University council minutes 27 June 2023

Minutes of the meeting held on 27 June 2023 at 12.45 pm in BG012/013, Business School, Oxstalls, Gloucester.

Membership:

Ingrid Barker
Paul Crichard
Nicola de Iongh (Chair)
Chris Fung
Steve Gardiner
Ellie Hill
Dr Louise Livesey A
Stephen Marston
Steve Mawson
Stephen Maycock
Mehjabeen Patrick A
Dr Adeela Shafi
Pamela Sissons (until C.23.112)
Elonka Soros
David Soutter
The Rt Revd Robert Springett
Joe Sucksmith A
Beth Timmons
Julie Walkling
Dr Peter Warry

In attendance:

Bobola Ajibola (observing), Incoming Students’ Union Officer
Paige Archer (observing), Incoming Students’ Union Officer
Prof Sarah Jones, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic Enhancement and Research)
Prof Jackie Labbe Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost
Camille Stallard (until C.23.98g ), Chief Financial Officer
Ibby Williams (observing), Incoming Students’ Union Officer
Dr Matthew Andrews (Officer), Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Governance and Student Affairs)
Penny Gravestock (Minutes), Assistant Secretary to Council

C.23.86          Prayer

                     The Rt Revd Robert Springett opened the meeting with a prayer.

C.23.87          Welcome and Apologies

                     Received: apologies for absence from Dr Louise Livesey, Steve Mawson, Mehjabeen Patrick, and Joe Sucksmith. Apologies for early departure were received from Pamela Sissons and Camille Stallard.

C.23.88          Business of the Agenda

C.23.88.1       Resolved: it was agreed, as requested by a Member of Council, that paper C/49/23 would be unstarred and deferred for discussion at the meeting of Council to be held on 3 October 2023.

C.23.88.2       Noted: that there had been no other requests to unstar any further items on the agenda and that therefore papers C/47/23 to C/48/23 and C/50/23 to C/55/23 had been approved or noted as stated.

C.23.89          Declarations of Interest

                     Received: a declaration of interest from Ingrid Barker for item C.23.105 due to her spouse holding the roles of Higher Education Student Support Champion and Chair of the national working party on student mental health. As such, he was heavily involved in leading that agenda nationally.

C.23.90          Minutes of the meeting held on 16 May and 1 June 2023

                     Resolved: it was agreed that the minutes were accurate records of the meetings held on 16 May and 1 June 2023.

C.23.91          Matters Arising (C/39/23)

                     Received: details of the matters arising as outlined in the paper.

C.23.92          Chair’s Business

C.23.92.1       Resolved: Council congratulated Dr Louise Livesey for winning the Partnership and Community Award at the recent Staff Awards.

C.23.92.2       Received: updates from each of the Committee Chairs on key discussions held at the following meetings:

1. Finance and General Purposes Committee, 6 June 2023;
2. Council Chairs’ Group, 7 June 2023;
3. Remuneration and Human Resources Committee, 7 June 2023;
4. Audit and Risk Committee, 8 June 2023;
5. Governance and Nominations Committee, 14 June 2023.

C.23.92.3       Noted: that since the previous meeting, there had been no exercise of delegation nor any decisions made by circulation. There had been one use of the Company Seal: for the Deed of Surrender of C11 at Berkeley, signed by the University and South Gloucestershire and Stroud College Commercial Services Ltd.

C.23.93          SU Update Report to Council (C/40/23)

C.23.93.1       Received: the Students’ Union (SU) update, highlighting:

1. the progress obtaining further funding for the advice service, in addition to that given by the University. It was reported that 105 students had used the service during 2022/23;
2. the SU participation in the Reset steering group;
3. the value of mentorship for Student Members of Council.

C.23.93.2       Considered:

1. the proportion of students seeking support from the advice service that were from overseas. It was noted that academic breaches and plagiarism were the main issues, and therefore an area that required particular support for the University’s international student cohort. The importance of ensuring that University communications and guidance were written in plain English was noted;
2. how a student’s cultural background could impact their experience whilst on placement;
3. the SU response to industrial action, noting that it appeared that the University’s students were not being impacted by the marking boycott as much as others in the sector. It was reported that students had empathised with the position of lecturers over the year, but that the SU was not supporting the marking and assessment boycott;
4. the student response to the Reset project. It was reported that the SU had worked with the University to develop a set of Frequently Asked Questions. It was noted that there had not been much concern raised by the student body to date as the School restructure would not necessarily impact them greatly. It was also noted, however, that future changes to the Professional Services may cause a greater impact;
5. a concern that staff were unaware of the information that students had received about the Reset project and it was suggested that it would be useful for a student Reset web page to be established that was accessible by staff to enable them to see the communications being shared.

C.23.93.3       Resolved: Council:

1. reviewed and responded to current work undertaken by the Students’ Union;
2. evaluated work completed by outgoing Full Time Officers during the year, and noted the request to offer guidance to incoming Officers;
3. noted that additional suggested actions to Council could be found throughout the paper.

