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UEB Blog

UEB Blog 10.05.22

Author: Shaun Williams, Executive Director Engagement and Advancement

As always, a range of strategic and operational issues on the UEB agenda today, this week chaired by the Senior Vice-President (Academic) in the Vice-Chancellor’s absence on University business.

  • UEB congratulated Professor Jane Falkingham and Professor Andrew Atherton on their appointment, as a joint role-share, to the new role of Vice-President International & Engagement, which was announced earlier that morning. Jane Falkingham will continue her current portfolio of international responsibilities, in the role of Interim Vice-President International that she has filled for the last two years, until Andrew Atherton joins us in September.
  • UEB heard that the Science and Engineering Day on campus last weekend had gone extremely well, with 3,300 attendees signed up, and had showed the University in a very good light. UEB expressed its thanks to the organisers and to the many volunteers who made the day such a success. For the first time it had coincided with a Visit Day, which it complemented well.
  • UEB noted that this week will see publication of the results of the Research Excellence Framework 2021 (REF). There is much anticipation in the University and in the sector – we will be allowed to communicate our results on Thursday morning.
  • UEB noted a letter from Universities Minister Michelle Donelan MP, sent to all universities in England, reiterating the Government’s expectations around face-to-face teaching, which we more than meet.
  • UEB discussed and endorsed a draft new Personal Relationships Policy, which will supersede the current Consensual Relationship Guidelines. This important initiative, the need for which was agreed by the Tackling Harassment Board, aims to strengthen further our safeguards for students and staff, and allow the University to manage the risk of any power imbalance and conflicts of interest. The policy will need to be formally ratified with our campus trades unions before being communicated within our University community.
  • Finally, UEB formally noted the Minutes of the University Health and Safety Committee, and carried out its regular review of the University Risk Register.
 
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