Sell our experience, skills and facilities. Examples include ideas for health, costume, professional education, a legal advice service, architectural consultancy, renting and setting up an arts studio, Fitness diagnostics, Initial teacher Training, HR, e-learning, design innovation, IT repairs, events management service, and selling student work
Diversifying our product mix including running short courses, running two year degrees, advertising modular degrees, running on-line programmes, and franchising courses to FE.
Setting up a conference centre/hotel
Renting out space to business for health, TV, arts and retail purposes
Charging for other services
Set up a University Enterprise fund to pump-prime enterprise activities
Create a Food Court to generate additional funds
Charge an extra 1p per sheet for photocopying
Set up a Nursery
Develop fund-raising and alumni relations
Establish a University of Huddersfield bank
2. Cost savings (86 suggestions)
Save paper by; not printing meeting papers, having electronic submission of assessments and return of marks, setting printers to double sided printing, stopping printing staff development books, not giving students handouts and encouraging use of Blackboard.
Save energy by banning use of private electrical equipment in offices, training more staff in TREND system, isolating and marking all water valves, using only network printers.
Save on procurement of mobile phones
Cease internal hospitality for meetings
Cease paying interview expenses
Interview by Skype
Placement visits by Skype
Recycle furniture and IT equipment and develop commercial recycling
Reduce staff costs by moving all staff to 80% contracts, reducing holiday entitlement, and implementing an across the board pay cut
Close the University one day a week
Ensure all letters are sent second class by default
Reducing administration and bureaucracy
Introduce car parking charges
Cut back PTHP and agency staff, and introduce an in-house team for filling short term gaps
Cut back on travel and subsistence, and on hospitality at meetings
Suggestion that external examiner meetings should be conducted on-line
Restructure the University Schools and Services
Create an innovation fund to take forward money saving ideas
Integrate IT systems to remove duplication
Work in partnership with external agencies to cut costs
Work harder to cut heating and lighting bills by turning down thermostats, reducing heating at weekends and turning off lights
Run an early retirement scheme
Develop a transparent workload management system to ensure all staff have an equitable and fairly distributed workload
Reduce paper publications and introduce electronic payslips
Stop end of year spend on gadgets and IT
Do all evening and weekend teaching in one building to save utility/security spend
Consider bulk purchasing in a consortium
Use lease cars instead of hiring
Replace PCs on a 4 yearly rather than a 3 yearly cycle
Staff to take a pay cut
Cut non-pay spend in Schools by 10% through better procurement
Look to outsource activities to drive down costs
3. Improving marketing and the student experience (52 responses)
Improve web search optimisation
Develop social media for marketing to students
Try to recruit from Greenhead and New College
Look at how we market student accommodation
Establish a one stop shop for students
Run summer schools
Open late for students
Speed up response to applicants
Allow students to pay on 10-12 month direct debits
Set up a Schools Liaison function which builds relationships with Schools and Head Teachers
Set up a recruitment agency to help students find jobs
Sponsor local junior sports clubs
Run more open days including open days for industry
Accredit industry software qualifications for students
Put lectures on the web to allow staff more time to spend in smaller group work
Design our support services around the needs of students
Change the University name
Use Sir Patrick Stewart in marketing
Set up a cultural/arts centre for students
Provide more pastoral support for students including better careers advice
Use careers information more in marketing
Do research on non completers to understand reasons for leaving
Open staff development sessions to students
Do market research before putting on new courses
Run enrichment courses for students
Put a clock on St Paul’s
Offer cheaper fees to the children of staff
4. International Recruitment (8 responses)
Have January intakes for all programmes
Recruit in the US
Open overseas offices
Do market research
Employ an IT skills tutor
5. Oldham and Barnsley (8 responses)
Build student accommodation
Raise grades to the same level as Queensgate
Charge the same fees as at Queensgate in 2012
Deliver only FE programmes so we compete directly with the FE Colleges
Offer specialist HE provision that we don’t have at Queensgate