We continue our monthly look at the work of the leadership team and the discussions and decisions of the University Executive Board (UEB).
The UEB, which provides the executive leadership for the University, brings together the President and Vice-Chancellor, Chief Operating Officer, vice-presidents, pro vice-chancellors, deans, and the directors of Human Resources and Finance. They meet formally once each month for briefings, updates and to make decisions, including monthly financial and health and safety reports.
UEB sets the strategic direction and has oversight of how the University is managed. In addition the UEB meets every week to have informal meetings to address emerging topics and formulate policy on a wide range of subjects which are taken forward to the formal monthly meetings for approval.
Here are your updates from the most recent UEB meetings:
10-year plan
Following the announcement of the 10-year plan by the President and Vice-Chancellor in the all-staff address in May, UEB has been discussing the scope of the plan and the next phase. There will be more information about the plan at the next President and Vice-Chancellor’s address later this year.
Staff Engagement Survey
The full results have now been released and UEB has had a chance to look at these and discuss the findings. There was broad agreement that the results should be open to everyone and you can find an article on the survey results here.
Student recruitment cycle
It’s a key moment in the recruitment cycle and colleagues across the University are planning for when results come out on Thursday, 18 August. The UEB has received regular updates and in particular considered the impact of planned student numbers related to capacity and space. Scenario planning is ongoing to help us better understand the likely position on student numbers before confirmation and clearing.
Equality and diversity
The equality and diversity annual report was delivered. The report included details on the establishment of equality, diversity and inclusion committees in faculties and outlined the findings of the equal pay report for 2015. Since 2011, 1,800 staff have completed the online equality, diversity and inclusion training, and this training is currently under review to make further enhancements. The progress on Athena SWAN continues and an institutional Silver Athena SWAN application was submitted in April 2016. You can find more information on equality and diversity here.
UniForum
The UEB was made aware of the work on UniForum. This programme is a benchmarking exercise using a methodology developed by a company called Cubane Consulting. The programme looks at how we resource professional services that support teaching and research activities. It involves collecting information about the time staff spend on certain activities within a number of functional areas. You can find more information about UniForum here.
Brexit
The UEB has discussed the possible implications of leaving the European Union, and will continue to work to understand the issues. You can find previous communications on this subject here.
Health and safety
The UEB has received and approved a number of new Health and Safety policies. The monthly Health & Safety Report included a summary of incidents from January to the end June 2016. The most common identified cause of incidents was slips, trips and falls, which follows the same trend as 2015 and the sector more generally. Fire due to cooking within student accommodation remains the most common cause of fire related incidents.
