Did you know that the OU is going to close South East Region (region 13) by the end of the year?  

Published as a news item on 13 March, but not widely discussed.  The text of that item is below. (Cut and pasted here - you would not be able to see the item unless you have intranet access).

I'm personally saddened by this; there are good, hard working people in that office who have supported staff and students for years (decades in some cases).  The OU says that quality of provision will not suffer, and that is to be hoped. 

Nevertheless, I wanted to do something to show my support which is why I was glad to take the opportunity to sign the petition at the change.org   link.

(or by copying  http://chn.ge/1hnUo7F into your browser address window)

Another thing that concerns me about this business is that this might be the thin end of the wedge.  The news item refers to a nationwide review of support services (under heading wider analysis below).  Who knows where it will end. 

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Announcement from Keith Zimmerman about the East Grinstead office

(OU News item 13 March)

This morning Keith Zimmerman, Director, Students and Professor Musa Mihsein, PVC – Academic, briefed staff in our East Grinsteadregional office regarding the future of the building and operations in East Grinstead.

The lease on the East Grinstead regional office expires in December 2014 and the landlord plans to convert the building to residential accommodation so we are unable to renew the lease. Advice has confirmed that we are highly unlikely to be successful with a legal challenge to these plans.  In addition it has been established that the lease costs of alternative premises locally would be approximately 50% higher plus fit-out costs.

The East Grinstead Office will therefore close at the end of this calendar year. This decision has not been taken lightly, and our decision-making has carefully considered how to make the best use of our valuable people and resources balanced against the need to continue delivering an excellent service to our students.

No compulsory redundancies are anticipated as a result of the closure. However, it is anticipated that East Grinstead staff will need to relocate, redeploy, or take voluntary severance or early retirement.

Keith and Musa wish to acknowledge the commitment and dedication to students that our East Grinstead colleagues have demonstrated over very many years. The project team and our colleagues in HR will work with them to ensure that they are supported in ways that are commensurate with the commitment they have shown to their students.

Next steps

A project team has been established to carefully manage the closure process between now and January 2015. The project team will be led by Barbara Stephens, Director Special Projects, working closely with Bruce McGowen, Assistant Director Student Services East Grinstead, HR and Estates; Mary Kirby, Director, Business Services, Student Services will be SAE for the project. The team will continue to consult with OUSA, the Unions and AL Executive along with the leaders of CAUs and Student Services.

We are now making plans for the transfer of operations to alternative University locations and are consulting with East Grinstead staff about the implications of this for individuals. Services to students and Associate Lecturers will not be affected.

Wider analysis

The decision to close this office has prompted a wider strategic discussion about the optimal configuration of the locations we need to operate from in order to deliver excellent support to all our students.

It is clear that the University needs to operate in the four political jurisdictions of the UK, meaning that a presence is required in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, alongside our Milton Keynes headquarters. The Vice Chancellor’s Executive has asked Keith to undertake an analysis of all other locations to determine the optimal configuration of the OU’s presence across the rest of the UK in order to maintain and further develop our services to students whilst making the best use of our people and the resources available to us.  This analysis will be undertaken during this year and recommendations brought to VCE by January 2015.

More information

The news of the closure will be shared on TutorHome today  and StudentHome  tomorrow morning. If you have any questions or would like more information please email Barbara Stephens.