Faculty of Engineering
Faculty
Board
ENG09-M1
Minutes of the meeting of the Faculty Board held 20 May 2009.
Members: Professor Tony Thorpe (Acting Dean and Chair), Dr Lisa
Bartlett,
Observer: Wg Cdr Angela Hawley
Apologies for absence:
Dr Sandie
Dann, Professor Alistair Gibb, Dr Jane Horner,
Professor Steve Rothberg, Dr Dave Twigg
In
attendance: Ms Marie Kennedy
Also in
attendance:
Professor Dennis Loveday and Dr Helen Fletcher (for item 3)
Ms Ruth Grainger (for item 4)
Ms Lesley Mansell
(for item 6)
1.
Welcome
Dr Carol
Robinson was welcomed to her first meeting as Director of the MLSC/Mathematics
Education Centre
2.
Minutes
(ENG08-M2)
The
minutes of the last meeting were confirmed.
3.
ETI
update (item
taken out of turn)
NOTED:
a) The Midlands Energy Consortium (MEC), comprising the Universities of
b) MEC successes include securing EPSRC funds for two DTCs,
obtaining £3M from HEFCE’s SDF to establish the
Midlands Energy Graduate School (MEGS), building relationships with EPSRC and
DECC and developing industrial links, especially with E-On.
c) Although no direct funding had yet been received from ETI calls, progress
with building the ETI/MEC relationship included meetings and visits to view
University facilities such as the engCETL, and some
ETI sponsorship.
d) ETI activity focused on its targets for 2020 and 2050; three calls had been announced and
four projects funded to date, with a mix of industrial and academic involvement,
but none had yet started.
e) ETI’s recently-announced technical strategy gave an indication of likely future
calls but the VCs had also encouraged the ETI to make clearer its strategy
regarding the HEI community.
f)
The MEGS would provide students
working in the area of energy with a broader, deeper understanding of the
energy system. Loughborough’s
involvement would be led by Paul Rowley as Deputy Director and Phil Eames on
the management group. Funding allowed
for each HEI to pay the salary for a new SL for five years, after which the
host department would be expected to continue the funding. Loughborough would recruit in the energy
storage/demand management area, for which a job description was being drafted. Funds would be also available for administrative
support and buy-out of academic time.
MEGS would explore new collaborative MSc and CPD programmes, and its taught modules would be available to all PGs working in
the energy area.
g) The MEC had focused on developing existing links with E-On because all
three Universities were EPSRC/E-On partners, and it was local, but the
Consortium aimed to strengthen links with other industrial partners.
h) The MEC had also focused on government and other funding bodies, and had
presented overviews of its research strengths to EPSRC, DECC and TSB. It aimed to continue to develop relationships
so that such bodies had a clear understanding of its capabilities.
FURTHER
NOTED:
i)
The ETI was expected to
receive £50M over a ten-year period from its partner companies, with matched
funding from government, and there remained the possibility of a further five
partners. Progress in building
relationships with ETI had been slow as industry adjusted to the idea of closer
working with HEIs.
j)
The ETI remained
technology-focused, and its main drivers were to ensure that
k) A large amount of funding was available for the MEC to access, and staff were encouraged to contact Dr Fletcher.
4.
Graduate
destination data (ENG09-P20) (item taken out of turn)
NOTED:
a) The 2007/08 annual report was now available on the Careers Centre’s
website at http://www.lboro.ac.uk/service/careers/section/reports/reports.html.
b) Notable was the three percentage-point increase in unemployment for the Faculty
graduates, and the Centre expected unemployment to continue to rise. Engineering finalists had in recent years
tended to leave job-seeking until late in their programme, and had therefore
been affected by the autumn 2008 cutbacks.
c) It was important that Engineering finalists be encouraged to continue to
apply for vacancies, as employers continued to recruit graduates; however, they were
now more selective and required good quality applications. Finalists should also be encouraged to use
the resources provided by the Centre: inter alia, its webpages
presented a more realistic picture of graduate employment prospects than that
given by the media.
d) Prospective placement students, and alumni at all stages of their life, were
also encouraged to seek information and advice from the Centre.
e) International students were more vulnerable to the economic downturn, as
they were unable to remain in the
f)
The 2008 Careers Fair had
seen the highest number of employers ever on campus, and many had already
booked places for 2009;
the Centre was also encouraging more SMEs
to attend the Fair.
g) Work placement opportunities included:
-
The Shell Step Programme,
which provided 8-12 week placements and which now included a few places for
graduates; it was, however, already
overwhelmed by applications;
-
The Enterprise Office had
provided £½ M to expand the Graduate Gateway work experience project;
-
Government internships,
mainly in the public sector, were available for FT or PT work for six months; however, government
did not provide funding, and work was unpaid unless the employer offered a
salary.
h) Although there had been some loss of DIS placements in recent months, and
the situation was likely to be difficult in the next academic year (partly
because of the recent increase in student numbers), some employers might prefer
offering placements than graduate employment, and sandwich programme students
should continue to be encouraged to seek placements.
i)
PG employment data were not
required by DLHE, and were difficult to obtain partly because many were
international students who returned home.
