2. General Issues

 

2.1 Committee Structure and Nomenclature

(a) The current Committee Structure is shown on page 2. Council is the senior governing body with ultimate responsibility for the management of the University, use of its funds etc. Its membership includes staff, students and a significant proportion of external (lay) members. Senate is the highest academic body and includes staff and student members. The majority of other formal University committees have been established by Senate and/or Council to deal with specific business on their behalf or are sub-committees of these committees. Court, General Assembly and the Faculty Boards are exceptions to this. Court, Council, Senate, General Assembly and the Faculty Boards are established in the University Statutes (see paragraph 3.2).

The Faculty Directorates are treated as formal committees in relation to the support provided by the Faculty secretary in accordance with this Handbook.

(b) Nomenclature for bodies other than those established by Statute should generally be as follows:

Committees – these are the more senior bodies established by Senate or Council or Joint Committees of Senate and Council

Sub-Committees – bodies established on a long term basis by a higher committee to deal in more detail with an area of the committee’s business. However, at present some sub- committees are called Groups (e.g. Performance Monitoring Group) whilst others are referred to simply as committees.

Working Groups/Action Groups – these terms should normally be reserved for short term bodies established to deal with specific tasks.

The University committee structure can be found at: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/admin/committees/structure/

 

2.2 Responsibility for Committee Servicing and Committee Information

 

The Academic Registry has operational responsibility for committee arrangements, e.g. the schedule of meetings, reporting to the Registrar who carries ultimate responsibility. The Registry provides committee secretaries for most formal committees although a number are serviced by staff from sections relevant to the business of the committee (e.g. Human Resources Committee is serviced by a member of staff from Personnel). A Committees Website is co-ordinated by the Registry and includes a range of general committee information and the basic details about each committee. See:

www.lboro.ac.uk/admin/committees/


Note that this site is accessible to all staff, students and members of the public on and off campus.

 

2.3 Schedule of Meetings

(www.lboro.ac.uk/admin/ar/calendar/dates/cm0506/index.htm)

(a) The Schedule of Meetings includes information on the date, start time and venue for each meeting of the main University committees.

(b) The Schedule of Meetings for the next Academic Year is issued in the Spring by the individual in the Academic Registry with designated responsibility. A draft version is issued to all Committee Secretaries and to Senior Staff in advance of this to ensure that the Schedule as proposed is feasible in terms of key members’ diary commitments and room bookings.

(c) The draft Schedule of Meetings is derived from the previous year’s Schedule, taking account of changes in the start and end dates of terms and semesters and the date of Easter.

(d) The Schedule is designed so that the sequence and timing of committees allows for their reporting on to other bodies as appropriate. The timing should allow for the minutes of a meeting to be written and approved by the Chair so that a report of that meeting can be included in the agenda for the parent committee .

(e) The Committee Secretary is responsible for ensuring that the published web version of the Schedule of Meetings is revised to include any changes to the date, start time or venue of meetings.

 

2.4 Role of Committee Secretary (also known as Committee Servicing)

At its most fundamental, the role of the Secretary is to ensure the effective operation of the Committee within its defined terms of reference. Whilst the degree of direct involvement of the Secretary in the business of the committee will vary, all will normally have the following responsibilities:

  • Maintenance of membership and circulation lists and a full set of agenda papers and minutes for previous meetings
  • