Author: Philip Greenish, Chair of Council
Please note: information in this blog was accurate at the time of the meeting – 8 July 2020 – and may now have been superseded.
Council met on 8 July with all members attending via Teams. Before the meeting, Professor Mark Spearing delivered a detailed presentation on Enterprise at the University which demonstrated to Council that this is clearly one of our particular strengths. We also had a brief on sustainability from Professor Rachel Mills and the consultancy team, Nous Group which illustrated work currently in hand.
We had a substantial agenda which included consideration of both the Bridging Strategy and the work on scenario planning which is being used to address the impact of COVID-19 and to inform high-level decisions for the immediate future. We thought the Bridging Strategy was an excellent way of helping staff and students to orientate themselves and their work during the difficult period ahead, and we thanked all those working so hard in the University as One Southampton to mitigate the current uncertainties. Council approved the Bridging Strategy which has now been shared with the University community; we will come back to the associated KPIs early in the new academic year.
Readers will be aware of the work on scenario planning and its likely implications from the Vice-Chancellor’s email to staff of 1 July (Navigating the impact of COVID-19). Council has been advising on this work as it has proceeded, so we were well prepared for the discussion. Council carefully reviewed the original business plan for 2020/21, drawn up before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the subsequent scenario planning whilst recognising that considerable uncertainties will persist for several months. Council agreed the original business plan as the base for developing the final budget, which will be informed by checking our scenario planning against key milestones which will provide actual numbers around student recruitment, and on the understanding that budget holders will only authorise essential spend until the final budget is reviewed and agreed in November. Considerable uncertainties remain of course, so we have planned an additional Council meeting in early September after the first checkpoint when we will have greater clarity on student numbers and hence our finances for the next academic year.
As usual, the Vice-Chancellor updated Council on a number of issues including the concluding work of exam boards to ensure that our final year students graduate, the re-imposition of student number controls by Government, progress with the Southampton testing pilot and Government announcements on additional research funding. We received the SUSU report from the new President, Olivia Reed, and we considered a report on degree awarding which examined the changes in degree classification over time, in particular the increase in the proportion of first and upper second class awards. This is an issue of considerable government, OfS and public interest. We noted that there are a number of contributing factors, but that the process has not changed for many years and its integrity can be demonstrated. Southampton is not out of line with other similar HE institutions. We were also pleased to note the strong position taken by the University on contract cheating (including the use of essay mills etc.).
The University’s international strategy has been seriously tested since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Professor Jane Falkingham, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and interim VP (International) presented an update on the strategy. In the last year, a number of projects and activities have been implemented and are delivering. Council was impressed by strong progress in a number of key areas which gives confidence that we are performing well despite the current challenges. It was a reminder of the very important contribution made by the University’s international students, researchers and other partners.
We then took the annual report from the Vice-Chancellor on Health and Safety and the report of the Health and Safety Audit and Assurance Committee, which is a Council sub-committee; both were postponed from the May meeting due to COVID-19. While some significant problems were highlighted, we recognised that considerable progress has been made and that the University is in a much better position than just a few years ago. COVID-19 has presented a very challenging test of our risk management and continuity planning.
Our University is a very diverse community in every respect. Council is increasingly concerned that our membership has become less diverse in the last two or three years and so less representative of the community we serve. We invited the Nominations Committee to consider ways to address this as soon as practicable.
Finally, we noted and approved the annual report on the Student Union’s compliance with the Education Act 1994 and the annual report of the operation of the Code of Practice to ensure freedom of speech. In concluding, we thanked Professor Rachel Mills and Mr Adrian Reyes-Hughes for their 3 and 6-years’ service to Council respectively.