UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
CNL/15/91
COUNCIL
A meeting of the Council was held on Thursday 9 July 2015 at 1.45pm in the Council Chamber, Northcote
House.
PRESENT:
Pro-Chancellor, Miss S J Turvill (Chair)
Mr C J Allwood
Provost, Professor J M Kay
Dr S Buck
Professor K E Evans
Ms R Gillies
Ms J Hargadon
Mr P J M Hodges
Mr R M P Hughes
Mr P Lacey
Sir Robin Nicholson
Mr C C Pomfret
Professor T A Quine
Ms B Rigg
Dr A M Shaw
Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, Professor Sir Steve Smith
Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor N J Talbot
Ms S Wilcox
IN ATTENDANCE:
Director of Campus Services, Mr P J Attwell (in attendance for discussions under
minute 15.62)
Director of Communication and Corporate Affairs, Mrs J Chafer
Chief Financial Officer and Acting Secretary to Council, Mr A Connolly
Chief Executive of the Students’ Guild, Ms T Costello
Director of Global Engagement and Development. Dr S Curtis (in attendance for
discussions under minute 15.61).
FXU President, Mr R Davies
FXU President-Elect, Grace Fisher
Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor M Goodwin
Policy Advisor to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education), Mr R Hastings
Director, Professional Services Transformation, Mr J Hutchinson (in attendance for
discussions under minute 15.65)
Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor N Kaye
Head of Governance and Compliance, Mr C A Lindsay (in attendance for
discussions under minutes 15.63 and 15.64)
Director of Human Resources and Chief Operating Officer (Interim),
Ms J A Marshall
Director of Commercial Operations, Phil Rees-Jones (in attendance for
discussions under minute 15.62)
Associate Dean of Education, Professor W Robinson (in attendance for
discussions under minute 15.66)
Students’ Guild President-Elect, Laura-Jane Tiley
Executive Officer, Mrs J Williams
Director of Policy, Planning and Business Intelligence, Dr M C Wykes (in attendance
for discussions under minute 15.60)
APOLOGIES:
Mr G Brown, Mr N Bull, Ms Amanda Conroy, Ms M I Shoebridge,
Professor S Tomlinson
Page 1 of 13
15.53
Chair’s Opening Remarks
The Chair welcomed Laura-Jane Tiley, Students’ Guild President-elect, and Grace Fisher, FXU
President-Elect to the meeting as well as Roscoe Hastings, Policy Advisor to the Deputy ViceChancellor (Education).
15.54
Declarations of Interest
Members NOTED the register of members’ interests in relation to the business of the agenda
including standing declarations of interest.
15.55
Minutes
The minutes of the meeting held on 21 May 2015 were CONFIRMED (CNL/15/55).
15.56
Matters Arising from the Minutes
(a)
CORPORATE STRATEGY
Council RECEIVED a verbal update from the Provost on the Corporate Strategy and
CONSIDERED a paper on the Communications Plan for the Strategy (CNL/15/89).
The Provost, Professor Janice Kay, noted that since Council had approved the University’s
new mission, vision and values at its meeting in May, colleagues had been working on the
corporate objectives for the strategy. These had been discussed with College Deans at
the recent VCEG strategic awayday and would be brought to Council in October for
approval following the VCEG Residential in September.
Jane Chafer, Director of Communication and Corporate Affairs, updated members on the
Communications approach for the strategy. Work had begun on the design for a digital
first strategy. This would be primarily web based using video and personal stories, but
there would also be a small printed publication. The University’s stakeholders were being
considered as part of the communications approach so that they would have a better
understanding of where the University aimed to be in the next five years. The aim of the
communications was to keep the strategy live, engaging and accessible to audiences.
Council APPROVED:
i) The approach taken in the draft narrative to explain ‘Our Story’, including both the
introductory narrative and the chapter narrative.
ii) The proposed chapter headings and the proposed owners of each chapter – these
owners would support the communications team to finalise the content of the chapters.
(b)
RESEARCH AND IMPACT STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT
Council RECEIVED a verbal update from the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and
Impact), Professor Nick Talbot, on the Research and Impact Strategy Development and
NOTED the paper that was tabled for information (CNL/15/90).
It had been intended that the strategy would come to Council for approval at this meeting.
However, given the transformation process and the desire to raise the University’s profile
on engagement and business development it had been decided that the strategy should
be further refined for discussion at the VCEG residential in September and then brought to
Council in October for approval.
