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This document is available electronically or in alternative formats on request.
TO: ALL MEMBERS OF COURT A meeting of the University Court constituted under the University of the West of Scotland (Amendment of the University of Paisley (Scotland) Order of Council 1993) Order of Council 2015 will be held on Monday 27th June 2016 at 2:00 pm in Room GT38/39, Ayr Campus Please allow 3 hours for this meeting. An informal lunch for members of Court will be available in Room GT25 at 1pm. Donna McMillan Secretary to Court
AGENDA Welcome
Apologies for Absence Declaration of Interest
1. 1.1
Minutes Minutes of Meeting held on 26th April 2016
Approval Document Attached
2.
Matters Arising
3. Determination of Any Other Business
4. Chair’s Statement
Information Oral Report
5. 5.1
Lanarkshire Campus Presentation by Professor Paul Martin, Depute Principal This paper is exempt from disclosure under Section 33 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
Approval
Paper 5.1
6. 6.1 6.2
Budget – 2016/2017 Presentation by Trevor Gabriele, Director of Finance This paper is exempt from disclosure under Section 33 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 This paper is exempt from disclosure under Section 33 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
Approval Approval
Paper 6.1 Paper 6.2
7. 7.1
Corporate Strategy 2014-2020 KPI Performance Status Report
Discussion
Paper 7.1
8. Progress in meeting objectives of ITDS Enabling Plan Presentation by David Johnston, Depute Director, ITDS
Discussion
Oral Report
9. 9.1
SAUWS SAUWS Annual Summary Report
Discussion
Paper 9.1
9.2 SAUWS Revised Constitution Approval Paper 9.2 10. Review of Effectiveness of Court 2016
Discussion Paper 10
11. HE Governance Briefing
Information Paper 11
12. Annual Legal Compliance Report
Information Paper 12
13. 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4
Report from Sub Committees Report from Meeting of Health, Safety & Sustainability Committee held on 24th May 2016 Report from Meeting of Audit & Risk Committee held on 31st May 2016 Report from Meeting of Policy & Resources Committee held on 7th June 2016 Remuneration Committee – Policy Guidance
Information Information Information Approval
Paper 13.1 Paper 13.2 Paper 13.3 Paper 13.4
14. 14.1
Senate Report from Meeting of Senate held on 8th June 20145
Information
Paper 14.1
15. Principal & Vice-Chancellor’s Highlight Report
Information Paper 15
16. Any Other Business
RESERVED BUSINESS
17. 17.1
Governance & Nominations Committee This paper is exempt from disclosure under Section 38 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
Approval
Paper 17.1
18. This paper is exempt from disclosure under Section 33 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
Approval Paper 18
Date of Next Meetings –12th September 2016 – 2pm – Paisley Campus
14th November 2016 - 2pm – Paisley Campus (this meeting will be followed by a University Dinner)
Dumfries, 26th April 2016 being the 43rd meeting of the Court of the University of the West of Scotland Present: Dr W Hatton (Chair) Ms L Barjonas Mr J Black Ms L Connolly Ms M Curran Mr R J Dinning Mr J Douglas Mr T Duff (via webex) Mr A Gordon Mr D Johnston Mr A Muir Professor C Mahoney Professor P Martin Professor C MacDonald Mr J McDougall Mr W Smith In attendance: Ms D McMillan Professor J Keay Professor M Foley Professor E Mesbahi Ms S Mitchell Mr T Gabriele Mr M Ross Mrs A Loudon Apologies for absence were received from Mr C Devlin, Ms M Gibson, Mr A Haseeb, Ms A Gifford and Professor A McGillivray and for early departure from Mr T Duff. Welcome The Chair welcomed the following members of staff in attendance as observers at Court: Dr Shirley Turberville Head of Dumfries Campus Ms Caroline Bell Marketing Manager Ms Janine Hunt Chief Executive, SAUWS Ms M Gunn Lecturer School of Business & Enterprise Declaration of Interest No declarations of interest were notified. 1. Minutes
The minutes of the meeting held on 9th February 2016 were approved as a correct record, subject to minor amendment, proposed by Ms M Curran and seconded by Mr A Gordon.
2. Matters Arising
There were no matters arising other than those contained elsewhere in the agenda.
3. Determination of Any Other Business
No additional items of business were notified.
4. Strategic Discussion and Presentation Item
The Vice Principal & Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research and Enterprise made a presentation updating Court on research and enterprise developments, priorities and plans since his appointment to the University in January. Members welcomed the useful insights and analysis of research and enterprise activity across the institution and the progress being made. It was agreed that it would be useful for a further update to be provided to Court next session.
5. Chair’s Statement
The Chair thanked members for their attendance and contributions at the Court Residential Event on 9th/10th February and commended those involved in the successful visit to the Paisley Campus by HRH The Princess Royal on 12th February. The Chair also thanked members for their participation in the recent 1-1 meetings. A summary of the discussion had been circulated to members for information and key themes would be taken forward in discussion with the Secretary to Court. The Chair advised that she had also met separately with the Chairs of Audit & Risk Committee and Policy & Resources Committee to identify further ways to further strengthen the operation of Court business. Court was updated on discussion at a recent meeting of the Committee of Scottish Chairs. In addition, the Vice Chair of Court updated members of discussion at a recent Committee of University Chairs Plenary meeting she had attended on behalf of the Chair. Finally, Court noted with regret that, due to work commitments, Mr A McIntyre had resigned from membership of Court.
6. Report from the Principal & Vice-Chancellor
Court noted for information the report which provided a summary of general information on University development and an overview of activities undertaken since the last meeting of Court.
7. SAUWS 7.1 SAUWS Update Report
Court noted for information the report which provided a summary of activities of the Student’s Association since the last meeting of Court. Court was pleased to note that the Association had been presented with the Higher Education Student
Union of the Year Award at the recent NUS Conference and agreed that congratulations should be passed on to those involved in this achievement.
8. HE Governance Bill
Court noted that the HE Governance Bill had now received Royal Assent. Details of the timescale for implementation were still awaited. Amendments required to the University’s Constitution would be taken forward via the Privy Council and the Scottish Parliament with the process being managed by the Governance & Nominations Committee.
9. Scottish Funding Council Indicative Allocations – 2016/2017
SFC Indicative Allocations for 2016/2017 were noted for information.
10. Outcome Agreement Refresh – 2016/2017
Court approved the refreshed 2016/20-17 Outcome Agreement for onward submission to the Funding Council, subject to minor amendment to make more explicit the support provided to students over the summer period.
11. Lanarkshire Campus – Interim Report Court noted for information the report which provided an update on the developing UWS Lanarkshire Campus Project. It was agreed that it would be useful for an additional briefing session to be provided to members of Court in advance of consideration of the Full Business Case at the June 2016 meeting.
12. Corporate Strategy 2014-2010 12.1 KPI Performance Update
Court noted for information the report which set out progress against selected KPIs, and the University’s plans and initiatives to improve its performance across the various measures. The revised reporting format was welcomed.
13. ELIR One Year Review Court endorsed the ELIR One Year Review Report for onward submission to the Quality Assurance Agency.
14. Reports from Sub Committees 14.1 Report from Meeting of Health, Safety & Sustainability Committee held on 23rd
February 2016
The report form the meeting of the Health, Safety & Sustainability Committee was noted for information.
14.2 Report from Meeting of Policy & Resources Committee held on 22nd March 2016
The report from the meeting of Policy & Resources Committee held on 22nd March 2016 was noted for information.
14.3 Report from Meeting of Audit & Risk Committee held on 29th March 2016
The report from the meeting of the Audit & Risk Committee held on 29th March 2026 was noted for information. Court approved the revised Internal Audit Service Terms of Reference.
14.4 Remuneration Committee – Revised Remit
Court approved the revised remit of the Remuneration Committee.
15. Senate 15.1 Report from Meeting of Senate held on 24th March 2016
The report from the meeting of Senate held on 24th March 2016 was noted for information.
16. Dates of Meeting – 2016/2017
Dates of meetings for the 2016/2017 academic session were noted for information.
There being no further business the Chair declared the meeting closed.
1
UC/270616/Paper 7.1
This document is available electronically or in alternative formats on request. To: Court
1. NAME OF PAPER Corporate Strategy: progress report on selected KPIs and plans to refresh the strategy
2. Responsibility/Owner? Marcus Ross (Director of Strategic Planning and Development)
3. Brief summary (include purpose of paper)
This paper provides: An update on progress against selected corporate
KPIs, including commentary on actions and plans to improve performance
A proposed approach and timeline for refreshing the Corporate Strategy.
4. Consultation to Date?
This paper includes a selected range of ‘priority’ KPIs, focusing on student success, global reach and finance. Following Court discussion earlier this year around the Corporate Strategy, the paper also includes an outline approach for refreshing the Strategy with a view to launching in late 2016.
4c Timing Implications (key deadlines, why decision is required at this meeting, implications if decision is deferred)
This paper, subject to Executive agreement, will be presented to Court for its meeting on 27 June.
4d Risk Assessment Required? No 5. Freedom of Information
Can this paper be included in Open Business? Yes
6. Specific decisions or actions required by the executive group (approval, discussion, action etc)
Court is asked to consider the latest progress against selected KPIs, and the proposed approach for refreshing the Corporate Strategy.
Authors Marcus Ross (Director of Strategic Planning and Development)
Phil Grigor (Head of Strategic Planning) Leanne Whiteside (Business Intelligence Analyst, ITDS) Jan Buchanan (Head of Finance)
Date 16 June 2016
2
Progress update on selected corporate KPIs
Introduction This paper includes progress updates on selected KPIs (focusing on student success, global reach and finance) which currently have the following Red-Amber-Green status:
Green = on or above interim target
Amber = up to 0.5 per cent below interim target
Red = over 0.5 per cent below interim target
KPI R-A-G
Student Success
3 % of students entering professional or managerial employment G
5 % of students undertaking postgraduate / doctoral studies G
Global Reach
9 % non-EU students enrolled (at our domestic campuses) A
10 Number of students enrolled on UWS degrees through TNE / online arrangements
R
Money and infrastructure
19 Turnover A
20 % of income spent on staffing R
The paper also includes more detailed narrative than in previous updates around initiatives and plans across the university to improve performance, and more detailed financial performance information. The data in this paper are available on the corporate KPI dashboard corporate KPI dashboard which was presented to the Executive Group and Court in early 2015. The dashboard gives the current R-A-G status and the latest available information for all 23 KPIs. Where available, the dashboard includes corresponding data for previous years and School-level information and, where appropriate, includes supporting measures to help monitor progress towards achieving relevant KPIs.
3
KPI update
Student success KPI 3: % of students entering professional or managerial employment
Target: 80% by AY 2019/20
Provisional data from the Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey published in April 2016 showed a substantial improvement in UWS students entering professional employment in 2014/15 – an increase of 7 percentage points (from 58.5 per cent in 2013/14 to 65.5 per cent), and well above the interim target of 61.3 per cent.
This overall improvement is reflected across all Schools, with increases of between 3 and 9 percentage points between 2013/14 and 2014/15.
The School of Business and Enterprise is strengthening links through the Enterprise Academy and Careers and Employability Service events and is continuing to support programme-specific events with employers through programme employability leads. It is also developing a range of work-related learning activities in all UG programmes to support the development of graduate attributes. New modules have been approved to support work-related learning, and the School plans to establish a Social Enterprise, with a business focus to provide business consultancy services. The School also
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4
plans to develop Brand Ambassadors from each degree to assist with employability development and awareness raising in industry, and widen the range of opportunities for student engagement with Businesses such as Flux and Markstrat.
The School of Education continues to focus on partnerships and practice placements to maintain and improve employability of graduates. The School monitors students within placement and develops skills needed for the workplace, and is engaging with Alumni relations to ensure best use is made of former students as ambassadors for career aspiration.
The School of Engineering and Computing is nurturing links with industry for all programmes, including employer-led School employability events and encouraging employer engagement in curriculum development. Employability Co-ordinators for Computing and Engineering & Physics will allow staff time to be dedicated to co-ordinate employment, sandwich placement and other work-based learning opportunities. The School plans to expand support for student enterprise, including start-up support from external bodies, improve employability and industry engagement in postgraduate programmes, and extend the Mentoring Programme (with all programmes offering at least eight mentoring opportunities).
The School of Health, Nursing and Midwifery aims to improve DLHE outcomes towards sector norms, and by August 2016 to achieve at least 90% of students entering professional or management employment. The School Enhancement Developer will liaise with Programme Leaders to capture graduate/ postgraduate employment data at regular stages after graduation, and detailed analysis of results will identify areas for improvement. The School will maintain links with professional stakeholders to ensure programmes support professional employment, and embed ‘preparation for employment’ sessions (delivered by Careers and Employability Services) in all undergraduate programmes.
The School of Media, Culture and Society is revising its programmes (for 2016/17 launch) to prioritise work-readiness through: work-related learning modules with academic credit; strategic engagement with external contributors working in managerial/professional positions providing inputs; and identification of employability-integrated assessment. There is ongoing work to engage student population with the graduate community, and the School will further develop its databases of alumni and partnerships and ensure these are being fully utilised for staff and students' benefit. The School will collaborate with Business and Enterprise colleagues to promote detailed understanding of embedding employability activities, understanding employment opportunities for academic areas and further develop innovative related enterprise activities for both staff and students. It will continue to support and enhance student showcase events and professional practice workshops to provide students with the platform to promote work and experience to industry markets.
The School of Science and Sport will develop internal placement opportunities, and 6-12 month internship models for graduates to work with research groups within the School. It will work with employability staff to develop a programme of support for 2016/17, and has initiated discussions with the Scottish Institute of Employment to develop enterprise activity within programmes. The School will work with Sport and Wellbeing to develop partnerships that provide opportunities for student placements, and enhance the Sport Scholarship Programme to deliver opportunities to deploy students in service delivery settings that will enhance employability opportunities.
5
KPI 5: % of students undertaking postgraduate / doctoral studies
Target: 20% by AY 2019/20
In May 2016, 15.3 per cent of UWS’ student population were studying at postgraduate or doctoral level. This was an increase of 3.7 percentage points from the 2014/15 figure and 2 percentage points higher than the 2015/16 target of 13.3 per cent.
Recruitment is under way for 2016/17, including both undergraduate and postgraduate (taught and research) students. It is early in the recruitment and admission cycle for postgraduate students; however, the volume of PGT offers is slightly up on this time last year.
Recent and planned postgraduate recruitment activities include:
‐ Around 90 UWS undergraduate students and members of the public attended the postgraduate information session at Paisley Campus. These attendees are being followed up to convert initial interest into applications.
‐ A postgraduate campaign for September 2016 entry was launched in late May. The campaign incorporates UK-wide digital advertising, social media campaigns and outdoor advertising, and is supported by a news release and promotion of recently validated programmes and those that have recently secured SAAS funding support.
