Summary notes of the Executive Committee held on
11 June 2008
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BUSU Award
The Students' Union has been recognised as one of the top three SUs in the country in a new award to ‘celebrate excellence' hosted by the National Union of Students and Endsleigh Insurance.
- CBI Task Force
The Vice-Chancellor reported that she would be joining a new CBI Higher Education Task Force, designed to help shape the future relationship between business and higher education. The Task Force would comprise 16 chief executives from major companies in the UK and the country's top universities.
- Senior Appointments
The Senior Appointments Committee had recommended that Professor Millar become Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Professor Paul Maropoulos become Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering for a period of two years. These appointments were subject to confirmation by Council.
- Annual Report on Risk Management
The Director of Policy and Planning presented the annual report on risk management. This reviewed the full range of risks listed in the Risk Register, and the changes in risk levels identified over the course of the academic year, as flagged by the Committee or during the Annual Planning Cycle. Three changes were recommended:
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Withdrawal of SP3, development of strategic alliances with the wrong partners, given the net risk was very low at 7 and the introduction of the new pre-due diligence checklist.
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Introduction of a new risk component to FI5, the allocation of human resources dictated by new legislative requirements, on the grounds of diversion of resources from core activities and externally driven increases in staff levels.
- Introduction of an additional risk component to RP3, highlighting the possible impact on overseas student recruitment of failure to respond as effectively as competitors to the new points-based immigration system.
The Annual Report on Risk Management was approved for submission to Council.
- Draft Corporate Planning Statement
The Director of Policy and Planning introduced the first draft of the Corporate Planning Statement. This was one of the documents to be submitted to the HEFCE in December, but had been prepared well in advance to allow time for early consideration by Council.
The draft Corporate Planning Statement was approved for submission to Council subject to amendments identified in discussion.
- Institutional Identity
The Vice-Chancellor reported on a presentation by a group of undergraduate students from the School of Management on a project examining the University's branding and marketing. Both the presentation and the project had been of a high standard, and the students and their supervisor were to be commended.
The students had concluded that it was doubtful whether the traditional concepts of a brand or values could be successfully applied to the University because of the difficulty of obtaining common assent for any specific proposal. An alternative approach would be to establish an overarching institutional identity which could accommodate the different brands/values of different academic departments. The institutional identity proposed by the students had two elements: firstly, Bath students as 'all-rounders', in which academic excellence was combined in a highly distinctive way with extensive engagement in practical endeavours such as employer placements, volunteering, sports and the creative arts; and, secondly, the University as a community of these 'all-rounders'.
The Committee endorsed the proposed institutional identity, subject to careful specification of what 'all-rounder' meant, for both current students and graduates.
- Sickness Absence Policy, and Capability and Disciplinary Procedures
The Acting Director of Human Resources introduced three policies and procedures intended to assist managers with staff management responsibilities in dealing with performance issues. The campus TUs have been consulted, and had requested that they be allowed to attend the training that would be provided.
Sickness Absence Policy
This gave guidance on dealing with both short- and long-term sickness absence. The aim was to ensure the effective management of sickness absence by making sure that all staff understood what was expected of them, and that staff who took time off due to sickness absence were treated reasonably, consistently and fairly. The University had a good track record of providing support for those staff on long-term sickness absence, but more work was needed on dealing with cases of frequent short-term absence.
Capability Procedure
This gave guidance on the management of staff when performance and capability fall below the standards expected of a role. Outlines were given on what the University expected of staff, what staff could in turn expect from the University, the nature of unsatisfactory performance and lack of capability, and the informal and formal procedures for addressing these problems. Formal procedures for staff covered by Statute 25 would be in accordance with that Statute
Disciplinary Procedure
This also outlined what the University expected from staff, what staff could expect from the University, together with the categories of conduct that warranted disciplinary action and the procedures for informal resolution, formal investigation and review, and appeal. The procedure did not apply to staff covered by Statue 25.
Executive Committee agreed, subject to some amendments highlighted in discussion, that these new HR procedures should be forwarded to Council for approval.
- Proposed Health and Safety Policy and Action Plan
The University Secretary introduced a paper from the Safety, Health and Environment Unit outlining the results of a recent external of health and safety within the University, an action plan to address the various comments and recommendations made following the audit and an updated Health and Safety Policy.
Executive Committee agreed that the proposed Health and Safety Policy and audit action plan could be endorsed for formal consideration by Council.
- Proposed Policy Governing the use of Telephones, Email and the Internet by Staff
The University Secretary said that this policy followed on from the IT Acceptable Use Policy. It was intended to provide a framework of authorisation in dealing with requests for information about use of the internet and email by a member of staff, usually in relation to potential disciplinary action, and to make explicit that staff may be committing a criminal offence if they forwarded material of an illegal nature to other individuals, except in accordance with statutory procedures. The campus TUs had been consulted about the policy and were content with it. Executive Committee approved the new policy.
- Proposed Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy
The University Secretary said that this policy had been prepared in consultation with interested parties throughout the University. Advice had been also taken from relevant external bodies and equivalent policies at other HEIs reviewed. The policy was intended as an umbrella for the separate policies already in place in those parts of the University where contact with children was most likely to arise, and also to cover the rest of the University's operations.
CRB checks on staff and students working with children had been undertaken for some time. Hitherto these had been required only for new staff taking on such roles, but were now being gradually extended to existing staff. Further regulation would come into effect in 2009, with the creation of the Independent Safeguarding Authority, and the introduction of a legal requirement that all individuals working in a 'regulated activity' (estimated at 11 million in total) to be registered with the ISA on payment of a fee. The situation would be monitored
Executive Committee agreed that the proposed Policy could be endorsed for formal consideration by Council.
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Proposed Due-Diligence Checklist
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor said that this checklist would be useful in responding to all collaborative proposals submitted by external parties, and should be used at the earliest possible opportunity. It did not replace the need for full due-diligence, should a proposal be taken forward. The checklist would be 'owned' by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, who ensure that it was applied properly.
The Vice-Chancellor made clear that proposals would not be considered unless it could be demonstrated that the checklist had been followed. The Librarian said his staff could help in researching organisations in the UK , using standard databases. Checking overseas organisations would be much harder, though.
Executive Committee agreed that the checklist should be approved as an aide memoire for dealing with all external approaches to form possible strategic partnerships, in advance of the normal full due-diligence and consideration of specific proposals by the Committee.
The following items were received without comment:
Endowment Fund Policy
Summary report from the Director of Postgraduate Research Development: Key activities February 2008 to April 2008
Notes of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Heads of Department Committee: 28 April 2008
Notes of the School for Health Executive: 1 April 2008
Notes of the Bioscience Services Unit Management Committee: 22 April 2008
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