NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY
COURT
14 October 2014
Present:
The Chancellor (in the Chair), Chairman of Council and Pro-Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, Ms Claire
Boothman (President, Students’ Union), Councillor Joe Carlebach, Sir Peter Carr, Professor
Suzanne Cholerton, Mr Alan Clarke, Sir Michael Darrington, Professor Richard Davies, Professor
Robert Edwards, Mr Colin FitzPatrick, Ms Teresa Graham, Mrs Olivia Grant, Professor Charles
Harvey, Mrs Jacqui Henderson, Professor Steve Homans, Mr Jack Jeffery, Mr Peter Johnson, Mr
Antony Jones, Ms Abi Kelly, Miss Florence Kirkby, Professor Patrick Lavery, Mr Stephen Lightley,
Mr Hector MacDonald, Professor William Maloney, Mr Richard Maudslay, Ms Claire Morgan, Ms
Fiona O’Connor, Mr Jonathan Parkinson, Councillor Sue Pearson, Sir George Russell, Mr Mark
Scrimshaw, Sir Nigel Sherlock, Professor Mark Shucksmith, Mr Nitin Shukla, Mr Greg Smith,
Professor Tony Stevenson, Ms Sarah Stewart, Ms Hannah Underwood, Lord Walton of Detchant,
Mr Rob Williamson, Ms Angela Woodburn and Professor Nick Wright.
In attendance: Mr Richard Dale (Executive Director of Finance), Dr John Hogan (Registrar), Mrs Lizzie Taylor
(Executive Officer (Governance)) and Professor Doug Turnbull (Director of the Wellcome Trust
Centre for Mitochondrial Research) for item 6.
1.
MINUTES
The Minutes of the meeting held on 9 May 2014 were approved as a correct record and signed by the
Chair.
[Circulated with the agenda as Document A]
2.
MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES
No matters were raised.
3.
MEMBERSHIP
The Chairman welcomed Ms Claire Boothman, Professor Richard Davies, Professor Robert Edwards, Ms
Abi Kelly, Professor William Maloney, Ms Fiona O’Connor and Ms Sarah Stewart to their first meeting as
members of Court
Received:
(a) The membership of Court for 2014/15.
[Circulated with the agenda as Document B]
(b) A document detailing the profiles of members of Court.
[Circulated with the agenda as Document C]
4.
VICE-CHANCELLOR'S BUSINESS
Received a report from the Vice-Chancellor.
[Circulated with the agenda as Document D]
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Noted that:
1. On behalf of Court the Vice-Chancellor congratulated Sir Nigel Sherlock on being made Knight
Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. He also congratulated
Lord Walton on his award of the Royal Society of Medicine’s Gold Medal.
2. It was confirmed that, at its meeting on 21 June 2014, Convocation approved the re-appointment of the
Chancellor with effect from 1 August 2014 for a further period of five years to 31 July 2019.
Convocation also re-appointed Mr Antony Jones as Chair of Convocation from 1 August 2014 for a five
year period to 31 July 2019.
3. There had been disruption on the University Campus in June when suspicious substances were found
in a student’s room in the INTO accommodation. Two students were arrested and one was ultimately
charged with criminal offences. This student was to be sentenced on 17 October 2014.
4. Following the tragic death of two medical students in Borneo, it had been agreed that these students
should both be awarded an Honorary MBBS in June 2015 during the ceremony at which the rest of
their cohort would graduate.
5. The BBC had broadcast a documentary during the summer about Martin Luther King’s visit to the
University in 1967 when he received his Honorary Degree. Professor Patrick Lavery, a member of
Court who was a student at the time was present in the audience.
6. Court was informed that Professor Charles Harvey would be stepping down as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for
the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the end of the calendar year. Professor Neill
Marshall, currently Dean of Postgraduate Studies in the Faculty, would take over as acting PVC until
an appointment was made which, it was hoped, would be in time for the start of the 2015-16 academic
year.