‐ In conjunction with the International Centre, emails will be sent to partner institutions in our EU network to promote UWS’ postgraduate courses for 2016, highlighting the new Masters programmes and SAAS loan funding to which EU students have access.
‐ In conjunction with the School of MCS, an online campaign to target potential candidates is being launched in the UK and Europe for the new Masters programme in Cultural Diplomacy which is jointly delivered by UWS and the ICD in Berlin. The campaign is focused on those who have shown interest in postgraduate study and have relevant online interests (music, sports, culture, international events and festivals).
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6
Global Reach KPI 9: % non-EU students enrolled (at our domestic campuses)
Target: 20% of total student population by end AY 2019/20
At 31 May 2016, there were 483 fee-paying non-EU students at our domestic (Scottish) campuses which represented 3.9 per cent of UWS’ total student population.1 This was an increase from the 2014/15 figure (3.4 per cent) but below the interim target of 4.3 per cent. The headcount non-EU population in Scotland at 31 May was 525 students, and there were a further 21 FTE (42 headcount) distance learning students.2
Schools, the International Centre, Marketing and Communications, Finance, and Admissions and Recruitment are working in close partnership to implement and monitor the impact of recruitment plans that target a Trimester 3 intake.
UWS has a range of summer schools that act as preparatory courses in advance of the main September enrolment date. These summer schools are one area of focus for bridging the small gap in actual to target numbers this year – with intakes scheduled for July 2016.
KPI 10: Number of students enrolled on UWS degrees through TNE / online arrangements
Target: 3,000 students enrolled by end AY 2019/20
At 31 May, there were 118 TNE student enrolments, an increase of 97 from the 2014/15 figure but only around 30 per cent of the 2015/16 target (400).3 Further recruitment to TNE / online provision is expected during Trimester 3, subject to approval by local governments. For example, four collaborative partnerships were approved during 2015/16 but UWS is currently unable to recruit students as local government approval is still pending. These partnerships would have generated a minimum of 160 students during 2015/16.
1 This figure does not include enrolled PGT Masters students who are writing up dissertations and do not pay a fee during this period. 2 A further 10 distance learning students were assessment-only. 3 At 31 May, there was also one assessment-only TNE student.
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7
TNE recruitment for 2016/17 is under way. The International Centre is working with Schools to develop programmes and partnerships which will increase number of students enrolled on UWS degrees through TNE / online arrangements.
A total of 46 TNE partners have been recruited in 2015/16 against a target of 12. Delays in student recruitment by partners are predominantly due to waiting for approval to deliver programmes by in-country qualification authorities. Once approval is granted, students will be recruited as planned but may fall into the next academic cycle and the university still aims to reach the overall target of 3,000 students in 2019/20.
Money and Infrastructure KPI 19: Turnover
Target: £200m p.a. by end AY 2019/20
UWS’ final 2014/15 outturn was £103.2 million, a 1.7 per cent increase from 2013/14.
The target turnover in the 2015/16 budget is £107 million. Our draft forecast is currently sitting at £106 million, with costs and income in the remainder of the year being carefully monitored. All Schools and Professional Services are actively seeking to grow income and manage costs, and we remain committed to delivering a small surplus this year.
The London campus opened later than budgeted and two intakes were missed this has reduced actual income. London campus activity is increasing and the forecast is £1.1 million for the year.
SFC funding announcement for 2016/17 show a reduction of £2.3 million (3 per cent) this is factored in next year’s budget and mitigated by actions co-ordinated through Transformation Project in the current financial year.
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8
KPI 20: % of income spent on staffing
Target: % of income spent on staffing to reflect selected benchmark institutional norms by AY 2019/20
In 2014/15, UWS spent 64.2 per cent of income on staff, an increase of three percentage points compared with 2013/14. Schools and Departments are actively managing the staffing costs and achieved a slightly improved position at 31 December 2015 than budgeted. Increasing income requires appropriate numbers of staff to deliver the additional activity to grow the income.
A UWS Transformation Project is under way, with the objective of optimising both the academic delivery and professional services across the University to ensure the objectives of the Corporate Strategy can be achieved. Plans have been approved by the Vice Chancellor’s Executive Group that would deliver efficiencies across the organisation of some £6 million whilst enhancing delivery of the Corporate Strategy KPIs.
9
Corporate Strategy refresh – outline proposal Background
UWS launched its Corporate Strategy in October 2014. Following discussion at the Court meeting in February 2016, it is planned to refresh the strategy over the coming months with a view to presenting a revised document to Court for approval in the autumn and publishing thereafter. This is an opportunity to engage with colleagues and Court to re-affirm the strategic direction and ambitions of the University. Proposal
Key considerations of the refresh include the following:
The aim is not to fundamentally re-write or change direction of the strategy but to allow a greater focus on several key performance areas while retaining all 23 current indicators in some form
This is an opportunity to review and discuss the current indicators, consider whether new measures may be introduced, and achieve closer alignment between the university’s indicators and national measures used in league tables and other external monitoring
The refreshed strategy will be an opportunity to reflect the political and economic changes since the current strategy was launched
The strategy will also be an opportunity to align the strategy with internal initiatives such as the Transformation Project, and to reflect recent UWS progress in particular areas
Some aspects of the current strategy, such as the Ambitions, Purpose and Truths, are likely to remain unchanged.
Key areas and indicators
The proposal for the discussion on refreshing the strategy is to focus on the following three key areas:
1. Student success
2. Research and Enterprise
3. Global reach For the purposes of the discussion, each key area may have a small number of key measures which could have numeric targets to provide a clear indication of what success looks like, and to allow robust monitoring and reporting of performance and progress. Each key indicator may have a range of supporting measures and enablers which could help to achieve the overall strategic aims.
10
Engagement and indicative timeline
We plan to consult various stakeholders on the refreshed Corporate Strategy as follows:
April: - Initial discussion with Principal
- Discussion with the leads for each key area: Depute Principal, Chief Operating Officer, VP International, VP Research and Enterprise, Director of Finance
June - July: - Discussion at VCEG residential meeting (14 June)
- Initial staff communication (eBulletin, etc.)
- Staff engagement (workshops – all campuses)
- Draft refreshed strategy
- Initial refreshed strategy to VCEG for discussion and refinement
- Executive led discussion on refreshed strategy with Chair of Court / other members – individual and / or group workshops.
August: - Revised draft strategy to Executive
12th September - Court workshop to develop draft
14th November - Approval by Court
UC/270616/Paper 9.1
This document is available electronically or in alternative formats on request. To: Court 1. NAME OF PAPER
2. Responsibility/Owner?
Jack Douglas – President of SAUWS
3. Brief summary (include purpose of paper)
Annual Report to Court under S. 22 of Education Act 1994
4. Consultation to Date?
Ongoing through regular Court Reports
4b Further Consultation Planned?
N/A
4c Timing Implications (key deadlines, why decision is required at this meeting, implications if decision is deferred)
None applicable
4d Risk Assessment Required?
N/A
5. Freedom of Information
Can this paper be included in Open Business? Yes
6. Specific decisions or actions required by the executive group (approval, discussion, action etc)
Report for the information of Court.
Author Janine Hunt CEO Date 2nd June 2016
Annual Report 15-16
University Court
Jack Douglas
President
SAUWS
Introduction
Dear Court Members,
I am pleased to present the Students’ Association’s report of 2015-16. It is no doubt that this
academic year has been one of the most successful years for SAUWS. This year the Association has
been able to take part in promoting positive change for UWS students at all levels, at a community
level, an institutional level as well as at a national level.
The Students’ Association supports UWS and its dream to change lives, transform communities and
encourage enterprise, as outlined in UWS’s strategic plan. We have a direct involvement in assisting to
achieve UWS’s first dream of:
“Providing a student centred, personalised and distinctive learning and teaching experiences
underpinned by professionally relevant research, knowledge exchange and enterprise” - UWS
Corporate Strategy 2014-20, page 11
All of the work that we do is designed to give the students studying at UWS the best possible student
experience. As you will read in the coming pages, SAUWS has over 1055 student volunteers that work
to better the lives of students and our local communities.
At the beginning of this academic year SAUWS was engaged in a turnaround process, which focused
on transforming our organisation to ensure that we were fulfilling the requirements of our new
constitution. This process has greatly improved and modernised our governance and we now have a
Trustee Board, which includes external trustees from various sectors around Scotland. This will give
our organisation extra guidance and expertise to help us further develop. This process also involved
changes to our commercial services to stabilise them and put them on a path to ensure sustainability,
whilst also looking at how the organisation brands itself to ensure that SAUWS is more visible to its
students.
The turnaround process also recruited a new Chief Executive, Janine Hunt. This was a successful
appointment that will ensure the Students’ Association will be able to deliver on its aims and
objectives as a charity. Janine will also be essential in making sure that there is proper continuity
between the elected officers; and with the Board she will ensure the development of our next strategic
plan.
One of our proudest moments this year in particular was when we were awarded the NUS Scotland
Higher Education Students’ Association of the Year Award for all our work, development and
campaigning activity over the last year.
This has been a ground breaking year for our Students’ Association and we have a bright future
ahead. This document contains some of our achievements over the last year, we hope that members
of Court will see the change in the Association and feel as proud as we do of our achievements.
On behalf of the SAUWS Team,
Jack Douglas
Our Achievements in 2015-16
We are proud to present to members of Court SAUWS achievements for the last year.
Turnaround Process:
A new Chief Executive Officer.
A new Board of Trustees, with relevant external experience.
Diversified commercial operations to focus more on what students want.
Stabilised commercial activity with the commencement of longer term financial sustainability.
Education & Representation
Achievements:
Jointly developed a Student Partnership
Agreement with UWS to frame each
organisation’s responsibility for
developing the student experience.
477 Student Reps in academic year 2015
-16.
14 Student Fellows across the six
schools.
Students from Ayr, Dumfries, Hamilton
and Paisley took part in Student Voice to
have their say in setting the democratic
priorities of the organisation.
21 Students stood for nomination for our
Sabbatical elections.
The elections were gender balanced
1078 students voted in the
elections
Activity, Volunteering & Team UWS
Achievements:
Team UWS is improving year on year in
terms of BUCS performance. They are ranked
109th with 82.5 BUCS points.
We have 1,055 students are involved in our
volunteering activities.
Our Environment project has interacted with
1,822 members of the UWS community in
the last academic year.
Campaign Achievements:
SAUWS facilitated the donation of 15 tonnes of donations to refugees.
SAUWS facilitated six de-stress events for students. We did three in trimester one and two and
helped 600 students.
We have contributed to a national conversation on summer support for students with our
Summer Safety Net Report. Three of the five major political parties in Scotland have adopted
the recommendations, including the Scottish Government.
We raised awareness of mental health issues with our Wall of Stigma campaign and got over
400 students involved in this.
We engaged 957 students in the consultation process on the development of the new
Lanarkshire campus.
We managed to get local politicians to sign up to the pledge for rent controls, with Mhairi Black
MP being the first to make a commitment.
Advice & Welfare Achievements:
The Advice Service has assisted 339 students
studying at UWS from all campuses to the
1st June 2016.
We have given out over £13,265 to students
facing acute hardship.
The work that our advice service offers helps
to keep students studying at UWS.
Turnaround Process
The Students’ Association entered a business turnaround process in August 2015, with the view to
modernise and focus the Association on achieving a better student experience for students in the
future. The process concluded with the appointments of our new Chief Executive and Trustee Board
in February 2016.
During this time, the Board made a number of decisions designed to stabilise our commercial
services. Part of this was the introduction of Starbucks coffee and other brands to SAUWS on two
sites from February 2016. Starbucks coffee is now our highest selling product and the revenue that is
being generated from coffee sales is more than double that of the alcohol sales.
Commercial trading activities have seen a consistent trend year on year of falling bar sales as student
demographics and lifestyles change. This has led to SAUWS examining and diversifying our offer to
students to be more inclusive and more up to date.
SAUWS would like to thank the University for its support to ensure that the charity is able to build
and progress in the future. We would like to offer our special thanks to Michelle Shoebridge (Interim
COO) and Donna McMillan (Director of Corporate Services) for the work they have done to assist the
Association through this transition.
This is reflected by the Paisley union space relocating from level 3 to level 1 and fitted out as a
spacious, multi-use venue. As a result we are starting to see growth in terms of coffee and food sales,
which complement the student experience. Opening times, staffing levels and overheads have all
been examined across all sites to help drive down costs and maximize contribution from all trading
activities.
You can find the links to our annual accounts by clicking here.
Education & Representation Student Partnership Agreement
This year we launched the Student Partnership agreement with
UWS. This agreement clearly defines the relationship between
SAUWS and UWS and how we both work together to improve the
student experience.
Student Representation
SAUWS has seen an 8% increase in the number of Student
Representatives that we have, bringing the total number to 477.
This year 84 Student Representatives were trained, 100% of them
thought the training was beneficial and would recommend it to a fellow representative.
Having Student Representatives is key to providing a student-centred learning experience. They
regularly feedback on issues affecting the student experience. This allows academic colleagues to
make appropriate changes and improvements.
Student Fellows
The Student Fellow scheme was piloted last year and due to its success, it has been expanded from
one Fellow per school, to three. Each one of the Fellows in each school works on a specific area within
Research, Campaigning and Training.
The work that the Fellows do is based on the objectives contained within the Partnership Agreement
and on student transitions. Some of the key activities that they have undertaken this year are:
Developing and delivering a workshop on Self-Care and Mental health. This workshop was
pitched to 3rd year students to prepare them for honours study. This will positively contribute to
the strategic target of 25% of students progressing from level 9 to level 10 and towards the
target of 90% of full time students projected to receive an award. (UWS Strategic Plan 2014-
2020)
The Fellows are currently undertaking Research on the Personal Tutor system, with the goal of
disseminating the results across the UWS Community. The goal of the research is to improve
the Personal Tutor system to increase satisfaction rates with the Student Experience.
Student Voice
Student Voice is the democratic committee of the Students’ Association. In the last academic year,
there were four meetings. Each meeting was open to all students in Ayr, Dumfries, Hamilton and
Paisley. The meetings typically debate and pass policy which has an impact on students studying and
in relation to the wider community.
It is our intention that from the academic year 2016-17 this meeting will become entirely digital and
hosted online. This will allow any student at UWS, regardless of where they study to take part in the
meeting.
Key policies that were debated and passed at the Student Voice in this academic year were:
Safe Space – continues the Safe Space ethos within our Association.
Fighting against Austerity - fighting for social justice and to defend and extend free
education.
Caring for Carers – lobby Government for carers to keep the Carers Allowance while studying
and pass policy at NUS Scotland conference asking NUS to do the same.
Fossil Free Forever – mandates SAUWS to lobby UWS to keep our University free from Fossil
fuels investments and to lobby for ethical employment opportunities.
The Student Voice meetings enable students to have a say in how SAUWS represents them. It is also
key in helping the Students’ Association create a student community and along with our other
volunteering activities helps the Association foster a sense of belonging.
