SUMS at Essex

"Working for Universities and owned by Universities"

SUMS are a membership organisation working to provide expert consultancy in all areas of university support and management. It was set up by a group of Universities, and is wholly owned by its Members. The University is a 'SUMS Member', and as such is part of a vibrant organisation that actively promotes and supports the development of good practice in Higher Education. Consultancy assignments can address issues that are particular to an individual institution, or they could be designed to find common solutions to issues that are faced by the sector as a whole.

Recent SUMS work

SUMS Consultancy Staff work with the University on a variety of reviews or initiatives that benefit from either an independant and impartial perspective, or require comparative analysis that is only available through the experience of working across the sector. Recent SUMS work has included: 

• Annual Appraisal process
• Student Module Choice
• Student Non-Academic Misconduct and Discipline
• Course and Module Approval
• Consumer and Markets Authority (CMA) Compliance
• Work-based Learning
• Scholarships and Bursaries
• Shape and structure of the academic year
• Student Centre Planning support
• ISS Financial Management and processes

The SUMS Programme for the year is developed and approved through the Project Coordination Group (PCG), and is coordinated through the Strategic Projects Office.

SUMS areas of support

With consultants who are experts in strategy and planning, business processes, IS and managmeent accounting, SUMS can undertake assignments in a wide range of areas, including:

• Education Support
• Strategy, Projects and Change
• Student Experience
• Sustainable University
• Performance Efficiency and Effectiveness

Process for requesting SUMS support

As a member of SUMS, the University has a number of support days allocated to us to use in ways that we are able to define. All activity is managed through the Strategic Projects Office, where details such as themes, objectives, duration, contacts, findings and feedback need to be logged and monitored.

The SUMS Programme for the year is developed and approved through the Project Coordination Group (PCG). To discuss potential areas of work, or request SUMS support, contact the Strategic Projects Office in the first instance.  

Further information

For more information about SUMS at Essex please explore our webpages, review the SUMS website for more information on the type of support they can offer, or contact change@essex.ac.uk.