University of Oviedo chancellor, Ignacio Villaverde, accompanied by part of the rectory team, has presented today, in governing council extraordinary meeting, the strategic plans for the institution. The four documents —University of Oviedo Strategic Plan (Plan Estratégico de la Universidad de Oviedo), Qualifications Strategic Plan (Plan Estratégico de Titulaciones), Facilities General Plan (Plan General de Infraestructuras) and Organizational Model Plan for the Univerisity of Oviedo Management Structure (Plan de Modelo de Organización de la Estructura Administrativa de la Universidad de Oviedo)— set up the project of a "modern, participative, with an up-to-date offer of accreditative qualifications, and campuses-with-their-own-personality" institution. All four of them would go now under a public information process that aims to count with the participation of the university community, and that would conclude by mid-February. 

 

Villaverde has explained, to the Governing Council members, the process that begins today with the plan presentation, and that will continue after the participative period with the considering and incorporation of the proposals, their passage by the Governing Council and Social Council, and their ratification by the University Council, probably by the end of March. 

 

"During the first 10 months of their term, the rectory team has realized a work of analysis, proposal study, necessities, and conclusions, which is what now we share with the student community. Now we want to listen to their answer so that, from there, we can set in motion the different proceedings that would finally allow us to achieve a better University of Oviedo", the chancellor has expressed. 

The first of the plans, the Strategic Plan (Plan Estratégico), sets medium-term goals and serves as an umbrella plan for the rest of the documents. Moreover, it defines the coordination and collaboration mechanisms necessary to carry out the different actions, as well as the result monitoring and presentation. The plan defines four priorities to relocate the University, and six action areas to optimize its services and so improve its contribution and impact. In particular, the four priorities, the plan cross-cutting axes, are: digitalization, institutional sustainability, engagement and impact, and specialization. The six action areas, its vertical axis, are: people, infrastructure, governance, teaching and curriculum, investigation, and services.

 

The goals stated are, among others, to achieve a deep transformation towards a digitalized university; with prompt, safe, and accessible service; work on a change in the way of thinking and acting to ensure the university institutional, social, economic, and environmental sustainability; improve communication results and collaborations within the University, and between it and its economic and social environment; and becoming a recognized engine for cultural and wealth transfer. 

 

The first steps to achieve this are already present with the presentation of the qualifications specific plans, organization, infrastructure, and that are summed up to last week's public act: Science Multiannual Plan. In them are collected the first proposals that would lead to the achievement of the Institutional Strategic Plan set goals, proposals for the advancement towards more cohesive campus, with their own personality, and on which the infrastructure needs are met, towards a more modern, up-to-date, according-to-the-needs-demanded-by-society academic offer, or towards a 21st-century structure, more effective and sustainable. 

 

The basis for defining the training offer

The Qualifications Strategic Plan (Plan Estratégico de Titulaciones), developed by the Vice-Chancellor of Academic Management, lays the foundation for the definition of the University of Oviedo training offer, with specific goals such as the studies offer realignment to gain efficiency and competitiveness, the incorporation of the novelties introduced in the most recent regulation (dual mention, academic programs with successive degree paths and an engineering master...) or the implementation of new degrees in strategic areas for both society and the University, degrees to exploit synergies and strengthen the competitiveness of the institution. For its conclusions, an internal analysis has been carried out, taking into account variables such as enrolment data, EBAU data, degree redundancy, enrolment from Asturias to other universities, dropout rate, degree cost, and the spaces and professors available. In addition, markers are established for present and/or future new-degree assessments.

 

Leading university campus

For its part, the infrastructure plan, carried out jointly by the Vice-Chancellor of Sustainability, Mobility, and Environment, and the Infrastructure Vice Management, pursues the university campus transformation in an environment of knowledge where life quality, environmental sustainability, agents, and institutions aggregation, student affairs services, and urbanism make of the university spaces a referent for the Asturian society. It aims to reorganize and optimize the working spaces to adapt them to the new teaching and organizational necessities and reduce the exploitation costs of the university buildings, especially energy costs, among other objectives. The different proceedings are planned according to seven criteria: maintenance; space edification and reorganization; energy rehabilitation; facility energy saving; equipment; security and general service. 