Student Elections
The main SAUWS elections took place this year in March. These elections were for our new
sabbatical positions:
President of Education - John Black
President of Societies & Citizenship - Heather Armstrong
President of Sport and Wellbeing - Johnathan Cranstoun
President of Student Support - Lisa McCusker
We had 21 nominations from all across the University. The entire process was gender balanced with
each position balanced 50/50 between men and women. The elections in March 2016 were the most
contested in SAUWS history.
The Sabbatical Team will be headed up by Heather Armstrong as the Senior Student Representative,
with John Black remaining the Second Court Representative. This arrangement is still subject to
approval from the University Court.
Quality Enhancement
The Students’ Association also support the University by participating in the quality enhancement
process. The Students’ Association facilitates feedback between the student body and the University,
and we have a primary responsibility for the support and training of student reps. SAUWS
contribution towards continued quality enhancement is made through various mechanisms and we
have identified some of the key contributions below.
Subject Health Reviews - SAUWS trains Student Representatives to be part of the
University’s subject health reviews. The student input into these reviews forms a key part of the
review process and helps to ensure the programmes that the University offer are fit for purpose
and engaging to the student population. This year we have participated in the reviews of:
Art, Music and Performance
Screen, Broadcast and Journalism
Education: Initial Professional Programmes
Sports & Exercise
Mental Health Nursing
Older Persons Health and Wellbeing
University Committees - the Sabbatical Officers and other elected representatives sit on 12
of the 17 current committees of UWS. SAUWS has contributed to the development of many
academic policies and procedures and has participated in the recent reviews of the regulatory
frameworks.
Enhancement Led Institutional
Reviews (ELIR) - SAUWS has been
heavily involved in the past three
cycles of ELIR, during which we have
contributed to the development of
the University’s reflective analysis.
We also participate in all of the ELIR
specific meetings and we will be
liaising with Quality Enhancement
Support Team (QuEST) for the
preparatory work going into ELIR
cycle four.
Activity, Volunteering & Team UWS
SAUWS is continuing to work to develop the student community. A big part of this is our wider
opportunities through engagement with Societies, Volunteering and Team UWS. SAUWS has over
1055 volunteers involved in Student Representation, Societies, Sports and Community volunteering.
The development work for the Student Community is based around research commissioned by the
NUS which shows that students who are involved, and feel part of the Student Community, are less
likely to withdraw. (NUS Connect—link available here)
This in turn helps to support UWS in its aim to ensure that 90% of full time students leave UWS with
an award.
Our own statistics show that no student who has been involved in our activities has withdrawn from
study.
Team UWS
Team UWS operates within the strong
partnership between SAUWS and the
University.
Team UWS has had a very successful year.
Our Hockey Team are now in the first
division, after winning their league. This is
the first time that a UWS team has
competed in this league.
30 individual athletes were taken to the
British University & Colleges Sport (BUCS)
National Championships
Thanks to the University sporting
scholarships, we now have a BUCS Gold
medallist competing for Team UWS as an individual athlete.
Currently Team UWS are ranked 109th in the BUCS leagues, with 82.5 BUCS points.
Societies
Over the last year we have increased the number of societies from 7 to 13. The Chemical
Engineering and Midwifery societies are our largest, with over 100 members each.
The Chemical Engineering society took part in the annual Frank Morton competition. The competition
sees a range of Universities compete in sporting, social and artistic competitions throughout the day.
The event includes a Chemical Engineer careers fair and has many opportunities to allow students to
develop professional networks.
The Midwifery Society has been affiliated to SAUWS since 2013-14 and as a result is our longest
affiliated academic society. Over the last year, they have arranged various activities for personal
development—with keynote speakers talking on subjects like Assisted Conception and the use of
Rebozo’s. They have also been invited to the Scottish Parliament to attend the celebration of the
Centenary of the Midwives (Scotland) Act. The Society are also hosting a study day on the 20th June
2016. This event will see 90 Midwifery students from all year groups brought to the Paisley Campus
for a day of personal development.
Our newest Academic Society is the Games Development society. This society is focused on providing
social and professional development opportunities for its members. The group hosts external speakers
and workshops and are planning on fundraising to support their group to the E3 games conference in
future.
Wider Volunteering
As part of our goal to provide wider volunteering opportunities we have worked with local charities
Migrant Help and Alzheimer's Scotland. Using funding which we received from Action Earth, our
volunteers have set up a garden in the Migrant Help complex to support refugees and asylum seekers
to have a safe, practical outdoors space where they can grow food and use the garden for therapy.
The volunteers also host regular workshops with Migrant Help in the Hub area. This allows the
students to interact with a wide variety of people and to raise awareness and understanding of
international issues.
With Alzheimer's Scotland, our volunteers have worked to provide therapeutic gardening sessions in
the Paisley Campus Garden. There have been several sessions over the last academic year and our
volunteers have been praised by Alzheimer's Scotland staff and service users for the care and support
they have offered. The garden work has been supported by the Climate Challenge Fund (CCF).
All of our volunteering provision and the three campus gardens are run from the Sustainability Hub
based on the Paisley Campus. This space also hosts a “free shop” which students can access anything
from clothing to crockery. The space is operated by fifty
volunteers, who work to help students be more
environmentally aware and live sustainably. Through all of its
services, the Sustainability Hub has had 1,822 visits from
members of the UWS Community in the last academic year.
The Hub was developed from funding that SAUWS received
from the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund (CCF).
The volunteering opportunities that we provide from the hub
have been described as life changing by one of the volunteers.
The work that SAUWS has done on sustainability has led to significant carbon reductions, less items
from the Association and University going to landfill and has begun to create a culture of up-cycling.
“I’ve been working in the
sustainability hub since October,
and it has been a life-changing
experience as a UWS student” -
Rayane Sid Idris—3rd year UWS
student
Welfare & Advice
SAUWS employs two part-time caseworkers to offer advice and support to students. We work closely
with UWS Student Services to ensure that we are not duplicating existing support options, and that
we have a seamless referral system between the two support services.
In addition, the caseworkers manage our hardship fund—which is £16,000 gifted by the University.
This fund is used to assist students with acute financial problems with the aim to increase student
retention.
The statistics below will give you an insight into the work that the caseworkers undertake.
The caseworkers have given out £12,366 in financial
support to students across Ayr, Hamilton and Paisley. The
amounts have ranged from £20 to £200, depending on the
individuals financial needs and circumstances. The reasons
have varied from SAAS payments not being paid in time to a
student requiring funds to travel to and from university
because of extreme hardship. Dumfries has access to its own
hardship fund via the Crichton foundation.
Financial hardship is often the primary reason that students
withdraw from study. By offering this fund, we are
helping to keep students studying at UWS.
Overall, the caseworkers have supported 339
students across the Scottish campuses since
the beginning of the academic year. The
majority of support has been given to students
at the Paisley campus and the least support
was required at the Dumfries campus.
SAUWS and Student Services work together to
ensure that each service compliments the other
and that students get the best possible advice
service. SAUWS will refer matters to do with
housing, benefits, visas and funding to Student
Services. In turn, Student Services refer
academic support enquiries to SAUWS.
Academic support includes academic appeals,
mitigation and support for students who are
subject to disciplinary procedures, including
matters of academic irregularity. Academic
finance relates to students who are
experiencing acute hardship as part of their
studies.
Campaigns One of SAUWS’ main objectives is to campaign to promote and defend the rights of students and their
welfare. We are at our core, an organisation dedicated to the improvement of students’ lives. Below
are some of the examples of campaigns which we have run over the last academic year.
Between Oct 2015 and Jan 2016 SAUWS were able to
successfully support the ‘Refugee Crisis Appeal’ and
to welcome migrants, refugees and asylum seekers to
Paisley and Glasgow areas.
The campaign was organised in partnership with the
Glasgow Night Shelter. Due to the overwhelming
responses SAUWS was able to collect more than 15
tonnes of donations ranging from camping equipment
to children’s clothes that were subsequently handed
over to the Glasgow Night Shelter and Glasgow, The
Caring City.
In addition to this we also ran a local campaign with the Paisley Daily Express, to welcome refugees to
Paisley and to help their integration process.
Refugee Crisis Appeal
There have been six very successful Paws against Stress events
across Paisley, Ayr and Hamilton campuses this academic year, the
first in November 2015 and the latest in April of this year. All
students and staff really enjoyed their experiences of meeting the
dogs, with some new dogs appearing at our events for the very first
time. A number of students overcame their fear and spent an
enjoyable time in the safe environment with the dogs. An average of
a hundred people came to each session with 14 dogs appearing at
each event.
Paws Against Stress
The ‘Mind Your Head’ campaign ran as part of a wider campaign to promote
positive mental health in Universities which was held on 3rd March. SAUWS
developed a booklet for students to help them through stressful or anxious
times. The booklet aims to help students understand their mental health
better, from living with anxiety and depression to how to help a friend. It
gives advice, tips and suggestions on different self-care techniques including
‘top ten’ ways to feel more optimistic. The booklet also has detailed
information about all the services that are there for students both at UWS/
SAUWS and external sources of support.
Students can find the document at http://www.sauws.org.uk/pageassets/
advice/Mental-Health-Booklet.pdf
Mind Your Head
SAUWS undertook its largest ever piece of research to produce a report on
student retention rates and used this as the cornerstone to lobby Scottish
parties to provide increased support to students. This report allowed us to
engage with senior Scottish politicians from all parties, including the SNP,
Scottish Government and opposition leaders. The report was also highlighted
and discussed at the Scottish Parliament during Education portfolio questions.
Three of the five Holyrood parties implemented the recommendations of the
report as part of their manifesto commitments in the 2016 Scottish Parliament
elections.
You can find the report at: http://www.sauws.org.uk/asset/News/6013/
SummerSupportReport_final2.pdf
Summer Safety Net
SAUWS won the NUS UK Disabled Students Campaign of
the Year for the ‘breaking down the wall of stigma’
campaign during Freshers. This campaign saw students
breaking down the wall of stigma by taking a ‘brick’
postcard off the wall brick by brick to reveal a message.
The message read:
‘At SAUWS, we operate a zero tolerance policy on bullying
and harassment. SAUWS aims to cut out the stigma
relating to mental health illness and ensure that all
students who have mental ill-health feel safe whilst at
UWS’.
This campaign involved 420 students over the welcome and induction period.
Wall of Stigma
At the beginning of the academic year, the students at the Hamilton campus were concerned at the
prospect of the proposed move of the Hamilton Campus to another area. In order for the Students’
Association to take a position on the project, we held a referendum vote on the Lanarkshire
Campus.
277 students at the Hamilton Campus voted in the 24 hour referendum. We also surveyed a further
680 students to determine SAUWS’ position. All in all there were 957 students engaged in this
campaign.
Lanarkshire Campus consultation
Rent Controls
Rent is one of the largest items of expenditure
for a student. Due to a general lack of housing,
some students may feel that they are being
exploited by landlords. Levels of exploitation to
tenants are quite high in private accommodation
around the UWS campuses, and students often
find that the quality of accommodation does not
match the price. Therefore, SAUWS ran a
campaign to get local politicians to sign a pledge
to vote for an introduction of rent caps. This was
to influence the housing bill in the UK
Government.
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UC/270616/Paper 9.2
This document is available electronically or in alternative formats on request.
Re-draft version v.1.6
To: Court
SAUWS Revised Constitution
Overview This document is SAUWS’ submission to the University Court and seeks the acknowledgement to change our core constitution. The introduction and policies contained within the attached document explain the changes to the constitution.
Students:
Membership Survey (March 2015) – 2,500 responses Student Focus groups (September-October 2015) – 45
participants Student Rep Congress (November 4th 2015)– 66
participants Student Voice (25th November 2015)– 30 participants
SAUWS Board: SAUWS Turnaround Board 10th February 2016 SAUWS Trustee Board – 10th February 2016 –
ratification of the changes to the Bye-Laws of the SAUWS constitution. External:
Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) – 23/5/2016
In addition to these consultations, the changes were also discussed with members of the Vice-Chancellor’s Executive Group. This was in order to agree a way forward for the proposed changes. The discussions took place with:
Chief Operating Officer Director of Corporate Support Depute Principal
Assessment of risk. Risk implications from constitution not being passed:
In order for SAUWS to be governed effectively, it is essential that we have our constitution approved by the University Court in line with the Education Act (1994)
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Equality Impact Assessment Equality Impact Assessment Attached? NO
(If NO, please state why not) Not applicable Resources N/A Decision sought/Recommendations to committee
Court is asked to approve the SAUWS Revised Constitution.
Freedom of Information Can this paper be included in open business? YES Author Jack Douglas – President Date 25th May 2016
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Executive Summary
This paper contains the following documents:
History of Changes Constitutional Changes
Colleagues should note that the Students’ Association has dedicated significant resources towards modernising our governance structure. The review of the sabbatical officers has been undertaken as a result of almost a full year of consultation with students.
This level of engagement is significant to the Students’ Association. As a result of the input, students have selected the following model for our officer structure:
4 Sabbatical Officers (Paid – Full Time) 7 Executive Officers (Volunteers) 4 Liberation Officers (Paid – part-time honorarium)
o Black & Minority Ethnic Students Officer o Disabled Students Officer o LGBT+ Officer o Women’s Officer
In compliance with the Education Act 1994, members of the University Court are being asked to approve the changes to the SAUWS constitution as outlined in this document. These changes relate to the number of Sabbatical Officers and other officers and their remits.
Background
We anticipate that colleagues in the Court will remember that in the last academic year, the Students’ Association undertook a review of our constitution. This review was carried-out, as it was the first time that the Students’ Association had undertaken a full review of its governance, as is good practice.
The University Court was advised in June 2015 that the process of reviewing the SAUWS constitution and bye-laws would be done in three stages, with the core constitution being undertaken first, then the officer remits second and our code of discipline third. The reason for this was due to governance development work being undertaken across the whole organisation.
Review Process
SAUWS used a number of mechanisms to consult with students over the changes to the officer remits.
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The first stage was to use the information that we gained from our Membership Survey in February 2015. This survey received 2,500 responses and from the results we identified several key areas which students felt that SAUWS should be working on. These included Education, Societies, Sports and Community Engagement & Volunteering.
These key areas were looked at by the SAUWS Executive Committee over the summer and a number of potential officer structures were drafted for consideration by the student body.
This was done in focus groups which took place in October 2015. From the focus groups we had 45 students take part, which was the largest interaction in this manner that SAUWS has had.
The focus groups refined the options that the SAUWS Executive Committee created and these options were taken to the Student Rep Congress on the 4th November 2015. At the Congress, 66 student reps discussed and debated the options and made further refinements to the models for the SAUWS Executive Committee to consider.
The SAUWS Executive Committee updated the drafts based on the feedback from Student Rep Congress, which created five options in total. These five options were presented to the Student Voice for debate and for them to democratically decide which option they would prefer.
