arrived from the United States to shepherd this unique institution. Other prominent American scholars were recruited by Michigan State University, including Dr. George M. Johnson, then Professor and Dean of Laws at Howard University, who became the first Vice-Chancellor of UNN. New methods of education, quite unprecedented in the history of tertiary education in Nigeria, were introduced. Degree programs in unique subjects and general studies comprising the Use of English, Natural Science and Humanities were also introduced to make the products of this experimental institution intellectually unique.
In 1963, UNN produced its first set of 150 graduates and the first set to ever to be awarded a degree of a Nigerian university. Thus, UNN was established by the Government of Eastern Nigeria pursuant to the University of Nigeria Act (Cap. 127) Laws of Eastern Nigeria, 1963, as the first indigenous university in Nigeria. The student population, which stood at 250 at its inception in 1960, increased to 905 students by the 1961/1962 session with the introduction of new courses including engineering, journalism, fine arts, home economics, agriculture, languages, and physical education. By its third year of inception, the student population had risen to 1,248 students with 27 departments and approximately 160 lecturers.
To strengthen the intellectual orbit of the staff and students of UNN, during the 1963/64 academic year, Michigan State University introduced an exchange program. This program provided students of UNN the opportunity to travel to Michigan during the long vacation to study and interact with American students and families, while the American students did the same in UNN. With the appointment of Dr. Glen Taggart as the Vice Chancellor, this exchange program was expanded to include the academic staff of the two institutions. Therefore, UNN became the progenitor of inter-university linkages in the Nigerian tertiary education system.
UNN’s revolutionary and unique inclinations were greeted with propaganda, wild cynicism, and unrealistic opposition, with the insinuation that UNN was a glorified high school. Despite the malicious criticisms, the administrators of the University remained undaunted by their conviction that UNN was moving in the right direction. With the introduction of the Civil Service examination in Nigeria, and with the graduates of UNN topping the list of successful candidates, these criticisms came to a sudden halt, and the academic programs at UNN became the emulation of others universities in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.
Barely seven years after its inception, and at the time the University was in the process of completely championing its main tenets, the Nigerian civil war started. The civil war put a very big wedge in the physical and intellectual development of UNN; destroyed some of its physical infrastructure; and represented a period of intellectual dormancy.
At the end of the war, UNN’s proclivity for excellence and the need to seek knowledge in all fields of learning re-emerged. The functional concreteness for which the University was known gained impetus with Nigeria’s historical efforts toward reconstruction and rehabilitation. The supremacy of knowledge was acknowledged, and despite the problems inherent in the society at that time, students and staff of UNN demonstrated unusual interest in horizontal education, and tried to make the best of the situation before them. Within a few years after the resumption of studies, peace and unity which was the bond that held the institution together began to weaken. The sudden cessation of the relationship between UNN and Michigan State University began to erode; marking a period of intellectual renaissance. In April 1973, UNN was taken over by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The takeover of the University by the Federal Government ushered in a period of unusual crises which became the fate of UNN. The first was the Kodilinye crisis of 1973-74 caused by the Vice Chancellor, Prof Hubert Kodilinye’s idea of introducing a collegiate system into a completely different educational system. He attempted to replace the unique academic system for which UNN was known with the collegiate system of Oxford and Cambridge. This situation implied the elimination of the General Studies program. The internal disharmonies and confusion regarding educational objectives of UNN continued to sap the intellectual strength of the institution. Nonetheless, during this same period, the University’s Governing Council approved the Junior Fellowship Scheme under which the brightest graduating students received further training abroad to improve the manpower base of the university.
Between 1985 and 1986, the Prof Frank Ndili crisis rocked the institution to its core; and between 1994 and 1995, the Prof Oleka Udeala crisis took the front seat in the institution’s journey to continued innovations and administrative excellence. The aftermath of the Udeala crisis was the appointment of a Sole Administrator of the University. This period further exacerbated the divisions already entrenched in the system by the previous crises and resulted in the seeming conclusion that only an outsider would be capable of bringing peace and succor to UNN. The Sole Administrator, Professor Ginigeme Mbanefo, Professor of Economics from the University of Ibadan, became the Vice-Chancellor and was succeeded by Professor Chinedu Nebo from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology. The appointment of Professor Bartholomew Okolo marked the return of the appointment of Vice-Chancellors from within the University.
In spite of the interruption caused by the civil war and the seeming endemic crises at UNN, the student population increased to 9,900 in the 1980/81 session. By 1980 the total graduate output of the university was about 14,000. By the 2010/2011 academic year, the university had produced about 124,000 graduates in different fields of learning who have contributed immensely to shaping the economic, political, social and technological features of Nigeria and beyond. The current student enrollment (undergraduate and graduate students) of the university is about 35,000 in 15 faculties, 106 departments, 10 centers and three institutes. Currently, UNN operates from three campuses located in Nsukka (main Campus), Enugu, and Ituku-Ozala.
Given the enormity of the challenges facing the University, previous administrations did what they could to keep the university viable. Nonetheless, the current state of UNN remains deplorable, especially in terms of infrastructure, ranking, academic standards, research, staff development, community service, and the vicarious competition with other world-class universities. More importantly, in this new information-based era, UNN is faced with profound challenges such as:
- Globalization characterized by such trends as liberalization, ‘massification’ of education, cross-border provision of educational services and the rapidly changing role of ICT as the prime driver of knowledge creation, transfer, dissemination, utilization and storage.
- National and global managerial reforms in tertiary education that has put more emphasis on market requirements and the investment value of education.
- Quality and relevance of programs as core tools of competition, efficiency, accountability, and engendering human development especially from the African perspective.
- The rising demand for tertiary education fueled by massive population growth, which has impacted severely on the adequacy of facilities and resources.
- An emerging need to pursue exciting new paths of inquiry and discovery, while also sustaining excellence in every discipline offered in the University.
- The need to strengthen research capacity and scholarship as a means of enhancing quality and relevance of programs offered.
- The changing modalities of financing higher education especially the growing importance of private sector involvement in education funding.
- A highly competitive labor market occasioned by economic recession which has made the need to train, retain, motivate and integrate innovative practices across all processes and functions inevitable in a knowledge-based era.
- The need to increase community service and engagement across all areas of the University, while also maintaining UNN standards and core values.
The current state of the University exacerbated by its inability to keep abreast of these emerging challenges, have culminated in the current relatively poor performance and low ranking of UNN. The present administration is committed to rectifying the situation and this strategic plan is a step towards accomplishing that.
2.2 Vision and Mission
The motto of UNN is succinctly summarized in the following inspiring phrase: “To Restore the Dignity of Man”. This motto aptly and readily reflects the vision, mission and the core values of the University. The UNN vision statement is to create a functional, globally competitive and research focused University of Nigeria which is not just an ivory tower but responsive to the needs of the society while delivering world class education and knowledge. This vision underscores Dr. Azikiwe’s inspiration for comprehensive quality education within a collaborative and open culture. This strategic plan is premised on such inspiration.
The mission statement of UNN is to place the University of Nigeria in the forefront of research and development, innovation, knowledge transfer and human resource development in the global academic terrain, while promoting the core values which will ensure the restoration of the dignity of man. This strategic plan is framed by the dimensions of this mission statement, which are research and development, innovation, knowledge transfer and human resource development, and which serve as umbrella goal areas within which more specific objectives and actions were developed.
2.3 Core Values
The UNN core values, which embody its essence, are the sacrosanct principles and qualities that that are expected to define all practices and activities within the institution. This strategic plan reflects and furthers these principles and qualities, which include:
- The integration and synergy of teaching and research in all major areas of focus: UNN is committed to provide education in which critical inquiry, analysis, and discovery are integral to course work.