7. The University’s performance in the rankings which had been published in recent months had been
variable. It was noted that universities in Asia were gaining in strength due to investment by their
governments and there was little the University could do to compete with this, particularly since
government funding for higher education in the UK was in decline.
8. The Labour Party had stated its intention to reduce tuition fees to £6k should it win the May 2015
General Election. The Conservative Party’s commitment to a referendum on the UK’s membership of
the European Union could also have significant consequences for the funding arrangements for UK
Higher Education.
9. The University’s overall satisfaction score in the National Student Survey (NSS) had continued to
improve and was now at 91%. It was noted that some of the subjects in the Business School had
relatively low satisfaction scores and the question was raised as to whether this had a material impact
upon the overall satisfaction score. It was agreed that the low scores for management studies did
impact upon the University’s overall satisfaction score and efforts were being made to improve the
experience for students in these subject areas. The University had a duty to ensure students across all
subject areas received the high quality student experience which an overall NSS score of 91% would
lead them to expect.
5.
VICE-CHANCELLOR’S QUESTIONS
Received from Olivia Grant:
“I would like to understand what has happened this year regarding:
i.
ii.
recruitment (in numerical and grades and what is the view of the balance of the student body);
the overall balance of student numbers in the various faculties; I am obviously interested in
whether the Humanities have remained buoyant by subject and numbers;
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iii.
what are the views of the VC and his team about ways in which HE is changing and any
implications this has for Newcastle University?”
Received from Mark Scrimshaw:
“How has the teaching of Modern Economics in the Business School responded to the challenging
economic times?”
Received from Nitin Shukla:
“On completion of undergraduate studies, do we monitor progress of our students into employment – if so,
what proportion of our students enter professions related to their subject areas or areas of studies?”
Received an oral response from the Vice-Chancellor.
Response to Olivia Grant’s Question:
1. The University’s recruitment for 2014-15 was broadly on target and 73% of recruited students had
achieved grades of ABB or better. There had been a moderate increase in student numbers with no
negative impact on the quality of intake.
2. Recruitment in the three faculties was as anticipated. There were signs that students were returning to
STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). There had been concerns for
subjects such as Architecture which required a longer period of study and, consequently, a greater
financial commitment but recruitment to this subject had been strong. Recruitment to creative arts
subjects had also been steady. Education was an area where there were some concerns as it had
been affected by the move towards the training of teachers in schools. The subjects of Classics and
Archaeology were also suffering from low recruitment levels as were Modern Languages where the
impact of the decision not to require students to study a foreign language at GCSE was beginning to be
felt.
3. In terms of widening participation, the University was doing better but it would still not meet the target
set in its Access Agreement.
4. The Government had previously controlled student numbers, tuition fees and quality assurance
arrangements but control of these three areas was soon to be relinquished. The cap on student
numbers would be lifted from 2016-17. There was expected to be changes in tuition fee arrangements
as the current student loans system had not resulted in any savings for the taxpayer. HEFCE had also
recently announced its intention to outsource quality assurance arrangements.
5. The decline in modern languages was considered to be regrettable but it was thought that the situation
would change in time as Government policy evolved. The University did seek to engage schools and
their students by making the Language Resource Centre available but it was noted that there was
more which could be done. Students were offered language modules on a supernumerary basis and
language programmes were offered to students who had not studied a language before. It was
suggested that the University should seek to appeal to the large number of French-speaking
communities in the London area as these could provide potential recruits for modern language
subjects.
Response to Mark Scrimshaw’s Question:
6. The question about the teaching of Modern Economics had been posed as there had been a degree of
cynicism around the value of the subject of Economics following the financial crash. At Manchester
University, students had developed their own modules in response and there had been movements
elsewhere to regenerate the curriculum. It was confirmed that the curriculum had been updated at
Newcastle to include modules with greater empirical focus. It was suggested that arrangements could
be made for Mr Scrimshaw to meet with colleagues in the Business School to discuss this issue and
Court could also receive further information at a future meeting.
