¡°We can reframe the way we define it, so that it¡¯s not viewed as simply foregrounding cost savings, but instead a much more complex interplay of influences and drivers that facilitate opportunities for enhancing the ways in which we manage movement.¡±

This nebulous excerpt from an article in the University of Leeds¡¯ in-house magazine was the not-so-proud winner of the 2012 Times Higher Education ¡°HE Jargon¡± competition, which celebrates the vacuous, meandering gobbledygook that falls into university employees¡¯ inboxes throughout the year.

A second highlight from last year included one Russell Group institution assuring staff that ¡°instead of adding to the overall footprint, we are looking at the whole envelope of estate in terms of its conditionality¡±.

We are now looking for entries for the 2013 contest. If you have received any baffling missives, send them in. They may be from the desk of the vice-chancellor, or perhaps elsewhere in the upper echelons of your university¡¯s administration, but we want to hear about them so we can highlight this worrying practice before it gets out of hand.

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In one of this year¡¯s early entries, an employee at the University of Northumbria highlights some confusing ¡°guidelines¡± for completing administrative tasks.

¡°Promote and embed the University-wide approach to delivery of widening participation activities optimising efficiency, ensuring coordination and a coherent approach with other colleagues within the Faculty, colleagues in other Faculties and colleagues in Professional Support Services,¡± it says, succinctly.

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Email your examples of HE Jargon to chris.parr@tsleducation.com.