Author: Shaun Williams, Executive Director Engagement and Advancement
- The Vice-Chancellor noted that later that same day the University would be hosting and presenting at the regular meeting of the city’s Renaissance Board, on which the Vice-Chancellor sits as a member. The Board’s remit is focused on growth, strategic skills, sustainable development and investment, and it helps steer the future growth of the City in terms of economic development, place-shaping, investment in infrastructure, and in human capital.
- UEB were updated on a number of hustings ahead of the General Election on Thursday 4 July, in collaboration between our University, SUSU, and Solent University, and including a SUSU-organised hustings for the Southampton Test constituency, from 17:00 to 19:00 on Wednesday 25 June at The Bridge, on Highfield campus. It’s open to students, staff and the general public, but prior (free) registration is required.
- Much of the meeting was focused on a detailed review and discussion about the University’s overall Risk and Resilience framework. We benchmark well against other Russell Group universities, which is reassuring, with opportunities identified for us to move to the next level through enhancing risk governance through risk assessments, risk reporting and performance measurement; and bolstering risk leadership to augment engagement with risk owners and the overall risk culture. Six broad categories of recommendations were outlined covering organisation and culture, assessment and profiling, reporting, governance, management systems, business continuity and crises management. UEB welcomed the report as the start of a comprehensive action plan, and with a more strategically focused risk register, an approach of more engagement with risk owners, and stronger reporting. This will all be progressed by our new Director of Organisational Risk Management, where we expect to make an appointment shortly following an extensive recruitment process.
- UEB discussed a business case to proceed with developing and implementing a University Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hub, the top priority of our Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise strategic plan. There is an acceptance that we are weak in this area relative to peers, with good practice often too fragmented across the University. The intent is to provide a University-wide solution making it easier to offer CPD in a more co-ordinated way, and with a superior customer experience supported by a new software platform. There was strong support for the direction of travel, but a number of issues and challenges are still to be addressed, so discussions will continue and this will return to a UEB meeting in the near future.
- Finally, the Vice-Chancellor expressed his and UEB’s thanks to two UEB members attending their final meeting: to Ed Brooker, the outgoing President of SUSU, whom the Vice-Chancellor thanked for representing the voice of students so effectively over the last 12 months; and to the regular author of these UEB Blogs, ahead of retirement at the end of this week. I hope over the years you have found, and will continue to find, these Blogs a useful insight into the work of UEB, and the many issues and decisions they need to discuss.