Professor Talbot provided members with a flavour of the strategy as it stood and a
summary of what had happened to date:
•
There had been extensive consultation on the strategy with academics across all
disciplines and campuses as well as externally. As a consequence there were four
fundamental pillars to the strategy:
i)
Building a world class research environment – the aim was to create an
environment where the best researchers could come and flourish at Exeter at any
stage of their career; supporting them in a more joined up, customer focused way.
This was being led by the Exeter Academic Project, the establishment of the
Page 2 of 13
Doctoral College and also by enhancing the infrastructure, support and tools for
research. Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) academics required a world
class research library, whilst STEM/M academics needed the University to invest
in platform technologies and better systems and support.
ii)
Growing a global research reputation – the University would create a global
reputation by building large and focused transdisciplinary research groups
engaged with significant external partners to solve key global challenges.
iii) Driving impact and partnership – the emphasis would be on place-based
innovation. The new directorate for Innovation and External Engagement had
been created to focus on this critical area and it would work in harmony with the
Research and Impact directorate.
iv) Delivering a sustainable business model – it was crucial that research made a
strong contribution to the University and that its financial contribution was valued.
This would include leveraging as much income as possible and always striving to
improve research recovery rates.
•
Success of the strategy would primarily be judged by the University’s research power.
The last strategy had been incredibly successful and this new strategy provided the
opportunity to take Exeter to the next step.
Professor Mark Goodwin, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Innovation and External Engagement),
noted the urgency of establishing the new directorate. In the Chancellor’s Emergency
th
Budget, delivered on 8 July, the government had invited universities, cities LEPs and
businesses to map strengths and identify areas of potential focus for different regions.
Therefore, the University would be working closely with regional bodies on this. The
Budget also made reference to the Dowling Review and the University was conscious that
it needed to strengthen its collaboration with industry. The two directorates would have to
work seamlessly together so that academics and stakeholders could not see the join.
The strategy would reflect this.
Sir Robin Nicholson, Lay Lead for Research and Knowledge Transfer, commended the
paper and the direction of the strategy and noted the following key points:
•
Although the University performed brilliantly in the last REF it could not extrapolate
from this and it would not succeed in its ambitions if it did so. Exeter needed to look
20-30 years ahead and understand what the world would look like and how the
University needed to transform itself so that it would have a leading position in that
world. The Exeter 2050 concept was absolutely right and was unique at the moment.
•
The Dowling Review was excellent and drew attention to the fact that whilst the UK
had an incredible asset in the research base in universities, it had not been used as
effectively as it could be for driving economic development. The University’s
emphasis on impact and engagement in this new strategy meant that it could be at the
forefront of this.
In discussion with members the following comments were noted:
•
The University needed to understand what markets it was addressing including
Research Councils and industry partnerships. Exeter’s recruitment strategy needed
to be looked at to ensure that the academics being recruited were focused on the type
of outputs that industrial partners would require. It would be useful to have further
information on this when the strategy came back to Council.
•
There were areas where income could increase and profitable research could be
carried out. A greater commercial ethic needed to be embedded for this. Research
grants needed to be converted in to business plans and industrial partners leveraged.
The pathway to impact statements was also ambitious but unrealised currently and
there needed to be action plans for these.
•
It would be useful to split impact in to different types of impact in the final strategy
paper, e.g. blue sky thinking, impact determined by partners, local economy etc.
Page 3 of 13
•
The new directorate needed to drive the industry piece. Industrial engagement needed
to be an area of focus with experienced professionals working on it.
Members NOTED that they would receive the final draft of the Research and Impact
strategy for approval in October 2015.
15.57
Ethics
Gail Seymour in attendance
The Chair welcomed Gail Seymour, Research Ethics and Governance Manager, to the meeting.
Professor Nick Talbot introduced the Ethics Dual assurance update and annual report (CNL/15/16
and CNL/15/57) by way of a presentation. This is available to members at:
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/about/organisation/council/reference/
In discussion with members following the presentation the following points were noted:
•
Whilst it was a Research Council UK (RCUK) requirement for all research data to be archived
for 10 years, many academics kept materials for much longer. Most labs still used paper and
lab notebooks and this created a storage issue. Institutions had started digitisation of data
and digital archiving and the University should be looking at this as digital storage becomes
cheaper. There was also a move to open access data and many journals were now insisting
that figures should have the original data available behind them.
