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DOCUMENT ASPC112/12-13
UNIVERSITY OF BRADFORD
ACADEMIC STRATEGY AND PERFORMANCE COMMITTEE 6
Minutes of the Meeting held on Wednesday 13th February 2013
Present:
Prof M Cleary (Chair), Prof U Archibong, Dr G Bradshaw,
Prof S Congdon, Ms A Darnbrough, Ms J Davies, Ms A Dobrucki,
Prof R Greene, Mr P Jagger, Ms S Kershaw, Ms S Marsh,
Ms N Mirza, Mr A Rashid, Prof J Reast, Prof J Weiss, Mr C Wilson,
Prof B Winn, Prof A Wood.
Apologies:
Dr P Bagley, Ms B Colley, Ms S Matthews, Mr T Squire-Watt.
In Attendance:
Ms S Dyson, Ms J Holgate, Mr A Pearce.
Summary of Actions:
Minute
Agenda Item and Action
Responsibility
47.1
Initial Estates Master Plan and Health Care Proposal
SC / CW
That updates on the proposal and the revised campus master plan
would be presented to future meetings of the ASPC and Council,
as appropriate
Strategic
Planning Office
That the power point presentation slides would be uploaded to the
ASPC Blackboard Organisation
48.1.1
48.2.1
Smoking Shelters
That a business case in relation to the proposal would be
presented to a future meeting of the ASPC, for approval
Director of
Estates / Head
of Health and
Safety
That the Health and Safety Committee be requested to develop a
framework to support staff/students to stop smoking
Chair of HSC
Degree Classification and Regulations
SC
That an implementation action plan and communication strategy
would be developed as a matter of urgency, if the changes were
approved by Senate
49.1
Professional Services Review Report – Marketing and Recruitment
That the recommendations “owners” and “action completion dates”
were still to be finalised
SK / AD
That the four key posts, as detailed in the report, would be
advertised in the near future
SK
That regular updates on the implementation of the
recommendations would be presented to the ASPC
SK
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49.2.1
Approval of Honorary Visiting Professor – School of Life Sciences
MC / BW / RG
That the proposal to grant the title of Honorary Visiting Professor
was discussed and it was agreed that a meeting would be held
outside of the ASPC in relation to this case
50.1.1
Internal Grievances
BW / SC / JD
That the DVC Academic Development, the PVC Learning and
Teaching and the Director of HR would lead on addressing the
issues from these events and improving processes and
procedures
50.1.2
SMT Guiding Principles
MC / SK
That Document ASPC103 would be discussed by the SMT on the
26 February and a revised document would be presented to a
future ASPC
50.2
Update on UKBA Preparations
SC / Deans
That School staff be thanked for the additional work associated
with the UKBA audit
50.3
43.1.1 Applications 2013/14
43.1.2 That the Director of Academic Administration would meet with
Schools to discuss the courses that would require any additional
recruitment focus, particularly in relation to overseas activity;
51.4
AD
That following receipt of the University Student Number Control
Limit, intake targets for 2013/14 would be revisited with Deans and
an update be presented to the March ASPC
BW / AD
Planning Process 2013
Strategic
Planning Office
That Planning Guidance for Schools would be issued at the end of
February
51.5
43.1.3 Bank Borrowing Proposal
SK
That the Investment Plan and Funding Strategy for the period up to
2020 would be considered as part of the University’s annual
planning process
That Document ASPC105 would be presented to Council 2, for
discussion and agreement
51.6
Pensions Auto Enrolment
SK / AMD
That Document ASPC106 would be presented to Council 2, for
discussion and agreement
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51.7
Fees and Scholarships 2013/14 Update
SK
That an update would be presented to the July 2013 ASPC
51.8
TRAC Update
SK
That KPMG had facilitated a review of TRAC cross the sector and
feedback from this consultation would be presented to a future
ASPC
51.9
Implementation of the Academic Year
AP
That a web based version of the calendar would be developed
which would ensure core functions were undertaken at an
appropriate time and integrated more effectively
51.10
EDT/SCIM Task and Finish Group Update
BW / AW / AR
That a business case proposal would be presented to ASPC7 and
Senate 3, for consideration
51.11
Widening Participation and Access Update
SAD
That the Interim WPSA and NSP submissions would be reviewed
by the SMT and presented to the ASPC after their submission
44.12-13 Welcome
NOTED: That following new members were welcomed to the ASPC:
 Dr Bradshaw – Director of Quality Enhancement and Standards
 Ms Mirza – Director of Student Success
 Mr Rashid – Chair of SCIM Management Team.
45.12-13 Declaration of Interest
NOTED: Mr P Jagger in matters relating to NEST (M49.6 refers).
