NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY
SENATE
20 May 2014
Present:
The Vice-Chancellor (in the Chair), Professor Ella Ritchie (Deputy ViceChancellor), Professor Suzanne Cholerton, Professor Chris Day, Professor
Charles Harvey, Professor Steve Homans, Professor Nick Wright, (Pro-ViceChancellors), Ms Eve Berwin (Education Officer, Students’ Union), Dr Debbie
Bevitt, Professor Colin Brooks, Dr Tim Cheek, Professor Zofia ChrzanowskaLightowlers, Professor Peter Clarke, Mr Wayne Connolly, Dr Catherine Exley,
Professor John Fitzgerald, Dr Alton Horsfall, Professor Tom Joyce, Ms Abi Kelly,
Mr Calum Mackenzie (President, Students’ Union), Professor Julia Newton, Dr
Ole Pedersen, Professor Paul Seedhouse, Ms Emily Waller, (Welfare and
Equality Officer, Students’ Union), Dr Tony Young, and Professor Martha YoungScholten.
In attendance: Mrs Lesley Braiden (Academic Registrar), Mr Richard Dale (Executive Director of
Finance), Dr John Hogan (Registrar), and Mrs Sam Taylor (Executive Officer,
Governance).
Apologies:
Dr Heather Brown, Professor Steve Clifford, Dr Hugh Dauncey, Mr Mike Davison,
Dr Joanna Elson, Mrs Veryan Johnston (Executive Director of Human
Resources), Ms Sabine Kucher (student member), Professor Neill Marshall, Dr
Neelam Srivastava, Professor Tony Stevenson and Mr Steve Williams,
Dr Catherine Exley and Dr Ole Pedersen were not present for item 69.
MINUTES
59. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
No declarations of interest were received.
60. MINUTES
The Minutes of the meeting of Senate held on 18 March 2014 were approved as a correct
record and signed.
61. MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES
Progress of business
There were no outstanding items on the business tracking form.
62. VICE-CHANCELLOR’S BUSINESS
Received the Vice-Chancellor’s report.
[Circulated with the agenda as Document B. Copy filed in the Minute Book.]
Noted:
1.
Deaths
Senate, 20 May 2014
Received a report on deaths recently announced by the University.
Resolved that Senate record its deep regret and sympathy for the relatives
concerned.
2.
Pay Negotiations and Industrial Action
The Vice-Chancellor’s business paper makes reference to “two other official cost of living
indicators, and offer of a 2.2% increase”. Clarification was requested on the other cost of
living indicators and on the percentage increase.
The two other official cost of living indicators are:
(i)
CPI(H), which was at 1.5% in March 2014. This is a measure of UK consumer
price inflation that includes owner occupiers’ housing costs. These are the costs of
housing services associated with owning, maintaining and living in one’s own
home.
(ii)
RPI (J), which was at 1.8% in March 2014. RPIJ is an improved variant of the
Retail Prices Index, which is calculated using formulae that meet international
standards. The rationale for creating RPIJ was to give users a better alternative to
the Retail Price Inflation, RPI, if their needs were for a measure of inflation based
on the same population, classifications, weights etc as the RPI.
In March 2014, the 12-month rate for RPIJ stood at 1.8%, down from 2.0% in
February and notably lower than the rate seen through the first three quarters of
2013.
Percentage increase:
(iii)
The 2.2% increase on the lowest point includes a 2% increase and an additional
£30 increase which equates to 2.2%.
Further information on the cost of living indicators can be found at:
www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_358581.pdf
3.
Student Recruitment
‘Commercial in confidence’ Minute, filed in the Minute Book.
4.
Update on Widening Participation
The University continues to make significant progress towards achieving the HESA
Widening Participation benchmarks, with an increase of 36% in the number of offers
made to students in this category.
5.
Late news
(i)
Newcastle University Business School
The Business School is undergoing a review for accreditation by the Association
to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). If they are successful they
will have triple accreditation which is awarded to only 1% of business schools
worldwide by the three largest and most influential business school accreditation
2
Senate, 20 May 2014
associations. Accreditation is a stamp of quality and prestige for a business
school and its programmes.
(ii)
Bedson Teaching Centre
A proposal was received to rename the Bedson Teaching Centre as the Barbara
Strang Teaching Centre, to commemorate an important figure in the history of the
University.
Barbara Strang was the first female professor to be appointed in the University, and
was first appointed to King’s College Newcastle in 1950. In 1964 she was appointed
as Professor of English language and general linguistics, which was the first chair of
its kind in England.
Resolved that Senate approve the name change of the Bedson Teaching Centre to
the Barbara Strang Teaching Centre.
63. PHYSICS PROJECT BUSINESS CASE
Received the Physics Project Business Case from Professor Steve Homans, Pro-ViceChancellor Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering, on behalf of Executive Board.
