We should co-ordinate the marketing and promotion of ECU, so that we match the other tertiary institutions, and use our 'up front' people to their full potential. Good public contact is vital to any promotion of a university. Given then ECU is now under severe budgetary constraints, office space is often cramped and unattractive, and that even the number of campuses is under review, it is surely time that we examined the possibility of some of our staff working from home. Belonging to an institution which made clear its commitment to teaching and research is the most important thing. A public commitment to making teaching and research work is the first stage in ensuring that staff strive for excellence.
Monetary rewards come far down the scale.
RAI points should not be awarded simply on the basis of number of publications in refereed journals. Perhaps on the basis of citations of articles. I speak as one who would be severely disadvantaged by such a system, but feel that the current system encourages us to publish vast amounts of crap. If it were possible to spend the time working on one really good article and be equally rewarded, the research coming out of ECU would be much more highly regarded. If we are to attract industrial and other backing for our research capabilities and programmes in the areas described in the attached brochures, the University must be able to approach Government and industry at the highest possible level through a Deputy Vice Chancellor of recognised standing in the community who commands respect and attention.