Thursday 8 October 2015

An IFLAS Research special Open Lecture in Lancaster, James Wilsdon - The Metric Tide


Free Open Lecture – Tuesday 13 October 2015, 5:30-7:30pm

Hugh Pollard Lecture Theatre, University of Cumbria,

 Bowerham Road, Lancaster, LA1 3JD







Prof James Wilsdon 

The Metric Tide: A New Agenda for Responsible Indicators in Research

 Citations, journal impact factors, H-indices, even tweets and Facebook likes – there are no end of quantitative measures that can now be used to assess the quality and wider impacts of research. But how robust and reliable are such indicators, and what weight – if any –should we give them in the management of the UK’s research system?
 
Over the past year, the Independent Review of the Role of Metrics in Research Assessment and Management has looked in detail at these questions. The review has explored the use of metrics across the full range of academic disciplines, and assessed their potential contribution to processes of research assessment like the REF. It has looked at how universities themselves use metrics, at the rise of league tables and rankings, at the relationship between metrics and issues of equality and diversity, and at the potential for ‘gaming’ that can arise from the use of particular indicators in the funding system.

The review’s final report, The Metric Tide, was published on 9 July 2015. James Wilsdon, who chaired the review, will outline its findings, and propose a more responsible agenda for the use of metrics in research management and policy. A discussion on the implications of Professor Wilsdon's talk will be hosted by Professor Jem Bendell, Institute for Leadership and Sustainability (IFLAS), University of Cumbria.

 
To register for this free Open Workshop, please email iflas@cumbria.ac.uk

Find out more about the Institute for Leadership and Sustainability, our leadership programmes and the April 2016 Spring School at www.iflas.info

IFLAS Open Lecture with Harry Bowell, Director of the National Trust North


Free Open Lecture – Tuesday 10 November 2015, 5:30-7:30pm

Percival Lecture Theatre
University of Cumbria, Rydal Road
Ambleside, LA22 9BB



Harry Bowell - In service of a city: how public land could help make a place even greater

Local Authority budgets are under increasing pressure and in the great cities of the north this is becoming particularly acute and set to get more so. One of the impacts of this squeeze is that non-statutory services are typically being disproportionately cut. Despite the manifest benefits that the management of parks and other green space have in urban areas their provision and maintenance is not a statutory requirement.

Sheffield is England’s 4th largest city, a third of which is within the Peak District National Park and, despite its industrial image, has a huge green infrastructure –reputedly having the most green space per capita of any European city and is literally cooler than Manchester because of its woodland cover. Evidence suggests that this proximity to a beautiful, accessible countryside is the reason for a burgeoning outdoors industry.

National Trust has been working with Sheffield City Council to define different models of management and finance in three distinct zones; national park, accessible green wedges and urban parks. When unified they may point at new ways of gaining maximum benefit from publically owned land that is not a large draw on our reducing public purse.

Harry Bowell is Director of the National Trust North, delivering national strategy across the new North Region, which stretches from the Scottish borders to Cheshire; from St Bees to the Humber.

 

Harry was previously Director of the Midlands for the Trust, and from 2000 to 2009 was Regional Reserves Manager for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) with responsibility for the nature reserve operation which spans from the Peak District to Scotland. He also led Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s nature reserve team for 13 years.

Harry currently lives in Sheffield, where he loves getting out in the Peak on his bike.

 

To register for this free Open Workshop, please email iflas@cumbria.ac.uk

 

Find out more about the Institute for Leadership and Sustainability, our leadership programmes and the April 2016 Spring School at www.iflas.info

Thursday 1 October 2015

A Free Leadership Experience in London: Leadership lessons from Tango

Sue Cox – Ballroom to Boardroom: Leadership lessons from Tango
Room 9, University of Cumbria
East India Dock Road Campus, London E14 6JE
Wednesday 4 November 2015, 6pm-7.30pm

Practical, engaging and thought-provoking, Ballroom to Boardroom uses principles from Argentine Tango to explore an approach to leadership that is dynamic, purposeful and connected.  Argentine Tango is a complex and improvised dance. It relies on both leader and follower bringing their skill and focus to co-create an agile partnership.

In this session, Sue shares what makes it work, offering insights in to skillful leading & following and how you can harness the full potential of the leader/follower dynamic in your organisation. The session requires no skill in dance, simply the ability to move freely and a willingness to participate.

Sue Cox is an experienced development trainer and a Tango dancer. She has worked with leaders and teams for over 20 years and lived and danced in Buenos Aires for over 3 years.

To register for this free Open Lecture, please contact: iflas@cumbria.ac.uk

Sue delivers this experience as part of our PGC in Sustainable Leadership