[Circulated with the agenda as Document C. Copy filed in the Minute Book.]
Resolved that Senate approve the Physics Project Business Case with a start date for
the initial student cohort for academic year 2015/16.
64. REPORT FROM THE JOINT MEETING OF SENATE AND COUNCIL
Received the report from the joint meeting of Senate and Council, which took place on 28 April
2014.
[Circulated with the agenda as Document D. Copies filed in the Minute Book.]
Received the response from Executive Board, from Dr John Hogan, Registrar, on behalf of
Executive Board.
[Circulated with the agenda as Document E. Copies filed in the Minute Book.]
‘Commercial in confidence’ Minute, filed in the Minute Book.
65. UNIVERSITY RESEARCH CENTRES
Considered the report from Professor Nick Wright, Pro-Vice-Research and Innovation, on
behalf of Executive Board.
[Circulated with the agenda as Document F. Copy filed in the Minute Book.]
Resolved that:
(i)
Senate approve the re-establishment of the following University Research Centres
and the re-appointment of their Directors for a further three years, from 1 August
2014 to 31 July 2017:
Centre for Haemato-Oncology (CHO) (Director, Professor Christine Harrison);
Centre for Human Nutrition (Director, Professor John Mathers);
Northern Centre for the History of Medicine (Director, Dr Thomas Rutten);
Centre for Learning and Teaching (CfLAT) (Director, Professor David Leat);
Centre for Urban & Regional Development (CURDS) (Director, Professor Andy Pike);
3
Senate, 20 May 2014
Global Urban Research Unit (GURU) (Director, Professor Ali Mandanipour);
Centre for Knowledge, Innovation, Technology and Entrerprise (KITE) (Director, Dr
Rob Wilson);
Policy, Ethics & Life Sciences Research Centre (PEALS) (Director, Professor Erica
Haimes);
Research Centre in Film & Digital Media (Director Professor Guy Austin);
EG West Centre (Director, Professor James Tooley);
Centre for Rural Economy (CRE) (Director, Mr Guy Garrod);
(ii)
Senate approve the re-establishment of the following University Research Centre
and the re-appointment of the Director for a further one year, from 1 August 2014 to
31 July 2015:
Medical Toxicology Research Centre (Professor Peter Blain)
(iii)
Senate approve the renaming of the Northern Centre for the History of Medicine to
the Northern Centre for the History of Medicine and Medical Humanities.
66. APPOINTMENT OF A PUBLIC ORATOR
Received the invitation to submit nominations for the appointment of a Public Orator.
[Circulated with the agenda as Document G. Copy filed in the Minute Book.]
Noted that nominations for Public Orator should be submitted to the Vice-Chancellor by the
closing date of 6 June 2014.
67. RAISING THE BAR : RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION OF HEADS OF ACADEMIC UNITS
Item requested by Professor Colin Brooks.
Received a report from Mrs Veryan Johnston, Executive Director of Human Resources, on
behalf of Executive Board.
[Circulated with the agenda as Document H. Copy filed in the Minute Book.]
Noted that:
1. The Recruitment and Selection Process for Heads of Academic Units was considered and
approved by Senate at its meeting on 26 November 2013.
2. Professor Brooks stated that he felt that there had been insufficient time to discuss this
item at the meeting of Senate on 26 November 2013. He was surprised that the new
process had been agreed as the previous recruitment strategy was more collegial.
3. Professor Brooks felt there were three elements of the report before Senate, that required
further discussion: transparency, cost and selection criteria:
(i)
Transparency
Professor Brooks was concerned that staff within the academic unit were not
permitted to comment or contribute towards the recruitment process and that there
was no representative from the academic unit on the selection panel. He felt that this
lack of transparency could come across as being secretive, and could be damaging to
the relationships between management and regular staff members. The Head of
Academic Unit is an important position, but the staff members from the academic unit
have no input into the person who is selected for the role.
4
Senate, 20 May 2014
(ii)
Cost
The cost implications of external advertising and the use of recruitment consultants
could be considerable, and the candidates who are encouraged to apply will exact a
high price, including relocation and remuneration packages.
Professor Brooks enquired if this expenditure could be justified, or would this be
deemed as a waste of public money. He enquired whether it was a reasonable
expectation to burden a ‘high-flying’ academic with the responsibility of becoming a
Head of Academic Unit.
(iii) Selection Criteria
Professor Brooks questioned how academic leadership capabilities can be assessed
and measured as part of the selection criteria, if the recruitment process is conducted
in a secretive manner.
4. It was confirmed that advertising externally for Heads of Academic Unit does not exclude
internal candidates from applying. Recruitment consultants are briefed to encourage
internal applicants to apply, along with external applicants.
