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The Panel observed that CityU has a detailed strategic plan which is clearly consistent with the University's mission. This strategic plan is the University's first and the President has been a key player in its development since his appointment in 1996. The strategic plan sets out 8 major goals and outlines the AURORA strategy as the means of achieving these goals. This covers the following areas:
Accountability.
The Panel observed that, in developing the plan, the senior management drew extensively upon both internal and external contributions. Internally, the development of the plan was based on the work of seven institution-wide Task Forces whose recommendations were considered at an open forum with all senior staff and the President. The plan was also informed by external consultations, for example, via the Departmental Advisory Committees (made up of senior industry representatives), a survey of secondary school teachers and discussions with community leaders, alumni and Council members.
CityU has been successful in combining this participative approach with strong top-down strategic thrusts to initiate projects in priority areas, for example, with the establishment of the new School of Creative Media. The combination of staff involvement, effective communication and strong leadership from the President and his senior management team, has been very effective in generating a strong sense of ownership of the plan across the institution. The Panel shares the President's view that this represents one of CityU's key strengths and will be critical to its capacity to realise its strategic goals in the future. While not all units have developed plans in relation to AURORA, the Panel observed that most have sought to respond proactively at least to elements of the strategy. It also observed that the use of the acronym "AURORA" has helped to strengthen this sense of ownership as well institutional memory of the strategic plan.
However, despite CityU's success in identifying and promoting understanding of its strategy, the Panel found some evidence of obstacles to implementation on the ground stemming from an over-emphasis on systems of control within parts of the University. (This is discussed further in the sections "Resource Allocation" and "Implementation of plans). It recommends that CityU place more emphasis on linking AURORA to operational plans and implementation to ensure that the strategy is realised in practice.
In terms of the content of AURORA, the Panel suggests that there is a need for clearer articulation of the relative priority attached to different elements of the plan - particularly the relative emphasis on teaching versus research - to help guard against mission drift and to guide resource allocation decisions. This is likely to be increasingly important as CityU enters a period of relative austerity and is required to make more difficult choices between alternatives. It also suggests that CityU seek to emphasise the differences between itself and other Hong Kong higher education institutions by increasing its selectivity and focusing of specific areas of strength.
Lastly, the Panel also noted that some elements of the strategy may
require more detailed articulation (e.g. the rewards scheme) with qualitative and
quantitative measures to allow for effective monitoring.
The Panel commends CityU for its success in developing a well articulated strategic plan and for achieving a strong sense of ownership of the plan across the institution. The AURORA strategy appears to be widely understood and to inform planning at faculty and departmental level. The Panel noted that strong leadership and effective communication combined with a participative approach to planning have been instrumental in this achievement.
In moving forward, the Panel suggests that CityU could benefit from clearer articulation of the relative priority attached to different elements of the plan as well as further development of certain elements (e.g. the rewards scheme). The Panel also recommends that CityU place more emphasis on linking AURORA to operational plans and implementation to ensure that the strategy is realised in practice.