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Working in Consortia. Opportunities and Challenges. Sue Starbuck: South East DTC s.starbuck@surrey.ac.uk http://www.southeastdtc.ac.uk/. About us. Consortium of 4 universities: Kent, Reading, Royal Holloway and Surrey managed by Surrey DTC Manager based at Surrey (financed by partners)
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Working in Consortia Opportunities and Challenges Sue Starbuck: South East DTC s.starbuck@surrey.ac.uk http://www.southeastdtc.ac.uk/
About us • Consortium of 4 universities: Kent, Reading, Royal Holloway and Surrey managed by Surrey • DTC Manager based at Surrey (financed by partners) • DMG: 2 senior social science academics from each partner, student reps and senior administrators • “Pathway leads and co-ordinators” i.e. subject representatives at each partner • Administrative, Finance and e-learning contacts at each partner
Opportunities • Access to Wider Expertise: Academic and Managerial • Community: Wider and more diverse • Cohort: Larger and more diverse; greater support • Networkingand External Engagement: Both Student and Staff • Training: Wider range and greater rationalisation • Greater opportunity to Add Value • Time: Stability
Challenges: Part 1 • Community: Building a community • Cohort: Creating a sense of belonging in students • Culture of the organisation, direction from above • Communication: Practical and emotional • Resistance of individuals to new processes and to involvement or “interference” • Cost
Challenges: Part 2 • Coordination • Complexity • Studentship process • Allocation of studentships across institutions • Bidding for extra funding • Alignment of policies and procedures • Financial • Logistics of Training : distances; numbers • Time: speed of reaction
Minimising the Challenges • Attitude • Engagement • Support • Creativity • Choosing the right partners • Developing a good working relationship • Building the right foundations
Contact details Sue Starbuck s.starbuck@surrey.ac.uk Charlotte Ayling: DTC Manager c.ayling@surrey.ac.uk Professor Nigel Fielding: DTC Director n.fielding@surrey.ac.uk http://www.southeastdtc.ac.uk/