Faculty Board

Faculty of Engineering

Faculty Board

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Minutes of the 41^st meeting of the Faculty Board held on 2 February 2005.

Members: Professor C J Backhouse (Chair), Mr C J Bigger (ab), Dr P M Carrillo, Dr A R J Dainty (ab), Dr S Datta, Mr J G Dickens (ab), Professor P Dickens (ab), Dr A El-Hamalawi, Mr O R Folkerd (ab), Dr K Gregory, Dr J L Horner, Professor M G Kong (ab), Dr L R Mustoe, Dr S T Newman (ab), Dr G J Page, Professor C D Rielly (ab), Professor S J Rothberg, Professor V V Silberschmidt, Professor P R Smith, Dr I K Smout, Dr A Spencer, Dr E S Tarleton (ab), Ms M E Thomas (ab), Professor A Thorpe (ab), Professor R H Thring, Professor R J Wakeman, Professor D J Wallace (ab), Dr P Willmot

Apologies for absence: Dr A R J Dainty, Mr J G Dickens, Dr S T Newman, Professor C D Rielly, Dr E S Tarleton, Ms M E Thomas, Professor A Thorpe

In attendance: Ms M Kennedy

1. Minutes

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The Minutes of the 40^th meeting of the Board were confirmed and signed.

2. Matters arising from the minutes

.1 Abolition of Faculty Boards

Board meetings were likely to be held immediately preceding Directorate meetings.

.2 New Route PhD

Would be included with proposals for a Graduate School.

3. Dean’s report

.1 Department of Systems Engineering

The Department had formally merged with the Department of Electronic and

Electrical Engineering on 31 December 2004. There were no implications for staffing.

.2 Strategic Review Working Group

Was currently focussing on the following initiatives:

- Virtual Research Schools:

Two Schools would be established in October: Health and Life Sciences, and Systems Engineering. The powers of Directors vis a vis Heads of Department would shortly be considered by SRWG. Once the proposals were finalised they would go to Senate for approval.

- Graduate School:

The SSH proposal was being refined but is still at the early stages Recruitment of top flight research active staff:

In order to maximise both quantity and quality in the next RAE return, the University wishes to recruit extra staff. It was expected that good Lecturers would come close to coving their own costs through QR if included in the return. Departments were also asked to consider the returnability potential of contract researchers within the University.

- Tuition fees:

The University would charge maximum fees for all programmes; competition between HEIs was likely to be in bursaries and scholarships. Sponsorships was a more secure form of income, and organisations that sponsored students should be asked to increase the amount; the Faculty should also seek additional sponsored places. Employers were less disturbed about the sponsorship fee when they found that the sum was spread across a number of years.

- Faculty Marketing Manager:

Andrew Cooney would work part-time for the University’s Public Relations Office, but retaining three days per week for the Faculty.. It was intended he would be able to develop ideas on boosting industrial sponsorship.

- Honorary graduates:

Nominations were invited for significant figures from academia or industry.

- Imago:

Following recent discussion about the changed operating patterns, it was expected that some improvements would be made, including reduced fixed prices for small numbers of items.

- Student accommodation:

There had recently been a lower than usual occupancy rate, for reasons including no-show MSc students and students moving into rented accommodation in town. The SAS would in future increase its overbooking. Consideration was being given to Erasmus students and those on some sandwich programmes who needed a room for only one semester. First year undergraduates who made Loughborough their first choice were still guaranteed a place. Taught postgraduates would be told that a voluntary deposit would ensure a hall place.

4. Associate Dean (Research)’s report

.1 Peer review college

EPSRC was seeking nominations; colleagues could not nominate someone

from their own HEI.

.2 RAE sub-panels

Loughborough had a higher number of staff as chairs (5) than any other

university except Cambrdge (6) and Oxford (5). The PVC(R) would chair

Mechanical, Manufacturing and Aeronautical Engineering. Other staff who

would (to date) be members of sub-panels included Professor Thorpe for Built

Environment and Professor McCaffer for Construction. This demonstrated the high standing in which Faculty staff were held. Documentation regarding sub-panels had just been issued, and would be sent from the VC to HODs. Staff should continue to maximise the quality of all their papers.

.3 SRIF 3

The PVC(R) was seeking bids for the third round, which could be equipment or building; £5m was likely to be allocated for a new Health Sciences building.

5. Associate Dean (Teaching)’s report

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.1 CETL

Both of Loughborough’s bids had been successful. The bid from the EEC had won £3.9m for what appeared to be the only engineering CETL, to cover both capital and staffing. The MLSC bid was with Coventry University.

.2 Recruitment

Undergraduate home recruitment was strong, but government funding formulae meant that any additional numbers would not provide extra funding, as the University was paid for its quota, not actual numbers. There was a further opportunity to improve quality.

.3 National Student Survey (NSS)

This had been launched at Loughborough; it was hoped the University would benefit as its students were normally very supportive.

.4 TQI website – External Programme Assessors’ summary reports

The work of departmental administrative staff was acknowledged. Congratulations were due to all departments for meeting the deadline for uploading the summaries onto the site.

.5 On-line Learning Working Group

The AD(T) was chairing a further review of on-line support of learning including LEARN.

.6 Annual Programme Reviews

Were currently taking place and would be reported at the next meeting.

.7 East Midlands Master’s Prize

David Atterbury of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering had been nominated for this year’s competition.

.8 Widening Participation

Lesley Davis was co-ordinating schools visits for the Faculty and needed a

nomination from each department, not necessarily an academic, with whom to liaise activities. The Faculty was also helping raise aspirations in the Thames Gateway, an area with the lowest participation in HE of all UK, through the work of two staff at Dagenham.

6. Award of research degrees

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Degrees were awarded as follows:

Doctor of Philosophy

P J Dixon (Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering)

J P Robinson (Chemical Engineering)

S A Ahmed (Civil and Building Engineering)

S Erpolat (Wolfson School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering)

H K Lin “ “ “ “ “

M H Ong “ “ “ “ “

S Riabzev “ “ “ “ “

Congratulations were offered to all the above.

7. Periodic Programme Review (PPR) – Electronic and Electrical Engineering

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Noted.

8. Science and Engineering Foundation Studies

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The programme director presented the 13^th report. A slightly different entry scheme this year enabled direct application to two departments, which slightly distorted the total number of applicants. Internal transfers meant a net loss to the Faculty, with 22 students leaving and only two entering Engineering. There had been a slightly above-average failure rate last year.

9. Actions of the Associate Dean (Teaching)

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It was RESOLVED to ratify the actions taken by the AD(T).

10. External Examiners’ reports

The deposition of reports was noted.

11. Appointment of Boards of Examiners, Module Boards and External Examiners

Noted.

12. Curriculum Sub-Committee

Noted.

13. Equal Opportunities Action Plan

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Noted.

14. Staff Student Committees

The Board noted the deposition of minutes listed on the Agenda.

15. Date of the next meeting

Wednesday 18 May 2005 at 2 pm

Author – Marie Kennedy

Date – February 2005