The SAUWS Executive Committee made the recommendation that Student Voice should move to adopt the option which included:
Four Presidents (Sabbatical Officers) o President of Education o President of Societies & Citizenship o President of Sport & Wellbeing o President of Student Support
Seven Executive Officers o One student from each campus, including London (five in total) o One student to represent non-campus based students o One student to represent care-experienced students
Four Liberation Officers. o Black & Minority Ethnic Officer o Disabled Student’s Officer o LGBT+ Officer o Women’s Officer
This recommendation was approved by Student Voice on Wednesday 25th November 2015.
Proposed Changes
The new structure will allow the Association to move away from campus specific officer remits and will instead focus on issues which have been identified as important to the student body. The President role as it had existed will change, instead the Student Voice will elect two of the newly elected Sabbatical Officers to become the Senior Student Representative and the Second Court Representative.
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The person that is elected to be the Senior Student Representative will have the same responsibilities as the traditional President role as ‘a first amongst equals’, in that:
They will be the Primary Representative of the Students’ Association. They will attend the University Court as the “President” of the Students’ Association. The will liaise and consult with members of the University’s Executive Team and Senior
managers. They will be the spokesperson for SAUWS. They will chair the SAUWS Executive Committee and Trustee Board. To work closely with the Association’s Chief Executive to inform the strategic
management of the Charity.
The person that occupies the Second Court Representative role will have the same responsibilities as the Depute President of SAUWS, in that:
They will deputise for the Senior Student Representative in their absence. They will attend meetings of the University court as the Second elected representative.
There will also be new executive roles. We will continue to ensure that there is specific campus representation, with one student from each campus being able to be elected to the Executive Committee of SAUWS. This will result in five Executive Officers. There will also be a place reserved for students who do not study at UWS campuses and a place reserved for care experienced individuals.
The Senior Student Representative Election process involves the Student Voice selecting two of the four new Sabbatical Officers to be the SSR and the SCR, by transferable voting.
Next Steps
These new arrangements will be piloted in 2016 with a review being carried out and completed by the SAUWS Board by December 2016. Any further amendments required to the SAUWS constitution will be presented to Court for approval, in advance of our opening nominations for the 2017-18 officer team. The Director of Student Life will be an observer on the SAUWS Board from July 2016 and will have input into how the review is structured. We would welcome the University’s input into this review process and would invite UWS to confirm this key staff member to participate and liaise with us for the review process.
The Students’ Association takes its governance seriously and as a result it may become the norm for SAUWS to change its constitution on an annual, or two yearly basis. This is in line with best practice from other NUS affiliated Students’ Associations.
For example all University Students’ Associations in greater Glasgow have made significant constitutional changes in the last two years. The University of Strathclyde Students’ Association has made significant changes to its constitution consecutively for the last four years.
Impact Analysis
Any changes that we make to our constitution as the governing document, needs to be reported to the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator. In order to do that SAUWS requests that the University, as our Governing Body, approves these changes. If we were not to
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undertake this, we will be in breach of Section 66 of the Charities and Investment (Scotland) Act 2005.
The review process that we have gone through has strengthened the relationships between the Students’ Association and University Senior staff. The Association’s Chief Executive meets with the Chief Operating Officer on a monthly basis. The Membership Manager meets the Director of Corporate Support every other month and is in regular email contact.
The new officer positions have been created in consultation with the student body. This has led to a higher than normal level of engagement with our elections, where the Association had 21 students standing for the four sabbatical positions. The candidates who stood for election came from all across the University, at different points in their studies. We are also pleased to note that the candidate pools for each position were gender balanced between men and women. This has resulted in a gender balanced sabbatical team for 2016-17.
The Association is requesting the University Court to approve the changes to our constitution, a detail list of the changes are below:
Constitutional Changes
The changes to the constitution are to facilitate the re-organisation of the SAUWS sabbatical team. Specifically the changes:
Reduce the number of Sabbatical Officers from five to four Change the composition of the Executive Officers so that we have seven officers made
up of: o One person elected from each domestic campus (including London – five in total) o One person elected to represent non-campus students o One person elected to represent care leavers
Change all references to the President to be the Senior Student Representative. The detail of the changes can be found below:
Designation Page Number
Section Rationale
Core 6 6.VI.a SAUWS has reduced the number of Sabbatical Officers from five to four
Core 6 7. III.i.I SAUWS has reduced the number of Sabbatical Officers from five to four
Core 6 7.III.i.II SAUWS has changed the number of executive Officers from eight to seven
Core 6 7.III.i.III SAUWS has created four paid Liberation Officers that are to be part of the Executive Committee.
Core 6 7.III.i.IV SAUWS has defined that a Care Leavers’ Officer should be on the Executive Committee
Core 6 7.IV. The Liberation Officers will be selected from the existing group of students within the defined liberation groups. As these students will not be elected, the Liberation Officers will remain eligible to take office as a Sabbatical Officer in line with the Education Act for up to two terms. The section also outlines the process for the selection of the Care Leavers’ Officer.
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Core 10 18 Interpretation will now be the responsibility of the Senior Student Representative – as the new structure does not contain a “President”
Core 9 Glossary – Appointments Committee
This section has been removed from the glossary as all Board sub-committees will have their terms of reference drafted and approved by the Board.
Core 12 Glossary – Senior Student Representative
This change highlights that the Senior Student Representative will be treated as the President of the Students’ Association for the purpose of compliance with the University’s Constitution.
The Constitution as amended can be found in Appendix 1.
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Appendix 1
[DRAFT]
Constitution of the Students’ Association of the University of the West of Scotland
Passed 24/3/2015 Approved by Court June 2015
Review date June 2020
[draft version 2.0]
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Contents1. Name ................................................................................................................................................................... 1
2. Objects ............................................................................................................................................................... 1
3. Equality & Diversity ....................................................................................................................................... 1
4. Powers ................................................................................................................................................................ 1
5. Membership ...................................................................................................................................................... 2
6. Board of Trustees ........................................................................................................................................... 3
7. Executive ........................................................................................................................................................... 4
8. Student Voice ................................................................................................................................................... 5
9. Referenda .......................................................................................................................................................... 5
10. General Meetings ............................................................................................................................................ 6
11. Other committees .......................................................................................................................................... 6
12. Elections & Appointments ........................................................................................................................... 6
13. Sports Union ..................................................................................................................................................... 7
14. Clubs & Societies ............................................................................................................................................ 7
15. Amendments to the Constitution ............................................................................................................. 7
16. Amendments to the Bye-Laws .................................................................................................................. 7
17. Review ................................................................................................................................................................ 8
18. Interpretation ................................................................................................................................................... 8
19. Indemnity .......................................................................................................................................................... 8
20. Dissolution ......................................................................................................................................................... 8
Glossary of Terms ...................................................................................................................................................... 9
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1. Name There shall be an unincorporated Association of members in the name of the Students’ Association of the University of the West of Scotland or SAUWS (and in this constitution it is called “the Association”)
2. Objects
a) The Association’s objects are the advancement of education of Students at the University of the West of Scotland for the public benefit by:
a) Promoting the interests and welfare of Students at the University of the West of Scotland by providing representation, support and giving advice;
b) Being the recognised representative channel between Students and the University of the West of Scotland and any other external bodies;
c) Providing social, cultural, sporting, sustainability and recreational activities and forums for discussions and debate for the personal development of its Students.
3. Equality & Diversity The Association will seek at all times to:
I. Ensure that the Diversity of its membership is recognised and that equal access is available to all Members of any origin or orientation
II. Pursue its aims and objectives independent of any political party or religious group
III. Pursue equal opportunities by taking positive action within the law to facilitate participation of groups discriminated against by society
4. Powers The Association through its Board of Trustees shall have the following powers:
I. To be responsible for the day to day operation of the Association within its premises
II. To buy, lease, mortgage or sell any goods, things or property of any description necessary for the day to day running of the Association.
III. To hold a bank account in the name of the Association. IV. To pay all association expenses out of the funds of the Association. V. To invest the funds of the Association when not immediately required in any
manner whatsoever as from time to time may be determined by the Board of Trustees. Such investments will be legally compliant.
VI. To elect, appoint and dismiss office bearers of the Association in accordance with the relevant regulations contained within the attached bye-laws
VII. To designate some officer positions to be Sabbatical Officers which will be remunerated according to legislation.
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VIII. To exercise discipline over members of the Association in accordance with the regulations contained within the attached bye-law.
IX. To employ staff in order to further the objects of the Association in accordance with legislation.
X. To become members of any corporate or charitable body which has similar objects to the Association’s and to meet the appropriate subscriptions and charges.
XI. To support any RAG or similar fundraising activities carried out by its members for charitable causes, including the provision of administrative support, banking facilities and acting as a holding trustee of any funds raised.
XII. To carry out campaigns, seek to influence public opinion and make representations to and seek to influence governmental and other bodies and institutions regarding the reform, development and implementation of appropriate policies either alone or with other organisations. Such activities will be legally compliant.
XIII. To do all other things as may appear to be incidental or conductive to the attainment of the above.
XIV. These powers may only be exercised in the furtherance of the Association’s objects, as set out in this document and are the responsibility of the Board of Trustees
XV. For the avoidance of doubt, no part of the income or property of the Association shall (otherwise than in the pursuance of the Association’s charitable objects) be paid or transferred (directly or indirectly) to members, either in the course of the Association’s existence or on dissolution.
5. Membership General
I. Member’s details shall be entered in a register of members. II. Membership shall not be transferable and shall cease if:
III. They cease to be a student. For the avoidance of doubt this will include the situation where a Member’s Student Status with the University of the West of Scotland is revoked by the University of the West of Scotland.
IV. A decision is made to remove them from membership of the Association in accordance with the Association’s code of conduct.
The membership of the Association shall be as follows:
Ordinary Members
i. Each and every Student who has not opted out by notifying the University of the West of Scotland or the association of his or her wish not to be a Member of the Association.
ii. The Sabbatical Officers of the Association
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Associate Members
a) The Executive Committee may decide how and who to grant associate membership to at their discretion.
Reciprocal Members
Reciprocal members shall consist of:
a) Students Association’s with whom a reciprocal agreement has been concluded.
b) The Executive Committee shall decide the process and requirements to be fulfilled by any Students’ Association seeking to have reciprocal membership.
Life Members
Life members shall consist of:
a) A student who has been an ordinary member for at least one session who has applied and paid the fee set by the Executive Committee.
b) A person or persons who the Executive Committee defer Honorary Life Membership on for services to the Association.
6. Board of Trustees Definition and Remit
I. The Board of Trustees shall be responsible for: a) The management and administration of the Association and (subject to
the Education Act, this constitution and the bye-laws) may exercise all powers of the Association.
b) The governance of the Association; c) The budget of the Association d) The strategy of the Association
II. The Board of trustees may override any decision or policy made by the Members in any General Meeting, Referendum or Student Voice which the trustees consider (in their absolute discretion):
a) Has or may have financial implications b) Is or may be in breach of, contrary to or otherwise inconsistent with
legislation (including ultra vires); c) Affects the responsibilities of the Trustees as defined above.
III. The Board may, by power of attorney or otherwise, appoint any person to be the agent of the Association for such purposes and on such conditions as they determine.
IV. The Board may delegate any of their powers or functions to any committee or the implementation of any of their resolutions and day-to-day management of the affairs of the association to any person or committee in accordance with the conditions set out in this constitution.
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V. The Trustees shall establish the following committees (which is a non-exhaustive list) in accordance with their powers:
a) Appointments Committee b) Finance Committee c) Remuneration and HR Committee.
VI. Unless decided otherwise by the Board, the membership of the Board of Trustees shall be as follows:
a) Four Sabbatical officers b) Four Student Trustees who are appointed (one from each campus) c) Four External Trustees who are appointed
VII. The Quorum of the Board of Trustees is four and such quorum must include at least two sabbatical officers.
VIII. The board shall operate in accordance with the appropriate bye-law.
7. Executive Definition and Remit
I. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for: a) Representation b) Campaigning Work c) Implementation of Policy which has not been designated to another
committee. II. The Executive Committee shall not be responsible for the responsibilities of the
Trustee Board set out above. III. Membership
i. Unless decided otherwise by the Board, the Executive Committee shall include:
I. Four Sabbatical Officers II. Seven Executive Officers (with appropriate representation from
each campus) III. Four Liberation Officers (one from each Liberation Group) IV. One Care Leavers’ Officer
IV. For the avoidance of doubt, Liberation officers will be selected from the, LGBT+
group, Women’s Group, Black & Minority Ethnic group and the Disabled Students group through a mechanism decided by the relevant group. The Care Leavers’ Officer will be selected from the Care Leavers’ group through a mechanism decided by the group.
V. Quorum i. The Quorum of the Executive Committee is six and such quorum must
include at least two sabbatical officers. VI. The Executive shall operate in accordance with the appropriate bye-law
5
8. Student Voice Definition and Remit
I. The Student Voice shall be responsible for: a) Representing the voice of students b) Debating and setting the policy of the Association c) Making, repealing and amending bye-laws jointly with the Board d) Promoting any elections and referenda in the organisation
II. Membership
i. Unless decided otherwise by the Board the Student Voice shall include: 1. Any Ordinary Member of the Association
III. Quorum
i. The Student Voice shall be open and everyone should feel able to attend it to debate policy. Therefore there shall be no quorum set for the meeting.
IV. The Student Voice shall operate in accordance with the appropriate bye-law.
9. Referenda
I. A referendum may be called on any issue by: i. A resolution of the Executive Committee. ii. A vote of the Student Voice, where the vote took place at a meeting
where the number in attendance was equivalent to at least 10% of the students who voted in the most recent sabbatical officer elections.
iii. A secure petition signed by at least 5% of the membership.
II. A Referendum can be used to: i. Change the policy of the Association. ii. Change the constitution of the Association. iii. Pass a vote of no confidence in any officer who has been elected. If such a
motion is passed by a simple majority the officer will have deemed to have resigned from their position with immediate effect.
iv. For the avoidance of doubt, a referendum can overturn all decisions save those which are deemed by the Board of Trustees to be their responsibility.
III. For a Referendum to be valid, the following need to take place: i. 5% of the membership take part in the vote. ii. Members are given at least two University Weeks’ notice of the
referendum. IV. The Association will ensure that where required support is given to students
seeking to take a position in a referendum. V. A referendum cannot be called in relation to any issue which has already been
sent for referendum for a period of six months.
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VI. The Association will produce and publish guidance on how to call a referendum and the processes involved at the beginning of each Union Year.
10. General Meetings
I. General meetings may be called by: i. The Executive Committee, at any time. ii. A requisition submitted by at least 50 Ordinary members – in which case
the Executive Committee must call a General Meeting within two University Weeks.