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Response to Mr Shukla’s Question:
7. The University’s Careers Service monitors the progress of graduates as part of the Destination of
Leavers from Higher Education Survey (DLHE) and in the most recent survey it was noted that 47% of
graduates remained in the region for their first job following graduation. As only 30% of graduates
were from the local area, the fact that 47% remained in the area showed that the University was a net
importer of talent. The DLHE survey also showed that 93% of the University’s graduates were in
employment six months after graduation, which was a positive result.
8. For some subject areas, employment prospects were particularly good, an example being geomatics,
where, at a recent University event there were 24 national employers hoping to recruit which
outnumbered the students studying the subject. The University’s reputation for medical graduates was
also strong with the Royal College of Physicians ranking it the third place graduating institution.
Concern was raised at the low number of medical graduates undertaking GP training and it was
suggested that the medical faculty should monitor this.
9. It was suggested that the issue of employability could be a topic for further consideration at a future
meeting of Court.
6.
UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INSTITUTES
Received a presentation from Professor Nick Wright, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation, and
Professor Doug Turnbull, Director of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Mitochondrial Research, on the
University’s Research Institutes and the Mitochondrial Research Group in particular.
Noted that:
1. Across the globe, there were a number of research teams engaged in mitochondrial research but the
University’s Mitochondrial Research Group could claim to be the most advanced. The team had
demonstrated that viable embryos could be produced but progress now depended upon a change in
legislation.
2. A number of debates had taken place in Parliament and there had been some opposition which, it was
suggested, was mainly on religious grounds and often ill-founded. Draft regulations had been prepared
but were not yet finalised and were yet to be debated. The Government needed to be persuaded to
table new legislation which would be secondary legislation which could either be accepted or rejected
but not amended.
3. It was suggested that the implementation process had been poor and the University should seek to
harness the support of politicians who would be able to instruct the civil servants. It was considered
that there was a degree of nervousness amongst some politicians and it might be in the interest of
some to delay progress on this issue until after the election. Consideration could be given to asking
sympathetic MPs to write to the Secretary of State who would be required to respond.
4. The possibility of implementing the research in another country where such procedures were legal had
been considered. It was noted, however, that it was important for the reputation of both the University
and the country for the research to be implemented in the UK. The UK process was considered to be
rigorous and if it was possible to implement the procedures in this country it would make it more likely
that they would be adopted elsewhere.
5. The children who benefitted from the procedures might, in time, wish to know more about the person
who donated the mitochondria and it was suggested that, if donors chose to remain anonymous, this
could have an unsettling impact upon a family. In was noted in response that it was considered
unlikely that the donors of mitochondria would want to remain anonymous and ethical groups had
considered the potential impact on families and had determined that it would be minimal.
Resolved that Professor Nick Wright and Professor Doug Turnbull be thanked for a most
informative and engaging presentation.
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7.
MEMBERSHIP OF COURT STEERING COMMITTEE
Reported that:
The membership of Court Steering Committee for 2014-15 was as follows:
Members
Mr Richard Maudslay (Chairman)
Sir Michael Darrington
Ms Claire Morgan
Professor Chris Brink
Mr Mark I’Anson
8.
Observers
Professor Richard Davies
Registrar
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
Noted that Sir George Russell had first begun his connection with the University in 1954 and it was agreed
that his 60 years association should be commemorated. Sir George was presented with an inscribed
decanter and received warm congratulations from members of Court.
9.
DATE OF NEXT MEETING
Reported that:
(a) The next meeting of Court would take place at 10.30am on Friday 8 May 2015 in King’s Gate, Level 5,
Room L5.15.
(b) That Court Steering Committee had agreed that a presentation on the Coherent Campus should be the
main item on the agenda.
Noted that the next meeting was scheduled to take place on the day after the General Election which would
make it difficult for some members to attend. It was suggested that consideration should be given to
finding an alternative date.
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