•
The peer review process was vital for research integrity. The peer review process was entirely
anonymous, (although this was changing in some journals), and some peer reviews were now
being published alongside papers. However, it was very difficult for a peer reviewer to spot
data fabrication. Software analysis tools were now being developed to help identify this
better.
•
It was very difficult to ensure that there were no instances at all of academics claiming
authorship when in fact they had not contributed to a paper. Much relied on the journals
themselves and editorial boards often required a written declaration of an academic’s
contribution and evidence for audit purposes. There was a strong culture at Exeter of
students being first named on papers and Professors not always taking the lead.
•
If academics were commercialising their research then it was very important that they had
signed lab books.
•
Of primary importance was embedding the culture of research integrity at all levels. This
included encouraging supervisors to provide good support and students to come forward if
they had any concerns. Individuals should be encouraged to consider ethics right from the
very beginning of their studies. Resource should be made available to ensure PhD students
have the necessary training.
•
Colleagues were very conscious of ensuring sufficient focus was placed on those areas that
were lower risk and less highly regulated. The Ethics Committee aimed to deal with broader
issues and share practice across all disciplines. Work was underway to develop an online
training module that would be mandatory for all researchers in all disciplines.
•
The Nuffield Council on Bioethics had done some work on the motivations for research
malpractice. Time and stress were not necessarily the motivators but often a desire for
accolades and career advancement were. Some journals and publishers were also trying to
understand more about this.
•
Motivation for malpractice could start very early and therefore research integrity needed to be
discussed from undergraduate level. Humanities had developed the Exeter Ethos two years
ago and this encapsulated both the personal and academic integrity expected of all students,
both taught and research, and all staff, both academics and professional services. This Ethos
should be drawn up and rolled out institutionally.
•
Research integrity was directly linked with protecting reputation. The University needed to
ensure there was support for staff who were either faced with an allegation or who wished to
make a complaint. It was important for colleagues to do more on this.
Page 4 of 13
Council recorded its thanks to Gail Seymour and Professor Nick Talbot for a very useful update
and also to Professor Steve Tomlinson, Lay Lead for Ethics, who had been unable to attend the
meeting due to illness. Council APPROVED the research integrity statement.
15.58
Equality and Diversity Annual Report
Dorcas Cowan in attendance.
The Chair welcomed Dorcas Cowan, Equality and Diversity Manager, to the meeting.
Council NOTED the amended data table C that was tabled for members.
Bettina Rigg, Lay Lead for Equality and Diversity (E&D), noted that significant progress had been
made during the year. In particular great progress had been made in embedding E&D in Colleges,
and Athena SWAN had made some really important practical differences to the lives of staff and
students. However, there was still more to be done.
Professor Mark Goodwin, Executive Lead for E&D, recorded his thanks to Bettina for her insights
and support and introduced the annual report (CNL/15/58) to members by way of a presentation.
This is available for members at: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/about/organisation/council/reference/
In discussion with members the following key points were noted:
•
The average success rate across the sector for Athena SWAN applications was 60%. Exeter
had achieved 80%. Looking ahead it would be possible to compare directly with other
institutions. Anecdotal evidence suggested that Exeter approached E&D very differently from
other institutions with an individual leading executively on VCEG and a lay lead on Council.
•
There had been an increase in students reporting harassment year on year. This was to be
expected as more students became aware, through Campaigns such as #NeverOK, of how
and where incidents could be reported if they did arise. The University was trying to improve
engagement with students and do more partnership working with the Students’ Guild. The
figures for students were expected to rise again this year but it would be important to compare
these figures with the number of complaints that were actually upheld.
•
There had been excellent progress with mandatory training compliance (up to 88.2% by May
2015). It was proposed that this be extended to members of Council at a future session of
Council.
Council recorded their thanks to Dorcas Cowan, Professor Mark Goodwin and Bettina Rigg.
Members acknowledged the steps taken in 2014/15 to move further forward in management of
E&D and supported the next steps and priorities for 2015/16.
15.59
Vice-Chancellor’s Report
(a) Council RECEIVED a report from the Vice-Chancellor (CNL/15/59), which drew attention to
the following topics:
(i)
National Honours - Professor Debra Myhill had been awarded an MBE in the Queen's
Birthday Honours list for her leadership in the fields of language and literacy. The ViceChancellor, on behalf of the University, recorded his sincere congratulations to Professor
Myhill for this much deserved award.