- Increased breadth and quality of academic program: the rich composition of courses in the University, including the general studies program, encourages creative thought and insight and exposes students to different perspectives and paradigms.
- A passion for inquiry and discovery in all major areas: UNN understands that research drives innovation and development and is therefore the life blood of a modern, world-class university. Hence, UNN must provide an environment that encourages and supports vibrant and cutting edge research while also optimizing creativity and productivity.
- Synergy between core academic and professional programs: UNN believes that its postgraduate education should be built on a strong academic foundation. In addition, its professional programs should reflect an understanding that academic and professional disciplines are both significantly enriched by the insights they gain through interaction and collaborations.
- A beneficial partnership of students, faculty and staff: UNN recognizes that the contributions of each of these groups are both essential and inseparable. Therefore, the University believes that no group can excel without the support of the others, and each must have adequate resources for the University as a whole to succeed.
- The overriding primacy of community service: in spite of the growing pressure to focus on attracting private funding and on meeting national developmental needs, UNN recognizes that its core purpose is to serve and benefit its immediate and extended community through the creation, dissemination, and application of knowledge especially in the areas that influence social and economic development of the country.
- Culture of performance and academic excellence in every endeavor: UNN should ensure that each component of its academic endeavor — curriculum design, teaching, research, scholarship and service — continues to maintain high standards of excellence. This requires the University to recruit and retain the best people and to provide the resources with which they can excel in diverse fields and disciplines.
These seven principles and qualities imply a set of core values that stand at the center of UNN as an institution. As part of the strategic planning process, each faculty, college, center and department was asked to identify UNN’s core values. Consistently, the most cited values include the following:
- Integrity
- Accountability
- Transparency
- Respect
- Meritocracy
- Creativity
- Team Work
- Open Mindedness
- Social Responsibility
2.4 Strategic Goals
UNN has broad overarching goals underscoring the importance of flexibility and adaptability at the faculty, college and department levels in meeting set targets and expectations regarding performance and academic excellence. Therefore, it was imperative, as part of this strategic planning process, to emphasize the intent that these goals will guide the implementation of the strategic plan at the unit levels. These goals include:
- Strengthen and reposition UNN to pursue and maintain educational excellence and world class standards in teaching and community service.
- Enhance and sustain activities to recruit, nurture, and retain a diverse faculty of outstanding scholars and teachers as well as an excellent, diverse and highly talented non-academic staff.
- Enhance and sustain initiatives to recruit, nurture, and retain a diverse international student population and provide them with an education that is innovative, distinctive and of the highest quality while instilling in them a passion for learning.
- Strengthen and sustain the visibility and relevance of UNN to the broader local, national and international communities with emphasis on research and creativity.
- Improve and sustain efforts to increase internally generated resources.
- Enhance and sustain efforts to integrate Information Communication Technology (ICT) into academic and non-academic processes and activities for the purpose of meeting the challenges of a modern, technology-driven, and knowledge-based society.
- Improve and sustain physical infrastructure and municipal services through sustainable public private partnerships and other innovations.
- Enhance and strengthen the governance and organizational structure to ensure more effective running of the university and implementation of this strategic plan.
These eight broad goals embody the aspiration of UNN for the next five years. The subsequent more specific time-bound objectives and actions derived from them reflect the peculiarities of UNN without ignoring global best practices for measuring performance and academic excellence. The summary of these peculiarities is the underlying goal of producing students imbued not just with academic theoretical knowledge but with entrepreneurial skills and orientation. This is the distinctive tradition that the founding fathers bequeathed to UNN.
2.5 Aspiration
This aspiration points clearly to the centrality of research, scholarship, and creativity to the mission of UNN as a research university, while underscoring the importance of the relationships and inter-dependence between the creation of fundamental knowledge and use of that knowledge to have a positive impact on society. This aspiration does not at all diminish the centrality of teaching and education at UNN because the emphasis of this aspiration on research or its application relative to excellence in education are not mutually exclusive.
The success of UNN in the future, as it has in the past, will depend on the collective commitment and capacity of the University to provide faculty, students and staff of rich potential with an institutional environment in which individual and collective creativity can thrive. UNN aspires to reestablish and sustain such an environment that fosters brilliant scholarship and creative discovery as well as provides an optimal setting for educating leaders and innovators. UNN aspires for her graduates to thrive and play leadership roles in science, technology, government, agriculture, the arts, law, business, education, public policy, and health care and in every sector of the globe. UNN aspires to evolve in ways that will produce the creative leaders of tomorrow, and find new ways to excel in its core mission of producing the talents that will solve tomorrow’s problems, provide leadership in the private and public sector, and serve complex, interconnected global communities.
UNN aspires to produce future Nobel Prize winners in various disciplines. However, it also recognizes that attaining such levels of distinction requires not only the exceptional brilliance of the individuals but also the ability of UNN to attract, stimulate, and sustain such levels of performance, creativity and excellence. This strategic plan is aimed at establishing and sustaining the environment that will enable UNN to become the preeminent public research university in Africa. The challenges facing UNN require new forms of engagement and leadership as well as partnerships with various stakeholders, particularly private sector stakeholders. Many of the advances in knowledge, technology, and cultural understanding that have driven development were produced in universities. Globalization has placed new demands on the research, teaching, engagement, and economic development missions of universities, including UNN. Re-establishing and creating new relationships with its diverse stakeholders will help UNN meet these demands and regain public confidence, attract increased levels of private investment and assistance, and provide superior education to students from Nigeria and beyond.
To translate these aspirations into strategic goals it is imperative that the UNN must:
- Devise ways to provide innovative, superior education even as government resources to support education decline.
- Strengthen and sustain performance and academic excellence across a range of disciplines.
- Pursue cutting edge inter-disciplinary research in partnership with the private sector.
- Invest in partnerships with the private sector to promote and facilitate sustainable infrastructure development.
- Maintain and grow research capacity in key areas where external funding opportunities may exist.
- In response to the implications of globalization on research universities, build relationships that will enhance the international dimensions of UNN’s research and teaching missions.
- Provide an environment that will expand the horizon of research and learning for faculty and students.
- Find the right balance between setting priorities at the campus and faculty levels and remaining responsive to directions determined by the creativity of faculty initiatives.
- Make academic priorities clear but always remember that the University’s fundamental mission and social responsibility is the restoration of the dignity of man and therefore the betterment of humanity.
- Institutionalize a rigorous system of quality assurance as an integral element of performance and academic excellence.
At the implementation stage, the attainment of this aspiration will require UNN to define a set of objectives and key performance measures that will be used to monitor and evaluate progress over time. It will also be important to establish benchmark institutions and track those institutions over time based on the defined criteria and parameters. It will be imperative to conduct routine assessments of the strategically important or critical performance and academic areas. The appropriate aspiration for particular faculties, colleges or departments should be higher if at all possible.
SECTION III: THE INSTITUTION AND ITS ENVIRONMENT
This section identifies several assumptions about the external and internal environments that informed this strategic plan including the strengths and weaknesses of UNN, the opportunities available to it, as well as the threats it faces as an institution. Factors also considered include strategic issues endemic to tertiary institutions as well as those specific to UNN. UNN’s capacity as an institution to address its challenges and to embrace the opportunities presented by trends and developments in both the internal and external environments will determine its relevance and future.
3.1 Summary of Strengths
- Some high quality faculty and staff with impressive credentials.
