Author: Shaun Williams, Executive Director Engagement and Advancement
- UEB were concerned to hear about a reported data breach that could potentially cover up to 470,000 active, deferred and retired members of the USS (University Superannuation Scheme). This affected USS data is held on Capita servers. We alerted our staff as soon as the report emerged last Friday , and USS have now started to contact members direct. USS have provided further information and FAQs, , recognising such breaches inevitably cause considerable concern. UEB will be raising with USS, through Universities UK, the need urgently to investigate with Capita the cause of the breach and its impact, and the importance of timely information and reassurance to USS members.
- There was an update on the ongoing national industrial action by members of the University and College Union (UCU), relating to pay and working conditions, and the marking and assessment boycott currently in place. Our primary focus continues to be to ensure that our students are not disadvantaged by any action and that there is minimal disruption to their studies and progression.
- There was an update on the project to produce a new Charter and Ordinances, a key output of our Modernising the Governance Strategic Major Project, and which will deliver a refreshed, agile, contemporary and compliant set of University governing documents. UEB heard that since the last update an Order revising amendments to our Charter has been approved, as required, by The King, and the Privy Council has approved an Order revoking our Statutes. The revision of ordinances, which has been taking place across the sector for many years, has been the subject of extensive discussions with our campus trade unions, with an online ballot of members concluding this week, and with all documents made available to our wider community since January . Subject to further approval by our Council, the new governing documents will go live on 1 August 2023.
- There was a wide-ranging discussion about a number of aspects regarding our approach to travel booking and our travel management company Clarity. The introduction of a centralised booking system, which is common across the sector with most organisations, was primarily out of a duty of care to staff needing to travel on University business, particularly with international travel, along with sustainability monitoring, compliance with procurement regulations and efficiency of transactional processing. More recently it has also played an important role in de-risking travel post pandemic, against a background of strikes, travel and airport restrictions, and a travel industry which still remains in a state of significant flux post pandemic. Current UoS traveller satisfaction rates with Clarity are 89%, but we know that there continues to be a constant level of unhappiness with a number of aspects of the service. It is clearly in the interests of the University to have a clear travel policy and a travel management company partner. In the light of some enduring concerns and the resumption of travel following the pandemic restrictions, we will be setting up an internal group to review the current University needs further, including around events and field trips.
- UEB was, however, concerned by one aspect of the news that University travel is now almost back to pre-pandemic levels. We do not yet appear to have seen the significant behavioural change in travel that will be integral to successful delivery of our Sustainability Strategic Plan. This is an issue that we will be wanting to encourage further reflection on in coming months.
- UEB heard that the University Council has carried out an in-depth independent Council Effectiveness Review, which concluded that governance arrangements at the University were good, with some areas demonstrating leading edge practice. It is reassuring that independent scrutiny shows we are well governed. The report makes a number of recommendations which will be discussed at the next Council meeting, and a summary report shared with the wider community.
- UEB noted that the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill had received Royal Assent on 11 May, which strengthens the legal duties on higher education providers in England to protect freedom of speech on campuses for students, academics and visiting speakers.
- Finally, there was the regular review of the University Risk Register.