Author: Shaun Williams, Executive Director Engagement and Advancement
Operating in ‘Gold Command mode’, UEB considered a number of issues relating to the pandemic and its implications for the operation of the University:
- The Vice-Chancellor underlined his and UEB’s recognition of, and sympathy for, the challenges that many staff may be experiencing during this further period of national lockdown, with school closures putting additional childcare demands on some members of staff. It is fully understood that everyone’s individual experience will be different. There was recognition that results of the recent staff Pulse Survey (see below) had shown that many line managers responded sensitively and with understanding to the complex circumstances in which different people found themselves. They were urged to continue to enable flexibility wherever possible, to ensure their staff are fully aware of the options and wellbeing support available, and to recognise that their message should continue to be one of asking staff to do what they can in the current circumstances.
- In recognition of the pressures of juggling work and caring responsibilities, and to help support wider staff wellbeing, UEB agreed to provide two additional paid-leave University closure days around Easter this year, on Thursday 8 and Friday 9 April, to all staff. For essential staff who will be working on those days, the entitlement will be added to their annual leave balance.
- The difficulty of meeting pleas for certainty and clarity in times of such unprecedented uncertainty was again underlined in a discussion about the coming weeks. Our decisions are, ultimately, in response to often very short-notice decisions and edicts made by Government, some of which raise as many questions as they answer. Students – and staff – are understandably wanting to know when face-to-face teaching will resume. The Government has committed to reviewing the current national lockdown measures regularly, but initial suggestions of a mid-February relaxation have been superseded by ministerial talk of March, Easter or “the spring.” It also seems likely that the national lockdown will be replaced by the previous regional tier system, with gradual relaxation of restrictions as vaccination penetration increases and case levels decrease. To provide a degree of certainty, students will be told this week that there will be no class-based teaching until after Easter, and the likelihood is that non-classroom based teaching will also not take place until after Easter, although we continue to explore safe options. Should circumstances and Government advice change sooner, we would of course respond swiftly.
- The latest student and staff COVID cases dashboard was reviewed – as mentioned last week, for students this data includes students who may still be at their home address, not in Southampton, but who are rightly continuing to report cases and self-isolation to us. As reported previously, we have currently suspended review of our Department for Education tier levels, as these were superseded first by the Tier 4 restrictions, and now by the national lockdown restrictions.
- There was an update on discussions at the Silver Command meetings that are currently taking place twice-weekly – this included a briefing on Ask UoS, a new campaign we have launched to provide a weekly response to students on key pressing concerns; and an update on adherence to lockdown guidance and testing programme participation by those students currently living in our residences.
- UEB considered a detailed letter from the Office for Students (OfS) setting out its expectations during this latest phase of the pandemic, covering the quality, quantity and accessibility of the teaching provision offered to students; our compliance with consumer law and regulation; and the need for effective ongoing communications with students. UEB was satisfied that we are meeting all these expectations.
Reverting to normal UEB mode for the rest of the meeting, UEB discussed a number of issues:
- The Vice-Chancellor congratulated Professor Rachel Mills, Dean of the Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, and Professor Paul Whittaker, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, who have been re-appointed as Deans for a further period of three years, ending 29 February 2024, following approval by Council last week and after consultation at Senate and within faculties.
- The Vice-Chancellor reflected on the very constructive annual away-day of our Governing Council last week. Despite taking place entirely online, the levels of engagement were extremely high, as Council and UEB members discussed in detail our new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, and the role our Council should play in making it a lived and real experience for our community; and the lessons learned from our pandemic experience – particularly around new ways of working, new ways of teaching, creating a more digitally-enabled University, and where our investment priorities should be focused. This will all feed into our business planning and our longer-term strategy development.
- There was a review of the headline results of the Pulse Surveys of staff and students carried out last December, linked with our Bridging Strategy and designed to better understand how the transition to new ways of working, learning, studying and living necessitated by COVID-19 are affecting staff and students. Work is now underway to analyse the results further before sharing it with staff and students, but it was encouraging to see relatively low rates of dissatisfaction reported by either staff or students, and encouraging to see a very positive response by staff in relation to the support they have received from line managers, the level of communications they have received from the University, and their ability to function effectively from home. Inevitably, one of the biggest impacts of the pandemic has been on the ability to feel part of a wider University community. The response from students was understandably more mixed, given the acute impact of the pandemic on them – praise for the creation of COVID-secure campuses, but not surprisingly difficulty in feeling part of a wider student community, and a general desire for more support. Further Pulse Surveys will be carried out after Easter.
- UEB agreed a proposal to return this year to our planned long-term strategy development, which had to be put on hold last year when COVID first struck, and instead a Bridging Strategy was launched to guide our recovery over a 12 to 18 month period. Originally, it was felt a re-articulation or refreshing of the existing University Strategy was what was required. In light of the massive shifts catalysed by COVID, it is now felt that a more significant revision will be required, recognising that some of the core assumptions to our strategy may have changed, and to ensure we devise a sustainable and agile response that gives our University a competitive edge as we emerge from the pandemic. This new revision of the strategy will be co-created with our community, and engagement will start again in the spring, conditions permitting.
- UEB discussed governance and the need for a modern, accessible and fit for purpose governing and decision-making structure. It is challenging for staff, students and other stakeholders to easily understand, navigate and use the University’s governance as well as creating unnecessary bureaucracy. It means the University remains restricted in its ability to update procedures as legally required, and respond with agility to the rapidly changing world around us. UEB agreed the need to address these issues more formally over the coming months.
- Finally, UEB noted the OfS consultation on regulating quality and standards in higher education; formally approved for publication on the University’s Research Integrity webpage the Annual Research Integrity Statement 2019-20 – going live in the near future; and conducted its regular review of the University Risk Register.