Second phase of UTS change proposal released

The proposals would restructure our organisation and improve how services are delivered across the university to support our education and research, and to improve the student and staff experience.

Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Andrew Parfitt said, “While we are faced with making difficult decisions to ensure financial savings, we have taken a considered approach to reviewing how the university continues to best deliver on our core commitment to public education and providing research outcomes for our communities.

“Reshaping our professional support services will allow us to better support the university’s education and research goals and become more resilient and agile.”

The proposed changes aim to standardise services across operational areas and faculties to ensure a more consistent and coordinated approach, and more efficient processes.

Changes to organisational structures will also enable more efficient support. For example, consolidating services for students into a single area, such as career advising, learning support and peer networking, will make processes easier to navigate for students and ensure a more consistent experience across the university.  We will prioritise digital means for students to engage with services, making them more accessible for students out of hours and off campus. Staff would also experience a more consistent delivery of support services.

“The changes proposed will help modernise our systems and structures to better support students and staff. They’re designed to help deliver our UTS 2030 Strategy, which will set us up for future success,” said Professor Parfitt.

These proposals follow the release in September of proposed academic changes aimed at standardising and simplifying our faculty structures, bringing UTS into line with other similarly sized universities. Proposed changes to our operations and service delivery would align support services to the proposed flatter structures in faculties and schools. 

These proposals would contribute to savings required to ensure financial sustainability. A separate program of work is identifying $20 million in savings through cost management measures including in property, maintenance, procurement, travel and removal of bonuses and incentives.

The combination of changes in federal funding, limits on our ability to increase revenue, and the longstanding impacts of a global pandemic have led to a period of financial instability that must be addressed.

Development of the proposed changes has involved careful consideration of the need to minimise negative impacts on staff as far as possible, however potential job losses of approximately 209 full-time equivalent (FTE) roles have been identified as part of the latest proposals, in addition to the 134 FTE (and a reduction in casual academics) identified through the academic change proposal.

UTS recognises this is a challenging time for its community and is providing a range of support measures for staff impacted by this process.

Both change proposals are subject to full consultation with university staff. No decisions will be made until all feedback is considered. No changes will take effect until 2026.

Supporting our staff  

UTS is committed to supporting our staff through this difficult time as we plan to undergo significant structural changes across the university. 

Staff are being regularly updated and given opportunities to ask questions and offer suggestions or feedback. We are committed to strategies to minimise the need for retrenchment through measures such as voluntary separation and redeployment.

Staff are being offered support relating to their health and well-being, financial circumstances and their career, as well as increased access to trained counsellors.

A note on our university structure and operations

The academic structure of the university relates to teaching and research functions, divided into faculties, centres and schools. Professional staff provide services that include administrative, data, legal, financial, marketing, facilities, human resources and other functions that enable the operation of the university.

The university’s academic and operational structures are large and complex. This can often mean duplicate administration and processes that can lead to inefficiencies. 

Creating more streamlined and consistent organisation structures and centralised, consistent and standardised processes across the university will enhance support of teaching, learning, research, and engagement across the university. 

A more efficient and standardised structure and processes will allow us to have clearer accountabilities, scale our services as required and improve long-term financial sustainability.