10 October 2019 - New ucisa control strengthens agile delivery of member services

ucisa, the UK membership organisation that represents the expert IT community in Higher and Further Education, is to take full ownership of its operational business activities from December this year.

The move is the latest stage in ucisa's strategic plan to further strengthen service provision to both member universities and colleges and the digital practitioners working in those institutions.

Central administration for ucisa has historically been provided by the University of Oxford under a service contract. Transfer to direct administrative control by ucisa follows discussions with Oxford and mutual agreement that Oxford could no longer provide the service levels required to deliver ucisa's ambitions to expand membership services in support of the expert digital community underpinning digital transformation in education.

From December 2019, direct day-to-day control will pass to ucisa and the administrative team will relocate from the University of Oxford premises to flexible workspace within Lumen House on the nearby Harwell Science and Technology Campus.

Relocation and full ownership of day-to-day business activities is the latest milestone in ucisa's strategy of reshaping the organisation around the current and future digital challenges and opportunities facing member institutions –including support for all aspects of digital expertise related to the delivery of an exceptional student experience.

Earlier this year, ucisa augmented its leadership capacity with the appointment of Deborah Green in the new role of Chief Executive. Her track record includes major transformational change at Leeds Beckett University where she revolutionised digital student recruitment approaches and led radical development of the University's digital presence.

Speaking on the changes, ucisa's Executive Director Peter Tinson said: "The ending of the Oxford contract is also the opportune time for me to announce my decision to make the break from the organisation. I have greatly enjoyed the past 14 years heading up ucisa and am confident that new CEO Deborah Green, the Board and the Leadership Council will continue to grow ucisa and take it to the next level.

"I'm not planning on retirement just yet but I'm leaving ucisa in a good place and now look forward to more time to write, take on speaking opportunities and work as a consultant."

Responding to Peter Tinson's departure, Drew Cook, Chair of ucisa's Board of Trustees and Director of ICT Services at the University of Lincoln, said: "We would like to take this opportunity to thank Peter for the very significant contribution he has made to the development of ucisa during his time here. We wish him the very best for the future."

ucisa CEO Deborah Green said:"Having direct ownership of all our business activities marks a new chapter in the life of ucisa. We will now have far greater agility in providing unique opportunities for members to connect, share expertise and gain new insights while ensuring the quality and relevance of our services remain consistent with the strategic needs of the institutions we all serve.

"We will be maintaining full business and service continuity during the change and as a collaborative, supportive organisation, we are fully committed to ensuring the process is conducted with due sensitivity to the needs of the team that has served ucisa and members so well to date.

"Finally, we would like to express our appreciation of the close partnership we have enjoyed with the University of Oxford during their hosting of ucisa. Oxford remains a member of ucisa and we look forward to building on that continuing relationship."