Thought of the fortnight: How to successfully induct and introduce a new VC

We asked AHUA members to share their advice and experiences an how to successfully induct and introduce a new Vice Chancellor

Posted by AHUA Office on 21st October, 2024

In July 2024 THE reported on ‘the exodus of experienced hands’ as 1 in 5 universities in the UK were changing their Vice Chancellor. To varying extents and in different ways the Registrar and COO roles that make up the core of the AHUA membership, are critical in the process of preparing for and successfully welcoming a new university Vice Chancellor. They might provide continuity and stability throughout the recruitment and induction while simultaneously helping to prepare for change and steering the induction to secure the right quality and direction of stewardship to deliver change. We asked our members, ‘what are your top tips for successfully inducting a new VC?’.

Here are some of their responses:

“As a senior leader, spend time listening to their vision for what they want to achieve and understanding how you can help achieve that vision.”

“We set up conversations with the senior staff who would be key colleagues. We were focusing as much on building relationships as on knowledge. That was also an opportunity to talk about what sort of support team they wanted.”

“We’d had our last VC for 21 years, and they kept a separate office with a PA unconnected with the rest of the organisation structure. The new VC wanted an open plan senior team office, team support and a different (modernised) senior line management structure. There were conversations about how that would work, some staff redeployment to create the team, and there was a building job to configure the office space. This was as much about learning for the existing team as it was about induction for the new VC.”

“Our new VC knew the UK university landscape very well and had worked at several UK universities, so already had a good network and good knowledge. We organised lunches for them to spend time with our staff and student Governors and the lay Governors, and there were regular meetings with the Chair and Deputy Chair of Governors and then the Chairs of the Finance and Audit Committees. Once they had arrived in the UK and took up post, we organised meetings with individual heads of faculties, departments and directorates, followed by bigger meetings with their teams. That helped with learning how to navigate our organisation, as did support from people in the VC office who had been here long enough to know how to find things and get things done – including me and their EA. The new VC was involved in some of the meetings during our annual planning and budgeting process, which was helpful. They also got involved with UUK and University of London networks and met with the internal and external auditors and the local Trade Union branch leaders. They were actively organising things throughout this process and asking to meet groups or see documents as much as we were anticipating what meetings to organise and what information to send.”

“Arrange informal visits and 1-2-1’s with their senior leadership team and Chair of Board ahead of day one if possible.”

“Ensure an induction plan includes not only internal staff (across the whole institution) but also external stakeholders, local politicians and civic dignitaries”

“Provide bio’s on Board members, talk through skill matrix and ways of working for each, any oversight a particular Board member has within the university.”

“Ensure IT, office etc all set up, if not possible prior to start, as soon as possible on day one (particularly IT).”

“All staff briefings – we offer monthly video’s so our new VC has now provided two such videos and November will see all-staff face-to-face briefings.”

“Provide VC with opportunity for feedback – not that a VC is usually slow in coming forward if something is missing or they want something done differently – but that safe space where they can explore and triangulate what they have heard, testing it.”

“Demonstrate your openness to their ideas, questions, ambitions and in return they should be more open to yours.“

“Don’t assume that the way you or the previous VC chose to manage competing priorities will be the same with the new VC. They will welcome (at least some) your feedback about the choices the previous VC made of who to engage with and what areas of focus they would hold but they will also want to be encouraged to set their own agendas and establish their own networks.”

“Help them understand the history and heritage of the institution as well as its present structure. We helped them spend a day in the archives, looking back on the wealth of history about where we came from. Understanding the longitudinal trajectory of the organisation and its founding principles is richer information for the strategic development they will want to undertake than looking at the current structure and operating plans alone.“

With lots of advice about how you can facilitate information gathering, fostering relationships across the institution, the feedback also acknowledges the individual and critical relationship being formed by the AHUA member and their new VC and line manager. One member also acknowledged that it’s a time of change, not just for the VC and the institution but also for the Registrar or COO. Embracing that change can perhaps be a source of renewal.

“The arrival of a new VC is a chance for a registrar to find new energy and inspiration and we all need that from time to time. Indulge yourself in learning from them and unlocking the things that were previously out of scope.“