(ii)
Senate Representative on Council - Professor Michelle Ryan had been elected to
represent Senate on Council from 1 August 2015 for a three-year term.
(iii) Guardian League Table - The Guardian University Guide 2016 was published on 26
th
May, and Exeter had been ranked 9 , an improvement from last year’s 12th place.
Exeter was now 5th in the Top 10 Competitor Group (up from 7th place) and 6th within
the Russell Group (up from 8th). The University had 16 subjects within the Top 10 and 7
subjects within the Top 5. Of its 26 subjects, 24 were ranked within the Top 20. This now
meant that Exeter was ranked in the top 10 in all the main domestic league tables for the
first time.
(iv) Research Awards - Major research awards included a number of Wellcome Trust Awards
in the College of Humanities, where staff had recently been awarded in excess of
£1million in Fellowship and Investigator Awards. Dr Alun Withey and Dr Fabrizio Bigotti
received Wellcome Trust Fellowships, which had already begun, and Dr Kate Fischer
Page 5 of 13
and Dr Jana Funke were awarded joint Wellcome Trust Investigator awards, due to begin
in the Autumn. Secondly, Mastermind led by Professor Andrew Hattersley from the
Medical School, had just been awarded an additional £3.24m to fund a full study
following an initial pilot phase. Mastermind was an ABPI-MRC consortium aiming to
investigate approaches to stratifying treatment in type II diabetes.
(v) HEFCE Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF 5) - HEIF 5 would come to an end on
31st July 2015 and was the conclusion of a four year programme worth £11.1m. The key
aim of the HEIF 5 Institutional strategy was to ‘deliver a sector-focused, integrated
research and knowledge transfer strategy’. The latest survey from 2013/14 reported an
income from working with business, government and the community at £48.9m, an
increase of approximately 56% from the start of HEIF 5 in 2010/11. HEFCE had granted
an extension year for the period 1st August 2015 to 31st July 2016 worth £3m and this
would be used to continue to deliver the HEIF 5 strategy.
(vi) Visit by Minister for Universities and Science – On 22 June the Vice-Chancellor hosted
Jo Johnson MP, the new Minister for Universities and Science, at the Streatham campus.
Mr Johnson visited both to hold a private meeting with the Vice-Chancellor and also to
receive a briefing on the University’s activities and meet with researchers.
(vii) Future approaches to quality assessment in England, Wales and Northern Ireland –
Consultation – The Funding Councils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland had
announced a consultation on the future approaches to quality assessment within these
countries. The consultation would run from 29 June until 18 September in England and
Northern Ireland and until 31 August in Wales.
(viii) UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) Compliance – In a further tightening of immigration
rules, the list of UKVI approved Secure English Language Tests (SELTs) was reduced in
April to include only IELTS and Trinity College London English language tests. The
number of IELTS tests centres where students would be able to take a SELT version of
the test had been reduced drastically from c.1,500 down to just over 200. Only 110 of
these were permanent global test locations (20 in the UK) and 96 would be new pop-up
locations only offering the SELT test on selected dates. IELTS was the only overseas
SELT provider.
As an HEI, the University could continue to accept non-SELT
qualifications and make its own assessment of a student’s English language ability.
However there remained unanswered questions about local capacity and the low
profile/availability of IELTS in some markets. It was also anticipated that there would be
further damage to the brand of the UK. The impact for INTO was much more significant
as students entering pathway courses must have a particular SELT to obtain a visa.
INTO was estimating significant falls in numbers across UK centres for 2015/16 entry.
(ix) Universities UK Student Funding Panel - The Universities UK Student Funding Panel, of
which the Vice-Chancellor has been a member, published its final recommendations on
15 June on how the student funding system in England could be improved. The panel
was set up last year to analyse the impact of the reforms to funding for undergraduate
students in England introduced in 2012–13, identify any major issues, and assess the
options for reforming the system in the future. The panel's central recommendation was
to improve the level of financial support for students’ living costs.
(x) Thanks to Colleagues – The Vice-Chancellor formally thanked all his colleagues on
Council for their work, and for the time that they had committed to the University over the
past year. In particular, he recorded his gratitude to retiring members: Professor Ken
Evans, Rachael Gillies, Pete Hodges, Chris Pomfret and Rhun Davies. In particular, he
recorded Council’s sincere gratitude to John Allwood for nine years of outstanding service
to Council.
