Approved at October 2014 meeting
NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY
COURT
9 May 2014
Present:
The Chancellor (in the Chair), Chairman of Council and Pro-Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, Mrs
Lesley Braiden, Councillor Joe Carlebach, Sir Peter Carr, Professor Suzanne Cholerton, Professor
Eric Cross, Sir Michael Darrington, Mr Andrew Davison, Councillor Nick Forbes, Ms Teresa
Graham, Mrs Olivia Grant, Mrs Jacqui Henderson, Councillor Mick Henry, Professor Steve
Homans, Mr Jack Jeffery, Mr Peter Johnson, Mr Antony Jones, Lord Judd of Portsea, Professor
Eileen Kaner, Dr Mike Laker, Professor Patrick Lavery, Mr Calum MacKenzie, Mr Richard
Maudslay, Ms Claire Morgan, Councillor Sue Pearson, Professor Ella Ritchie, Sir George Russell,
Mr Mark Scrimshaw, Mr Nigel Sherlock, Professor Mark Shucksmith, Mr Nitin Shukla, Professor
Tony Stevenson, Professor Phil Taylor, Ms Hannah Underwood, Lord Walton of Detchant and Mr
Rob Williamson.
In attendance: Mr Graham Armitage (Assistant Director, Changing Age), Mr Richard Dale (Executive Director of
Finance), Dr John Hogan (Registrar), Ms Abi Kelly (Director of Public Relations), and Mrs Yvonne
Lee (Executive Assistant).
1.
MINUTES
The Minutes of the meeting held on 15 October 2013 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.
REPORTS FROM COURT STEERING COMMITTEE
Considered:
(a)
First Report from Court Steering Committee
(b)
Second Report from Court Steering Committee
[Circulated with the agenda as Documents B and C]
(a)
Lay Membership of Court
Resolved that:
i. The following members be re-appointed to serve on Court from 1 August 2014 to 31 July 2017,
subject to their willingness to serve:
Councillor Joe Carlebach
Councillor Nick Forbes
Mrs Olivia Grant
Baroness Quin
Mr Mark Scrimshaw
Mr Greg Smith
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ii. The following be appointed to serve on Court from 1 August 2014 to 31 July 2017, subject to
their willingness to serve:
Ms Sarah Green, CBI Director for member relations, regions and nations
Ms Daljit Lally, Executive Director of Wellbeing and Community Health Services,
Northumberland County Council and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Ms Fiona O’Connor, Operations Director for Common Purpose UK
iii. That in the event of one of the individuals in (ii) above declining on this occasion, the following
be offered membership from 1 August 2014 to 31 July 2017:
Ms Sarah Stewart, Chief Executive, NewcastleGateshead Initiative
(b)
Honorary Fellowships of the University
Resolved that, in addition to the award to Dr Vanessa Hammond, who had deferred acceptance of
her award from 2013, Honorary Fellowships be awarded to:
Mr Colin Fitzpatrick
Mr Ashley Wilton
4.
THE CIVIC UNIVERSITY
Received:
A briefing paper summarising the Civic University.
[Circulated with the agenda as Document D]
A presentation on the above from the Vice-Chancellor (the slides from the presentation are appended to
these Minutes).
Noted that:
1. The University and the City Council enjoyed an excellent working relationship which was mutually
beneficial to the two institutions, to the City of Newcastle upon Tyne and enhanced the reputation of
the City nationally and internationally. The University’s three societal challenge themes are highly
significant in this regard, offering the opportunity for Newcastle to become a go to hub of expertise.
2. Key examples of the partnership in action, in terms of bringing former industrial sites back to life and
attracting jobs to the region, are Science Central on the former Scottish and Newcastle Breweries site
and the Neptune National Centre for Subsea and Offshore Engineering, utilising the former shipyard
sites on the banks of the Tyne.
3. The University plays a crucial role in increasing the skill level of the population and the excellent
student and staff experience feeds into how the City is perceived.