- Moderate and vibrant pool of research focused academicians.
- Large student population and pool of applicants.
- Existing strategic partnerships with other organizations.
- Focused leadership at faculty, institute, college and center levels.
- Very focused university administration and Council.
- Strong reputations for some faculties, institute, colleges and centers.
- Comprehensive academic programs.
3.2 Weaknesses
- Poor academic and administrative staffing levels and strength.
- Inadequate accommodation for students.
- Poor library facilities.
- Sub-optimal graduate and post graduate degree programs.
- Poor teaching and learning environments.
- Gross under-funding.
- Inadequate infrastructure and facilities.
- Unstable school calendar.
- Crisis and strike-prone environment.
3.3 Opportunities
- Reference center for the provision of consultancy services, therefore prospect of a viable consultancy unit.
- Expansion of academic programs to meet international standards.
- Prospects of viable on-line graduate and post graduate programs.
- Other sources of funding such as private investment and grants.
- Strong Alumni Associations that have become industry leaders and are positioned to support the university.
- Funding from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TET FUND).
- Existence of many research grants.
- Opportunities for strategic partnerships with other local and international organizations, institutes and governments.
3.4 Threats
- Crises prone environment and unstable academic calendar.
- Poor staff welfare and motivation.
- Sub-optimal research culture.
- Inadequate number and mix of academic staff to meet both accreditation requirements and UNN’s mission in some programs.
- Poor and epileptic power supply.
- Sharp decline in the level of government funding.
- Declining academic standards.
- Relatively high student-to-faculty ratio.
- Inconsistency in government and university policies.
- Prevalence of academic and financial misappropriation.
- Unpreparedness of students for the rigorous requirement of university work.
3.5 Strategic Challenges
Within the context of the weaknesses and threats outlined above, this strategic plan identifies the following six major external and internal challenges for UNN over the next five years.
3.5.1 Continuing Trend of Globalization
Globalization is generating speculations of major transformation in how people live with significant implication for educational paradigms. Some of the expected changes are social, economic, and political (e.g., interdependencies among governments, economic globalization and the capacities of people to interact with others who are different or distant from themselves). Other changes involve physical or biological resources (e.g., sustainability, energy sources, food resources, health and well-being). In the face of globalization and ‘massification’ of education, UNN cannot afford to compromise performance and quality if she is to compete in the global economy. To continue to be sustainable and relevant, UNN must be adequately positioned to adapt to these changes.
The aspiration is that the average UNN graduate must be an educated citizen that can assimilate and assess vast arrays of complex information; have a sufficiently general knowledge of the world in order to be adaptable; prepared for unexpected job or career changes including self-employment; and be able to understand and participate constructively in solutions to societal problems. Therefore, this strategic plan recognizes that to achieve this aspiration, UNN graduates must be armed with the following competencies: disciplinary knowledge, critical thinking, communication skills, scientific and quantitative reasoning, self-directed learning, entrepreneurial skills, information literacy, engagement in the process of discovery or creation, multicultural competence, moral and ethical awareness, and self-management.
3.5.2 Pace of Technological Innovation in the Creation and Sharing of Knowledge
Information Communication Technology (ICT) has become a ubiquitous, indispensable component of knowledge creation and sharing, particularly in research, information management, and decision making. To remain relevant, UNN must lead in ICT by developing an integrative approach to knowledge creation and decision support systems. This leadership initiative will focus on emerging applications in the areas of natural sciences, the humanities, the social sciences, and the arts, and on decision support in areas such as business processes. It must also extend to the synergy between people and technology and facilitate opportunities for cross-disciplinary interaction within and outside UNN. Curricula across all disciplines must be revised to accelerate the integration of ICT because it will be imperative for the production of the next generation of world citizens and leaders.
New technologies and their applications have, and will continue to dramatically change costs, access, academic credit and online education. Even well-established universities are expanding on and off-campus e-Learning opportunities. Massive Open Online Courses are providing students with access to content for free or for a nominal fee. Schools of continuing studies are expanding their offerings and their reach. Online learning is becoming second nature for mainstream Nigerian students, who now communicate in both physical and digital forms for course work. A small but growing number of leading universities now attract working professionals nationally and internationally, who never set foot on the main campus, but who earn graduate degrees worthy of those universities. While Massive Open Online Courses are hardly the ideal pedagogical approach, they have mainstreamed distance learning and brought it into daily discourse regarding the future of tertiary education. To remain relevant UNN must adapt and align itself with these burgeoning trends.
The reality however, is that there are many obstacles that prevent obtaining the full benefits of technological advancement in higher education. The inability of faculty to update their ICT skills with the speed of technological change has led to some faculty resistance to online learning. Furthermore, the decreasing government funding of public universities has compelled universities to limit or minimize investments in new online technologies. Nonetheless, there are still opportunities for the private sector to fund this technology infrastructure under mutually beneficial Public-Private Partnerships.
Changes in ICT are fast paced, therefore public universities such as UNN will need to behave more like private institutions by ensuring that they can finance themselves and deliver quality programs that benefit their students. Educational technologies will need to be employed to build new models of learning that optimize the use of faculty time. Faculty will need to step up to their role in governance and demonstrate they can support change for the good of the University as a whole. ICT service providers will need to demonstrate their utility in creating academic opportunities for students. New and creative ways of reaching new student audiences, particularly the non-traditional students and those in Diaspora, will contribute significantly to the expansion of UNN’s presence.
3.5.3 Funding Challenges
A confluence of factors, driven by globalization, technology and other local factors, present significant resource challenges, particularly financial, to tertiary institutions in Nigeria, including UNN. The problem of funding and financing universities in Nigeria has become endemic, often times resulting in strikes and closures of the universities. Most public universities, including UNN, are faced with overcrowded classrooms, inadequate libraries and laboratory equipment, poor student accommodations, academic staff shortage, dilapidated buildings and facilities, obsolete equipment and the desire to obtain degrees by unorthodox means. These are within the context of a lack of ideal motivation for staff and students.
UNN is funded mostly by Federal Government appropriation. Nonetheless, the current funding profile include: TETFUND funding for projects, scholarships and research; PTDF special funding for research and scholarship; minimal funding support by corporate bodies; funding support by Alumni and benefactors; and internally generated revenue through fees and economic activities by the University. In spite of this seemingly diversified funding profile, there is still insufficient funding of UNN’s basic needs and priorities. This situation is exacerbated by the continually increasing number of students at UNN.
The fact that these problems are yet to be effectively tackled emphasizes the need for UNN to evolve strategies for more sustainable funding sources. Government alone cannot adequately fund the university. For example, the World Bank and other international development organizations such as UNESCO, World Bank, UNDP and UNICEF are currently focusing on private sector participation in the educational development of some emerging economies. The influence and participation of these organizations in the field of education is now too important to be ignored. Hence, UNN should explore mutually beneficial funding and collaboration opportunities through these institutions.
3.5.4 Governance Framework
UNN was constituted by Decree No. 82 of 1979 of the Federal Military Government of Nigeria and the Head of State is the Visitor. Its governing body is the University Governing Council, comprising nominees of government and representatives of the university community. The highest academic body is the University Senate comprising the Vice Chancellor as Chairman of Senate, his Deputies, the University Librarian, Deans of Faculties, Directors of Academic units, Heads of Academic Departments, Faculty Representatives, and all the Professors of the University. The Registrar serves as the Secretary to the Council and the Senate, respectively. The Bursar, Directors of non-academic units including Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Health Services, Physical Facilities, and the Public Relations Officer (PRO) attend Senate meetings, while the Bursar and Librarian attend Council meetings. The current framework for monitoring and assessing performance in the University include annual financial audits, annual reviews, and periodic accreditation of courses by the National Universities Commission (NUC). It also includes accreditation of courses and visitations instituted by the Government Supervisory agencies and professional regulatory bodies.
