Summary from the Board of Governors’ meetings

Summary of the business and decisions from the Board of Governors’ meetings on 1 May, 5 June and 4 July 2014.

The Board of Governors met on 1 May, 5 June and 4 July 2014. The following is a summary of business considered and decisions made at the meetings:

• The Vice Chancellor briefed the Board on the latest changes in the HE sector including developments in Government policy. The political parties were now in pre-election mode, considering their approaches to HE to be set out in manifestos. It was hoped that the Government’s Autumn Statement would include extending access to loans to postgraduate taught students, and that this might stimulate recruitment in a market that had declined across the sector since the introduction of the new fees regime.
• Professor Stuart advised of the positive outcome from a challenging audit by the Home Office Higher Education Assurance Team, and Governors commended the University Registrar and colleagues for the work undertaken in preparation for, during and after the audit.
• The VC informed Governors that the management of the Engine Shed had been transferred to the Students’ Union from the University which was a move aimed at improving the student experience and providing students with a place that they could call their own. Market research undertaken by an external organisation had indicated that students wanted more student-led social space and activity.
• Governors welcomed news of new staff appointments including the Head of the College of Arts and heads of schools.
• The Chief Finance Officer provided monthly summaries of the University’s financial position; and the Board approved the 2014/15 Budget and five-year financial forecasts. Governors also noted a review of the University’s portfolio of insurances; and approved the updates to the Treasury Management Policy and Treasury Strategy for 2014/15, and updated bank mandates.
• The Board received and approved a revised version of the Financial Regulations, following scrutiny by Audit Committee. The revised regulations had been underpinned by a set of financial guiding principles which reflected the University’s value and beliefs and created a link to the University’s strategic plan and objectives in detail.  FTF
• Two Governors provide briefings to the Board about their sponsorship of two of the University’s KPIs -‘Delighting its Students’ and ‘Collaborative Innovation Development’. Members noted that the University and SU enjoyed a healthy, respectful and productive relationship, of which the SU’s acquisition of The Shed pub, facilitated by the University, was a fine example. Collaborative Innovation and public engagement projects took place across the University – recent examples included the Twitter garden, the bomber command memorial and the Magna Carta celebrations; and the well-established relationships with local schools, including the UL-sponsored academies in the south of the county.
• The Governors received a presentation from the Students’ Union President/Student Governor who reflected on a very successful year by the Students’ Union. There had been excellent results in the SU staff survey, with 100% of respondents confirming confidence in the leadership of the Union, and agreeing that ULSU was a good employer. The Top 3 concerns among students were academic achievement, career prospects and employability, and these would inform the Union’s work during the next academic year. Governors warmly congratulated ULSU on the news that it had won the Students’ Union of the Year at the NUS awards.
• The HR Director presented the Human Resources Annual Report which provided a flavour of the breadth of work undertaken by HR during 2013 and contextualised the department’s engagement with, and contribution to, the University’s Top 40 ambitions. Human Resources had focused on three broad areas: transformation and change, attracting high quality staff and increasing engagement. The report highlighted work on the Academic Workload Model, the Well-Being blog, and the 2013 Staff Survey.
• The Board considered and discussed the University’s Risk Register which had undergone its latest rescoring exercise by the Senior Management Team. Each high level risk area was broken down into lower sub-risks representing contributing factors, to ensure that monitoring at all levels was undertaken effectively. The Audit Committee had recently considered this latest report and had felt it to be a very good summary of the foreseeable risks across the University’s areas of activity.
• The Board received the a report from the Director of Planning and Business Intelligence on sector review and university positioning in relation to the University Strategic Plan, including an update on HE league table movement. A number of strategies had been put into place to support improvement across all aspects of teaching and learning, including NSS action plans for each subject, supporting staff to become better teachers and to deliver a good academic experience with assessment and feedback to students. The Governors were fully supportive of sending a clear challenge to all levels of the University, from the SMT onwards, about the importance of this agenda.
• The terms of office of three Members expired at the end of July 2014. Two Members retired from the Board, and Governors paid tribute to the commitment and contribution of Dr Marek Kierstan and Dr Jon Slack over the past four years. The Board agreed that Mr Haydn Biddle be re-appointed for a further four years from 1 August 2014. Governors also expressed their thanks and good wishes to Mr Dan Sam, out-going ULSU President; and welcomed his successor as Student Member, new SU President Mr Brian Alcorn.
• Following a full selection process, the Board appointed five new Independent Members with an initial period of office from 1 August 2014 to 31 July 2018: Mr Neil Herbert, Mr Neil Gray, Ms Diane Lees, Ms Jane Reeves and Mr Chris Swinson. The Board also approved the expansion of its membership to 17 from 1 August 2014. Governors welcomed Dr Sarah Barrow, succeeding Dr Jon Slack as Staff Member.
• The Board was pleased to approve an extension to Lord Adobwale’s term of appointment as Chancellor of the University, which would now run to 31 January 2018.
• The Director of Estates and Commercial Facilities submitted a business case for new buildings for Engineering, Computing, Physics and Mathematics and Psychology, Health and Social Care. The proposed project to construct a building for the Schools of Engineering, Computing, Physics and Mathematics was critical as it focussed on growing the University’s partnership with Siemens and would represent a physical step change in terms of progressing the University’s Top 40 agenda. Governors endorsed this direction of travel.
• The Deputy Vice Chancellor (Teaching, Quality and the Student Experience) presented a paper summarising how the Board’s deliberations and decisions during 2013/14 had contributed to the shaping of the University’s educational character and mission.
• The Governors received and noted the Academic Board Annual Report; the Student Complaints Annual Report; and the HEFCE annual assessment of institutional risk letter.
• The Chair briefed Members on the business discussed at meetings of the Committee of University Chairs.
• The Board held an Awayday, together with the Senior Management Team, focusing on the theme of the University’s activities in the context of an increasingly global market, and a world of digital delivery.