The Engagement Committee (EC):
- provides advice to the Vice-Chancellor on
- engagement priorities/directions, including major partnerships and initiatives
- engagement components of institutional plans
- implications of trends and developments in engagement, nationally and internationally
- advises on opportunities for deepening and sharing engagement knowledge
- guides and monitors engagement project teams' and/or associated working parties' direction and delivery, and
- considers other matters relating to engagement as referred to it by the Vice–Chancellor or Deputy Vice–Chancellor (International and Development).
The EC has established four engagement project teams to extend the engagement support and facilitation function and to broaden involvement of Faculty and Divisional staff in its implementation. The project teams have been identified in light of the University's engagement goals and the current context of engagement at QUT (including challenges and opportunities).
The work of the engagement project teams are guided and monitored by the Engagement Committee with assistance from the Development Office.
The four engagement project teams are:
1. Creating a doorway to potential partnerships
Project Leader: Bernie Murchison, Corporate Relations Manager, Division of International & Development
The project "Creating a doorway to potential partnerships" has been identified by the Engagement Committee as a priority initiative of the 2007 Engagement Strategy, in recognition of concerns expressed from many areas within QUT that are responsible for liaison with external organisations. The project aims to enhance external organisation's access to QUT expertise and service by identifying how areas within QUT currently manage external relationships and how internal informal networks connect across the university.
2. Hard data to evaluate engagement
Project Leader: Lawrence Stedman, Principal Policy Advisor, Chancellery
The project team was established to recommend mechanisms for tracking and capturing engagement activities. It is proposed that the project team will develop a draft framework which will include an examination of:
- Existing sources of data i.e. RQF, KPIs, GDS
- Current key performance indicators and measures
- National and international frameworks for measuring engagement
- University benchmarks in engagement
Phase one of the project involves a scoping exercise to develop hard data sources to ground claims for engagement. This scoping exercise will consider data that demonstrates engagement performance and value-add for the university across high level plan outcomes.
3. Examine ways to strengthen engagement activities in the promotion process
Project Leader: Jane Banney, Associate Director, HR Client Services
The project team will work with HR staff to develop more comprehensive guidelines for compiling and evaluating engagement within academic and professional portfolios.
4. Creating places for staff learning about engagement
The project aims to provide support material on community-based and service learning to help inform course development and renewal, and at least two fora for sharing successful approaches to engagement.