University's IT Department Tabs Olympics Chief Information Officer as New Leader
The University of Manchester, a renowned institution with over 40,000 students and an endowment of £159 million, unveiled its Manchester 2020 Vision strategy in 2011. This strategic plan aimed to enhance the university's core capabilities by investing in IT infrastructure, systems, expertise, research support, and the development of students and staff.
At the helm of this digital transformation is Gerry Pennell, the new Director of IT at the university. Pennell brings a wealth of experience to the role, having previously served as the CIO for the 2002 Commonwealth Games held in Manchester.
The Manchester 2020 Vision strategy is multifaceted, with several key objectives. One of the primary focuses is on IT infrastructure and systems. The university aims to support cutting-edge research and flexible, multidisciplinary teaching through investments in modern teaching tools and digital learning environments. This approach allows students to adapt the time, place, and pace of their studies while maintaining high-quality in-person teaching.
Another crucial aspect of the strategy is expertise and research support. The university's research ethos emphasises creating impactful, original knowledge with both local and global influence. To achieve this, the university provides support for a wide range of research disciplines and leverages new knowledge to inform policy and practice.
The strategy also places a strong emphasis on student and staff development. Programs such as Stellify are designed to foster social responsibility and distinctive graduate attributes. Additionally, the university offers comprehensive career support, including mentoring, internships, and international opportunities.
In terms of infrastructure, the university's estates strategy involved redeveloping campus facilities, including the disposal of UMIST campus areas and plans for innovation districts such as ‘Sister’. These upgrades to physical and technological infrastructure are intended to support future growth.
The Manchester 2020 Vision strategy also includes an information management strategy. This strategy aims to provide a responsive, flexible, robust, and secure infrastructure for all services, taking advantage of public and private cloud solutions. IT will assist academic research by providing services related to trends in scholarly publishing, bibliometrics, and the storage, management, and preservation of research outputs.
A sustained research data management infrastructure will be developed to support the entire data life cycle according to researchers' needs, as part of a wider strategy for e-infrastructure. The corporate information systems will be maintained and developed to support core goals, including projects from the Manchester Working and Learning Environment programs.
The Manchester 2020 Vision strategy is a testament to the university's commitment to digital innovation, research excellence, and community and career development. While the explicit five-part breakdown of the strategy is not detailed in the search results, the university’s ongoing themes of investing in digital infrastructure, research excellence, expertise development, flexible learning, and strong student-staff development frameworks clearly underpin their strategic approach during that period.
For those seeking precise published documentation on the Manchester 2020 Vision strategy itself, university archival sources or institutional strategic plans would be the most direct source. The information available strongly suggests the strategy’s comprehensive focus on digital innovation, research impact, and community and career development.
Technology plays a crucial role in the Manchester 2020 Vision strategy, with the university aiming to support cutting-edge research and flexible, multidisciplinary teaching through investments in modern teaching tools and digital learning environments. The strategy also includes an information management plan that provides a robust, secure infrastructure for all services, enabling scholarly publishing, bibliometrics, and research output management.
The university's commitment to education-and-self-development is evident in programs like Stellify, designed to foster social responsibility and distinctive graduate attributes. Additionally, comprehensive career support, including mentoring, internships, and international opportunities, are offered to students and staff as part of the strategy.
