I am currently working with another colleague to set up a programme for part-time PhDs. Increasingly people from industry and also from within the University sector are wishing to undertake PhD research mid-career, but cannot afford a career break. Therefore there is increasing call for part-time PhD. In the past the supervision of part-time PhDs has been at the discretion of the individual supervisors, but part-time PhDs have special characteristics and needs. To this end, we are planning a part-time PhD programme, based on Prof. Wood-Harper's Graduate Programme, in which the style of supervision will be adapted to the needs of part-time research, possibly involving group supervision, and there will be an element of training in research.
With the Free University of Amsterdam, Potschefstroom University, South Africa, and the University of Luleå, Sweden, I am engaged in managing the preparation of an innovative Master's Degree in Philosophical Management and Systems Science. Though the Free University is the leader of this effort, because the Netherlands has no established Masters system, the British system is being followed and I take responsibility for this aspect in addition to a quarter of the (highly innovative) teaching component. Both market research and marketing are essential to the success of this course and these are being actively pursued by me in the Salford context.
I am currently planning the establishment of a Centre for Multi-Aspectual Philosophy within the Faculty of Business and Informatics. The aim of this Centre will be to explore the application of Dooyeweerd's (1955; see Research section), and similar, philosophical frameworks to issues related to information systems and environmental sustainability, and to feed back the results obtained into the philosophy community, so that the ideas might be refined. The Centre will initially involve a number of international scholars holding visiting chairs, who will contribute work on specific issues.
The following committees and working groups overlap somewhat with the Professional section, but those included here have some important administrative element.
1984: Invited to take part in the ICI Steering Group on Databases.
1985: Involved in the ICI company-wide Steering Group on Expert Systems.
1985: Invited to take part in the ICI company-wide Steering Group for Open Learning Systems.
1992-1994: Member of planning committee for the University's Environmental Degree and research.
1996-1999: Member of University's Environmental Network Group.
1987-1997: I.T. Institute Strategy Committee
1998: Convenor of University of Salford Interdisciplinarity Working Group.
2003 onwards: Member of Scientific Steering Committee of the Department of Systems, University of Luleå.
In addition to contributing to Vision 2000, in the mid 1990s I contributed specific papers to the Vice Chancellor and to Prof. Squires of the erstwhile College, and a number of Pro Vice Chancellors, offering a theoretical and philosophical underpinning of the University's unique stance on linking academic theory with industrial practice. I understand, from feedback received, that these were material to planning e.g. the merger of University and College.
Copyright (c) Andrew Basden 2000. Comments, queries welcome.
Last updated: 1 November 2000, 29 January 2003.