5.
Matters
arising from the minutes:
5.1 SEFS (Science and Engineering Foundation
Studies) Programme Annual Report
Departments
had reported no discernible differences in performance between direct entry and
SEFS students, but variability within both groups. The University policy was to raise the intake
standard and admit fewer SEFS students in 2009.
5.2 Research Excellence Framework
There remained
some problems of linking publications where no electronic copy existed, but the
Acting Dean urged all Faculty staff to put their publications in the
Institutional Repository. The Library
provided a facility for staff to sign a form which allowed librarians
automatically to transfer academics’ publications from the University’s
Publications Database.
ACTION: HoDs
5.3 Research
Degree Regulations and Code of Practice on Research Degree Programmes
Senate
had rejected the Faculty’s representations regarding a formal second year
review.
6.
Single
Equality Action Plan (ENG09P21)
NOTED:
a) The University had developed a new single policy for Race, Disability and
Gender which would shortly be available on the web. Other new duties covering Sexual Orientation,
Religion or Belief, and Age, would also be included.
b) Good practice was being shared across the University, eg
via the Two-Tick Disability Scheme for recruitment and retention.
c) The recent Staff Survey showed the effectiveness of policies and actions
plans.
d) Departments had an important role in ensuring the policies were
implemented, and should now agree their own priorities, with achievable
targets. Advice in reviewing the
Faculty’s Action Plan was available from the Equality and Diversity
Officer and from the Faculty HR Adviser.
The Faculty was recommended to focus on just one issue each year, such
as under-reporting of disability. It
would be asked to report on progress in spring 2010.
7.
Reports
from Faculty Officers
7.1 Acting Dean
NOTED:
a) Centenary celebrations
Some
departmental input would be needed for events such as the Community Open Day on
Sunday 14 June and the special graduation ceremonies on Saturday 18 July. Approximately 500 Engineering graduates, of a
total of some1,000 pre-1966 diploma-holders, would
attend to receive their honorary degrees on 18 July, and might visit the
Faculty during the day with their guests.
The foyers of S and T buildings would be used as drop-in points, light
refreshments would be provided, and each department would mount a display. Staff were needed to
welcome visitors, who were likely to be more interested in a picture of current
teaching than of research.
Secretary’s note: because of the unexpectedly high demand, a
second special graduation day has now been arranged for Tuesday 15 December
2009, the day following the winter congregation.
b) Staff survey
i.
HoDs had been asked to draw up action plans to deal with issues raised by
their staff. Notes made by the Faculty
HR Adviser during earlier feedback sessions should help departments to identify
issues that might be common to other departments and better dealt with at a
Faculty level.
ii.
The
University had set up seven working groups, each chaired by a member of senior
management, to follow up generic issues raised in the survey, and all staff were invited to make suggestions - for example, to reduce
unnecessary bureaucracy.
c) RAE
The
University had done well in the recent RAE, and had received a funding increase
of approximately £6M. The additional funds
would be distributed to departments, and the University would also distribute a
proportion of income from variable fees, which to date had been reserved for
strategic purposes such as additional staffing.
Although the University remained financially stable, in view of the
economic downturn, the fact that QR funding was only guaranteed for one year,
and because the HEFCE block grant was expected to decline in future years, it needed
to create a surplus which was twice the usual size (although creating a large surplus
now might mean lower surpluses would be required in future). The Faculty might also receive less than some
departments because the government had reduced the unit of resource in many
subjects in order to protect STEM subjects.
Decisions would be needed to allocate an additional £1.5M, which could
be used for capital expenditure, reducing student numbers or increasing staff.
d) Closer departmental co-operation
Discussions between Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering
and Materials had determined that the two departments would continue
collaboration without any structural changes.
e) Possible new department of Pharmacy
There
was substantial cross-University support for the proposal, which would require
the Faculties of Engineering and Science to relinquish some student numbers. A new building would probably be built near
the existing Chemistry block.
f) National Olympic team on campus up to 2012
The
University was close to an agreement with a major national team; the benefits were
expected to outweigh any disadvantages.
Secretary’s note: announcement made 4 June that the Japanese
team and related personnel would be based on campus.
g) New buildings
Development
of the
7.2 ` Associate Dean (Research)
NOTED:
a) Research Excellence Framework
i.
It was at present not
certain whether implementation might be delayed, but staff should ensure that all
their publications were available on the Institutional Repository.
ii.
The REF would include bibliometrics as well as some peer review, despite the
HEFCE assessment which had found that bibliometrics
produced very variable results in different Units of Assessment.
iii.
There was likely to be less
emphasis in future on esteem, as HEFCE did not believe it was a good indicator,
and subject Panels had differed in the way they used it; however, impact was likely to be built
into the new methodology.
iv.
The number of Panels might
be reduced ,( although an earlier attempt to do so had
failed).
v.