Meeting strategic challenges over the next five years will require university-wide responses that may exert pressure on the University’s historic patterns of decentralized decision making. As stated earlier, a dynamic interchange between academic units and the university center will be critical. While the centralized approach to this plan suggests strategic direction and coordination from the university center to address selected strategic issues, much of the actual academic decision making still must occur at the faculty, college, center, or department level. This new paradigm requires concerted efforts over the next five years around fundamental governance principles. UNN needs to strengthen the committee approach to governance and ensure robust consultative processes when decisions at the center have significant effects on faculties, colleges, centers or departments. It needs to also promote a culture of openness, transparency and accountability that demand the highest standards of ethical conduct for all members of the university community, and in particular, for those who occupy leadership or authority positions and whose decisions have a significant impact on others.
3.5.5 Infrastructure Challenges
UNN faces critical short comings in the infrastructure required to optimally support the development of knowledge, information sharing, creative endeavors, educational experiences and engagement with the public. Infrastructural facilities are important in attracting outstanding faculty, staff, and students and in providing them with an environment in which they can flourish. Accordingly, this strategic plan is ambitious in seeking a creative and sustaining a framework for necessary infrastructural development and maintenance.
Lack and decay of infrastructural facilities in tertiary institutions in Nigeria have become endemic. Most public universities in Nigeria, including UNN, lack basic infrastructure such as portable water, electricity, student accommodation, lecture halls, administrative buildings, ICT backbone, well-equipped libraries and laboratories, etc. In most instances, basic facilities such as toilets with running water are also lacking. More specifically, both at the Nsukka and Enugu Campuses of UNN, student hostels are in a pitiable condition, lecture rooms and offices need refurbishment, libraries are poorly equipped and are in need of modern books and equipment, laboratory equipment are obsolete or defunct, roads are in a state of disrepair and water and power supplies are inadequate. Worse still, most of these facilities do not exist at all at the Collegeof Medicine, Ituku Ozalla campus.
The lack of and dilapidated infrastructure are primary contributors to the substandard performance of public universities in Nigeria as well as the increasingly falling standards of education. The average Nigerian graduate from a public university does not have the opportunity to acquire the skills that the possession of their certificates is expected to confer onto them. The protracted confluence of dwindling funds for infrastructure development and maintenance and increasing student population has also made it almost impossible to maintain the existing infrastructure, which has been stretched to a breaking point because of the increasing demand of a rising student population.
Nonetheless, another critical factor responsible for the deplorable state of infrastructure in public universities is the mismanagement of the limited funds appropriated for infrastructural development and maintenance. Therefore, transparency and probity must be instilled in the tertiary education sector and acts of corruption punished, if the resources being committed in the sector by the interventionist agencies and the government are to produce the desired results.
SECTION IV: GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND ACTIONS
Guided by the strategic goals outlined in Section 2.3, this section, under each strategic goal, defines the strategic objectives and the actions that will culminate in the achievement of each objective. The objectives specify particular directions within the goal areas. The activities for each objective identify primary ways to make significant progress on these objectives over the next five years. Some of these activities will require resources while others may not. The activities for each objective must be looked at holistically rather than individually and independently.
Although all of the objectives are important, resources are constrained and during implementation, it may become necessary to prioritize the objectives and accordingly phase the activities. It is also essential to note that some of these activities may already be on-going; and restating them in this plan simply reaffirms their importance and the need to invest more effort and resource in such activities.
4.1 GOAL 1: STRENGTHEN AND REPOSITION UNN TO PURSUE AND MAINTAIN EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE AND WORLD CLASS STANDARDS IN TEACHING AND COMMUNITY SERVICE.
Introduction:
The emphasis of this section is the excellence of the teaching principles and practices of faculty, and the international and public engagement aspects of education. Both emphases are within the context of excellence in research. Excellence in teaching priority and involvement in international and public engagement experiences enable students to take full advantage of the educational breadth that UNN offers.
UNN has the potential and this strategic plan aims at putting the UNN back on the track of the pursuit for excellence in specialized multidisciplinary focus areas such genomics, biofuels and renewable energy, food security, climate change adaptation, sound and acoustics, space, mathematical sciences, managerial sciences, language and cultural studies, biodiversity, pedagogical research, chemical science research, automotive engineering research, advanced electronics, ethno-medical research and forensics research.
Objective 1.1: Increase and maintain the number of UNN faculties and departments that are accredited and enhance efforts to achieve world class standards in their areas.
Actions:
- Establish a Quality Assurance Office to monitor and enforce compliance with requirements for accreditation as well as internationally accepted academic standards.
- Institute and enforce code of conduct for faculty, staff and students of the University, respectively, in all aspects of academia including teaching, learning, research and ICT; and require mandatory certification in ethics for faculty, staff and students.
- Establish a professional Ethics Monitoring Committee composed of reputable staff and academics at university and faculty levels to enforce academic integrity, accountability and transparency.
- Conduct an internal comprehensive and objective review of all academic programs to ascertain their relevance and quality, identify gaps, and recommend/implement measures to ensure compliance with accreditation requirements and world class standards.
- Reconstitute and strengthen the Curriculum Review Committees and initiate periodic, systematic and mandatory curriculum review of all departments to meet key disciplinary and industry needs, integrate creative thinking, local knowledge content, vocational competencies, and problem solving orientation to social and economic problems of the country.
- Establish limits on the intake of internal graduates by establishing and enforcing a ratio between internal and external candidates in graduate, post graduate and faculty recruitments in order to encourage quality and diversity.
- Require faculties, departments and centers to develop their own yearly academic work plan in line with this strategic plan.
- Make vocational, leadership and entrepreneurial education part of the general studies program; and to the extent practical, extend general studies education through the undergraduate students’ years in the University.
- Ensure that distance learning programs of the university comply with academic requirements and standards already stipulated for respective courses.
- Strengthen the development of sporting infrastructure and activities in line with global best practices in University education.
Objective 1.2: Strengthen institutional structures and resources for instructional support and sustain a culture that promotes pedagogical innovations both centrally and within faculties, colleges and departments.
- Ensure that senior faculty members with teaching appointments remain actively involved in and committed to teaching and mentoring students over their careers at UNN.
- Conduct faculty-based training and orientation of newly recruited academic staff on teaching methods, dynamism of pedagogy, and assessment methods. Also, conduct general university-wide orientation of newly recruited academic and non-academic staff on university life, rules and regulations and other conducts.
- Ensure that deans, provosts, heads of departments, and directors hold programs and individual staff responsible for demonstrating teaching effectiveness.
- Routinely sponsor academic and non-academic staff to trainings, workshops and conferences on teaching and assessment methods and technologies in their specific fields.
- Improve and sustain library facilities in terms of access and services.
- Offer and strengthen essential academic services such as access to counseling, advising, mentoring and placement services.
- Expand opportunities for students to engage with faculty in research and creative activities, and increase options for study abroad participation.
- Reconstitute and strengthen the Center for Entrepreneurial Development.
Objective 1.3 Strengthen collaborative relationships and synergy with other academic and research institutions within and outside the country.
Actions:
- Strengthen and maintain support for and recognition of important interdisciplinary studies and areas, while promoting excellence in the specific disciplines as a foundation.