46.12-13 Routine Business
46.1
Notes from ASPC5 – 16 January 2013 (Document ASPC94/12-13)
RESOLVED: That the minutes from ASPC 5 (16 January) were approved as a correct
record.
46.2
Chair’s Action (Document ASPC95/12-13)
NOTED: That Document ASPC 95 reported the Honorary Visiting Professorship
renewal of Professor Peter Silley, School of Life Sciences (for a three year period from
the 2 January 2013) – approved by Chairperson’s Action: 17 January 2013.
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47.12-13 Strategic Discussion
47.1
Initial Estates Master Plan and Health Care Proposal (Document ASPC96/12-13)
NOTED:
47.1.1 A presentation by the PVC Learning and Teaching and the Director of
Estates and Facilities regarding proposals for a new Health and
Wellbeing Centre at the University;
47.1.2 That the presentation outlined the new requirements for health education
nationally and demonstrated the academic rationale underpinning the
reshaping of the campus;
47.1.3 That ASPC and Council had been informed of developments in relation
to this proposal during 2011/12 and 2012/13 (Documents ASPC62/11-12
and ASPC9/12-13 refer);
47.1.4 That the proposed location for the new Health and Wellbeing Centre was
described in the context of a revised campus master plan;
47.1.5 That the potential involvement in the first teaching dementia care home
(in collaboration with BUPA) was a significant development;
47.1.6 That whilst it was anticipated that the new Centre would be operational
by early 2015, the proposal would need to be assessed via the
University’s Investment Prioritisation Process (which would take place as
part of the annual planning cycle between the end of April – June 2013);
47.1.7 That updates on the proposal and the revised campus master plan
would be presented to future meetings of the ASPC and Council, as
appropriate (Action: SC / CW);
47.1.8 That the power point presentation slides would be uploaded to the ASPC
Blackboard Organisation (Action: Strategic Planning Office).
48.12-13 Committee Minutes
48.1
Health and Safety Committee – 25 January 2013 (Document ASPC97/12-13)
NOTED: The minutes of the HSC meeting held on the 25 January 2013. ASPC’s
attendance was drawn to the updates as noted on the HSC coversheet.
48.1.1 Smoking Shelters (Document ASPC98/12-13)
NOTED:
48.1.1.1
That a number of staff/students were reluctant to comply
with the “No Smoking Policy” (implemented September 2010)
and as such it was becoming increasingly difficult to police
the policy;
48.1.1.2
That following a debate at the Health and Safety Committee,
the Committee unanimously supported the proposal to erect
five smoking shelters on the city centre campus from
September 2013;
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48.1.1.3
That this would provide a focal area which
staff/students/visitors could be directed in order to remove
them from doorways and communal areas;
48.1.1.4
That some members of the ASPC were not comfortable with
the proposal and suggested that the shelters should be a
transitional arrangement rather than a permanent feature;
48.1.1.5
That a business case in relation to the proposal would be
presented to a future meeting of the ASPC, for approval
(Action: Director of Estates and Facilities / Head of
Health and Safety Services);
48.1.1.6
That the Health and Safety Committee be requested to
develop a framework to support staff/students to stop
smoking (Action: Chair of HSC).
RESOLVED:
48.2
Learning and Teaching Committee – 30 January 2013 (Document ASPC99/12-13)
NOTED: The minutes of the LTC meeting held on the 30 January 2013. ASPC’s
attendance was drawn to the updates as noted on the LTC coversheet.
48.2.1 Degree Classifications and Regulations at the University of Bradford
(Document ASPC100/12-13)
NOTED:
48.2.1.1
That Document ASPC100 would be considered by an
extraordinary meeting of Senate on the 13 February;
48.2.1.2
That the proposal had been subject to a robust debate at the
meeting of the Learning and Teaching Committee on the 30
January and had also been the focus of a recent Learning
and Teaching Open Forum on the 1 February which was
attended by over 200 members of staff;
48.2.1.3
That in making it recommendations, a Sub Group of the LTC
had taken into consideration feedback from consultation with
Schools (via ADLTs), the UBU and comments from External
Examiners;
48.2.1.4
That the proposed changes had been made with due regard
to the QAA Framework;
48.2.1.5
That an implementation action plan and communication
strategy would be developed as a matter of urgency, if the
changes were approved by Senate (Action: SC).