II. A General meeting can be used to: i. Pass emergency policies of the Association which, if passed will be enacted
and upheld by the Executive Committee ii. Pass a motion of no confidence in any officer who has been elected by
cross campus ballot. If such a motion is passed by a simple majority the officer will have been deemed to have resigned from their position with immediate effect.
III. For a general meeting to be valid the following will need to take place; i. A notice of a general meeting will be circulated with at least 14 University
days’ notice. Such notice will contain the location, date and time of the meeting and the subject which is to be debated.
ii. No business shall be transacted at a general meeting unless a quorum is present. 200 or more Ordinary members are required for business to be transacted.
iii. If such a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting, the meeting shall stand adjourned until the following week on the same day at the same time or as the Trustees shall determine.
iv. If at the adjourned meeting a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting, the members present shall be allowed to conclude their business and the resulting action will be referred to the Board for ratification or approval, if the Board deems it appropriate.
IV. General meetings shall operate in accordance with the relevant bye-law
11. Other committees
The Association may via the Board of Trustees, Student Voice or General meeting decide to create other committees as it sees fit, such committees will operate within a defined timescale with a defined remit. They will also operate in accordance with the relevant bye-law.
12. Elections & Appointments
I. There shall be elections for all positions not specifically designated as appointed. II. Elections shall take place in accordance with the relevant bye-law
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III. Appointments shall be made in accordance with the relevant bye-law IV. All elections will be held using the Transferable Vote System V. All ballot papers shall include the option of “Re-Open Nominations” or “RON”.
VI. The Association will produce and publish guidance on the elections process at the
beginning of each Union Year.
13. Sports Union
The Association shall provide Sports Clubs and they shall be run in accordance with the Sports Union Constitution.
14. Clubs & Societies
The association shall provide Clubs, Societies and Star groups which shall be run in accordance with the Clubs, Societies & Star Groups Constitution.
15. Amendments to the Constitution I. Amendments to the Constitution shall be presented to the Board of Trustees and
the Student Voice by: a. The Executive Committee b. Any group of Ordinary Members, where such amendment has the signature
support of 100 ordinary members II. Amendments to the constitution shall be voted on by referendum, unless such
amendments are required by law or have financial implications, in which case the Board of Trustees has the power to change the constitution as required.
III. Amendments to the constitution shall be passed to the Court of the University of the West of Scotland for ratification, before final approval.
IV. Amendments to the constitution will take effect with immediate effect from the date of ratification.
16. Amendments to the Bye-Laws
I. Amendments to the bye-laws shall be presented to the Board of Trustees and the Student Voice by: a. The Executive Committee b. Any Sports Club, Club, Society or Star group c. Any group of Ordinary Members, where such amendment has the signature
support of 100 ordinary members II. Amendments to the bye-laws must be passed by a two-thirds majority of either
the Board or the Student Voice III. Amendments to the bye-laws shall be presented to the Court of the University of
the West of Scotland for their information
8
IV. Amendments to the bye-laws shall come into force as soon as they have been passed.
17. Review
The constitution shall be reviewed by the Board of Trustees and the Court of the University of the West of Scotland every five years.
18. Interpretation
The meanings of any defined terms used in this Constitution are set out in the Glossary. If any dispute arises in relation to the interpretation of this Constitution or any of the bye-laws, it shall be resolved by the Senior Student Representative.
19. Indemnity Without prejudice to any indemnity to which a Trustee may otherwise be entitled, every Trustee shall and every other officer or auditor of the Association may be indemnified out of the assets of the Association against any liability incurred by them in defending any proceedings, whether civil or criminal, in which judgement is given in their favour or in which they are acquitted or in connection with any application in which relief is granted to them by the court from liability for negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust in relation to the affairs of the Association, and against all costs, charges, losses, expenses or liabilities incurred by them in the execution and discharge of their duties in relation thereto.
20. Dissolution If any property remains after the Association has been wound up or dissolved and all debts and liabilities have been satisfied, it shall not be paid to or distributed among the Members of the Association. It shall instead be given or transferred to some other charitable institution or institutions having charitable purposes similar to those of the Association and which prohibits the distribution of its or their income and property among its or their members to an extent at least as great as this Constitution imposes upon the Association. The institution or institutions which are to benefit shall be chosen by the Trustees of the Association at or before the time of winding up or dissolution.
9
Glossary of Terms “Union Year” The period between 1st July in one Year to 30th
June in the next Year determined by the Association as the period during which Students are required to be registered with University of the West of Scotland. Each Union Year is for the time being divided into three trimesters
“Appointments Committee”
The committee set up in accordance with the bye-laws that will include the Senior Student Representative, the Chief Executive, two Sabbatical Trustees, two members elected by Student Voice and a person nominated by the University of the West of Scotland
“Board of Trustees” or “Board”
The Board of Trustees of the Association
“Bye-laws” The bye-laws setting out the working practices of the Association made from time to time in accordance with the constitution.
“Chair” The person who is in control of the meeting in terms of order, agenda and accountability.
“Chief Executive” The Chief Executive of the association who is appointed by the Board of Trustees;
“Constitution” This constitution of the Association; “Deputy Chair” The Deputy Chair of the Board of Trustees, who
shall be appointed in accordance with the constitution
“Disciplinary Board” A group of students appointed by the Student Voice to deal with alleged breaches of the Association’s Disciplinary Code (Bye-Law 4).
“Disciplinary Officer” Any staff member of the Association, or any Student Officer empowered to be so by the Board of Trustees.
“Education Act” The Education Act 1994; “Elected Officers” The Sabbatical Officers and the Part-Time
Officers; “the Executive Committee”
The Sabbatical Officers and the Part-Time Officers, except for the Union Chair;
“External Trustee” A Trustee appointed in accordance with the constitution who for the avoidance of doubt shall not be deemed to be either a major association office holder or a sabbatical association office holder for the purposes of section 22 of the Education Act
“in writing” Written, printed or transmitted writing including by electronic communication
“Honorary Office Bearers”
Officers which are not Ordinary Members of the Students’ Association.
“Members” Members of the Association being Students at University of the West of Scotland as further defined within the constitution and the Sabbatical Officers;
“NUS” National Union of Students
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“Part-Time Officers” The Members elected to be officers of the Association while continuing their studies at the University of the West of Scotland.
“Personal Interest” A financial interest or an interest that does not arise in the ordinary course of being a Member or a Trustee (for example, being a member of a club or society)
“Policy” Representative and campaigning policy set by Referenda or the Student Council in accordance with the constitution or by the Members in general meeting;
“RAG” The raise awareness/and give society which develops Students by providing them with an opportunity to raise funds for charitable causes
“Referendum” A ballot in which all Members of the Association are entitled to cast a vote, the protocol for which is set out in the bye-laws
“Returning Officer” A person who oversees the elections and referenda processes to ensure that such processes are free and fair.
“Sabbatical Officers” The individuals elected in accordance with the constitution (each of whom is a “major association office holder” for the purposes of section 22 of the Education Act)
“Sabbatical Trustee” A Trustee elected in accordance with the constitution
“Secure Petition” A written request to the Association which shall be fixed in a pre-arranged place or places or held securely online
“Senior Student Representative”
The Senior Student Representative of the Association, as elected by the Student Voice in accordance with the appropriate policy. The Senior Student Representative will be treated as the “President” of the Students’ Association as per the constitution of the University of the West of Scotland.
“Staff” Any person who is employed directly by the Association.
“Student” Any individual who is formally registered for an approved programme of study provided by the University of the West of Scotland. For the avoidance of doubt, the University of the West of Scotland shall determine whether or not an individual has student status;
“Student Voice” A mechanism to allow accountability, to get student feedback and to set policy constituted in accordance with this Constitution and the bye-laws of the Association.
“Student Trustee” A Trustee elected in accordance with the constitution who is a Student and for the avoidance of doubt shall not, for the purposes of Section 22 of the Education Act, be a major Association office holder
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“Transferable Vote System”
An election system in which the electorate ranks candidates in order of preference. The Association uses: Alternate Transferable Vote for positions in which there can only be one person elected – e.g sabbatical officers Single Transferable voting for positions in which more than one person can be elected, e.g executive officers and Delegations
“Trustee” and “Trustees” The Sabbatical Trustees, the Student Trustees, and the External Trustees
“Association” The Students’ Association of the University of the West of Scotland
“University of the West of Scotland” or “University”
University of the West of Scotland which was established by the merger of Paisley University and Bell College of Technology in August 2007
“University Week” Monday to Friday during Trimester one and two. Bank Holidays are not included in University Weeks.
UC/270616/Paper 10
This document is available electronically or in alternative formats on request.
To: Court REVIEW OF EFFECTIVENESS OF COURT 2016
Overview The paper provides a summary of the outcomes of
several processes which have been undertaken as part of the annual assessment of court effectiveness. These included a self assessment questionnaire for Court members, one to one dialogues between the Chair and Court members and a questionnaire in court effectiveness. In addition to the summary, the Chair, Secretary and Principal will be reviewing detailed comments on individual questionnaires on court effectiveness and further enhancements that might be considered.
Consultation to Date/Further Consultation Planned
All members of Court
Assessment of risk. N/A Equality Impact Assessment
Equality Impact Assessment Attached? NO Not require
Resource N/A Decision sought/ Recommendations to committee
Court is asked to note the report. Any additional observations from members would be welcome, along with recommendations on additional information/training sessions for the coming year.
Freedom of Information Can this paper be included in open business? YES
Author : Donna McMillan, Assistant Secretary to Court Date : 20th June 2016
Review of Effectiveness of Court 2016 It is good practice, and an expectation of the Code of Good HE Governance, that the Court to review its own effectiveness on an annual basis. Court’s review of its own effectiveness has been reviewed during the current academic year primarily through completion of self-assessment questionnaires and subsequent dialogue between the Chair and members and also through a questionnaire inviting members to reflect on the overall effectiveness of the Court. The outcome of the self-assessment and dialogue with chair identified the following:
Court members were clear about the distinction between executive management and corporate governance
There was a strong focus within the Court on the delivery of the Corporate Strategy and the value of KPIs as tools in maintaining this focus
The diversity within Court membership from a broad range of sectors is an
identified strength
That enhancements could be made to papers provided to Court to make them more concise with sufficient context in the covering paper addressing risks and opportunities in proposals presented by the executive, with full details provided as an appendix
That greater visibility might be given on the progress of people issues in the Corporate Strategy
That consideration might be given to a template for absent members to submit
comments on papers in advance of a meeting of Court they are unable to attend.
That further opportunities could be sought to improve the connectivity between Court and students and staff
That given Court meets quarterly, opportunities for Court members to meet each
other and with Executive in addition to formal Court meetings might be considered
WebEx is embedding as a useful tool for Court members who are unable to
attend meetings and technological support for such mechanisms is welcomed and increasingly important in the multi-campus environment
That briefing notes/communications on key issues on the Court website could
help Court members to o Be better prepared for some court discussions o Be able to promote UWS in other arenas
The outcome of the recent Court effectiveness questionnaires indicated that:
The Statement of Responsibilities of Court are being satisfied
There is clarity on the roles of the officers of the Court
Court members view the induction and ongoing briefing of Court members as being appropriate but could be improved, for example the buddy system for new Court members be refreshed
There is alignment with the Scottish Code of Good HE Governance
Arrangements for Court meetings are satisfactory and the pilot of alternate times of day for meetings has been valuable and should be continued
The Court Handbook and associated website are useful and comprehensive
One to one sessions between the Chair and members were useful and should
continue
The current structure of Court sub-Committees is appropriate but there is scope for improvement eg the establishment of a separate committee to facilitate detailed scrutiny and oversight of major capital asset projects
Court would welcome more opportunities to network with each other and to meet
students and staff
Court members are sufficiently briefed on institutional vision, culture and values; and the academic offer at UWS but would welcome a fuller understanding of the profile of students and the expertise, specialisms, research and achievements of staff.
Actions In addition, now that the HE Governance (Scotland) Act 2016 has completed its parliamentary process, the Court Office will commence a review of the Standing orders, ensuring these are appropriate for current needs and practice and to enhance the scheme of delegation if required. Meantime, the schedule of Court meetings for 2016-17 will retain the variety in times of day for meetings and a new catch-up slot will be scheduled before each Court meeting where members can catch up with each other and where Executive colleagues will be available to Court members. Additional opportunities for more in depth dialogue with Court on substantial strategic issues will also be considered. Attention will be given to the feedback on Court papers in terms of conciseness, balanced with sufficient context. Consideration will be given to the establishment of briefing notes/communication for Court in addition to the existing newsletter format. A “National Contribution” Highlight paper will be provided to Court to assist is ambassadorial conversations. Consideration will be given to refreshing the induction buddying system. Detailed comments from the effectiveness questionnaire will be considered by the Secretary, Principal and Chair over the summer with a view to improving Court’s effectiveness.
Court may have additional observations that it wishes to note at its meeting on 27th June and may also make recommendations on additional information/training sessions for Court members that may be useful in its work in the coming year. Donna McMillan Secretary to Court June 2016
UC/270616/Paper 11
This document is available electronically or in alternative formats on request.
To: Court HE GOVERNANCE BRIEFING
Overview This report summarises three of the key issues relating to
University Governance at present: The HE Governance (Scotland) Act 2016 The Review of the Scottish Code of Good HE
Governance The Higher Education Bill (UK Government)
Consultation to Date/Further Consultation Planned
Vice-Chancellor’s Executive Group
Assessment of risk. N/A
Equality Impact Assessment
Equality Impact Assessment Attached? No
Resources
N/A
Decision sought/ Recommendations to committee
This report is for the information of Court
Freedom of Information Can this paper be included in open business? YES
Author Donna McMillan, Secretary to Court Date 17th June 2016
HIGHER EDUCATION GOVERNANCE BRIEFING This paper summarises three of the key issues relating to University Governance at present:
The HE Governance (Scotland) Act 2016 The Review of the Scottish Code of Good HE Governance The Higher Education Bill (UK government)
The HE Governance (Scotland) Act 2016 The Bill for the Act of the Scottish Parliament was passed by the Parliament on 8th March 2016 and received Royal Assent on 13th April 2016. Date of commencement is expected to be sometime after the summer recess, possibly towards the end of the calendar year 2016. Once guidance is received on commencement and transition dates from the Scottish Government, the Governance and Nominations Committee of Court will consider work streams associated with the Act. However, this will require amendments to the University’s Constitutional framework through parliamentary processes in due course. Review of the Scottish Code of Good HE Governance In 2013, the Scottish Code of Good Higher Education Governance (‘the Code’) was introduced. At that time, the Committee of Scottish Chairs (CSC), the Chairs of the Governing Bodies of Scottish higher education institutions (HEIs), made a commitment to review the Code after three years. To carry out this review, the CSC has commissioned a Code Review Steering Group, which includes both independent members and representatives of key stakeholder groups, who collectively bring a wide range of experience from governance roles in HE and other sectors. The Steering Group will look at additions and alterations to HE governance arrangements which have arisen in the three years since the Code was originally introduced. This includes the consideration of how the Code should reflect the requirements of the Higher Education Governance (Scotland) Act 2016. As part of the review process, the Steering Group has commissioned consultants from the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education (LFHE) to gather and analyse evidence through a comprehensive consultation process. The consultants will gather views in the following four ways between June and October 2016: a) Structured meetings at HEIs b) Meetings with key stakeholders at national level c) Online survey of all current governors, and former governors who served on the
Governing Body of an HEI during the period of the current Code d) Open public consultation The consultants and the Steering Group will be seeking assistance from HEIs with a, c and d.