5. It is felt that advertising both externally and internally will lead to improvement in the quality
of the Heads of Academic Units overall. It is also the case that not all academic units will
have an abundance of internal academic members of staff waiting to progress to this
position.
6. The Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellors are aware of Heads of Academic Unit who are intending
to stand down or retire, as part of their annual HR planning process. They will always look
first at whether there are any suitable internal candidates before progressing to external
advert.
7. Currently, a senior member of the relevant academic unit may be asked to act as a link to
the candidates, and is in turn, asked to contribute to the information that the selection
panel has at its disposal.
8. There is a necessity for confidentiality during the recruitment process for external
applicants who often do not wish their home institutions to know that they have applied at
that stage. Often internal candidates also seek this level of confidentiality.
9. Members of Executive Board who have chaired recent selection panels confirmed that it is
important for the academic unit to have some level of involvement in the recruitment
process, but at the same time, prospective candidates should be protected.
10. As with all new processes, the recruitment process for Heads of Academic Units will be
evaluated to determine if any amendments to the process may be necessary in the future.
Professor Brooks stated that he was pleased to hear the policy would be evaluated. He
requested that further clarification of the procedure be added into the report:
(i) To clarify that if suitable internal applicants have been identified for the position of Head of
Academic Unit, then a request can be made to Executive Board by the relevant Pro-ViceChancellor that the recruitment process does not need to be widened to external
applicants.
(ii) That senior members of the relevant academic unit may be involved in the recruitment
process.
5
Senate, 20 May 2014
Resolved that Executive Board would consider these issues and report back to Senate.
68. ACADEMIC DISTINCTIONS – TITLE OF PROFESSOR EMERITUS (Statute 29(4))
In accordance with Statute 29(4), Senate may accord the title of Professor Emeritus on
professors retiring from the University.
Resolved that:
Senate approve the proposal from the Vice-Chancellor, following consultation with the
faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor Medical Sciences, for the conferment of the title of Professor
Emeritus to:
(i)
(ii)
Professor Maggie Bassendine, Professor of Hepatology, with effect from 1 May
2014.
Professor Geoff Toms, Professor of Applied Virology, with effect from 1 May
2014.
69. REPORT FROM UNIVERSITY AND FACULTY PROMOTIONS COMMITTEES
Received the consolidated report from University and Faculty Promotions Committee
[Circulated with the agenda as Document J. Copy filed in the Minute Book.]
Resolved that Senate approve the recommendations in the report from University and
Faculty Promotions Committees, subject to the approval of Council.
70. PRO-VICE-CHANCELLOR (ENGAGEMENT AND INTERNATIONALISATION)
Received the report from the Joint Selection Committee on the appointment of a Pro-ViceChancellor (Engagement and Internationalisation).
[Circulated with the agenda as Document K. Copy filed in the Minute Book.]
Resolved that Professor Richard Davies be appointed as Pro-Vice-Chancellor
(Engagement and Internationalisation), with effect from 11 August 2014 until 31 July
2018, subject to the approval of Council.
71. 2015/16 ACCESS AGREEMENT
Received the 2015/16 Access Agreement from Professor Suzanne Cholerton, Pro-ViceChancellor Learning and Teaching, on behalf of Executive Board.
[Circulated with the agenda as Document L. Copy filed in the Minute Book.]
72. REPORT FROM UNIVERSITY LEARNING, TEACHING AND STUDENT EXPERIENCE
COMMITTEE.
Received a report from the meetings of University Learning, Teaching and Student Experience
Committees, held on 5 March and 2 April 2014.
[Circulated with the agenda as Document M. Copy filed in the Minute Book.]
73. SENATE APPOINTED CHAIRS AND MEMBERS OF UNIVERSITY COMMITTEES
Considered a report containing recommendations for the appointment/re-appointment of Chairs
and members of University Committees.
[Circulated with the agenda as Document N. Copy filed in the Minute Book.]
6
Senate, 20 May 2014
Resolved that Senate approve the recommendations in the report on Senate appointed
Chairs and members of University Committees.
74. ACCOMMODATION AND HOSPITALITY STRATEGY
Received the revised Accommodation and Hospitality Strategy from Dr John Hogan, Registrar
on behalf of Executive Board.
[Circulated with the agenda as Document O. Copy filed in the Minute Book.]
75. TEACHING CENTRE ON SCIENCE CENTRAL
Received the report from Dr John Hogan, Registrar on behalf of Executive Board.
[Circulated with the agenda as Document P. Copy filed in the Minute Book.]
76. REPORTED BUSINESS
Received a report of action taken in accordance with agreed procedures, approved where
necessary by the Vice-Chancellor on behalf of Senate and/or the Chair of Council on behalf of
Council, and by other University bodies and Chairs.
[Circulated with the agenda as Document Q. Copy filed in the Minute Book.]
7