- Promote partnerships with industry that promote collaboration (e.g. visits and simulation exercises); ensure relevance of programs to industry needs and professional practice; and promote commercialization of UNN-discovered technologies and practices.
- Expand non-credit opportunities such as international internships, global service learning and work experiences with important educational components.
- Foster a culture of hosting national and international seminars and conferences.
- Enlarge the industrial/professional linkage programs to encompass more disciplines than the traditional ones and enhance the vocational and skill contents of courses offered in the University.
- Develop and maintain collaboration and partnerships with other universities and service providers in the delivery and accomplishment of internet-based distance learning programs.
Objective 1.4 Strengthen and sustain the capacity of UNN as a research-focused university.
Actions:
- Establish and sustain an appropriately staffed Directorate of Research and Development to stimulate and coordinate the research activities of the University as elaborated in the draft UNN Research policy.
- Establish and sustain university-wide technical and administrative services for the attraction, administration and support of research grants (including TETFUND, government, foundation, and industry funding).
- Approve the draft UNN research policy with guidelines for research grants, fellowships and trainings.
- Integrate and align post-graduate research to the strategic research goals of the University.
- Establish central laboratories for multi-department use by related disciplines.
- Strengthen existing UNN-based journals to international standards and create other research presentation and publication opportunities for faculty, staff and students.
- Expand opportunities for multidisciplinary research with national and multinational research partners with emphasis on mentoring to boost joint research and publications.
- Register the university with Research Africa and other research funders such as NIH, WELLCOME Trust, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation etc.
- Establish and sustain reward systems for breakthrough research leading to intellectual property.
Objective 1.5 Promote, encourage and reward productive, mutually beneficial internal as well as external collaborations between faculties, colleges, departments, and/or students.
Actions:
- Expand and support multidisciplinary programs that explore innovative ideas and accelerate the commercialization of research advances.
- Encourage partnerships with local and foreign universities for joint use of resources and exchange of staff and students.
- Encourage the development of more outreach and extension programs and activities to provide solutions to societal problems and provide hands-on experience.
Objective 1.6 Restructure and strengthen graduate and doctoral programs to improve quality, increase completion rate and reduce time-to-degree.
Actions:
- Improve postgraduate enrolment towards meeting a 60:40 ratio in postgraduate to undergraduate intake at the University.
- Review the quality and impact of professional and post graduate programs and strengthen their capacities to recruit and educate a diverse body of the very best students.
- Increase opportunities for new cross-disciplinary, vocational and industry oriented specializations at the postgraduate levels.
- Develop new ways to foster closer ties between faculty and students and a stronger sense of community among students within and outside their class environments.
- Restructure and strengthen post-graduate programs to expand institutional opportunities and mechanisms to involve graduate students in faculty research and improve capacity and quality, staff motivation, timely completion and cost recovery.
- Create fellowship programs for doctoral students especially in high priority disciplines where fellowships are essential to maintaining competitiveness.
4.2 GOAL NO. 2: ENHANCE AND MAINTAIN EFFORTS TO RECRUIT, NURTURE, AND RETAIN A DIVERSE FACULTY OF OUTSTANDING SCHOLARS AND TEACHERS AS WELL AS AN EXCELLENT, DIVERSE AND HIGHLY TALENTED NON-ACADEMIC STAFF.
Introduction
The current academic and non-academic staffing levels and utilization need to improve. The current student-to-staff ratios are high in most departments with inadequate facilities and support. Inadequate compensation and benefits for faculty and staff most times create attitude of complacency due to low morale.
A serious problem is the enormous student population, served by very few academic staff. Although the National Universities Commission (NUC) recommends a maximum faculty-student ratio of 1:40, most universities in Nigeria, including UNN, have at least a 1:100 faculty-student ratio. In some humanities and social sciences courses, classes with at least 400 students are prevalent. Although some of the academic staff at UNN are qualified, the majority of faculty in most departments do not have doctorate degrees, which is contrary to the NUC requirement that at least 50% of the faculty should have doctorate degrees. For those faculty with doctorate degrees, gaining promotions to senior positions such as Senior Lecturer, Reader/Associate Professor and Professor is a herculean task due to the absence of research grants and funds to present papers at national conferences. Thus, the principle of “publish or perish” in Nigerian universities is not always a function of intellectual capacity as such, but in some cases a function of economic disadvantage. Furthermore, the current staff recruitment process is non-competitive, which has exacerbated the declining quality of scholarship. Recruitment should be competitive such that the system should be able to regenerate itself to bring out the best. The current idea of engaging the best graduating students and top of class graduates should be encouraged.
At its inception, a professor at UNN was arguably one of the highest paid government employees. Now they are one of the poorly paid, collecting a maximum of N3.8 million (US$27,000) per annum. With such serious pay disparities some staff only use the universities as a stepping stone to greener pastures or as a platform for other ventures.
Objective 2.1: Devise and implement mechanisms and interventions that will ensure optimal faculty to student ratio, competitive faculty compensation, reward outstanding faculty, and continually assess and reward faculty performance as scholars and teachers.
Actions:
- Review the staffing levels of all academic units to identify understaffing or units where the age and/or ranking distribution of the faculty could lead to loss of accreditation or faculty excellence over the next ten years.
- Develop multi-year hiring plans for those academic units that are understaffed with emphasis on a transparent and competitive general recruitment strategy of building from the bottom (especially recruiting first class graduates, new PhDs and “emerging stars”) over the next five years.
- Establish a robust form of assessment of teaching in all academic units that generate full information, including some type of student feedback and peer assessment, and providing feedback to teachers that enable them to improve their teaching continually. These assessments should be the basis for retention, recognition and promotion in line with the goals of excellence in research and teaching.
- As part of the University of Nigeria Annual Report, require deans, provosts and heads of departments to present mandatory assessment of lecturers by students to facilitate improvement of pedagogy.
- Implement the salary structures as outlined in the agreements between the Federal Government and different staff unions, as well as improve staff welfare along the lines of what obtains in leading public universities in Africa.
- Institute, maintain and enforce a transparent performance award and recognition program particularly, the distinguished service awards for committed staff of all categories.
Objective 2.2: Promote, support and sustain a safe and exciting intellectual and work environment by providing opportunities for increased productivity and more dialogue and engagement.
Actions:
- Establish and enforce policies and guidelines for faculty mentoring, with the goal of enhancing retention and faculty excellence. Adopt mandatory mentoring systems in which graduate assistants and those below the rank of Lecturer 1 are directly connected to professors or senior lecturers in their areas of specialization.
- Strengthen and mandate the Staff Development Committee to identify and prioritize both the academic and non-academic staff welfare and recreational needs and present recommendations to the Office of the Vice Chancellor.
- Establish a system for yearly ranking of departments using such indicators as number of publications in international and impact factor journals, number of conferences attended, ratio of external to Nigerian students in the faculty, number of PhDs produced, etc.
- Increase regular, systematic and transparent mechanisms for re-allocating faculty positions across related academic units in order to strengthen select areas and expand opportunities.
- Regularize faculty colloquia by specifying dates for the colloquia during each semester and rotating the dates around the respective faculties, colleges and centers.
- Expand and sustain training and professional development programs for faculty and staff.
- Expand the pools of recruitment by broadly defining staff positions wherever possible and ensure that job openings are extensively advertised and incentives provided to enable external applicants to participate in the interview, and at a minimum, pay hotel and transport expenses.
- Departments should play active roles in new staff selection i.e. departments can do the initial short listing of candidates and make effective/evidence-based recommendations on recruitment.