Review Group Chair Ian Marchant Wood Group plc and Maggie’s Cancer Centres; Honorary President,
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland; formerly Chief Executive of SSE; honorary professor at three universities
Independent members Keir Bloomer Recent Chair of the Court of Queen Margaret University; a member of
the Curriculum for Excellence review group; formerly Chief Executive, Clackmannanshire Council
Lesley Knox Chair Dundee Design Limited and Grosvenor Group Limited; Deputy
Chair National Galleries; Non-executive director SABMiller Plc, Centrica Plc and Thomas Cook group Plc. Formerly head of institutional asset management at Kleinwort Benson and Governor or British Linen Bank.
Prof Stuart Monro Member of Court at St. Andrews University; former Vice-Convener of the Court (i.e. ‘Senior Governor’) of Edinburgh University; Scientific Director of the Scottish Consortium for Rural Research
Prof Ann Smyth Former member of Court, University of Edinburgh; Director of Training
for Psychology Services in NHS Education for Scotland
Tony Strachan Deputy-Chair of the Court of Heriot-Watt University; Member of the Open University in Scotland’s External Advisory Group; formerly Agent for Scotland of the Bank of England
Student members Emily Beever Women's Officer, NUS Scotland (to July 2016) Vonnie Sandlan President, NUS Scotland (from July 2016) Pat Mathewson President, University of St Andrews Students Association STUC nominees Helen Martin STUC Emma Philips UNISON Contracted consultants Helen Baird Leadership Foundation for Higher Education John Lauwerys Leadership Foundation for Higher Education Aaron Porter Leadership Foundation for Higher Education Small Specialist Institutions’ representative Ewan Hainey Secretary to the Board, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Secretariat Daniel Wedgwood Senior Policy Officer, Universities Scotland
Timeline May 2016 Guidance note for HEIs agreed and circulated June 2016 Open public consultation begins
Chair writes to key stakeholders inviting them to meetings Chair writes to stakeholders encouraging them to respond to consultation Initial few structured meetings with HEIs Meetings with key stakeholders
July – Aug 2016 Open public consultation ongoing September 2016 Open public consultation closes
Majority of structured meetings with HEIs Online survey of all current governors opens
October 2016 Additional meetings as required Online survey of all current governors closes
December 2016 Evidence gathering concludes Consultants present findings to the group
2017 Additional meetings of the Steering Group if required and consultation
The Higher Education Bill (UK government) A white paper Success as a knowledge economy: teaching excellence, social mobility and student choice was published on 16 May 2016 by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) setting out the UK government’s intentions to reform Higher Education and Research System as part of the Bill for Higher Education and Research progressing at Westminster (currently at second stage reading in the House of Commons). This is accompanied by two further documents for consultation with the sector: the technical consultation on TEF Teaching Excellence Framework: year 2 and a call for evidence on Accelerated courses and switching university or degree. The legislation is aimed at the HE sector in the rest of the UK, but will have some implications for Scotland. The main points from the white paper are:
Reducing the number of arms’-length bodies from 10 to two (namely the Office for Students and UK Research & Innovation) replacing current bodies such as HEFCE and QAA in England.
Creating an Office for Students (merging the Office for Fair Access with the learning and teaching functions of the Higher Education Funding Council for England).
Establishing a single research funding body, UK Research & Innovation, bringing
together the seven research councils, Innovate UK, and the research and knowledge exchange functions of the Higher Education Funding Council for England
Retaining the proposed link between the teaching excellence framework and tuition
fees, but phasing the system in more slowly, with formal assessments of providers’ performance on measures such as student satisfaction leading to differentiated fee caps, beginning in the third year of the scheme
Further opening of the HE market in the RUK environment. Allowing inflationary
increases in tuition fees for participating institutions that meet basic standards in 2017-18 and 2018-19, ahead of the introduction of differentiated caps in 2019-2
Piloting of subject-level TEF assessments in the third year of the scheme, ahead of
full introduction in year four
Assessing universities according to their performance on student satisfaction, retention and graduate employment, as well as other metrics yet to be developed, while also drawing on qualitative institutional submissions and expert judgements
Allowing new providers to offer their own degrees from the day that they open, on a
probationary basis that requires them to be subject to ongoing monitoring and annual reviews
Allowing new providers to apply for full degree-awarding powers after three years,
and to apply for university title three years after that
Allowing new providers to charge tuition fees of up to £9,000, rather than £6,000 as is currently the case, if they have an access agreement in place
Reducing the size threshold – currently 1,000 students – required for applications
for university title
Requiring all providers to have protection plans in place setting out how students would be supported in the event of institutional closure
Launching a call for evidence looking at whether students should be able to switch
university course more easily
Placing a requirement on universities to publish admissions data broken down by gender, ethnicity and socio-economic background
Allowing the Office for Students to promote not only access but also “participation”,
including retention and graduate employment. Implications for Scottish HEIs There are a number of very specific issues within the white paper that Scottish HEIs need to keep under close review in terms of Methodology and Comparability: Scottish HEIS have committed over the last 10 years to the Enhancement-Led approach to Quality Assurance as demonstrated in the ELIR (Enhancement Led Institutional Review) process. The TEF would introduce an additional element of audit methodology. There needs to be further discussion and agreement across the sector on how can the elements of the QEF be recognised in the TEF – there is a strong feeling in the Scottish Sector that ELIR outcomes must go further than TEF 1. It has been acknowledged that in year one all
providers with a positive QA award (this includes all 18 HEIs in Scotland) will receive a “meets expectations” award – the lowest of the three approval ratings after Outstanding and Excellent – and will not have to apply to be considered. The use of metrics as part of the TEF causes additional challenges for Scottish HEIs given that Scottish degrees differ in structure and duration and this could create different outcomes in the TEF if the metrics do not reflect this. Scottish HEIS are committed to the Enhancement-Led approach to Quality Assurance as demonstrated in the ELIR (Enhancement Led Institutional Review) process. Universities Scotland are looking to map TEF to the Quality Enhancement Framework in order to identify areas of comparability. There is a need for Scottish Institutions to be aware of the global perception of institutions not featuring the TEF – institutional quality and reputation may be questioned. This could potentially have a significant impact on international recruitment, TNE and collaborative partnerships. Not all Scottish HEIs may choose to participate in the TEF again giving challenges in comparability of league table scores that may derive from TEF outcomes. In addition different measuring tools are used across the UK for analysis for example, the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) to measure widening access in Scotland rather than the POLAR methodology used by HEFCE and will make a straight read across of metrics across the UK difficult. The White Paper outlines a commitment to continuing to explore how BIS can encourage greater take up of two year degrees for students who want a higher education qualification but who prefer to spread less time out of the labour market. A two year honours degree would represent a very distinctive offer compared to the Scottish four year honours programme. The UK Government also sets out a number of measures designed to ensure that those doing the most to support widening participation are recognised for this. It gives a role to the Director for Fair Access who currently has no remit in Scotland. Looking Forward BIS has confirmed that it will continue to work with the devolved nations as the TEF develops to ensure that it is compatible. Further metrics and ratings are proposed for years 2 and 3 of TEF implementation and Universities Scotland are involved in discussions around the consultation for this. Thereafter there will be consideration of including postgraduate provision. While BIS has no locus over Scottish Higher Education it is recognised that as part of the UK HE Sector, the Scottish Universities and HEIs will be affected by elements of this UK legislation: in particular the proposals for a single research funding body in the UK and the TEF which is the subject of discussion within our sector, particularly the Learning and Teaching Committee of Universities Scotland (Chaired by Professor Mahoney) and its sub-group, the Teaching Quality Forum. Donna McMillan Secretary to Court June 2016
Page 1
UC/270616/Paper 12 To: Court Legal Compliance – Report to Court
Overview The attached report is intended to provide Court with
assurance of the processes put in place to ensure legislative compliance across a number of areas.
Consultation to Date Court & Senate Office
Academic Services Health and Safety Vice Chancellor’s Executive Group
Assessment of risk. N/A
Equality Impact Assessment
Equality Impact Assessment Attached No
Resources
N/A
Decision sought/Recommendations to committee
This report is for the information of Court
Freedom of Information Can this paper be included in open business? YES
Author Donna McMillan, Secretary to Court Date 17th June 2016
Page 2
LEGISLATIVE COMPLIANCE
The university is required to comply with a number of legal compliance requirements (in addition to statutory returns made to HESA). This brief overview report is intended to provide Court with an annual assurance of legal matters having been addressed. Charities and Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 All higher education institutions in Scotland have charitable status and the University is required to carry out its general functions in a manner which complies with the terms of the 2005 Act. The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) introduced new reporting requirements for charities which started on 1 April 2016. The intention of the changes was to promote good governance, increase transparency, allow OSCR to use its resources in a more targeted manner and make reporting easier for organisations. The new requirements from 1 April 2016 are:-
1. New annual return form From 1 April a new Annual Return Form was introduced. The nature of the questions has changed and they have more of a focus on issues of governance.
2. Notifiable events From 1 April 2016, all charities have to report any Notifiable Event to OSCR. OSCR defines this as an event which ‘has a significant impact on your charity’ or its assets (such as a substantial financial loss, fraud, or suspicious donations).
3. Publishing reports and accounts From 1 April OSCR will start to publish the reports and accounts of charities with an income of over £25,000, and all SCIOs (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisations). This is part of the attempt to maintain or improve levels of public confidence in charities. OSCR will begin to publish accounts as and when accounts are received after this date.
The responsibilities of members of Court as charity trustees are highlighted within the Court Handbook which is published annually and will be updated to reflect these new requirements. Specific guidance on the role of a charity trustee has also been made available and discussed as part of the induction processes for new members of Court. Education Act 1994 Section 22 of the Education Act 1994 places certain conditions on Court to take such steps as are reasonably practical to secure that any students’ union for students at the establishment operates in a fair and democratic manner and is accountable for its finances. In particular, Court should satisfy itself that the Association has a written constitution and an approved Code of Practice which sets out how the University will comply with the Act. The Association’s Constitution has been under review and a revised Constitution has been submitted to Court on 27th June for approval. The Code of Practice was last reviewed in December 2014.
Page 3
The Secretary or Assistant Secretary to Court attends the Count of SAUWS elections to ensure due process can be confirmed to the Court. Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002/Data Protection Act 1998 Between April 2015 and March 2016 the University received 225 requests for information under FOISA. The number of requests being made under FIOSA has continued in a general upward trend since the legislation was implemented in 2005. Every effort is made to respond to FOI requests as soon as possible and in any event within the 20 working days of receipt as legally required. Between April 2015 and March 2016 this timescale was met in 74% of requests. 68% of applicants received some or all of the information requested. In some cases the statutory exemptions were used for not releasing information, such as the information was otherwise accessible or the information was intended for future publication. If a requestor is unhappy with an FOI response or the way we handled the request, they can ask for an internal review of their request. Two internal reviews were requested by applicants dissatisfied with the terms of our response. Neither request for review was upheld. If the requestor remains dissatisfied with the response they can approach the Office of the Scottish Information Commissioner to ask them to review our decision. Neither requestor exercised this right of further appeal. The University processed seven subject access requests under the Data Protection Act; the other forty five requests for personal data were received from third parties such as the Department for Work and Pensions, local authorities or Police Scotland. The figure for the number of subject access requests has been fairly static over the last ten years. The University is continuing to make data protection training available to all staff. Where new projects proposed by the University involve the processing of personal data, privacy impact assessments must be completed and are kept under review by the Legal and Compliance team. A new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is intended to strengthen and unify data protection for individuals within the EU was approved in April 2016. There is a two year transition period after which the University will have to be fully compliant with the new rules. The Legal and Compliance team are currently working on an action plan to identify what steps we will need to take to ensure we comply with the new law. Scottish Public Ombudsman Act 2002 The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) was set up by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman Act 2002. The Act aimed to create a modern complaints service based on the devolution principles of power-sharing, accountability, access and participation, and equal opportunities.
The University is required to comply with the requirements placed on universities by the Scottish Public Ombudsman Act 2002 and does so through observance of a complaints handling procedure within which there is a stage 3 where complainants can make submission to the ombudsman when the two University stages have been exhausted. The model Complaints Handling Procedures requires each HEI to publish an Annual Report on how they have dealt with complaints based around a set of high-level Key
Page 4
Performance Indicators (KPIs) provided by SPSO. The University has met the required publication deadlines. During 2015/16 8 cases was referred to the SPSO by the complainant. Five of these cases were NOT upheld by the SPSO and three are on-going. UKVI The University is licensed to sponsor International students under Tier 4 of the Home Office points-based system. In addition, UWS has Grade A status for recruiting staff under Tier 2 of the points-based system. It is imperative that UWS retains its status to enable non-EEA students and staff to be recruited to its UK campuses. The UKVI Compliance Oversight Group (COG) has responsibility for monitoring aspects of UKVI compliance to ensure that the University retains the licences to employ international staff and recruit international students. Retaining this status is essential to underpin our internationalisation agenda. COG met quarterly over academic session AY2015/16 and continued to monitor UWS metrics and processes to ensure continual compliance. COG reported regularly to the International Advisory Committee. An annual compliance plan was implemented which included regular compliance checks at the London Campus and three internal-led mock audits during the session AY2015/16. An official follow up audit visit by a Senior UKVI Auditor took place on 14th April 2016 at the UWS London Campus. This visit was to reassure UKVI that UWS were operating in line with UWS processes and procedures. The Senior Auditor was satisfied by all evidence presented and no breach of UKVI requirements was found. The University Tier 2 and Tier 4 licence are due to be renewed in November 2016 and March 2017 respectively. UKVI have advised that due to the recent follow up audit and previous full audit in May 2015 a further full audit will not be required prior to the licence expiry dates. Health and Safety Legislation The University’s Health and Safety Management System is under continual review to ensure that it remains relevant and appropriate to the University. Reports are made to Court after each meeting of University Health, Safety and Sustainability Committee. The team has continued to work on their procedures plan, developing and reviewing Policies and Procedures within the University to ensure compliance with legislative requirements. Accident reports continue to be monitored to identify any which require to be reported to the HSE under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrence Regulations (RIDDOR); there has been one reportable incident during Trimester one. The University has had inspections of our use of radioactive substances and sources from SEPA and, separately, Health Protection England (HPE), both of which were successful with the formal report awaited. Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015 UK HEIs are required to comply with the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015. The Act sets out the statutory duty, ‘to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism’. Whilst recognising the statutory duty placed on UK HEIs, UWS is committed to supporting academic freedom, and freedom of expression within the law.
