Summary notes of the Executive Committee held on 25 August 2004
- Science Research Investment Fund Round Three (SRIF3)
The HEFCE had announced that SRIF would continue at
£500M a year in 2006/07 and 2007/08, for the purpose of addressing
past under-investment in research infrastructure and improving the
utilisation of this infrastructure. Full guidance and conditional
allocations for HEIs would be published in early 2005; proposals from
HEIs would then have to be submitted not later than May 2005.
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) would lead
on the identification of priorities for the University's submission.
- Report on admissions for 2004
The Academic Registrar updated the Committee on the
2004 admissions round. Recruitment was still taking place and the
situation was therefore fluid.
Home/EU
A total of 1905 students had accepted places. This
was 48 under aggregated targets, but a significant number of offers
had yet to be confirmed, and some programmes had been allowed to enter
into clearing.
Faculty of Engineering and Design - every department
was expected to recruit to target, and the Faculty was expected to
overshoot by 27 in total. Chemical Engineering had obtained well-qualified
students after entering clearing.
Faculty of Science - expected to be 46 over target.
The Dean of Science reported that Mathematical Sciences had done extraordinarily
well, recruiting approximately 200 students even with a standard offer
of 3'A's.
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences - expected
to be slightly under target, but this would be corrected after insurance
offers had been confirmed and any remaining places filled through
clearing.
School of Management - also expected to meet target
after entering clearing.
School for Health - expected to be 1 over target.
Division of Lifelong Learning - the Foundation Year
and HND programmes were expected to be 89 under their combined targets.
The Director of Lifelong Learning pointed out that the recruitment
to these programmes ran on a later cycle than that for undergraduate
admissions.
Overseas
A total of 407 students had accepted offers. This was
23 over aggregated targets.
Faculty of Engineering and Design - expected to be
31 over target. Chemical Engineering was still recruiting.
Faculty of Science - expected to be 29 over target.
Physics and Biology and Biochemistry had experienced some difficulties
meeting their targets, but these had now been resolved.
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences - expected to be 38 over
target.
School of Management - expected to be on target.
Division of Lifelong Learning - the Foundation Year
and HND programmes were expected to undershoot their targets by a
total of 59 but, as with Home/EU students, recruitment was still taking
place.
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching)
summarised the report by saying that this year appeared to one of
the best for undergraduate recruitment for some time. Performance
had been strong across the board, even with significantly higher entry
standards.
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- Towards a Marketing Strategy: An initial discussion paper
The Director of Marketing and Communications said that
this paper intended to establish the parameters within which a Marketing
Strategy could be developed. Such a Strategy would articulate and
help to deliver the marketing objectives common to all three areas
of core business, and provide a point of reference for the strategies
developed for other support services. The core brand of the University
was a critical issue. Further work was required to define and reinforce
the University's position as a research-led institution across all
of its markets. This would involve research to establish how the University
was regarded in the various markets, an assessment of what members
of the University believed its current brand to be and how this should
be developed in the future, and identification of the measures required
to bring external perceptions in line with the desired brand.
While the Department of Marketing and Communications
would naturally lead on this work, it would be important for other
academic and support service departments to contribute in areas relevant
to their own activities.
A range of views were expressed on whether the University's
brand was sufficiently defined at this point in time to develop a
Marketing Strategy. It was possible that some departments did not
have an accurate perception of their own market position, nor that
of their main competitors. It was also thought that the cultivation
of a more customer-focused approach would be appropriate and necessary
for service departments, but that the relationship between a student
and his or her academic department would be better described as that
of a client, to reflect the pedagogic relationship between student
and teacher.
Agreed:
(i) That the parameters outlined in the paper could be approved as
a suitable basis for the development of a Marketing Strategy.
(ii) That an exercise to review the existing and desired branding
of the University should be included in the agenda for the Vice-Chancellor's
Retreat to be held in October.
