In formulating our views on the future development of JMU, we favoured an approach to change which focused upon sound principles, seamless processes and good practice. Meetings will taking place within all Schools and Service Teams before 20th March 1998. Following recent meetings of The Executive and the Leadership Team, the implementation phase of transformation has moved a step closer. It has also been suggested that there should be representation from the existing TDT on all of these teams. Opening up the Issues Academic Infrastructure From the feedback that we have received to date it is clear that recommendations 56 and 57 are generating a good deal of comment.
Opinion appears to be divided between strong support and strong resistance.
Issues as they relate to our modular framework and academic year clearly need to be reviewed but in an open and democratic manner. In more general terms feedback to date indicates that whilst the Transformation Design Team report identifies sound principles to underpin the future direction of JMU, that direction needs to be clearly outlined. TDT recognised when they wrote the report that future directions should be strategically planned by a permanent University Planning Team supported by a Communications and IT Team and a Continuing Professional Development Co-ordination Team . However, because the report has been written for such a wide audience we have detected problems as they relate to interpretation. First, some of the terms used within the report have been open to different interpretations.