Author: Ian Dunn, Chief Operating Officer
There was a long agenda today, covering Ten-Year Plan items and business as usual.
A robust and informative discussion was held on the chemical engineering business case. The new undergraduate course will complement our Masters course, now launched, and will focus on low carbon chemical engineering. As well as opening new student number and research opportunities for the University in this subject area it will strengthen our position in both chemistry and engineering. Investment was approved for developing the chemical engineering facilities, to be ready to host our first undergraduate intake in autumn 2021.
Two iSolutions cases were approved: Cyber Security and Information Management. The need for enhanced cyber security is recognised across the sector as well as by the government. Extensive communications and training to the wider University community will be required for both projects, as there will be impacts on staff and visitors in their interactions with University systems. UEB recognised the extensive collaboration between iSolutions and the cyber experts in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences (FEPS) in developing the business cases, and encouraged this to continue as we move into implementation.
Athena Swan preparedness was discussed and concerns raised that there is some way to go prior to the proposed November submission date. UEB recognised that Athena Swan is an institutional commitment and asked for clarity on resource requirements to ensure a successful submission at its next meeting on 2 September.
The financial management accounts were reviewed. The surplus for the University was provisionally above plan as per the June accounts, with good control of costs in most areas. Research grant awards, however, look to be below plan and this is a subject for ongoing focus. There was discussion that the variance of forecast-to-actual financial performance throughout the year means we might be missing some opportunities. We’ll look at approaching forecasting in a more effective manner going forward.
The future direction of the University of Southampton Malaysia Campus (USMC) was discussed. A number of options were presented and a phased expansion, as endorsed by the Board of USMC, was approved. A request was made for more detailed market and course specific student number information to be included in the paper, that will now go forward for a discussion at University Council in September. UEB noted the very significant progress made by the team in, and those involved with, USMC.
Leading for the Future, a staff development programme for our line managers, was reviewed and endorsed for development. This is a follow-on activity in response to the 2018 Staff Engagement Survey. The programme will provide opportunity for comprehensive training of our 1,400 line managers. It was agreed that all line managers, including UEB members, would be expected to complete the programme over the coming 18 – 36 months. There is a minimum investment of 27 hours and a maximum investment of 40.5 hours, depending on seniority, over this timeframe. The programme was positively embraced as a tool to help existing and future line managers realise their full potential, and that of their teams.
UEB thanked all the teams who have been involved in this year’s extensive Confirmation and Clearing activity. We received more applications through Clearing this year than we did in 2018, although applicant tariff appears to be lower this year. The Clearing Open Day on Saturday 17 August was very successful and again, UEB expressed thanks to all who were involved. It’s a bit early to provide a definitive outcome, but it looks as though we will hold tariff and achieve a final figure within the student number planning assumptions, supported by indications of strong international PGT numbers.
There will be no UEB meeting next week due to the Bank Holiday on Monday 26 August.