UCISA Leadership Event Manchester Jan 28

This event began last night with a keynote presentation by David Sweeney who recently took a new role at HEFCE as Director Research, Innovation and Skills. David has been a key figure in the HE community and IT community (UCISA) as IT Director at Royal Holloway and Chair of UCISA in the past. David is also a member of the Shere Khan secret society of IT people who met at a leadership and development course also organised by UCISA in Manchester in 1996. At this event today there are at least six of us attending who are Shere Khan "members" and that is quite an interesting reflection - still learning and interested in leadership - but also committed to HE, their Insitutions and the wider IT community through UCISA. David's key messages were that IT folk were one of the most valuable assets - in a priviledged position to understand the organisation and influence its future - technology as enabler. He also had various salutory stories of how we are perceived and what we might begin to do to change that. Most important thing I heard - in the current economic climate and with changing government priorities - there is a perception that HE is well provisioned and funded: maybe even "feather bedded" in terms of recent settlements like the inflation pay rise coupled with falling costs (deflation?) and the capital investments from tuition fees over last few years. A cosy recent past is likely to lead to a much more challenging future - great leaders are not those who deliver in the good times, but those who deliver when the tide changes. More to follow from today's speakers.