 

Conclusions

Among the Qualifications Strategic Plan (Plan Estratégico de Titulaciones) most prominent conclusions, we find the Sciences of Physical Activity and Sport degree viability consideration, and its affiliation to the Teacher Training faculty, in Oviedo, due to the location of a great part of the teaching staff, and its having of its own facilities. Likewise, a viability study of a Criminology degree has been proposed, as well as the possibilities of designing a Joint Programming of Oficial Studies (Programación Conjunta de Estudios Oficiales) with the Law degree. It would be affiliated with the Faculty of Law. The possibility of the implementation of a Degree in Engineering in Renewable Energies is also being analyzed, for which its viability would be studied including other degrees in the studies with which it presents possible overlaps.   Mieres is the proposed possible location proposed, in the facility resultant of the fusion of the School of Mining Engineering, Energy and Materials of Oviedo, with Mieres Polytechnic School. 

Furthermore, it analyzes the new possibilities that are introduced by the existing regulation, such as the dual mention programs or the successive tour academic programs. In this regard, it considers that the Gijón Engineering Polytechnic School is the perfect location for the implementation of the first dual mention. For this reason, it proposes the evaluation and beginning of the design of the Dual Mention for the Mechanical Engineering degree. Concerning the successive tour academic program, those which link a degree and a master's in the field of engineering, "its launch in Gijón would make the start of the study of its composing degrees more attractive, and would place the School to the level of the great polytechnics", the chancellor has explained.

 

To perform these proposals of the qualifications plan, it has been necessary to take into account the conclusions of the infrastructure plan. On it, it is reflected that in the space reorganization general strategy, the special situation of the Oviedo area campus must be contemplated separately: "It posses an immediate challenge because of the evident space problems that the pandemic has exacerbated, in particular the Science and Teacher Training faculties, and to a lesser extent, but not less important, the School of Informatics Engineering". To give a short-term solution, without detriment of what would result of the plan for the former HUCA terrains (HUCAMP), and the consolidation of a big campus in El Cristo, what has been proposed is the reorganization of the Science and teacher Training faculties employing the available space, with the use of buildings such as the one that houses the School of Mining Engineering, Energy and Materials, or the highest capacity classes of the Faculty of Geology. On the other hand, actions destined for the consolidation of the El Cristo campus are contemplated, moving the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences to the HUCA, and the School of Computer Engineering to said campus. 

The Facilities plan contemplates other concrete actions such as the elaboration of the Master Plan for the Conversation of Historic Heritage (Plan Director de Conservación del Patrimonio Histórico); the integral rehabilitation of the Economics Faculty roofing; the reparation of the facade and the energy rehabilitation of the Edificio Verde; the rehabilitation of the administrative building and El Milan campus classroom building, with the incorporation of a ventilated facade,  solar photovoltaics in the roof, and urbanization following area accessibility criteria, the urbanization of the square in front off Edificio Severo Ochoa for its utilization as a socializing area and transit between buildings; the rehabilitation of the Faculty of Chemistry facilities, or the remodeling of the fire protection installation of the west department building and the bidding of the student residence (Gijón), among others. 

 

New organization

The third plan presented in Governing Council was the new Organizational Model Plan for the Univerisity of Oviedo Management Structure (Plan de Modelo de Organización de la Estructura Administrativa), developed by Management and Human Resources Vicegerency, of which its main lines had been advanced already to the centers, and whose objective is to simplify the administrative structure, situate the people at the heart of the institution, in more horizontal and cross-cutting working groups, improve the professionalization with new roles, new professional profiles, and new skills, optimize training and knowledge management among employees, and address the digital transformation of the procedures. On it, matters such as the creation of the offices of Inspection and Compliance, of Analysis and Prospective, and Sponsorship and Patronage, or the reordering of the Training Institute, for it to be converted into a training institute of POI and PAS, modeled on the Asturian Institute of Public Administration Adolfo Posada.