Author: Shaun Williams, Executive Director Engagement and Advancement
- UEB heard that last week’s Welcome Week for students – the first full in-person return since 2019 due to the prevailing Covid restrictions – had been extremely positive, with great engagement and a definite buzz around our campuses. The President of SUSU reported a similar level of successful activity and positive engagement around SUSU-organised activities. UEB also heard that our newly acquired Sir James Matthews building in the city centre opened at 10am on Monday ready to welcome students and staff for the new academic year. UEB expressed its deep thanks to everyone who helped make the start of the new academic year so positive for our new and returning students.
- UEB were briefed that the Office for Students last week went live with two revised interactive data dashboards, around TEF metrics and student outcomes, showing data for individual providers with information on measures reported across a range of indicators and split indicators.
- UEB were updated on the implications of recent economic market turmoil. We have already factored into our budgets the impact of energy price rises and exchange rate fluctuations and will review this in the final budget for November. Structural impact on the current USS and PASNAS pension schemes are believed to be very limited. Separately, there was an update on the PASNAS Valuation 2021 and the recent consultation on proposed changes which saw 96 responses, including the formal responses from UNISON and Unite, alongside a detailed equality impact assessment. Our Council will consider the responses and recommendations at its next meeting with the trustees then concluding the valuation for 31 October 2022.
- There was an update from the Vice-President (Operations) on progress with the website transition and the work of the Website Oversight Board. Steady progress is being made with this highly complex project, and we are also taking further measures to align the project more closely with faculties, to strengthen the resources available to support the project, and to create opportunities to ensure effective co-creation with academic colleagues.
- Next, UEB received an update on a strategic major project which is looking at opportunities for Southampton to develop a robust, high quality, fully online portfolio of global online programmes. The online degree market is one of the fastest-growing segments of global higher education, creating opportunities for Southampton’s distinctive education offer.
- UEB also discussed and approved moving to the next stage a pre-concept paper for a Digital Preservation project. This project aims to improve the digital curation and preservation of University research and teaching outputs and data assets to support the University’s strategic aims, in particular the Research and Place Key Performance Indicators. Our University has been sector-leading in this area and set some of the current standards which other Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Research Organisations (ROs) are now meeting.
- There was very strong support for a proposal for the University to sign the Menopause Workplace Pledge, as part of our commitment to ensure our staff experiencing the menopause feel well-informed and supported while at work, and to ensure line managers more fully understand a wellbeing issue which has for too long remained un-voiced. The signing of the pledge will form part of a number of events planned to mark World Menopause Day on 18 October, to raise awareness, provide support, and engage with our staff community.
- There was an update on progress towards completing a submission for the Student Mental Health Charter, and confirmation of our intention to submit our charter in April 2023, with a site visit likely in June 2023; and UEB noted the Annual EDI Report, which sets out how the University is meetings its public sector equality duty, highlights key areas of achievement and key issues for consideration since the last annual report, and sets out priority areas of work for the 2022/23 academic year.
- Finally, there was the regular review of the University Risk Register.