Author: Shaun Williams, Executive Director Engagement and Advancement
- UEB discussed the very concerning escalation of conflict in the Middle East, and the very distressing impact on civilian populations. We know there will be many in our community who will be deeply concerned, and some may have family or friends in the region and be worried for their safety and wellbeing. We have several resources that can help staff and students, and we provided details to our community in a message on Monday. We will continue to monitor the implications of the unfolding events, and ensure our community remains a place where all students and staff can freely and respectfully express their lawful views.
- The Vice-Chancellor thanked all those who helped organise this year’s highly successful Vice Chancellor’s Awards, which took place last week, and UEB added their congratulations to all the winners on the evening, and to the more than 300 colleagues who had been nominated for their remarkable work.
- UEB heard that last weekend’s Open Days had been very positive and had seen very strong attendance, with 5,700 prospective students attending over the two days. Overall this year we have seen a 7% increase in attendees. UEB thanked all those involved in making the events and the campus experience so inviting for prospective students and their families.
- There was an update on developments in respect of the USS pensions scheme, and UEB noted that a joint statement has been agreed between Universities UK (UUK) and the University and College Union (UCU) on an outline agreement to finalise the USS 2023 valuation. We have arranged three online briefing sessions with pensions expert Brendan Mulkern, with the next two sessions on 27 October and 20 November.
- UEB heard that the Office for Students has written formally to confirm approval of the University’s 2024/25 to 2027/28 Access and Participation Plan, which is good news. Our plan is very compelling and forward-looking, recognising areas where we need to make particular progress, and we will not be required to re-submit a plan for another four years.
- There was a discussion about the need to develop a more consistent policy in respect of global mobility. There has been an increase in requests from University staff to work overseas, in part due to the experience of the pandemic and advances in technology, and the expectations of some applicants for roles. As we become increasingly global and the Trans National Education (TNE) Growth Programme is developed, we will need a greater focus on the management of our globally mobile workforce. An assessment of the current situation and any potential liabilities will be made, and that will inform the development of a new global mobility policy for future discussion by UEB.
- There was a discussion about how we might further align our strategy, planning and analytics capability to better support, with the Change Portfolio Office, strategic planning, resource allocation, performance insight and management, strategy delivery, transformation and change. As we continue to evolve and improve our business planning there is a recognition that there can at times be a mismatch between the creation of plans and the ability to deliver them.
- There was a long discussion about possible solutions to easing the pressures for academic and professional services colleagues with respect to marking deadlines and marks release, particularly following the summer assessment period. Very extensive discussions have taken place which have served to underline the complexity of the issues, and the overwhelming view of UEB was that even the modestly impactful options currently identified for 2023/24 risked causing more problems than they might apparently solve. It was agreed that further work was needed with a longer horizon for implementation, in 2024/25, following further discussion at Senate.
- There was a reminder about appraisals, and that all Second Line Reviewers must review, confirm the descriptor for, and authorise appraisals for the individuals they are responsible for, by 15 October 2023.
- UEB were briefed on the roll-out of a series of resources and guidance for colleagues on Generative Artificial Intelligence, and the work of the new Generative Artificial Intelligence Working Group. GenAI tools continue to evolve rapidly and are becoming an embedded element of our everyday technology use. Our learners will live and work in a GenAI shaped world and so engaging with appropriate use of GenAI is becoming a necessary part of education at all levels. As a university, we need to fully understand the impact of this in relation to our teaching, learning and assessment.
- UEB were reminded that October is Black History Month and a fantastic programme of events has been curated, working very closely with SUSU.
- Finally, there was the regular review of the University Risk Register – UEB recognised that the discussion over marking deadlines and release needed to be reflected in the risk register given it is clearly a pressure point.