Author: Shaun Williams, Executive Director, Engagement and Advancement
Operating in Gold Command mode, UEB discussed several operational and campus issues:
- There was a further update on the January student assessment period, which UEB heard had taken place successfully after initial concerns had been raised by some students, which had been considered very seriously. UEB expressed its thanks to everyone involved, from students to invigilators, for the sensible approach everyone had taken to ensure their success.
- UEB noted that this week marks the lifting of the University’s work from home if you can request, following the change to the Government’s Plan B COVID guidelines in England. Our approach continues to be a sensible and phased one, with decisions made at local level, recognising the importance of the creativity and community that we gain from in-person interactions, but also ensuring that we return to campuses in a measured way that takes into account the size of our population, as well as the desire for a hybrid work pattern where roles allow.
- COVID case numbers in our university community and the wider areas continue to be monitored closely. Both remain largely steady, with some daily fluctuations, and we are aware of a number of colleagues with school age children being impacted by a fresh rise in cases at schools. Colleagues are reminded of the extended Domestic Leave provision in place this leave year to help staff with caring responsibilities manage the demands of home-schooling and illness.
The meeting then reverted to normal UEB mode to discuss a number of other issues:
- UEB reviewed and endorsed a management response to an audit by our internal auditors KPMG regarding arrangements for student engagement, which will be forwarded to our governing Council’s Audit Committee. KPMG provided an assurance rating of “significant assurance”, with minor improvement opportunities. This was considered by UEB to be a very strong and positive outcome, the result of concentrated work by a large number of colleagues across the University which has been reflected in other such surveys over recent months.
- Following the launch of the new University Strategy earlier this month, UEB discussed a new Anniversary Fellows Scheme, a key element of the new Strategy, with the intention of recruiting talented early career researchers with the potential to become research and organisational leaders, with a particular focus on increasing our diversity and improving our competitiveness at winning prestigious externally-funded fellowships, or similar targeted funding schemes. There was huge support and excitement at UEB about this scheme, full details of which are expected to be announced next week.
- UEB noted the appointment announced while the meeting was taking place of Dr Peter Highnam as the first chief executive of the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA). Backed by £800M, ARIA could be of intense interest by universities with its aim to empower exceptional scientists to focus on high-risk projects at the frontier of discovery and innovation that could transform people’s lives for the better, maintaining the UK’s position on the international stage as a science superpower.
- There was an update on student recruitment numbers which are looking extremely positive this year as we now move into the offer phase. There was an update on the national and local position regarding recent trades unions ballots on industrial action, which will not involve Southampton, as well as the latest developments on the USS pension Finally, there was the regular review of the University Risk Register.