date: Thu, 07 Mar 2002 10:33:41 +0000
from: Tim Osborn <t.osborn@uea.ac.uk>
subject: CRU strategic review
to: "CRU Custom Mailing List" <L.Bohn@uea>,<S.Boland@uea>,<K.Briffa@uea>, <J.Burgess@uea>,<D.Clifford@uea>,<T.D.Davies@uea>,<S.Eriksen@uea>, <C.Goodess@uea>,<C.Hanson@uea>,<I.Harris@uea>,<P.Jones@uea>, <M.Kelly@uea>,<D.Lister@uea>,<T.Osborn@uea>,<J.Palutikof@uea>, <S.Raper@uea>,<M.Salmon@uea>,<Peter.Thorne@uea>,<D.Viner@uea>

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Dear all,

as you will have heard at February's CRU forum, there was a hiatus in our 
progress on the strategic review - due mainly to me (lack of time during 
Jan/Feb) but also because only one person in the whole of CRU submitted 
their ideas about CRU's current strengths and weaknesses and their 
suggestions about values that CRU might strive to uphold.  I didn't think 
this was a sufficient basis on which to build during a session at the 
LaRC's Hub facility.

The strategic review team have now met, and decided that we can go ahead 
with a session at the Hub without needing people to provide their ideas in 
advance, *provided* participants at least think through (in a slightly 
structured way) the areas that we will discuss/debate in the Hub 
session.  To help this structured thinking, with Julie Burgess's help I 
have listed (at the end of this e-mail) the "themes" that you might consider.

This e-mail has gone to all those staff members who indicated a wish to 
take part in a Hub session, plus to those who didn't reply one way or the 
other.  Please let me know (i) if you do/don't wish to take part; and (ii) 
which of the following dates (all in MARCH!) you can make:

11  (AM or PM)
13  (AM)
14  (AM or PM)
15  (AM or PM)
18  (AM)
19  (AM)
20  (AM)
25  (AM or PM)
26  (AM or PM)

Best regards

Tim




Strengths & weaknesses (S&W) themes
-----------------------------

These themes are to help stimulate your thinking prior to the Hub session 
(but feel free to bring ideas that fall outside these themes).

1. Research
(a) S&W in *general* subtopics of climate science (scenarios, palaeo., 
energy, modelling, forecasting, diagnosis, monitoring, etc.)
(b) S&W in *specific* cases (specific projects, specific people, specific 
products, etc.)
(c) S&W in our approach to undertaking research (is balance between 
individuals vs. teamwork right, is balance between completing contracts vs. 
publishing science papers right, etc.)

2. Data & information provision
(a) S&W in various data fields (instr., remote sensing, palaeo., etc.)
(b) S&W in providing data & information (web, projects, etc.)
(c) S&W in data set production (assembly, quality control, processing, etc.)

3. Funding for research & data activities
(a) S&W in various areas or with various agencies or types of funding 
source (commercial, charity, government, etc.)
(b) S&W in our approach to obtaining funding (balance between individuals 
vs. teamwork, etc.)

4. Teaching activity (at BSc, MSc and PhD levels)
(a) S&W and benefits/problems that teaching brings

5. Identity
(a) Size & composition (do we have a "critical mass" of active members, etc.)
(b) S&W of our position within ENV & UEA & S&W of the services ENV & UEA 
provide

6. Working environment
(a) S&W of facilities (IT & other technology, admin & support, building/UEA 
environment, etc.)
(b) S&W of staff development, training, etc.


Values themes
-------------

We do not want to spend time during the Hub session discussing "what is a 
values statement", so we will distribute a definition prior to the session 
and concentrate instead on which of the themes each of us values.

1. High quality - research/education/administration
2. Stewardship of resources
3. Intellectual freedom and freedom of expression
4. Creativity and innovation
5. Integrity
6. Interactions with 'customers'/stakeholders
7. Valuing staff and students; promotion of self-esteem and self-respect
8. Mutual respect, courtesy, supportiveness
9. Job security
10. Open communication; teamwork; sharing of information and knowledge.
11. Respect for other viewpoints
12. Equal opportunities
13. Tolerance/acceptance of cultural and religious diversity
14. Training opportunities; appropriate and working equipment
15. Healthy and safe environment
16. Promotion of a sustainable environment
17. Recognition and support of individuals' desires for personal and 
professional development; reaching our potential
18. Respect for privacy
19. Respect for family responsibilities
19. Periodic review of values statement in the light of experience and changes




Dr Timothy J Osborn                 | phone:    +44 1603 592089
Senior Research Associate           | fax:      +44 1603 507784
Climatic Research Unit              | e-mail:   t.osborn@uea.ac.uk
School of Environmental Sciences    | web-site:
University of East Anglia __________|   http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/~timo/
Norwich  NR4 7TJ         | sunclock:
UK                       |   http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/~timo/sunclock.htm

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