Page 5
Indeed, higher education is recognised as playing an essential societal role in providing a culture where challenging and controversial views may be expressed. This legislation is applicable to other sectors that receive public funding, including FE, Local Authorities and the NHS. The key elements of the statutory duty relate to:
Leadership Staff training Safety online Welfare and Pastoral care Speakers and Events
A University process has been created to address the requirements of the Act. This was created in consultation with the University Prevent Referral Group and has been reviewed by the Executive Group. Targeted training and awareness raising has taken place at a senior level, and this will be supplemented with broader training and awareness raising. Material will be made available to all staff on the intranet, and the Prevent duty will be integrated within existing safeguarding related training. This approach is compliant with the legislation and in line with many other HEIs. The University engages with external partners on Prevent (as required by the Act), and is also represented on the Higher Education Prevent Working Group. The UWS process has been based on the good practice guidance produced by the Working Group. Donations Under the terms of the University’s Donations Policy, delegated authority has been granted to the Executive Group to approve donations to the University, subject to reporting to Court. This is usually done annually at the June meeting of Court. During the 2015/2016 academic session, it was not necessary to convene the Group.
UC/2704616/Paper 13.1
This document is available electronically or in alternative formats on request.
To: Court REPORT FROM MEETING OF THE HEALTH, SAFETY & SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE HELD ON 24TH MAY 2016
Overview The attached report details some of the items discussed
at a meeting of the Health, Safety & Sustainability Committee held on 24th May 2016.
Consultation to Date/Further Consultation Planned
N/A
Assessment of risk. N/A
Equality Impact Assessment
Equality Impact Assessment Attached? NO Not required.
Resources
N/A
Decision sought/Recommendations to committee
The Court is asked to note the report for information.
Freedom of Information Can this paper be included in open business? YES
Author: Gerard Cooke, Secretary to the Health, Safety and Sustainability Committee Date: 16th June 2016
Paisley, 24th May 2016 being a meeting of the Health, Safety & Sustainability Committee The following items were amongst those discussed at the above meeting:
1. General Health and Safety Issues
1.1 Health and Safety Services Activity Report
The Head of Health and Safety Services spoke to the report which updated the Committee on health and safety activity since the last meeting. The Committee was interested to note that a Universities Creative Industries Committee had been re-established as part of the Scottish University Safety Advisors Group.
1.2 Health and Safety Services Forward Planning The Head of Health and Safety Services spoke to the report which provided an overview of activities and priorities for the Health and Safety Services Department for the next academic session. Based on the 3 main themes of the UCAS Strategy of “Culture, Competence and Collaboration”, the main focus of activity would be on improving the health and safety competence of students and staff through discipline related training with a specific target on risk assessments.
2 Health and Wellbeing Update Report
2.1 Lifestyle Screening Report The Committee noted for information the report which provided an update on lifestyle screening carried out during March and April 2016. The Committee agreed that it would be useful if future reports provided more context of UWS intentions for health and wellbeing.
3 Sustainability
3.1 Sustainability Update – May 2016
The Energy & Environmental Manager spoke to the report which provided an update on sustainability activity across the University. It was noted that funding applications to improve cycling facilities at all campuses and electric car charge points at Paisley & Ayr Campus had been processed. The Committee noted, with regret, that the Students’ Association had been unsuccessful with an application for Climate Challenge Funding. It was agreed that it would be useful to link future reports to the Corporate KPIs.
3.2 Sustainability Plan 2015 -2020
The Energy and Environmental Manager spoke to the Sustainability Plan 2015-2020. The plan which was closely linked to the Corporate Strategy, detailed the methodology for embedding sustainability across key University activities including: efficiencies in the estate; targeting student success; providing meaningful volunteering opportunities to increase employability of UWS graduates and further environmental, social and economic benefits for UWS students, staff and our local and global community, linked to the Corporate Strategy.
Members were reminded the Scottish Government Climate Challenge fund project, managed by SAUWS, currently delivered student engagement through the Sustainability Hub. However, as noted above, the application for continued funding had been unsuccessful. The Committee agreed that this was a valuable space for student engagement and was pleased to note that the Students’ Association would ensure that the Hub was funded until July 2016. Future alternative sources of funding were being explored. The Committee endorsed the Sustainability Plan 2015-2020.
4 Auditing of Health and Safety Management Update
4.1 Sport & Wellbeing Audit Report Summary
The Depute Head of Health and Safety Services spoke to the report which provided an overview of an audit of health and safety within the Sports and Wellbeing Department. The Committee noted that, in generally, there was a good understanding of health and safety within the Team, and recommendations made related mainly to improvements to communication of health and safety policies and procedures. These had been accepted by management and would now be taken forward with support from the Health & Safety Services Team. A further audit would be undertaken in 2017.
4.2 Physics Risk Assessment Audit Report Summary
The Depute Head of Health and Safety Services spoke to the report which provided an overview audit of health and safety risk assessments within the Physics Department (School of Engineering & Computing). The significant improvements from the previous audit of this area were welcomed. The Committee was pleased to note that a COSHH Action Group in conjunction with the School of Science & Sport had been established.
5 Health & Safety Procedures 5.1 New
5.1.1 Driver’s Handbook and Procedure for Driving at Work
The Committee endorsed the Driver’s Handbook and Procedure for Driving at Work, subject to amendment to include guidance for the use of electric vehicles. It was agreed that it would be useful for the Driver’s Handbook to be included within the staff induction processes.
5.1.2 Organised Events Procedure
The Depute Head of Health & Safety spoke to the procedure which provided the standard for all parties concerned in the planning, organisation and the promotion of events at the University and which had developed to ensure compliance with the Counter Terrorism & Security Act. The Committee approved the procedure, subject to inclusion of a section on sustainable travel and waste segregation within the events checklist.
6 Discussion Item
6.1 Presentation by James McDonald, Head of Health and Safety Services
The Head of Health and Safety Services made a presentation to the Committee to remind members of the University’s health and safety responsibilities, emphasising the importance of maintaining an effective health and safety management system across the institution, the potential consequences of failure to do so and the role of the Committee in ensuring this.
Gerard Cooke Secretary to the Health, Safety & Sustainability Committee 16th June 2016
UC/270616/Paper 13.2
This document is available electronically or in alternative formats on request.
To: Court REPORT FROM MEETING OF THE AUDIT & RISK COMMITTEE HELD ON 31ST MAY 2016
Overview The attached report details some of the items discussed
at a meeting of the Audit & Risk Committee held on 31st May 2016.
Consultation to Date/Further Consultation Planned
N/A
Assessment of risk. N/A
Equality Impact Assessment
Equality Impact Assessment Attached? NO
Resources
N/A
Decision sought/Recommendations to committee
Report for information only
Freedom of Information Can this paper be included in open business? YES
Author Alison Loudon, Assistant Secretary to Court Date 20th June 2016
Report from Meeting of the Audit & Risk Committee held on 31st May 2016 The following items were amongst those discussed at the above meeting : 1. External Audit
1.1 External Audit Planning Report
The External Auditor spoke to the report which set out the basis and intended approach for the 2015/2016 external audit, highlighting in particular the significant risks and areas of audit emphasis identified and the specific procedures which would be followed during the audit to address these, against the context of transition to the new SORP for financial reporting. The Committee agreed that the report clearly outlined the basis of the audit and endorsed the approach proposed.
2. Internal Audit 2.1 Progress Report to 31st May 2016
The Head of Internal Audit spoke to the IAS Progress Report which set out the results of completed audits and plans for the remainder of the 2015/2016 academic year. The Committee noted that good progress was being made against the approved audit programme, and received assurance that whilst completion of the remaining balance of the year was challenging, it was achievable provided that no unforeseen matters arose in the period. The Committee agreed to convene again in the autumn 2016 to consider the remainder of the 2015/2016 internal audit programme.
Members were reminded that at the last meeting the Committee had noted that an additional high level desk top audit review had been undertaken to provide assurance that appropriate governance arrangements were in place over the management of severance payments aligned to good practice standards defined by the Scottish Funding Council and the Scottish Code of Good HE Governance. Relevant guidance had been provided for reference. The Committee noted that the review of severance arrangements had been awarded an overall opinion of “satisfactory.” One significant area identified in the course of the audit relating to the role of the Remuneration Committee in approval of individual severance packages had been addressed immediately and endorsed by Court. The recommendation contained in the review in relation to consolidation or cross-referencing of policy statements was noted. In this connection, the Depute Principal confirmed that the University’s Organisational Change Policy & Procedure was supported by a range of other policies. These would be consolidated into one overarching policy document to ensure that the relevant information was more easily accessible. The attention of the Committee was drawn to the Review of Research Ethics. Although, based on the agreed methodology, a default opinion of “unsatisfactory” should arise on this review, as the recommendations mainly related to improved consistency of processes between Schools, and it was not considered that the recommendations indicated an increased risk of key outcomes not being achieved, an over-ride had been applied to this review and an overall opinion of “requires improvement” had been awarded. Following discussion and taking account of the professional judgement of the Internal Audit Service, the Committee endorsed this approach, but agreed that the methodology should be kept under review. In response to a question, the Secretary to Court confirmed that while operational management was vested within School Ethics Committees, overall governance in this
area was assured through the University Ethics Committee which was a sub Committee of the Senate. The recommendations made in the review would reinforce current approved processes and support greater consistency, while allowing for appropriate local flexibility. The Committee noted the Review of Tuition Fees which had been awarded an overall opinion of “satisfactory”, and agreed that this review had highlighted a good example of business improvement and efficiency. Further enhancements to processes were predicated on developments with core IT systems. The follow-on review of Risk Management was noted. Although this review had been awarded an overall rating of “requires improvement” key changes had been made to processes since the original review including approval of a revised Risk Management Policy & Procedure. The introduction of an online system and risk tolerance development would be taken forward in conjunction with the Corporate Strategy refresh. The Committee noted for information the follow-on review of Study Abroad (International) Mobility which had been awarded an overall rating of “satisfactory”. The remainder of the report was noted for information.
2.2 IAS Draft Annual Programme 2016/17 The Head of Internal Audit spoke to the Draft Annual Internal Audit Programme 2016/17 which contained the proposed programme of internal audit activities for the 2016/17 academic session. As well as planning discussions with a range of University colleagues, a workshop had been held with members of the Committee to inform the development of the draft annual programme Noting that it would be kept under review, the Committee approved the 2016/2017 Annual Internal Audit Programme. Members noted the proposed reduced volume of reviews planned for 2016/7 (subject to successful completion of outstanding 2015/16 reviews by autumn 2016) and considered that the planned programme provided an appropriate balance of substantial reviews focused around the key areas of strategic risk.
3. Risk Management 3.1 Update on Risk Management
The Secretary to Court spoke to the report which outlined progress made in relation to risk management since the last meeting of the Committee, highlighting in particular the improved processes for the management of travel risk which had recently been rolled out across the institution. The Committee welcomed the progress being made. The amendments made to the Corporate Risk Register were noted for information. A full update of the Corporate Risk Register would be undertaken in September following the local risk updates and introduction of the new risk management system. A substantive Court-level discussion of risk would be included as part of the Corporate Strategy Refresh.
4. Any Other Business 4.1 Appointment of New External Auditors
The Director of Finance reminded members that the period of appointment of the University’s External Auditors would conclude in April 2017 and outlined for the information of the Committee the proposed process for the appointment of new External Auditors. Noting that the APUC framework provided for the direct appointment of a recommended External Auditor, the Committee agreed that consideration of a panel of relevant organisations would provide more flexibility in the appointment process.
Alison Loudon Assistant Secretary to Court 20th June 2016
UC/270616/Paper 13.3
This document is available electronically or in alternative formats on request.
To: Court REPORT FROM MEETING OF POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE HELD ON 7TH JUNE 2016
Overview The attached report details some of the items discussed
at a meeting of PRC held on 7th June 2016
Consultation to Date/Further Consultation Planned
N/A
Assessment of risk. N/A
Equality Impact Assessment
Equality Impact Assessment Attached? NO Not required.
Resources
N/A
Decision sought/Recommendations to committee
Court is asked to note the report for information.
Freedom of Information Can this paper be included in open business? YES
Author Alison Loudon, Assistant Secretary to Court Date 17th June 2016
Report from meeting of Policy & Resources Committee held on 7th June 2016 The following items were amongst those discussed at the above meeting:
1. Financial Results and Forecast Outturn
The Committee noted for information the report which provided a summary of income and expenditure and balance sheet as at 31st March 2016 and a full year projection for the financial year outturn 2015/2016. Although income was slightly behind projection, this would continue to be managed through the continued control of operating costs.
2. Budget 2016/2017 and Financial Forecast 2020
The Director of Finance spoke to the report which set out the proposed 2016/2017 budget and financial forecast to 2020. The budget had been informed by the 2015/2016 forecast outturn and reflected the 7.5% savings delivered through the transformation initiative. PRC agreed to recommend the draft budget 2016/2017 to Court for approval. With regard to the financial forecast 2020, the assumption that the funding from SFC would continue to reduce by 3% until 2018/2019 resulting in a reduced income target of £158.7m was noted. Whilst this approach was understood and acknowledged, the Committee agreed that a strong focus on driving income was imperative to ensure that challenging targets were delivered.
3. SFC 2016/2017 Final Funding Allocation
The Committee noted for information the report which set out the 2016/2017 SFC Outcome Agreement Final Allocations.
4. Projected 2016/2017 Student Numbers The Director of Strategic Planning & Development spoke to the report which set out progress towards achieving projected 2016/2017 student intake targets together with an overview of recruitment activities as at 6th May 2016. The Committee noted that on current estimates, over 70% of the target Scottish/EU non-controlled undergraduate students for 2016/2017 had been secured. With regard to projected intakes for non EU (Scottish Campuses) and RUK, the Director of Strategic Planning & Development outlined the activity being undertaken to drive recruitment in these areas, including in-market recruitment through the International Centre and Schools. Recruitment to the London Campus was not yet being reported pending confirmation of the Campus recruitment cycles.
5. Estates Developments 5.1 Lanarkshire Campus Project
The Depute Principal spoke to the report which provided an update on the Lanarkshire Campus development focussing on the financial, legal and partnership framework, The Committee noted that the project continued to be affordable and in line with the framework agreed by Court.
In response to a question, the Depute Principal confirmed that the project was on track to enable final consideration by Court. However, given the compressed timeline from June 2016 to planned initial phased entry from September 2016, various partnership, legal and financial frameworks were being developed and tested at this stage. These included, discussions in relation to an overarching Memorandum of Understanding and the establishment of a joint venture company in relation to the existing Campus. A separate informal briefing for members of Court on the project, including an opportunity to visit the EcoCampus site would be held on 8th June.