- Estates matters
(a) Funding for proposed 4 West demolition and relocations
The total budget for this scheme was £11,270,000,
comprising £10,142,427 from SRIF2 and £1,127,573 of matching
funds from the University. Expenditure had been set at £5,460,845
for demolition and relocation works and £5,809,155 (including
VAT and fees) for the first phase of the new 4W facility.
(b) Estates Management Statistics
These statistics had been calculated as part of a HEFCE-sponsored
project to produce a meaningful set of data related to estates, that
could be used to measure performance against business indicators and
similar data from peer institutions. The peer group chosen for the
University was based on a combination of the 1994 Group with a few
other selected HEIs. This grouping could be changed.
The Committee noted the following key points apparent
from the statistics:
- Space per FTE student (defined as net internal space,
excluding circulation, but also GTA space and the STV) appeared to be
high. This contradicted some widespread and familiar beliefs about the
supposed lack of space within the University. The Space Management Committee
was investigating where excess space provision might exist as part of
an efficiency audit.
- Income generated per m2 did not compare well with peer
institutions.
- Capital expenditure per m2 was, by contrast, very high.
This could be attributed to the University's extensive building programme
over the past few years.
- Maintenance expenditure per m2 was low compared to peer
institutions, and would require a significant annual increase to match
the peer group average. The University appeared to have a less favourable
policy with respect to the capitalisation of maintenance expenditure.
- The condition of the estate, while more difficult to
measure in an objective manner, was poor relative to the peer group
and had deteriorated in each of the last three years.
The Director of Estates said that production of
the statistics had been an invaluable exercise in benchmarking for his
Department.
Agreed: That the Space Management Committee should produce
a selected set of comparative estates statistics, identifying key indicators
and trends, for presentation to the Executive Committee on a regular
basis. The comparator group would be adjusted to include HEIs with a
discipline mix more akin to that of the University.
(c) Development of an Estates Strategy: Outline project plan
The Director of Estates introduced this paper by saying
that preparation of an Estates Strategy had been pending for some time,
and could now proceed given that a strategic framework for the academic
development of the University had been outlined in the FASU Next Steps
document. The intention was to produce a Strategy mapping estates needs
against the strategic framework for a 5 to 10 year period, accompanied
by a 1 to 2 year operating plan. Options would be tested for different
scenarios. Possible objectives would also be tested according to whether
they were realistic and affordable, especially in the first five-year
period. The Director of Estates said that he would welcome feedback
on the quality of the existing estate, as this would help to underpin
development of the new Strategy.
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) pointed out that the
TRAC methodology required an asset management strategy. It therefore
would be advisable for the TRAC Steering Group to be consulted about
development of some aspects of the Estate Strategy.
Agreed: That the outline project
plan could be approved, with the exception that the Space Management
Committee, or a sub-group thereof, would act as the Steering Group,
possibly under the chairmanship of the Dean of Engineering and Design.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Director of Estates would give further
thought to this part of the plan.
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- RAE 2008 Panel Secretaries
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) reported that, following
the recent announcement on configuration of the Panels for the RAE
2008, the UK funding bodies were now seeking to recruit 15 Panel Secretaries.
These would attend Panel meetings, supporting the work of one main
panel and between 3 and 8 sub-panels. Commitment would vary over a
three-phase schedule, starting with 60-90 days in 2005, a further
20-30 days in 2007, and then increasing to 12 months full-time during
2008. HEIs would be reimbursed at a rate of £200 per day in
the first two phases and at full economic cost in the final phase.
The recruitment exercise offered a valuable
career development opportunity. Committee members were invited to
make nominations by 8 September. A shortlist would then be drawn up,
in time to submit an approved application to the HEFCE by their deadline
of 30 September.
The following items were received without comment:
Strategic Planning Group: Terms of Reference
Campus crime statistics by academic year
Notes of the TRAC Steering Group: 13 May 2004
Notes of the Institute for Integrated Industrial Innovation:
a) 15 June 2004
b) 28 June 2004
Notes of the Transport Strategy Consultative Working Group:
25 May 2004
Date of the next meeting: 8 September 2004
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