- Develop and implement mechanisms for the promotion of the health and wellbeing of staff as well as affordable access to quality health care.
4.3 GOAL NO. 3: ENHANCE AND MAINTAIN EFFORTS TO RECRUIT, NURTURE, AND RETAIN AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT POPULATION AND PROVIDE THEM WITH AN EDUCATION THAT IS INNOVATIVE, DISTINCTIVE, AND OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY WHILE INSTILLING IN THEM A PASSION FOR LEARNING.
Introduction
UNN must compete for the best students in the state, the nation, and the region. Although UNN has had a history of attracting outstanding students, it now faces an increasingly competitive environment that necessitates a more assertive recruitment framework. UNN must provide high-quality, engaging educational experiences to attract and optimally serve its students. It is important and necessary to invest strategically in academic programs and support services to ensure an educational experience that prepares students for lives of impact and leadership in an increasingly diverse, globalized world.
To effectively produce students for leadership roles in today’s world, which is changing at an accelerated rate, UNN will need to provide an education that emphasizes the capacity to adapt learned knowledge and skills to address new situations that, in turn, require the acquisition of new knowledge and skills. It will need to provide more effectively the interdisciplinary knowledge base and preparation needed by today’s researchers and professionals. At both the undergraduate and graduate levels, UNN must increase opportunities for cross-disciplinary education in areas of pressing need and interest.
Objective 3.1: Provide a more unified and shared educational and student life experience by strengthening and sustaining the impact of the residential, local and international opportunities and experiences for students
Actions:
- Expand and strengthen the current orientation program for fresh and transfer students.
- Expand and strengthen the academic advising systems to include economic, social and psychological aspects.
- Enhance opportunities and reduce any bureaucratic obstacles for students to engage in work study, studying abroad, internships, working with local schools, and the like to create a more dynamic interface between the university and the larger world community.
- Provide functional framework for extra-curricular activities and social interaction among staff and students; for example, reestablishing the cafeterias, sports and recreational facilities and inter faculty and hostel activities and competitions.
- Enhance access to global information.
- Establish and support quarterly seminar series for all faculties.
- Institutionalize the partnership with students for their welfare and the development of the University with focus on the promotion of the health and well-being of all classes of students as a foundation for academics and success in life generally.
- Develop and involve staff, students and neighboring communities in the hygiene and sanitation schemes of the University and her environmental programs.
- Improve and strengthen Students Union Governance including the prompt release of their dues and the involvement of Student Union Government representative in the university committee.
Objective 3.2: Strengthen the capacity and efforts to attract and educate an excellent and diverse body of the very best students.
Actions:
- Re-establish and maintain a very competitive admission process that strictly adheres to departmental entry requirements and carrying capacities, and ensures that the best students are admitted, including foreign students.
- Enhance the efficiency and credibility of student information management systems including the management of transcripts, assignments, projects, term papers, tests, etc., and overall exams.
- Restore the award of UNN scholarships to outstanding students.
- Develop vocational orientation, work culture, values, attitudes, and aptitudes of students for productive post-graduation life.
- Develop relevant entrepreneurial competencies and skills of students of the University towards self-reliance.
- Utilize multimedia and internet-based types of distance learning programs for enhancing the outreach and diversity of student intake.
4.4 GOAL NO. 4: EXTEND AND SUSTAIN THE VISIBILITY AND RELEVANCE OF UNN TO THE BROADER LOCAL, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITIES.
Introduction
Universities all over the world are recognizing the need to promote and manage their visibility by promoting and managing their educational, research and associated assets more effectively and transparently. For any world-class university, an institutional repository should be an important central element of an information strategy that encompasses and integrates the development of its libraries, virtual learning environment, publishing program, records and archives service, management information system and communication network. The creation and effective organization of these systems and services require high level planning and support, as well as a good level of technical and managerial competence.
An institutional repository will making UNN’s research and scholarly outputs more readily available and contribute to growth in the recognition of both the university and the scholars. It will also support the development of new and more productive relationships both nationally and internationally, as well as stimulate economic and social development. UNN will benefit significantly from effective information strategies that are developed to exploit these systems for this purpose. Repositories will help UNN to develop coherent and coordinated approaches to the capture and exploitation of its intellectual assets, using them for different purposes, such as teaching a course via a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), or underpinning a website, as well as collating the University’s research outputs across a particular subject area or period of time. A managed approach to these assets enhances opportunities for the efficient promotion and use of existing research outputs, increases opportunities for improved learning experiences, and encourages collaboration within and between different disciplines and groups nationally and internationally. It would also stimulate a culture change in teaching and learning, as staff would have opportunities to review how they use the stored material to deliver their courses and focus on how to improve the students’ learning experience.
In today’s global economy, websites have become a very important platform for institutions such as UNN to increase their brand visibility and showcase their accomplishments, programs, products and services. Like never before, the Internet makes the dream of information retailing on a global level a reality for universities like UNN. Online marketing is increasingly becoming the primary means of awareness building and communication within the education market place. Unfortunately, that growth also attracts those with less than honorable intentions in mind when it comes to website files and sensitive information users pass along from emails over supposedly secure communication.
UNN seeks to be an academic giant and pace-setter in scientific research, innovative teaching and robustness of its community service and global visibility. The establishment of distance learning education is one of the key institutional strategies to achieve this goal. Across the world, there is increasing demand for distance learning (online) education. There are two forces at play. The first is the global surge in quest for non-resident formal education and learning for the acquisition of academic and professional knowledge and skills. The second is the possibilities created by the ICT revolution. Universities are now defined not only by physical growth in learning infrastructure but also by the innovative use of ICT to deliver learning to candidates in diverse locations.
Objective 4.1: Develop and maintain viable institutional repositories for promoting and more effectively managing UNN’s educational and associated assets.
Actions:
- Merge and enhance the various UNN’s and affiliate’s websites to reflect best practices across all parameters including safety and security, appearance, content, functionality, usability, and search engine optimization.
- Develop and deploy repositories to make UNN’s research and scholarly outputs more readily available.
- Devise mechanisms for assuring resilience and robustness of the website by getting content and persuading the academic community to contribute material as well as continuing advocacy to follow-up any statement of policy.
- Create metadata, the records that act as proxies for the content of the repository, to allow those holdings to be discovered.
- Ensure that, wherever possible, each item bears the institutional logo and adopt a house style for the layout and typography of documents in the repository to establish a general perception of the quality of the contents of the repository.
Objective 4.2: Make public engagement at local, national and international levels a distinctive feature of education at UNN.
Actions:
- Increase modes of interaction between the University and its neighboring communities.
- Repackage the Inaugural Lectures to be more policy relevant and communicate to a broader national and international audience.
- Encourage collaboration among departments to develop innovative ways of sharing knowledge and expertise with the public at large and to connect research with public engagement and education more effectively.
- Organize regular public education lectures workshops and symposia classes that focus on the latest issues, success stories, trends, and developments in the areas of the university-community relations.
- Increase use of university press, Lion FM Radio, university newspapers and social media to advertise and market university achievements to the public.
- Take a leadership role in setting the state and federal research agendas to address the technical, social, economic, and political challenges of sustainability.
Objective 4.3: Develop rigorous, systematic evaluations of all outreach and extension programs and take steps to strengthen and sustain them.
Actions:
- Inventory the public engagement components of academic programs, particularly outreach and extension programs, detailing their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in broad terms.
- Strengthen the public engagement components of academic programs, particularly the outreach and extension programs aimed at enhancing the University’s visibility and economy.
