Rob Wadsworth shares his perspective on the strategic role of commercial services in supporting both institutional goals and community well-being.
Strategic Delivery:
I would expect that the majority of universities will measure the impact of the contribution that their commercial services or equivalent have on their Institutional strategy through their bottom-line performance and some form of utilisation/engagement. I also believe there is a subtle and almost hidden contribution our services make to the institutional strategy through the informal and almost unsaid pastoral support that fosters a sense of belonging in our university Community. For many staff and students, the ‘friendly face’ on campus will be the catering assistant who serves them lunch, or the cleaner who they see every morning as they arrive, or the lifeguard who smiles at them in the pool. These daily interactions significantly contribute to the sense of belonging and wellbeing of our community, and whilst difficult to measure or capture, they shouldn’t be forgotten when we are thinking about the contribution our people and our services make to the University.
Hospitality & Retail trends – changes in the Higher Education offering to serve the needs of a new generation of UK and international students.
I believe we are seeing subtle changes in the way our students (consumers!) are engaging with universities, which requires us to think carefully about the proposition of our commercial and campus services.
As an example, at the University of Leeds, we have seen a rise in the ‘commuter’ student, which has required us to consider how to adjust our service delivery so that they remain user-focused and respond to the demands of this student market
After engaging with our commuter student community, we have introduced a range of services, including piloting a student commuter ‘hotel’ model that offers flexible accommodation options, a commuter lounge with lockers, study space, self-service kitchen and food storage and working collaboratively with our student societies to support developing inclusive opportunities for the student commuter community.
Thank you to Rob Wadsworth, Director of Campus Innovation: Campus Services, Experience & Commercial, The University of Leeds, for your insights.