4. In addition to the partnership with the City, the University also has a collaborative agreement with
Northumberland County Council, taking into account the importance of the rural community to the
region.
5. In terms of the challenges presented by certain elements trying to divide society, the University, with its
international student population, played an important role in maintaining community cohesion.
6. The Social Renewal theme contained a strand on citizenship which aimed to encourage a more
rounded world view through education. In particular, one specific project saw our students making
films telling the stories of asylum seekers which were taken into schools to raise awareness of this
issue.
7. The University takes the issue of international student integration seriously with our international
students encouraged to volunteer within the city. This can help to over-turn the prejudice which comes
from lack of knowledge.
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8. In a sector where much of the emphasis on excellence is compartmentalised, the University’s crossdiscipline approach articulated through the Vice-Chancellor’s thinking on the civic university and the
work of the societal challenge themes, should be commended.
9. The culture within a university contributes to its success and the importance of a diverse
staff/student/academic discipline profile was emphasised.
10. In engaging with society it was important for an institution’s values to be well articulated and
understood. The staff survey showed a strong internal understanding of the University’s values, which
are also well articulated in Vision 2021. In terms of external engagement, the recruitment of Abi Kelly
as Director of Public Relations has resulted in improvements in this area. We have recently changed
our logo to include reference to our overseas campuses and a leaflet on our work was distributed to
22,000 other institutions. Our Press Office also effectively generates interest for key areas of our work
and, for example, our experts in Ageing have become the ‘go to team’ for expertise in this area.
11. The University had an important role to play in contributing to wealth creation through
entrepreneurship. It was confirmed that a unit in the Business School interacts with existing small
businesses in the City, encouraging their growth. In addition, Professor Paul Watson and colleagues
from the School of Computing Science, hold monthly meetings with local entrepreneurs relating to
digital enterprises. There is also a benefactors fund for this area.
12. Despite our civic university work not being acknowledged in League Tables or financial rewards, we
consider it vital to contribute to our local community, emphasising our ‘excellence with a purpose’
credentials.
13. The work of the Business School was important in contributing to the University and a link with the
School and its activities was provided by Antony Jones and Greg Smith, who are both members of the
Business School Advisory Board in addition to Court. It was noted that business schools have the
potential for triple accreditation and we currently have two out of three, with the Association to Advance
Collegiate Schools of Business (ASCSB) accrediting team to visit the University shortly. The Business
School is also one of the most active academic units in terms of our International Strategy.
14. Globally the number of cities with populations over 10 million is expanding and these cities do not
always have strategies and expertise in the areas of health, sustainability and governance. There is an
opportunity for Newcastle to become an exemplar in this area and the leaders of the University and the
City Council should be congratulated on their successful collaboration.
Resolved that:
5.
i.
The Vice-Chancellor be thanked for an excellent and stimulating presentation.
ii.
Court members be thanked for their contributions to all of the recent presentations and discussions at
meetings, which had covered a broad range of the University’s key strategies and developments. In
addition, the role of Court members in promoting the University externally was acknowledged.
VICE-CHANCELLOR’S BUSINESS
Received:
A report from the Vice-Chancellor on current issues within the University.
[Circulated with the agenda as Document E]
Noted that:
1. The HEFCE grant allocation is provisional and can be adjusted retrospectively. This makes planning
difficult for all institutions.
2. Newcastle can sometimes be disadvantaged by its geographical position, particularly in relation to
London. The University’s current consideration of a possible base in London as a joint venture with
INTO could mitigate this.
3. In response to a resurgence of interest in the subject of Physics from school leavers, the University will
be introducing a new Physics degree with effect from 2015.
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4. While degrees in Sports Science are delivered elsewhere, few are offered from Medical Sciences
faculties. Our focus on the physiological and psychological elements of Sports Science would set us
apart from competitor institutions.
5. The University’s joint application with the University of Durham for funding from the University
Enterprise Zone scheme has the purpose of promoting business in the region. If successful, space in
Durham, Science Central and in our main campus, would be made available for this purpose.