- Establish an Office of Community and Alumni Relations to formalize and coordinate communications and cordial meaningful relationships between the university, the community and Alumni. Encourage the establishment of Alumni organizations worldwide.
- Establish a system for regular monitoring and evaluation of all outreach programs to make sure that their activities are aligned with that of the University.
- Build partnerships with government and non-governmental organizations locally and internationally to expand opportunities for student internship and advanced study placements.
Objective 4.4: Develop, adopt and execute policy and regulatory framework for UNN distance learning program. The policy on distance learning shall:
- Establish guidelines and criteria for the design and delivery of distance learning by the university.
- Set the framework for the governance and management of distance learning programmes of the university.
- Define the scope and nature of the distance learning programmes of the university
- Chart the course for the development and continuous upgrading of distance learning infrastructure and facilities in the university.
- Define the principles and tenets for the financing and resource mobilisation for distance learning programmes of the university.
- Align the distance learning programmes to the mission, strategic plan and academic standards of the university.
- Ensure the sensitivity of the distance learning programmes to the opportunities and challenges of the university.
- Create the bases for the viability and sustainability of distance learning programmes of the university.
- Ensure compliance of distance learning programmes with the criteria and requirements of the regulatory agency – the National University Commission.
4.5 GOAL NO. 5: IMPROVE AND SUSTAIN EFFORTS TO INCREASE INTERNALLY GENERATED RESOURCES.
Introduction
Driven by the increasing funding constraints facing the government and exacerbated by globalization, there is a gradual move by government towards making sure that universities generate their own revenue (Internally Generated Revenue or IGR). This trend is within the context of increasing critical demand for infrastructure needed by public universities to compete nationally and globally. The federal government, through the National Universities Commission (NUC), has continuously directed all federal universities to explore ways of generating revenues internally such that the managements would not have to rely on the government to solve all their financial problems.
The IGR concept implies that the federal government does not have to accept responsibility for providing funding for all its universities on every expenditure heading. The universities are, therefore, persuaded to seek ways of earning additional revenue and to use the same in any areas of university needs that the government is unable to provide in a given budget period. Today, every university, whether federal, state or private, is encouraged to engage in the development of critical access to IGR because of the essential support that comes from it. If the university generates its own fund, it will help to reduce government interferences and control in the system by government. Also the university is a resource center and should be able to harness its huge resources to generate sufficient revenue to solve its growing needs.
Objective 5.1: Improve internal revenue generation through adoption of best business practices.
Actions:
- Develop policy on and the implementation framework for, Internally Generated Revenue with clearly defined and binding revenue sharing formula between the generating entity and the university that also provides for accountability.
- Encourage and facilitate meaningful and sustainable engagement of Public and Private sector stakeholders and Public Private Partnerships (PPP).
- Establish Endowment and/or Trust Funds with strict corporate governance.
- Set-up and inaugurate a PPP Directorate to coordinate and facilitate PPP projects and relationships.
- Strengthen the capacities of the various academic and non-academic units to engage in entrepreneurial activities, knowledge resource development and capacity building ventures along their areas of competencies.
Objective 5.2: Develop rigorous, systematic evaluation of all Internal Revenue Generating activities and programs within UNN and take steps to strengthen and sustain them.
Actions:
- Inventory all Internal Revenue Generating activities and programs within UNN.
- Mandate the Internal Generated Revenue Committee with the relevant expertise to evaluate these Internal Revenue Generating activities and programs in terms of their viability and sustainability; and to recommend the most appropriate framework for assuring their viability and sustainability.
- Promote the commercialization of research outputs to benefit staff, the university and the community at large.
- Establish a system for monitoring and evaluating all Internal Revenue Generating activities and programs within the University.
- Create and sustain internally generated revenue through multimedia and internet-based types of distance learning program.
Objective 5.3: Establish a sustainable Consultancy Services Unit with strict corporate governance structure.
Actions:
- Reorganize and reposition Consultancy Unit for sustainability and greater effectiveness.
- Develop and execute a business plan for the Consultancy Unit.
4.6 GOAL NO. 6: ENHANCE AND SUSTAIN THE DEPLOYMENT AND USE OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) FOR TEACHING/LEARNING, RESEARCH AND ADMINISTRATION TO BE ABLE TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF A MODERN, TECHNOLOGY-DRIVEN KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY.
Introduction
In the current information-based society, people have to access knowledge via Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to keep pace with the latest developments. ICT is now basic tool in higher education for developing course material; delivering content and sharing content; communication between learners, teachers and the outside world; creation and delivery of presentation and lectures; academic research; administrative support, student enrolment, etc. It is also a basic tool for such university administration functions pay roll and financial accounting, management of student and staff information and library systems.
Despite the keenness of UNN to effectively integrate ICT into learning, research and the general administration of the University, it has confronted enormous problems that have impeded such efforts. Significant among these problems are poor ICT penetration and usage among faculty, staff and students; inadequate basic ICT infrastructure; lack of electricity to power the ICT materials and poor telecommunication facilities. Above all, this lack of access to much needed infrastructure is partially attributable to insufficient funds. Additionally, UNN does not have adequate access to basic instructional technology facilities, which also makes the integration of instructional technology in the delivery of quality education difficult.
Objective 6.1: Modernize and sustain the university’s ICT infrastructure through strategic partnerships with the Private Sector, development partners and other stakeholders.
Actions:
- Develop and adopt a comprehensive and sustainable ICT Integration Policy, Framework and Implementation Plan.
- Conceptualize, develop and deploy a reliable and sustainable ICT backbone that includes steady power supply, workstations, local connectivity (computer network: intra and inter) and broadband Internet connectivity, research database, plagiarism applications, and physical and system security.
- Provide a comprehensive intranet and web services that include technology services, internal networks that facilitate effective use of IT services, design and development of online course, and research support services.
- Install fiber optic cables in all campuses to ensure a high speed, reliable University-wide Internet coverage to support technologies such as e-learning, etc. Every department should have a robust e-library facility; create portals for Distance Learning, provide subscriptions to Internet-based journals (e-journals) and e-books in addition to offering hard copies.
- Ensure that all new buildings are fitted and ready for ICT deployment.
Actions:
- Effectively coordinate the delivery of ICT services and infrastructure that support academic and research missions as well as the business needs of the University in a financially responsible way.
- Ensure that information technology services and infrastructure support the access, security, and privacy needs for information stored within the infrastructure.
- Diversify and enhance opportunities for faculty, staff and students to acquire laptops and other relevant ICT resources.
- Offer students access to relevant information they may need such as test results, financial information and educational institution records, course registration and class specific resources.
- Provide students affordable Internet access at the highest available speeds.
- Provide a delivery mechanism to train and educate teachers through dynamic and interactive modules that can be specifically designed for any subject matter.
- Develop new automated tools and capabilities to track and monitor critical statistical and performance metrics for faculty, staff and students to facilitate the ability to observe trends in achievements and shortcomings as well as critical improvements in educational standards.
- Use extant technologies to improve the University libraries in terms of services and access to other international libraries.
- Training and retraining of staff and students in the use of ICT resources.
- Encourage the utilization of instructional technology to promote quality in large-lecture courses.
Objective 6.3: Establish and operate ICTs-based Distance Learning Program.
- Create a Centre for Distance Learning in the university, with responsibility of developing, designing and operating distance learning programs.
- The Centre for Distance Learning shall be headed by a Director, with oversight by an Advisory Board, appointed by the Vice Chancellor.
- Develop and run market-oriented internet-based distance learning program in a competitive and sustainable manner.