In addition, particular thanks were recorded to Geoff Pringle, Michele Shoebridge and Jill
Williams for their valuable services to Council over a number of years.
(b) In addition to the written report, the Vice-Chancellor drew attention to the following:
(i)
Exeter School Partnerships – The Provost, Professor Janice Kay, provided members
with an update on the progress of the three schools with whom the University was
involved - two of which were about to open:
Page 6 of 13
(ii)
•
The Maths Specialist School was about to enter its second year and was forecasting
a doubling of its projected intake. It had an intake of 34 in 2014. Council members
would be invited to visit the Maths Specialist School in December 2015.
•
The South Devon University Technical College (UTC) in Newton Abbott would open
in September 2015. This College, specialising in Engineering, Water and the
Environment, would have intakes at Year 10 and Year 12. The minimum number of
students needed for each intake to achieve readiness to open was 40 in Year 10
and 40 in Year 12. Currently the College had recruited 53 for Year 10 and 37 for
Year 12. Every new school had to go to the Department for Education with its case
for readiness to open. The South Devon UTC and its employer partners had
presented their case recently and it was received very positively. Therefore, it was
fully expected to open on 7th September.
•
The second new school to open was the Cranbrook Education Campus taking
children / students from ages 2-16. This had met its minimum viable numbers, with
the nursery being full and targets met for classes above this.
Emergency Budget – The Vice-Chancellor recorded his thanks to Roscoe Hastings for
his excellent summary of the Chancellor’s emergency budget which was tabled for
members. The Vice-Chancellor discussed with members five key points from the Budget
that would have an effect on the University:
•
The Government would correct an anomaly in the Research and Development tax
credits legislation so that universities and charities were unable to claim the R&D
Expenditure Credit (RDEC), in line with the original intention of the policy. This
would apply to expenditure from 1 August 2015 and therefore the University would
be able to make another RDEC claim for the 12 month period to 31 July 2015.
•
There was a clear statement that the government wished to put control in the hands
of the student. This indicated an interest in allowing much more open access to
private providers.
•
Changes to the student loan repayment system – firstly the government would
consult on freezing the repayment threshold for all those who had taken out
students loans since starting undergraduate study in 2012. The £21,000 threshold
was meant to rise in line with earnings after 2016. Secondly the government was
changing the calculation of the discount rate that the government borrowed at.
•
Maintenance grants would be abolished and replaced by a maximum maintenance
loan of £8,200 from the 2016/17 academic year. This would affect what the
University did with its OFFA spend as students would not be arriving with
maintenance grants.
•
Institutions that could demonstrate they offered high quality teaching would be
allowed to increase their tuition fees with inflation from 2017-18, with a consultation
on the mechanisms to do this. This would be linked to the output metrics in the
Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF): NSS, employability, drop-out rates, and
‘teaching gain’. It was noted that primary legislation would be required to introduce
differential fee levels.
There would be opportunity for FXU and the Students’ Guild to work with the University
on the changes in the budget. In particular discussions would be welcomed around how
the University spent its OFFA money and targeted funding on those students who most
needed it.
Graduates were unlikely to be disadvantaged by the changes to the national living wage
since the average starting salary for graduates was now £19.5K. Therefore few
graduates would be affected in their first job.
(iii) Research Power (COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE) –.
Page 7 of 13
15.60
Outcomes of the Planning and Budgeting Process (COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE)
Dr Michael Wykes in attendance
(a)
PERFORMANCE REPORT AND OUTCOME OF THE 2015/16 PLANNING PROCESS
(CNL/15/60)
(b)
BUDGET 2015/16 AND LATER YEAR FINANCIAL PLANS TO 2019/20 (CNL/15/61)
15.61
International Strategy (COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE)
Dr Shaun Curtis in attendance
15.62
Childcare and Associated Facilities (COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE)
Phil Attwell and Phil Rees-Jones in attendance
15.63
Risk Management Update (COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE)
Chris Lindsay in attendance
15.64
Risk Appetite and Tolerance
Chris Lindsay in attendance
Council CONSIDERED a paper on risk appetite and tolerance (CNL/15/65).