5.2 Purchase of Land, Paisley
The Committee noted for information the report which set out the detail of the purchase of land adjacent to the Paisley Campus intimated at the last meeting.
6. Policies & Procedures
6.1 Absence Management
PRC approved the Absence Management Policy & Procedure, which was an amendment to an existing policy and built on good practice to improve the approach to managing attendance through positive, pro-active and tailored solutions.
6.2 Review of Employee Relations Policies
PRC approved the revised Disciplinary Policy & Procedure and the Supporting Performance Improvement Policy & Procedure which had been amended to reflect the ACAS Code of Good Practice.
Alison Loudon Assistant Secretary to Court 17th June 2016
UC/270616/Paper 13.4
This document is available electronically or in alternative formats on request.
To: Court REMUNERATION COMMITTEE – POLICY GUIDANCE
Overview Members of Court are reminded that in line with the CSC
Guidance for the operation of Remuneration Committees, Court is required to provide policy guidance to the Remuneration Committee in advance of the annual review of senior salaries. The attached Remuneration Framework was approved by Court in June 2014. Other than to the membership of the Vice-Chancellor’s Executive Group, no changes have been made to the approach approved by Court at that time.
Consultation to Date/Further Consultation Planned
N/A
Assessment of risk. N/A
Equality Impact Assessment
Equality Impact Assessment Attached? YES/NO
Resources
N/A.
Decision sought/ Recommendations to committee
Court is asked to endorsed the Remuneration Committee Framework as approved in June 2014
Freedom of Information Can this paper be included in open business? YES
Author: Donna McMillan, Secretary to Court Date: 17TH June 2016
REMUNERATION COMMITTEE POLICY GUIDANCE Introduction The Scottish Code of Good HE Governance indicates that the policies and processes used by the remuneration committee shall be determined by the governing body. The framework for determining the remuneration of senior staff is shown in Appendix 1 and a summary of the scheme that will be used for the current annual review is provided below. The governing body determines which members of staff, including the Principal, are included in the remuneration committee’s consideration of salaries. Currently this is the Vice-Chancellor’s Executive Group: Principal & Vice Chancellor Depute Principal Vice Principals Chief Operating Officer Secretary to Court/Director of Corporate Support Remuneration and Reward for the Executive Team The University has in place comprehensive and robust arrangements for job evaluation. The scheme refers to the determination of base pay arrangements for senior staff through external evaluation and benchmarking by the Hay group. Comparative information on salaries and other benefits from a range of other sources is also considered. Performance management operates within the strategic context and senior staff set annual objectives in relation to the strategic priorities of the University. Achievement is evidenced and assessed using qualitative and quantitative data and a rating scale. The overall assessment of performance determines if there is access to the national pay award; incremental progression and exceptionally, for superior performance, a non-consolidated 3% award. The Remuneration Committee approves the overall performance assessments and the associated changes to salary for the Vice-Chancellor’s Executive Group. In accordance with main principle 15 of the Scottish Code of Good Governance, conditions of employment for senior staff do not include periods of notice of greater than 12 months and do not provide for pension enhancements. Anticipated Developments The scope of the scheme reflects the existing staffing structure and the objectives and values of the current University strategy. The criteria within the scheme will be reviewed to reflect the new corporate vision and strategy. Remuneration Committee will apply the scheme to the Principal and the Vice-Chancellor’s Executive Group in accordance with its remit. People and OD 12.06.2014
UC/270616/Paper 14.1
This document is available electronically or in alternative formats on request.
To: Court REPORT FROM MEETING OF SENATE HELD ON 8TH JUNE 2016 Overview The report provides an overview of business of the
meeting of Senate on 8th June 2016.
Consultation to Date/Further Consultation Planned
N/A
Assessment of risk. N/A
Equality Impact Assessment
N/A
Resources
N/A
Decision sought/Recommendations to committee
The paper is provided for the information of Court
Freedom of Information Can this paper be included in open business? YES
Author Donna McMillan, Secretary to Senate Date 14th June 2016
2
REPORT FROM THE MEETING OF SENATE HELD ON 8TH JUNE 2016 The following items were amongst those discussed at the above meeting: 1 Implementation of new Trimester dates and additional Trimester dates for
non Scottish campus based provision Senate was assured that there had been considerable communication and awareness raising with staff and students of the new trimester dates commencing session 2016/17. Senate also discussed a proposal to set additional Trimester dates for up to 6 intakes per academic year to support international developments and London campus imperatives. The proposal recognised that the university provides multi-campus, multi-cohort provision and that it is essential that business processes such as recruitment, admission, induction, enrolment, assessment, results processing, mitigation and appeals can progress smoothly and be communicated to students in a recognised and agreed calendar. Senate approved the proposals for the trimester dates for non-Scottish based campus provision and agreed to review trimester dates and associated schedules regularly in line with business needs 2 Digital Capture Senate approved a number of recommendations around the recording of learning events which is known as ‘Digital capture’. The benefits of learning event capture supports the provision of student-centred, personalised and distinctive learning and will be particularly useful for students with specific disabilities and for supporting international developments. Senate discussed the legal implications for students opting out of digital capture events, the concept of ‘contact hours’ and the staff development time and resource to create the learning materials. Senate welcomed the observations from one of the University’s Court members with expertise in technology matters. 3 SAUWS Annual Report Senate welcomed a report from the Student President on SAUWS business for session 2015/6, noting the focus on representation and volunteering. 4 MyJourney – Student Engagement Dashboard Senate welcomed the development of a Student Engagement and Performance Dashboard which would be known as MyJourney and would enable students to track their progress and engagement with their learning. The dashboard would be implemented from September 2016 across all UWS campuses and would work in conjunction with the new electronic attendance monitoring system. Senate also noted that a review and refresh of the personal tutor system (Student Support & Guidance Policy) had taken place. It was agreed to continue with the existing Student Support and Guidance Policy (with minor amendments) and the current Student Engagement Policy until a holistic review in light of the implementation of MyJourney could take place. Recommendations for a new approach to student engagement, attendance and support would be brought to Senate in March 2017. Donna McMillan Secretary to Senate
UC/270616/Paper 15
This document is available electronically or in alternative formats on request.
To: Court PRINCIPAL and VICE-CHANCELLOR’S HIGHLIGHT REPORT
Overview The attached report provides a summary of general information on University developments and an overview of activities undertaken by the Principal and Vice-Chancellor since the last meeting of Court, between 15 April and 17 June 2016.
Consultation to Date University VCEG
Assessment of risk. N/A
Equality Impact Assessment Equality Impact Assessment Attached? NO Not applicable.
Resources None
Decision sought/Recommendations to committee
Report for information only.
Freedom of Information Can this paper be included in open business?
Author: Professor Craig Mahoney, Principal and Vice Chancellor Date: 6 June 2016
Report from the Principal and Vice-Chancellor
1. Purpose To update Court Members on key developments across the University between 15 April and
17 June 2016 relating to VCEG and members of the Executive, which have not already been identified to Court members through sub-Committee reports or the e-Bulletin.
2. Key Strategic Issues The VCEG has discussed a number of key strategic issues including a close scrutiny of the
university’s financial position, student recruitment, audit and risk programmes, new and updated University policies including data protection, the Scottish Government Higher Education Bill, Prevent and counter terrorism, risk management and progress on the Corporate Strategy. Other items that have been discussed include those outlined below.
2.1 Alumni Magazine VCEG approved a proposal to move to a predominantly digital approach for the ‘West’
alumni magazine. This is due to cost and changing trends although a small print element will remain available for those who wish to receive it through a more flexible production model. A consultation exercise will now be launched with alumni to identify preferred mode of delivery which will determine the scope of the saving to UWS.
2.2 BHeard The next BHeard survey is in preparation, being mindful of the impact of transformation
projects. 2.3 Library Management System and Discovery Tool VCEG approved to progress the necessary procurement exercise that will lead to
implementation of a new LMS and Discovery tool, subject to the funding of the new systems being brought back to VCEG for approval, taking into consideration the costs and benefits of remaining part of the Rowan Group (as part of a shared arrangement with UHI and SRUC), as well as procuring a dedicated system for UWS bearing in mind the current system will be unsupported from the end of 2017 and is being replaced, with a joint procurement process due to begin in June 2016.
2.4 Netball Scotland VCEG approved a request to involve UWS in a Vitality Netball Superleague franchise
application in partnership with Netball Scotland, taking into account that not all contribution needed to be in monetary terms. It was agreed that recruitment potential for Lanarkshire in terms of teams was significant but that the case needed to be strengthened with benefits fed in and all risks considered. Events management students could also be used to help with projects. It was agreed that this was a critical enterprise arrangement and the R&E team should take this forward, in conjunction with sport colleagues and Netball Scotland. .
3. Developments 3.1 Awards/League Tables
The University was delighted to learn that its application for a Bronze Athena Swan award had been accepted. This is excellent news for the University and its work around equality for women in STEM subjects, a recognition of the commitment to equality across the board and testament to the hard work that colleagues have put into work in this area.
UWS’ overall ranking in the Guardian University Guide 2017 rankings was 103 of 119 UK universities, a rise of 12 places – this was the largest improvement in ranking among Scottish universities. UWS improved its performance in 6 of the 8 individual measures, and significantly improved its rankings for the 3 NSS satisfaction measures (Overall, Teaching and Feedback), Entry Tariff and Career Prospects. UWS’ top ranking subjects across the UK sector are Civil Engineering (5th) and Film Production and Photography (18th). Scores increased in 15 of 24 subjects and 13 subjects improved their rankings.
3.2 Recruitment A follow up UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) audit was conducted at the London
Campus on the 14th April 2016. There was a positive outcome from the audit. The UKVI Senior Auditor advised he was satisfied with the evidence provided and no major breaches were found. A detailed report with an action plan on the outcomes and advice from the UKVI Senior Auditor has been developed and will be monitored through the UKVI Compliance Oversight Group. Regular compliance checks and monitoring will continue to ensure UWS maintains UKVI compliance for Tier 2 and Tier 4 licences.
There will be a contingency planned for clearing this year. An extra 22,000 datasets for use through UCASExtra have been secured. Scottish/EU UG and PGT numbers are acceptable but non-EU and RUK are of concern. It was noted that the position is similar to last year but growth targets imply worsening. It was agreed that work on international student numbers needs to be done to ensure we are more attractive to RUK students with instant returns.
VCEG engaged in a further workshop on branding proposals, looking at key statements for the University and the Schools, based on research. Work continues and will be rolled out once further work has been finalised.
3.3 Transformation Project The Transformation project continues. Project leads prepared reports considered at the
April meeting and recommendations fed into VCEG. Considerable consultation with Schools has taken place and initiatives considered ranged across the board of activities, academically and within corporate services. VCEG agreed that the establishment should be reduced over time which, although this will not create a saving, it will ensure that the institution is not continuing to hold unnecessary posts in the budget. The Board has also been looking into key themes that may be considered for UWS campuses these are currently being considered further. VCEG also asked the group to consider how the Ayr campus can be brought up to capacity. No decisions about moving schools has been taken. Summer schools were discussed as a way of ensuring that more income is generated.
3.4 Procurement The University’s travel management system has been changed as a result of a tendering
exercise. Colleagues have been working together to ensure that the new system provides an effective travel management service across the institution. In conjunction with this, new risk procedures have been put into place and risk management forms have been rolled out for all international travel. National travel requirements will follow in due course. A review of Procurement has also been carried out and VCEG approved plans to move forward with recommendations to streamline processes and ensure that UWS has stringent procedures.
3.5 Estates Overview
VCEG has received presentations around the developments in Lanarkshire and the progress towards the Full Business Case, which are being presented to Court separately.
There have been some discussions with Renfrewshire Council regarding Paisley Library being relocated into the UWS Library but this has not been received particularly favourably by the Council. Pressure to take this forward is being kept on.
VCEG noted that £529,000 has again been provided by SFC for work at Dumfries. Work continues on the campus vision.
VCEG have been kept updated on enabling moves and developments with the Student Hub, work on which has begun, ready for completion in time for the new academic year, opening on 5 September. British Council Standards are being used to ensure that the space is compliant. Signage and branding is also being considered as well as flexibility of space. It was also noted that Gregory Sheridan has been appointed as Manager of The Hub.
3.7 Key Senior Appointments
Breanna Edwards, Director of Student Life, will take up post in June 2016. It is hoped that the Director of Advancement has been filled, on a date to be confirmed.
3.8 International Engagements
The following visits have recently been undertaken by members of the Executive: Professor Mahoney - visit to Charles University, Prague, 21 April, and meeting with
Vice-Rector for International Affairs and Mobility, Prof. Jan Skrha. During annual leave visit to India, visited Bangalore Management Academy. Meeting Faculty and Senior Management Team, 3 May.
Professor Jeanne Keay, Vice-Principal (International) - visited China week commencing 14 May 2016 to substantiate a number of new partnerships with 7 Universities in Southern China. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with Kunming University, Yunnan Normal University and Yunnan University of Finance and Economics with articulation agreements being confirmed with Dianchi College of Yunnan University; Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology; Xi’an University and Ningbo University. It is hoped that these agreements will provide opportunities in student mobility, student exchange, academic visits, joint research and professional doctoral cooperation. During the visit Professor Keay had the opportunity to view teaching facilities and was given an insight into student life with partner universities.
4. Engagements In addition to the range of Universities Scotland, UUK, Million+ and SFC committees, the following are a range of senior level engagements in which the Principal has been involved: April
o Meeting to discuss Scotland-China Golf Project o Meeting with Kensington College of Business to discuss potential collaboration o HEAR Advisory Committee o Meetings with South Lanarkshire Council and HFD group regarding new Campus;
Dr Lisa Cameron MP and Mary Senior, UCU Scotland; Margaret Cook, Chair of Glasgow Chamber Regional Board; President of Metropolitan State University of Denver, US
o Presentations to Paisley Probus Group; Student Project Managers Conference o Launch of PURE My Research Space o Official opening of UWS Modular Data Centre o New Staff Induction Lunch o Commonwealth and Saltire Scholarship event o Research Student Conference o SAUWS Sports Awards
May o Meetings with Hugh Aitken, CBI Director Scotland; Mr Pan Xinchun, Consul General
of China; Scott Taylor, Paisley 2021 Bid o Launch of Children’s University o Welcome to the 2017 Best Companies Engagement Survey o SAUWS Dinner o Festival of Enterprise o Welcome event for Syrian Refugees o Long Service Awards o Hon Grad Dinner
June o Mission Discovery Reception o STARS Awards o Summer BBQ o Executive Residential o EY event on supporting disadvantaged young people into work o Learning and Teaching Festival
5. Recommendation Court is asked to note the Report.
Professor Craig Mahoney Principal and Vice-Chancellor 6 June 2016