The REF might prove more
similar than expected to the previous RAE.
b) New research student regulations
i.
Training sessions both for
students and academics were taking place in May and June; the staff sessions were especially
suitable for directors of research programmes.
Further sessions would be arranged in October, after which training
would be embedded in the probation programme.
ii.
Regulations now included a
requirement for electronic submission of theses (by Word or PDF) in addition to
two bound copies.
iii.
Their wider and easier availability
meant that there were more copyright implications for electronic publications than
for hard copies: eg,
permission to use of diagrams and images might be less easy to obtain. The University had placed the onus on the
student to obtain copyright permission, and electronic versions would be
embargoed until this was obtained, which meant (inter alia) that they could not be put on the Institutional
Repository. Members felt it was not
realistic to expect students, especially international students who might be
working overseas, to ensure they had obtained all copyright permissions before they
submitted. However, the Library was
likely to offer support for this. In
addition, some publishers offered an online service, and it might be possible
to obtain framework agreements with some publishers, for a certain number of
images to be used across a given number of publications.
AGREED that the AD(R) would convey the Faculty’s concerns to the Research Team.
ACTION: AD(R)
c) Visit of Chief Executive of EPSRC 23 July 2009
The
Research Office was preparing a timetable for the visit.
7.3 Associate Dean (Teaching)
NOTED:
a)
Recruitment
2009/10 (ENG09-P22, tabled)
Undergraduate: UK/EU
i.
Data should be used with
caution, but showed a 12% increase in offers made by the Faculty compared to
the same point in the previous year, and an increase in the number of CIs and conversions.
ii.
It was essential that
departments did not exceed their targets, especially in view of the likely
HEFCE funding claw-back if the University over-recruited. Some 45-50 SEFS CFs were likely to choose Engineering and should be
included in departmental data (although there were likely to be fewer SEFS
recruits than the 100 allocated).
iii.
Departments should
carefully consider each decision, and not make any CCOs
or concessions (including BEng concessions for MEng CFs) until the complete
Faculty picture was available.
iv.
A-Level results would be
published on 20 August. Applicants would
be allowed this year to ‘trade up’ their places, and departments
might receive requests or to lose some CFs. The Faculty was also likely to receive some
good-quality CIs.
Undergraduate: international
The
number of CFs
and conversions had increased, but applications were still being processed and
data remained uncertain.
PGT UK/EU FT
The
number of applications had risen, perhaps because of the economic downturn, but
the cycle was at present incomplete. PT PGT
intake and population were now considered by the Directorate three times pa.
PGT International
Data
available did not reflect a recent surge in applications nor
those currently being processed, and totals were likely to be higher than presented.
b)
Annual
Programme Reviews (ENG09-P23 (a) – (e))
i.
External examiners’
reports consistently praised Loughborough’s high standards and the
excellence of departmental administration.
Criticisms included the sometimes low progression rates at Part A, which
seemed to be a reflection of poor student engagement in recent years. A Teaching Centre project had been
established to consider the disappointing levels of student engagement,
together with induction arrangements, and was now underway.
ii.
Some EEs
had commented on the composition of Staff-Student Committees, the regularity of
meetings, the timing of the appointment of the Departmental Chairs, and actions
needed to close loops.
iii.
There were also some issues
relating to the new DTCs, some of which offered
‘training modules’ that were not credit-bearing and therefore not
subject to the normal University QA processes.
These raised problems especially when the modules were offered in
collaboration with other universities. The
Learning and Teaching Committee would shortly consider the taught part of the DTC programmes.
8.
Award of
research degrees (ENG09-P24)
APPROVED the following awards:
Doctor of Philosophy:
Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering:
A P Newton
L O Portas
Chemical Engineering:
K Q M al-Hamad
G Gasparini
A Kulkarni
Civil and Building Engineering:
M J R Abdunnabi
R Laws
Electronic and Electrical
Engineering:
A
M Jaiswal
R Kumar
L Li
Wolfson
J P Casa Rodriquez
B B Kentel
K A Mumtaz
N B Yusoff
K Zhang
Doctor of Engineering:
Civil and Building Engineering:
M
I R Holton
9.
Personal
titles
Congratulations
were offered to the following members of the Faculty, who had been awarded
Personal Titles:
Dr Ian
Ashcroft, Wolfson School of Mechanical and
Manufacturing Engineering (personal readership)
Professor
Jim Chandler, Professor of Geomatics (personal chair)
10.
Membership
of Faculty Board
Noted.
11.
Actions
of the Associate Dean (Teaching) (ENG09-P25)
Approved.
12.
Curriculum
Sub-Committee
Noted.
13.
External
Examiners’ reports
Noted.
14.
Staff Student
Committees
Noted.
15.
Date of
the next meeting
1.15 pm on Wednesday 11 November 2009 either in the Council Chamber or
in the engCETL (TBC).
A sandwich lunch will be served at
1 pm.
Author – Marie Kennedy
Date – June 2008
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