6. The University’s team led by Professor Doug Turnbull were recognised as world leaders in
Mitochondrial Research. Only two other centres in the world are working in the same area but their
research is less advanced. As a result of this University’s pioneering work in the field of mitochondrial
donation treatment, a Government proposed Bill to be put before Parliament in the Autumn, is currently
out for consultation.
6.
VICE-CHANCELLOR’S QUESTIONS
Received from Lord Judd:
Are we sustaining our commendable commitment to access for a wide social spectrum both within
the UK and internationally?
Received:
A paper was tabled at the meeting updating Court on our Widening Participation activities, together with an
oral commentary from the Vice-Chancellor.
Noted that:
1. In terms of our recruitment from the North East, we exceed all national benchmarks.
2. Our national recruitment falls below the benchmark because we recruit most of our students from
outside the North East area. Research has shown that students from lower economic backgrounds do
not tend to travel far from their home areas.
3. Professor Ella Ritchie leads on the Realising Opportunities initiative along with 15 other universities, to
further develop Widening Participation.
4. In terms of our international recruitment we need to pay attention to country diversity as 40% of our
international student population come from China. Many factors influence international student
recruitment and while recruitment from the Indian Sub-continent has been low, this has in part resulted
from immigration policies.
5. In terms of financial support we offer bursaries and have found that students prefer their support to be
‘cash in hand’ rather than in the form of fee waivers.
6. In response to a query relating to how we contribute to the realisation of opportunities for those with
low aspirations, it was confirmed that we are targeting younger school pupils and we have found that
student ambassadors are effective recruiters.
7. In response to the challenges of widening participation the University intends to expand its PARTNERS
programme supported entry route nationally, extending to 900 schools across England.
8. In response to a query over how our figures compare with our Russell Group comparators, it was noted
that geographical location is key. Some universities such as Liverpool have a much larger catchment
area of students from the relevant background.
9. While this institution has been at the forefront of the widening participating field for 10 years in terms of
attracting applications, we need to focus more on output.
10. Our civic university credentials are included in our recruitment materials and also promoted at school
open days.
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11. While our graduate employment figures are good, no definitive data on repayment of loans is available
as yet.
7.
HONORARY DEGREES
Reported that:
Honorary Degrees Committee invites nominations in writing for the following year's Congregations. Any
member of Court, Council, the Alumni Consultative Group and Academic Board may make a nomination,
and support for nominees for honorary degrees should be sought only from these bodies. Where several
members make a joint nomination, one should be shown as the nominator and the others as supporters.
Principles for the award of Honorary Degrees outlines the criteria for awarding honorary degrees and
should be consulted before making a nomination.
[Circulated with the agenda as Document F]
The committee welcomes nominees from a diverse range of backgrounds.
Nominations for 2015 will close on 31 July 2014. To make a nomination please complete an Honorary
Degree Nomination Form.
[Circulated with the agenda as Document G]
Noted that:
A large number of nominations are received each year, making it vital that nominees are not told of their
nomination. This could potentially raise expectations which may not subsequently be fulfilled.
8.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
Noted that:
1. Our former Chancellor, Lord Patten, had recently announced that he would be stepping down from his
role as Chairman of the BBC Trust for health reasons.
2. This was the last meeting of Court attended by Professor Ella Ritchie, prior to her retirement in July of
this year.
Resolved that:
1. Lord Patten should receive a letter confirming Court’s best wishes for his recovery.
2. Court paid tribute to Professor Ritchie’s contribution to the University and more widely through her
public service and expressed all good wishes for her retirement.
9.
MEETINGS 2014-15
Reported that:
(a) Meetings of Court in the forthcoming academic year will be held on:
Tuesday 14 October 2014 at 1030
Friday 8 May 2015 at 1030
(b) Court Steering Committee has agreed that a presentation on the Coherent Campus should be the main
item on the agenda for the October meeting.
(c) This year’s Honorary Fellowship Awards Dinner will be held on Monday 13 October 2014.
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