- Build and continually upgrade the capacity of faculty and associated staff for preparation and delivery of internet-based modules to distance learning candidates.
- Create the requisite ICTs facilities and amenities for the delivery and sustenance of internet-based distance learning programs.
- Expand, in a progressive manner, the scope and coverage of internet-based programs.
4.7 GOAL NO. 7: IMPROVE AND SUSTAIN PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND MUNICIPAL SERVICES THROUGH PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS.
Introduction
UNN faces critical challenges in providing the basic facilities and environment required to minimally support the development of knowledge, creative endeavors, educational experiences, and engagement with the public. The University has not optimized the use of the capital resources entrusted to it. It has also failed to recognize the importance of physical facilities in attracting and motivating outstanding faculty, staff, and students and providing them with an environment in which they can be productive.
The University has not been diligent in the day-to-day maintenance of its facilities and infrastructure. This culture is evident in the deplorable state of the student hostels, lecture hall, sports arena, laboratories and administrative buildings. At UNN, as is the case in most Nigerian universities, regular supplies of electricity and portable water are irregular, inadequate, and undependable due to inadequate water infrastructure, irregular boost pipes, lack of maintenance of infrastructure, over-aged and disused infrastructure, especially water pipes, and abuse of facilities.
Objective 7.1: Establish a sustainable framework for the financing, development and maintenance of new physical infrastructure throughout the University.
Actions:
- Review and update the University Master Development Plan to guide physical development in the University, ensure the optimization of land space and resources for infrastructural development as well as ensure steady and systematic physical development of the University.
- Strengthen alumni, philanthropists and public-private-sector collaborations and partnerships for the financing, development and maintenance of physical infrastructure and municipal services.
- Develop and adopt the University’s facilities management and maintenance policy.
- Identify, prioritize and document the physical infrastructure needs of the University that can be met through Public Private Partnerships (PPP).
- Identify and prioritize the infrastructure needs of the University that cannot be met through the PPP framework and seek alternative financing sources such as donations from alumni and philanthropists.
- Develop, manage and sustain strategic relationship with TETFUND that will enable UNN to proactively exploit all funding opportunities from TETFUND.
- Strengthen the capacity of the University’s Office of Physical Planning and the Department of Works and Maintenance.
- Develop and implement a viable and sustainable security and safety program that incorporates community policing and covers both life and property.
- Create a Parks and Gardens unit in the Directorate of Physical Facilities to improve the aesthetics and landscape of the University.
- Ensure effective sharing of resources and continuous training of staff and students to maximally use of available facilities.
- Ensure maximum utilization of internal professional expertise to handle internal projects in order to cut down costs.
- In concert with alumni, philanthropists, and other private sector stakeholders and investors develop proposals for Corporate Social Responsibility support for critical University infrastructure.
Objective 7.2: Develop plans for completing all uncompleted buildings and other infrastructure and for upgrading and maintaining existing buildings and other infrastructure throughout the University.
Actions:
- Develop and implement policies and controls to ensure that any projects started must be completed within the specified time-period.
- Expedite the ongoing evaluation of municipal services throughout the university with emphasis on water and power supply needs and recommend viable and sustainable solutions.
- Upgrade, improve or resuscitate and manage in a sustainable manner various existing infrastructure facilities including, but not limited to:
- water and power supply,
- sports facilities
- the university guest house
- the bakery
- the University Farm
- the University Press
- research laboratories and facilities
- libraries
- medical clinics
- Repair or upgrade and maintain the road network, drainages and walkway across all the campuses.
- Develop and implement an effective waste management program in all the campuses.
- Enhance and maintain the overall aesthetics and landscape of the university environment.
- Provide credible security measure to protect facilities and infrastructure, minimize abuse and fund routine maintenance.
- Develop and implement robust and functional transport services in all campuses.
4.8 GOAL NO. 8: ENHANCE AND STRENGTHEN THE GOVERNANCE AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE.
Introduction
Good governance is a fundamental criterion for the achievement of the aspiration and the goals and objectives of this strategic plan. It is also a prerequisite for the success of the public private partnerships anticipated under this strategic plan and for the ability to generate the resources required for the implementation of the priorities of this plan. Governance encompasses all the processes and structures that manage, allocate, and evaluate and monitor resources. It is therefore critical to establish the guidelines that will govern the effective implementation of this plan.
UNN needs to function in a manner that ensures that all of its projects and operations align with and support the University’s core academic missions. It is therefore imperative that the University, at all levels, abides by the spirit and the letter of the principles of good governance and global best practices. These principles and practices include commitment to protect and enhance the reputation of the University; an understanding of priorities and responsibilities at organizational and individual levels; an appropriate respect for and use of shared governance and collaborative decision making; and a commitment to open communication, accountability and transparency within planning, priority setting, decision making and execution.
Good governance ensures financial transparency and accountability, with appropriate checks and balances that require processes be open, transparent, and effective in protecting the University’s fiscal health and in supporting its central and unit-level institutional priorities. Resource flows must be clear and predictable, but there must also be sufficient institutional flexibility to allow the strategic pursuit of important opportunities when they arise. The following are the objectives and actions that will be undertaken by the university to assure good governance.
Objective 8.1: Establish the general guidelines for good governance and global best practices that will guide the implementation of this strategic plan.
Actions:
- Establish a Strategic Plan Implementation Steering Committee comprised of representatives of the key stakeholder-groups. This Steering Committee will advise the Vice Chancellor and his management team on priorities and other critical cross cutting issues regarding the implementation of the plan.
- The Development Committee, which is charged with making plans and budget for the university, must align its plan and budget with the strategic plan.
- Review current mechanisms of shared governance and align them with changes in the responsibilities required by this strategic plan.
- Implement resource allocation strategies that enable and motivate actions that enhance academic excellence.
- Align support operations with the core academic mission and university strategic plan by maintaining clear priorities, metrics for assessing them, and appropriate internal controls.
- Provide change management training to key academic and non-academic staff to facilitate seamless and continuous improvements in administrative and academic functions.
- Support and strengthen informed, collaborative, and transparent decision making.
- Review key business policies, processes, and procedures, incorporating feedback from end-users and cross-functional units.
Objective 8.2: Ensure good governance and global best practices in the management of financial and other resources of the university.
Actions:
- Review the current budget processes for efficiency and prudence in the allocation of resources as well as support for university-wide, faculty, college and departmental priorities.
- Review, clarify and/or redefine roles and responsibilities related to budget and finance to facilitate effective collaboration and communication between relevant parties and appropriate monitoring of performance and accountability.
- Strengthen and enforce internal controls, transparency and checks and balances in all financial matters.
- Review the accounting system of the University for compliance with the IPSAS accrual basis of accounting, and ensure that only certified public accountants are deployed to head revenue units.
- Ensure that future operating and capital budgets are consistent with the aspiration and the goals and objectives of this strategic plan.
- Ensure strict compliance to the Generally Accepted Accounting and Financial Reporting Principles and Guidelines, applicable laws and regulations, and specific project development agreements.
- To the extent appropriate and possible, keep the Governing Council, the Senate and/or other UNN Financial Policies Committee informed of major budget and financial issues.
- Ensure effective financial planning for construction projects, guaranteeing that budget effects, including ongoing facilities operations and maintenance costs, are known, understood, and agreed upon, and that a specific and approved funding plan is in place, before they are initiated.
- Optimize space use, and use renovation whenever appropriate as an alternative to new construction and expansion.
- Allocate sufficient funding for maintenance and renewal of existing infrastructure and facilities, public spaces, natural areas, and other assets.