49.12-13 Items for Decision / Approval
49.1
Professional Service Review Report – Marketing and Recruitment (Document
ASPC101/12013)
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NOTED:
49.1.1 That Document ASPC101 was closed from the publication scheme
under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act for a period of six
months;
49.1.2 That the second “functional” Professional Services Review took place in
November/December 2012. It reviewed the University’s marketing and
recruitment function including marketing and recruitment teams based in
Corporate Services and Schools;
49.1.3 That the Executive Summary outlined the key recommendations;
49.1.4 That the recommendations “owners” and “action completion dates” were
still to be finalised (Action: SK / AD);
49.1.5 That the Director of Academic Administrative, marketing and recruitment
staff and the Campus Trade Unions had received the report prior to its
submission to ASPC and were broadly supportive;
RESOLVED:
49.1.6 That the ASPC supported the recommendations as noted in Document
ASPC101;
49.1.7 That the four key posts, as detailed in the report, would be advertised in
the near future (Action: SK);
49.1.8 That regular updates on the implementation of the recommendations
would be presented to the ASPC, as appropriate (Action: SK).
49.2
Approval of Honorary Visiting Professor – School of Life Sciences (Document
ASPC102/12-13)
NOTED:
49.2.1 That the proposal to grant the title of Honorary Visiting Professor was
discussed and it was agreed that a meeting would be held outside of the
ASPC in relation to this case (Action: MC / BW / RG);
49.2.2 That criteria/procedures that related to the appointment of Honorary and
Non-Paid Appointments (including: Honorary Visiting Appointments,
Honorary Visiting Professors, Emeritus Professors) was available from
the HR website at: http://www.brad.ac.uk/human-resources/informationfor-staff/policies-procedures-processes/honorary-non-paidappointments/ .
50.12-13
Items for Information / Updates
50.1
Vice Chancellor’s Business
50.1.1 Internal Grievances
NOTED:
50.1.1.1
That a recent internal report had upheld complaints of
bullying and harassment by three members of staff against
three other staff members;
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50.1.1.2
That the Vice Chancellor would apologise to the
complainants on behalf of the University;
50.1.1.3
That the DVC Academic Development, the PVC Learning
and Teaching and the Director of HR would lead on
addressing the issues from these events and improving
processes and procedures. An update would be presented
to a future meeting of the ASPC (Action: BW / SC / JD).
50.1.2 SMT Guiding Principles (Document ASPC103/12-13)
NOTED:
50.1.2.1
That the SMT was not part of the formal committee structure;
it was an Advisory Group to the Vice Chancellor;
50.1.2.2
That the Group met weekly and provided a forum for
discussion to identify the University’s key risks and
challenges and to debate current issues prior to committee
approval;
50.1.2.3
That ASPC members could forward agenda / discussion
items via their SMT leads;
50.1.2.4
The suggestion that “guiding principle” 2.1 could be
expanded to include “manage and keep under review the
key risks and matters of strategic significance”;
50.1.2.5
That Document ASPC103 would be discussed by the SMT
on the 26 February and a revised document would be
presented to a future ASPC (Action: MC / SK).
RESOLVED:
50.2
Update on UKBA Preparation (Tiers 2, 4 and 5) (Oral Report)
NOTED:
50.2.1 That a detailed action plan for Tier 4 had been developed and records
were being prepared for inspection;
50.2.2 That different systems of monitoring students’ attendance were being
harmonised and a new system would be operational in September 2013;
50.2.3 That new procedures had been introduced in HR regarding international
staff files;
50.2.4 That School staff be thanked for the additional work associated with the
UKBA audit (Action: SC / Deans).
50.3
Applications 2013/14 (Document ASPC104/12-13)
NOTED:
50.3.1 An update on admissions to the University for September 2013 entry (as
at 8 February);
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50.3.2 That the variation in applications by subject, compared to the sector,
would be discussed at the next meeting of the Recruitment Group
(Action: BW / AD);
50.3.3 That the Director of Academic Administration would meet with Schools to
discuss the courses that would require any additional recruitment focus,
particularly in relation to overseas activity; (Action: AD);
50.3.4 That following receipt of the University Student Number Control Limit,
intake targets for 2013/14 would be revisited with Deans and an update
be presented to the March ASPC (Action: BW / AD);
50.3.5 The continued need to recruit actively for 2013 entry both for the UK/EU
and the overseas markets.
50.4
Planning Process 2013 (Oral Report)
NOTED:
50.4.1 That Planning Guidance for Schools would be issued at the end of
February (Action: Strategic Planning Office);
50.4.2 That Spring Planning Meetings would take place in mid-late May.
50.5
Bank Borrowing Proposal (Document ASPC105/12-13)
NOTED:
50.5.1 That the Investment Plan and Funding Strategy for the period up to 2020
would be considered as part of the University’s annual planning process
(Action: SK);
50.5.2 That the University’s level of borrowing was below the sector average
and well within HEFCE’s regulations;
50.5.3 That Council 4 in July 2012 had approved additional borrowing of £5M
but it had not been necessary to draw down this money;
50.5.4 That recent discussions with banks showed that terms of borrowing were
favourable and Council agreement would be sought to negotiate
additional borrowing;
50.5.5 That ASPC supported the proposal to explore terms for increased
borrowing;
50.5.6 That Document ASPC105 would be presented to Council 2, for
discussion and agreement (Action: SK).
