Author: Shaun Williams, Executive Director Engagement and Advancement
- The Vice-Chancellor opened the meeting by congratulating all the winners and nominees at this year’s Vice-Chancellor’s Awards event, held at St Mary’s Stadium last week. He also thanked all those across several departments who had been involved in putting together such a successful and enjoyable event. A comprehensive report and photographs will feature in the next edition of Staff Matters.
- UEB heard the undergraduate Open Days last weekend had again proved very successful, with more than 7,500 visitors on our campuses over the two days. UEB thanked all those who helped make it such a positive and welcoming event, showing Southampton at its best.
- UEB discussed an important report published last week by Universities UK in partnership with PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide, which set out new guidance around how and when universities should involve families, carers and trusted others when there are serious concerns about the safety or mental health of a student. We already take a very proactive approach, consistent with the report’s recommendations, which we are of course reviewing to consider if any further measures might be appropriate.
- Next, UEB noted the formal project closure report for the Interdisciplinary Research Institute Review, a review of the University’s current three such institutes: Institute for Life Sciences; Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute; and Web Sciences Institute. The review recognises that the Institutes are of strategic importance to the University, particularly regarding the Research and Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise Strategic Plans, but also directly relevant to Sustainability, Civic and People Strategic Plans, and with longer term significance to Education and Student Experience via our Triple Helix ambitions. They are immediately pertinent to interdisciplinary and mission orientated research goals, and to increase the fraction of our research that is addressing the interdisciplinary challenges embodied by the sustainable development goals. The Institutes will need to play a major role in securing some of our key targets including a large scale national centre in the maritime sector, and a number of new major research centres. They are also critical partners with other parts of the HE sector, national institutes such as the Alan Turing and Rosalind Franklin Institutes, as well as with corporate partners. The review recommends a number of changes to the Institutes’ administrative location, their governance and their support.
- UEB received an update on take-up of our Line Manager Development Programme, a suite of four modules tailored to our University, and aimed at enabling participants to enhance their leadership knowledge and skills using a range of engaging and interactive online and virtual learning solutions. The programme also offers participants the opportunity to engage with peers, share experience and build their networks. Feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive, but take-up is inconsistent across the University. UEB underlined the importance and expectation that ALL line managers should participate in this development programme to ensure a consistency and professionalism in our delivery of line management, which repeated staff surveys have indicated is of significant importance to our staff. Deans and Executive Directors have been asked to reinforce the importance of this to their managers.
- Finally, there was the regular review of the University Risk Register.