The new lady on campus...

The new lady on campus...

Melanie Hunt. You might have heard that name from one SDC staff member of another. One lunchtime, Tom Channon managed to hunt her down, and started his interview with that all-important question...

Who are you?

I'm Melanie Hunt, and my title is Principal and Chief Executive of Sussex Downs College. I am responsible for ensuring the college is solvent, that we deliver high-quality and that we deliver what students need.

How do you feel you have grown into the role, because you've been here, what, twelve months?

Actually, it's a little less than that, just about six months. I think I'm finding my way around the college much better and getting to know who's doing what. My previous jobs have seen me working at a national level, so it's been an interesting shift from seeing things 'from the helicopter' to being down on the ground delivering.

What were you doing previously, out of interest?

I worked at Ofsted, where I was Director of Learning and Skills. I oversaw all the inspections of colleges and training providers across the whole country. Prior to that, I was at the Learning and Skills Council, which funds the colleges and training providers. I've seen the funding, I've seen the training and now I'm here, putting it into practice.

How are the latest cuts in education affecting the college?

Quite significantly. For the next academic year, we've had to save two and a half million pounds, out of a budget of £43 million, and we know that in future years, we'll have more savings to make. We've had to think really hard about how we can do things differently, and how we can simplify some of our internal systems so that they don't take so much time and energy. We can use our Information Technology far more smartly, rather than relying on paper systems.

What do you think about the £9,000 fees that universities are asking?

The government has severely underestimated what the university sector would do. It was planning on the basis of, I think, an average of seven thousand pounds, which is still a massive pike for students. My son is just finishing his degree, and he's been paying just over three thousand a year. Obviously, it's going to be double that for anyone who studies in Higher Education. It is going to affect students' choices and decisions, but there may be a silver lining in that it might mean that students will look at other types of qualifications at higher level. One of the things we want to do at Sussex Downs is make sure that we offer more 'professional' higher-level qualifications. Things like paralegal qualifications, marketing, management, accounting... there's a whole load of them that are at degree-level but are not a degree. I know that's not going to suit everyone, but it might be that some people who have their mind set on something like a legal career, go in through that route rather than a degree route.

Regarding students who want to take extra subjects next year, how will SDC be accommodating them, because there could be issues with A2 subjects clashing.

We can't offer a 'bottomless pit' of subjects, and what we have to do is make sure that we offer the most sought-after and the most appropriate combinations. If a student wants to do two subjects that are not related and quite unusual, then maybe we can't change the whole timetable for them. But where there are subjects that make a sensible package, such as Physics, Chemistry, Maths and Biology, then I'd expect somebody to be able to do those subjects. I think we are going to have to try and meet people's needs as best we can, rather than say that we can meet them all the time. That's what funding does to us.

Students have raised concerns on the IT system, regarding its speed and availability. How will that change, if at all?

We are going to invest in a new intranet link, which will give us a bit more security and better speed. We're also looking at joining The Public Service Network, which is a government-led plan to have a national network for public services, which we will use alongside hospitals and local authorities. The third option of course is we are looking at cloud technology, which currently holds the student email system, but we are looking into ways in which we can include anything else. The only risk is that we don't own the servers and the infrastructure to make that happen.

Why are smokers no longer allowed on campus?

They are allowed on campus, but in the designated smoking areas. The Eastbourne and Lewes campuses each have two. It reflects what the government has done in terms of smoking in public spaces. There have been people congregating outside doors and under classroom windows, and it was quite distracting for people who were trying to learn by having smoke or conversation drifting into the room. That's why we have identified these distinct areas for smokers. I've rarely seen them crowded, but on a day like today, I can imagine it's not much fun. Then again, smoking isn't very good for you, so in some ways, I kind of think if they really want to do it, then they simply have to go off-campus.

Why is there so much space on campus, that isn't being used for events?

I think that there should be more events, and there's so much potential in the student population. I would love for us to have more competitions, events, fundraising activities. It would be great for the Student Union to come up with some proposals and ideas for things like that. Talking about charity work, one of the things I've wanted to do is set up a Student Hardship Fund, because I can see that with the government cutting student support for EMA, we are getting a replacement fund but it's going to be smaller. We've got to do something to bridge the gap, and so students take part in fund-raising activities which divides the money between the Hardship Fund and the nominated charity.

Finally, where do you see SDC heading?

I think that we have an enormous amount to offer. I think we are going to be doing more work with employers. We have the new Job Shop down on Langney Road, and we also have the Job Shop as well where people log on and look to see what vacancies there are. Our local MP is very supportive of us, we have more apprentices,  and I think that for a lot of young people and older people, that will actually be a good way of gaining skills and employment.that will actually be a good way of gaining skills and employment.