50.6
Pensions Auto Enrolment (Document ASPC106/12-13)
NOTED:
50.6.1 That pensions auto enrolment in accordance with the Pensions Act 2008
would apply to the University from July 2013;
50.6.2 That under current USS scheme rules, all staff of grade 7 and above
could only be offered the option of joining the USS scheme;
50.6.3 That currently only 47% of eligible employees joined the West Yorkshire
Pension Fund (WYPF) scheme although membership rates for USS
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were significantly higher. The main reason for the low take up of WYPF
was the high cost to employees;
50.6.4 That the proposal was for the University to explore a minimum
compliance pension scheme which would have a lower cost to the
employee (and the University) and could be offered to staff eligible for
WYPF membership;
50.6.5 That the advantage of this proposal would be to improve take up for
those currently with no pension provision;
50.6.6 That the Head of Finance had already met with the providers of two
minimum compliance schemes, the Government organised scheme
NEST and the People’s Pension Scheme;
50.6.7 That Document ASPC106 would be presented to Council 2, for
discussion and agreement (Action: SK / AMD).
50.7
Fees and Scholarship Scheme for 2013/14 Update (Document ASPC107/12-13)
NOTED:
50.7.1 That the document presented an update on Fees and Scholarships for
2013/14 as Document ASPC27/12-13 (considered at the October 2012
meeting) did not contain specific details in relation to international
support;
50.7.2 That the development of the fees and scholarships scheme for 2014/15
would follow the approved framework (Document ASPC142/11-12 refers)
and would be presented to the July 2013 ASPC. This would then enable
the data to be submitted to “KIS” in August (Action: SK).
50.8
TRAC Update (Document ASPC108/12-13)
NOTED:
50.8.1 For the information of the ASPC, Document ASPC108 presented the
TRAC Annual Report for 2011/12, which was submitted to HEFCE at the
end of January;
50.8.2 That the table on page 2 detailed the main results from the TRAC return
and provided a comparison with the previous year;
50.8.3 That KPMG had facilitated a review of TRAC cross the sector and
feedback from this consultation would be presented to a future ASPC
(Action: SK).
50.9
Implementation of the Academic Year (Oral Report)
NOTED:
50.9.1 That Senate 3 (March 2012) had supported the “Structure of the
Academic Year Proposal” and approved its implementation in the
academic year 2013/14;
50.9.2 That work continued in relation to implementing the specific
recommendations contained in this proposal (Document ASPC110/11-12
refers);
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50.9.3 That a new academic calendar had been published. It detailed key dates
associated with the new academic year structure for the remainder of the
current academic year and for 2013/14;
50.9.4 That the development of the dates for 2013/14 related to the activity
required to meet the new end date of “28 July 2014” for the notification
to students of the outcome of the supplementary assessment produced;
50.9.5 That a web based version of the calendar would be developed which
would ensure core functions were undertaken at an appropriate time and
integrated more effectively (Action: AP).
50.10 EDT/SCIM Task and Finish Group Update (Document ASPC109/12-13)
NOTED:
50.10.1 That a Task and Finish Group had been established to consider a case
for change for the proposed merger of EDT and SCIM;
50.10.2 That staff and student consultation would take place in late February /
early March;
50.10.3 That a business case proposal would be presented to ASPC7 and
Senate 3, for consideration (Action: BW / AW / AR).
50.11 Widening Participation and Access Update (Document ASPC110/12-13)
NOTED:
50.11.1 That the deadline for the submission of the following returns relating to
Widening Access and Participation was prior to the next Council:
Access Agreement 2014/15 (to OFFA)
Interim Widening Participation Strategic Assessment WPSA (to HEFCE)
National Scholarship Programme NSP (to OFFA)
50.11.2 That it would be proposed to Council that the Vice-Chancellor approve
the Access Agreement and that the submitted document would be
presented to the ASPC and Council in April;
50.11.3 That the Interim WPSA and NSP submissions would be reviewed by the
SMT and presented to the ASPC after their submission (Action: SAD).
50.12 HEFCE Catalyst Fund on Economic Growth – Expression of Interest (Document
ASPC111/12-13/12-13)
NOTED:
50.12.1 That an expression of interest for funding through the HEFCE Catalyst
Fund on Economic Growth had been submitted by EDT;
50.12.2 That the proposal aligned with the HEFCE funded Sustainable
Enterprise Centre;
50.12.3 That the University should receive notification of an outcome from
HEFCE in late February.
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51.12-13 Any Other Business
52.12-13 Date of Next Meeting – Wednesday 13th March 2013 at 9am
JH 14/2/13
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