Read about Thomas's new plan for Massey here.
But she insists the changes were necessary to ensure the university is on a “sound financial footing” and that money is directed into areas that meet future needs.
“As the industry transforms, our degrees have to transform to meet that,” she told Rural News.
Thomas says the restructuring at Massey has some roles disappearing and staff leaving, while others have taken voluntary retirement; the overall staff reduction will allow the university to invest in the future.
“The university is in a good financial position, but we need to make sure every dollar we get from taxpayers, donors or students is used to best effect,” she says.
“We need to build the areas that have been under-resourced because of growth pressures and make sure we have the right capability. Broadly, the [restructuring] is no different from what most organisations do routinely.”
Thomas says the role of the university is to prepare the next generation of workforce leaders to meet the future demands in the workforce and the changing nature of work itself. Massey is looking to produce graduates able to adapt to the new ways of working rather than just the same old ways.
The focus is on ‘graduate attributes’ -- students highly skilled in communication and analysis and able to critique masses of information.
While they will teach specific skills, some higher-level skills will be transferable across a wide range of disciplines.
“We want our graduates to create jobs for others rather than just get employed,” Thomas says. “We want our graduates to take advantage of their education at Massey to participate and succeed in these new economies.”