Further to discussions at VCEG, Council (in May 2015), Risk Dual Assurance and Audit
Committee, an update report was presented to Council providing detail on agreed further actions
and a proposed revised approach to risk categorization. The aim was to make risk appetite more
meaningful but Council would only know if the new categorisation of risk was working once it had
been used for a full 12 months.
Council APPROVED the proposed revised approach to the categorization of risk appetite, plus
associated recommendations for enhancements to the way risk was managed at the University.
The new proposals would be implemented from the beginning of the 2015/16 academic year.
15.65
Transformation Programme Update
James Hutchinson in attendance
Council RECEIVED an update on the Transformation Programme (CNL/15/66).
The Chair welcomed James Hutchinson, Director of the Exeter Transformation Programme, to the
meeting.
James provided members with an update on the programme and its associated projects as
follows:
•
Progress towards the programme’s financial targets was ahead of forecast. The VS scheme
had been highly successful both in process and take up, and had resulted in a net headcount
reduction of over 160 currently. The scheme would deliver £5.2m savings and was well within
the 18 month return on investment target.
•
Engagement at all levels of the programme had now been broadened out. Membership of the
Exeter Transformation Board (ETB) had been increased to include the Chief Financial Officer,
the Director of Communication and Corporate Affairs, an additional PVC, the Deputy-ViceChancellor (Education) and the President of the Students’ Guild.
•
Each efficiency and revenue project had been assigned an academic sponsor who understood
the needs of the University and could guide and focus the work of the project teams.
•
In May the first Transformation Network meetings were held. The purpose of this group, made
up of staff from within PS and the academic community, was to meet and discuss ways in
which the Transformation Programme could improve or better target communications to staff.
Colleagues were also working with the Guild and FXU and a student network would be
established as projects moved in to delivery phase.
•
The senior leadership and PS structure was now agreed and all of the PS directors had been
appointed except for the Chief Information Officer and Director of Research, where interim
arrangements were in place.
Page 8 of 13
•
The initial mapping of staff to their new teams had now been undertaken with 2702 posts (not
FTE) mapped from across PS in to new professional homes. This was a significant step in
moving to a single PS. Communications to staff about these new homes would commence
th
during the week of 20 July.
•
Progress across all the efficiency projects had been good. The Doctoral College project and
the single Penryn Education and St Luke’s projects had now also been brought under the
transformation programme umbrella.
•
Revenue projects were also commencing and initial business cases had been reviewed by the
new Revenue Development Board. There was more to drive forward on revenue generation
but good progress was being made.
•
After the new professional homes had been established there would be a clear picture of the
size and shape of PS and this would enable the University to move to the next stage of
transformation, with the implementation of projects, optimisation of one PS and consideration
of the academic size and shape of the institution.
•
An update of the full business case for the transformation programme would be brought to
Council in October.
In discussion with members the following key points were noted:
•
The Technical Services and One Exeter IT projects were progressing very well. The new draft
structure for One Exeter IT had been established and colleagues would work on the job roles
for this structure over the summer. The project would be delivered and completed by the end
of 2015. There was a similar timescale for the Technical Services Project. Dr Gail Reeves
had been appointed as the new Director for Technical Services and she was leading the
implementation of the project. The new structure for Technical Services was in place and
early feedback was very positive. It was delivering real capacity on the front line and clear
progression and career routes for staff.
•
It had been noted at Audit Committee that PS transformation had been highlighted as a
reason why some follow-up actions had not been completed. The University had a working
group on business continuity, particularly focused on VSS exits, and had mapped the key
processes and activities for delivery in the coming months. This suggested that the University
was in a strong position to ensure delivery.
•
It was important, when members received the full business case in October that this document
tracked where the start point was, where the programme was now and where it was looking to
get to. There needed to be visibility by project of how the numbers were moving so that
progress was properly monitored. There were a number of mechanisms for doing this.
•
It was noted that there were no automatic replacement posts for VSS. Business cases were
being tested and challenged again before any posts were released. Financial reporting of the
programme would also include staff numbers so that this could be tracked.
•
It was noted that it would be useful for Council members to have more information on the
structures that sat below the new directorates.
•
Colleagues were working on the communications for the transformation both internally and
externally to ensure the University was on the front foot. However, while there was still
change to come, some uncertainty could not be avoided altogether. Externally a proactive
piece had been done on the Transformation programme with Spotlight and the press team
were working with the Western Morning News and other media to talk about the University’s
role in driving economic growth in the region.