C.23.94          CONFIDENTIAL: Vice-Chancellor’s Report (C/41/23)

C.23.94.1       Received: a paper updating Council on major developments affecting the University since the previous meeting, including:

1. the latest higher education policy developments;
2. the publication of the 2023 Graduate Outcomes survey, which had allowed the University to benchmark its results;
3. the latest position for student applications and recruitment;
4. an update on industrial action and the marking and assessment boycott.

C.23.94.2       Considered:

1. the opportunities to learn from the Schools that were recruiting well in the international market in order to share best practice with other areas across the University;
2. that where international recruitment was particularly high, there may need to be multiple runs of a course or evening lectures to support the student experience and enable the entire cohort to be taught. It was suggested that Course Reps should be kept informed of plans as they were developed. It was noted that, until the City Campus was ready for teaching, space at the Oxstalls campus was particularly challenging.

C.23.94.3       Noted: the developments set out in the paper.

C.23.95          CONFIDENTIAL: May YTD Results and Forecast 3 (C/42/23)

                     This item was considered under Confidential Business.

C.23.96          CONFIDENTIAL: 2023/24 Proposed Budget and 2024/25 Projection (C/43/23)

                     This item was considered under Confidential Business.

C.23.97          CONFIDENTIAL: Annual Business Review of Collaborative Partners (C/44/23)

                     This item was considered under Confidential Business.

C.23.98         Risk Management Report: Updated Risk Register and Action Plan 2022/23 (C/45/23)

C.23.98.1       Received: an updated version of the Risk Register and Action Plan for 2022/23, noting that risk 6.1 would be updated to reflect the University’s most recent Graduate Outcomes results. The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Governance and Student Affairs) reminded members of the planned risk workshop scheduled for 16 August 2023. Calendar entries for that event would be circulated after the meeting.

C.23.98.2       Resolved:  Council considered and approved the Risk Management Report including the updated Risk Register and Action Plan for 2022/23. Council also approved the changes to the format of the Register for 2023/24 as suggested in the paper, on the recommendation of the Audit & Risk Committee. These were the removal of the Risk Appetite Expectation column and links to the University Strategy.

C.23.99         CONFIDENTIAL: Council and Sub-Committee Membership Update (C/46/23)

                     This item was considered under Confidential Business.

C.23.100        Approval of the Statement of Primary Responsibilities for 2023/24* (C/47/23)

                     Resolved: Council approved the Statement of Primary Responsibilities for 2023/24.

C.23.101        Approval of the Scheme of Delegations for 2023/24* (C/48/23)

                     Resolved: Council approved the Scheme of Delegations for 2023/24.

C.23.102        Approval of Council’s Role Descriptors for 2023/24* (C/49/23)

                     Resolved: Council agreed that this paper would be unstarred and considered by Council at its meeting to be held on 3 October 2023.

ACTION: Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Governance and Student Affairs)

C.23.103        Council and Committees Terms of Reference: annual review* (C/50/23)

                     Resolved: Council:

1. considered its own terms of reference and agreed that no changes were required;
2. considered and approved the Terms of Reference documents for its committees.

C.23.104        CONFIDENTIAL: Reset Update* (C/51/23)

                     This item was considered under Confidential Business.

C.23.105        Statutory Duty of Care* (C/52/23)

                     Noted: the report that provided an update following a debate in Parliament centred on a ‘Statutory Duty of Care’ for the HE-sector and the ministerial letter received from the Department for Education outlining themes and actions for the sector to progress.

C.23.106        Annual Review of OfS Conditions of Registration: June 2023* (C/53/23)

                     Received: Council received and considered the contents of the report and attached compliance review as assurance of how the University ensured compliance with the Office for Students (OfS) regulatory framework on the recommendation of Audit and Risk Committee.

C.23.107        CONFIDENTIAL: Annual Report from Integrity and Ethics Committee* (C/54/23)

                     This item was considered under Confidential Business.

C.23.108        Council Schedule of Business* (C/55/23)

                     Noted: the Schedule of Business.

C.23.109        Minutes from Council Committees*

                     Noted: that the minutes from the following meetings would be available from https://connectglosac.sharepoint.com/sites/UniversityCommittees

1. Finance and General Purposes Committee, 6 June 2023;
2. Remuneration and Human Resources Committee, 7 June 2023;
3. Audit and Risk Committee, 8 June 2023;
4. Governance and Nominations Committee, 14 June 2023.

C.23.110        Any Other Business
Noted: that it was the last meeting for four Members of Council: Ellie Hill, Stephen Marston, Adeela Shafi, and Beth Timmons. The Chair thanked each individually noting their contribution to Council and support for the University.

C.23.111        Date of Next Meeting

                     Noted: that the next meeting would incorporate the rearranged Council Away Day, commencing at 3.15 pm on Tuesday, 3 October and all day on Wednesday, 4 October 2023. It was noted that timings and location would be confirmed nearer the time.

C.23.112        RESERVED: Interim Arrangements (C/56/23)

                     This item was discussed under Reserved Business.

Action list for the meeting held 27 June 2023

Minute number	Action	Responsibility
C.23.102	Approval of Council’s Role Descriptors for 2023/24 Resolved: Council agreed that this paper would be unstarred and considered by Council at its meeting to be held on 3 October 2023.	Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Governance and Student Affairs)