VC’ s corner
People are still the key indicators
Numbers, metrics and KPIs must never replace a university’ s unique and vital mission. By Celia Hammond
30 | Issue 8 2013
I
recently provided an update to The University of Notre Dame Australia community in which I highlighted some key milestones and achievements of the university: growth in applications and enrolments; consistent 5-star ratings in graduate satisfaction from the Good Universities Guide; new courses; new buildings; more capital projects on the go; and more research activity than ever before. Like all universities, we like to share and celebrate these milestones with all members of our community. They are items capable of being quantifiably measured and easily converted to performance indicators.
I was delighted to receive feedback from a number of people who expressed their joy in our successes. There was, however, one letter I received from a recent Notre Dame graduate that caused me to pause and reflect. The gist of the note was that whilst she was happy for our success, she did not think our celebration of these milestones reflected what she believed our university was about. I was told, politely and clearly, that we were focusing on the‘ numbers’ and the‘ physical aspects’, and ignoring the fact that every single one of those numbers was a person … and that the capital works, as important as they are, are meaningful only because of what we do with them or in them. She expressed concern that if these quantifiable measurements became our sole or even predominant focus, we would forget our fundamental purpose and ultimately cease being the special place that she had experienced. Our graduate is correct. In the current world in which all Australian universities operate, and with billions of taxpayer dollars being spent annually on higher education, it is imperative that all universities remain accountable. It is imperative for all to gather reliable data and information, to evaluate it, and to use it to measure, benchmark and help guide innovation and improvement. All universities must use the tools and measures available to achieve the accountability and responsibility required of them, and nothing less than this should be countenanced.
Despite all this, universities as individual organisations, and the higher education sector as a whole, must avoid being seduced by the apparent certainty of statistics, KPIs, metrics, survey results, rankings, benchmarking and the rest of the ever-expanding list of quantifiable measures.
Universities must resist the lure of allowing the tools or metrics to become the end in and of themselves. A healthy balance sheet, whilst a desirable and good outcome, loses most if not all meaning unless it is being sought and achieved within the context of an institution’ s distinct and special mission and purpose. Likewise, an increase