The Chair recorded her thanks to Jacqui Marshall, James Hutchinson and all of the transformation
programme team and NOTED the tremendous progress that had been made in the last 12 months.
The University’s ability to change and transform was now significantly lower on the risk register.
15.66
PGT Review Outcomes
Professor Wendy Robinson in attendance
Council CONSIDERED a paper on the Postgraduate Taught (PGT) Review Outcomes
(CNL/15/67).
Page 9 of 13
The Chair welcomed Professor Wendy Robinson, Associate Dean for Education in the College of
Social Sciences and International Studies (SSIS).
Professor Nick Kaye introduced the item and noted that this was an end of academic year report
on the PGT review that Professor Robinson had been leading under the Education Strategy since
September 2014. VCEG had received the interim report recommendations to VCEG in January
2015 and Council were now receiving an update on the progress made to-date. This was not the
end of the process but the review was at an important stage.
Professor Wendy Robinson updated members on the Review by way of a presentation. This
presentation is available for members at:
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/about/organisation/council/reference/
There had been substantial progress made against all areas of the review plan. In particular:
•
New high margin market driven programmes had been developed for 2016 entry and beyond.
•
A new approach to costing PGT programmes had been developed and was now being used.
•
Options for distance learning and other flexible modes of delivery were being actively explored
with implementation of the chosen option scheduled for 2015/16.
•
New processes for the development of the new programmes were in preparation for 2015/16
roll out.
•
A specification for a Customer Relationship Management system was being scoped for
2015/16 procurement and implementation.
•
An integrated PGT Marketing strategy and plan was being developed for the 2015/16
recruitment cycle targeted at the University’s key markets.
•
A plan for improved PGT student experience was being co-created with the Students’ Guild
and FXU.
Sarah Buck, Lay Lead for Education, congratulated Wendy on what she had achieved and noted
that flexible modes of delivery for courses was critical for the University to improve its PGT
numbers. It was also important for courses, such as engineering, to have the appropriate
accreditations with professional institutions.
In discussion with members the following points were noted:
•
The costing tool for programmes would be used by Heads of Finance to look at the financial
viability of current programmes and take recommendations to College Executive Boards. This
would be a managed process of evolution. The data from the costing analysis would need to
be looked at and challenging questions asked about which programmes Colleges should and
shouldn’t be delivering.
•
In some cases the most expensive programmes were those that the University had with
Doctoral Training Partnerships. Conversations would be had with the Doctoral Training
College team about how these could be delivered more efficiently.
•
Subject to the robustness of the costing tool there could be commercialisation opportunities
and colleagues would look at this.
•
The Students’ Guild and FXU were also going to be undertaking a PGT review as students
perceived that they were particularly UG focused. This would be looked at over the coming
year and would also be discussed at the next GW4 conference between the students’ unions.
Council NOTED the outcomes achieved and endorsed the future plan for the recommended
actions from the PGT Review.
15.67
Accommodation Bursaries (COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE)
15.68
Finance: Scheduled for Signing-off of Year-end Accounts
Council NOTED the schedule for signing-off of year-end accounts (CNL/15/70).
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Council members would be required to consider and approve the documents, sending any
comments and queries to the Chief Financial Officer and Pro-Chancellor (Finance) with copies to
the Interim Chief Operating Officer between Friday 13 November and Friday 20 November 2015.
The Chair emphasised how important it was for all Council members to give their agreement to
sign off the accounts in good time.
15.69
Accounting Policies for 2015/16
Council CONSIDERED a paper on the accounting policies for 2015/16 (CNL/15/71).
The adoption of FRS102 and the FE/HE SORP imposed a number of changes in accounting
treatment across the University’s financial statements. Council received a paper in May 2015
which detailed the impact of these changes along with an outline of proposed new accounting
policies in the small number of areas where the University had a choice.
Subsequently, Dual Assurance had received and agreed a set of proposed accounting policies set
out in this paper. The proposed policy choices had been endorsed by Audit Committee.
Council APPROVED the revised statement of principal accounting policies for implementation in
2015/16.
15.70
Council Scheme of Delegation
Council CONSIDERED AND APPROVED the Council Scheme of Delegation (CNL/15/72).
