The Russell Partnership:  case studies:  Universities:  University of Sheffield:

University of Sheffield

The 24,000 students currently studying at The University of Sheffield are attracted by the first-class facilities, tuition and opportunities that the University offers, the friendly environment and picturesque setting of England's greenest city.

Approaching their centenary, the University now has 70 academic departments and is committed to building on their tradition of excellence in academic achievement and research to further their reputation and international standing.

The University is the third largest employer in the South Yorkshire region and a leading driver of economic regeneration in the area.

With over 5,500 staff, the University generates an annual income in the region of £280 million.

The University of Sheffield is currently undergoing a state-of-the-art building programme which is the largest investment by any UK University into their student and conference accommodation. The University’s accommodation strategy is to build the capacity to 4000 residential students, operated by Accommodation and Campus Services (ACS), the in-house management team.

Due to this extensive change programme the University engaged the resources of the Russell Partnership to drive the change programme in a partnering agreement. The Partnership team, reporting to the Head of ACS managed the main campus and residences catering and conference team, and successfully provided both strategic and operational support for the new development.

The Partnership team focused on:

• Developing and implementation a new organisational structure
• Effective management of the existing operations which drove efficiencies at all levels
• Introduced and advised on new streamlined management systems providing quality management information
• Defined service standards, supported by service quality training
• Planned the new operational and development template against the strategic objectives

The combination of day to day operational management, strategic planning and implementation proved an ideal fit for the Russell Partnership’s skills. The process has been managed through a series of objectives and review points to ensure that the support was focused on the immediate and mid term business needs.