15.71
HEFCE Catalyst Bid (COMMERCIAL ON CONFIDENCE)
15.72
Senate
Council RECEIVED a report from the meeting of Senate on 2 July 2014 (CNL/15/74) and
APPROVED amendments to:
a) Ordinance 7 – Titles of Degrees
b) Ordinance 26 – Powers of the Boards of Faculties.
15.73
Audit Committee
Council RECEIVED the minutes from the meeting of Audit Committee held on 12 June 2015
(CNL/15/75) and APPROVED the recommendation that KPMG be re-appointed as the University’s
external auditors from 1 September 2015.
15.74
Academic Promotions (STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL)
Council RECEIVED a report of promotions agreed between 9 April and 9 July 2015 (CNL/15/76).
15.75
Remuneration Committee
Council RECEIVED a report from Remuneration Committee which summarized the matters
considered during its three meetings in the University year 2014/15 (CNL/15/77), in particular:
•
•
•
•
15.76
Performance-related awards in respect of 2013/14 under the schemes operating for members
of the Vice-Chancellor’s Executive Group, College Deans, Directors of Professional Services
and College Executives;
Performance targets for 2014/15 for senior managers participating in the Executive
Performance Reward Scheme;
Changes to salaries for senior managers within the remit of the Committee, effective from 1
August 2015;
Progress of the University’s new Reward Strategy, approved by the Committee in July 2014.
Council Nominations Committee (STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL)
The report from Council Nominations Committee (CNL/15/78) would be circulated to Council
electronically for approval once discussions with potential Council members had been concluded.
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15.77
Joint Committee for Consultation and Negotiation
Council RECEIVED the minutes from the meeting of the Joint Committee for Consultation and
Negotiation held on 19 May 2015 (CNL/15/79).
15.78
Honorary Degrees
Council CONSIDERED and APPROVED the nominations for Honorary Degrees to be awarded at
the ceremonies to be held in July 2016 and January 2017 (CNL/15/80).
15.79
Capital Strategy
(a)
INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
Council RECEIVED a report on infrastructure projects (CNL/15/81).
(b)
CAPITAL STRATEGY GROUP
Council RECEIVED the minutes from the meeting of the Capital Strategy Group held on 19
May 2015 (CNL/15/82)
(c)
15.80
BUILDING A HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT (COMMERCIAL IN
CONFIDENCE)
Exeter Northcott Theatre
(reference minute 15.49(a))
Council RECEIVED an update (CNL/15/84) from the Artistic & Executive Director and Chair of
Trustees of the Exeter Northcott Theatre on the change of leadership and direction. The paper
acknowledged the University’s commitment to growing the relationship for mutual and public
benefit.
15.81
University Senior Management 2015/16
Council RECEIVED a paper on University Senior Management for 2015/16 (CNL/15/85) and
APPROVED the recommendation from Senate that Professor Tim Quine be appointed as Dean of
the Faculty of Taught Programmes (to be known as Dean for Students) with effect from 1 August
2015.
15.82
Bill Douglas Centre
Council APPROVED the transfer of trusteeship for the Exeter University Foundation to the
st
University as sole Corporate Charitable Trustee with effect from 1 August 2015 (CNL/15/86). It
was noted that the Charity Commission had now confirmed that they had no concerns with the
changes as proposed in the paper.
15.83
Ordinance 34: Redundancy Procedures
Council APPROVED revisions to Ordinance 34: Redundancy Procedures as recommended by
Senate (CNL/15/87).
15.84
Emergency Powers in Summer Recess
Council EMPOWERED the Chair of Council, Deputy Chair of Council, Pro-Chancellor (Finance)
and Vice-Chancellor (or, in the absence of one, the other three) to act on behalf of Council in any
urgent matters which might arise during the Summer Recess.
15.85
Powers of Selection Committees in Summer Recess
Council EMPOWERED the Vice-Chancellor to approve recommendations of Selection Committees
in respect of academic and academic-related posts during the Summer Recess.
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15.86
Retiring Members, 31 July 2015
Council RECORDED its gratitude to retiring members, as follows:
John Allwood
Professor Ken Evans
Rachael Gillies
Pete Hodges
Chris Pomfret
15.87
Affixing the Seal of the University
Council AUTHORISED the fixing of the University seal to the documents listed in CNL/15/88.
15.88
Chair’s Closing Remarks (COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE)
JW/JAL
11 August 2015
M:\Exec Officer\COUNCIL\2014-15\July 2015\Council Minutes 9 July 2015 Final.doc
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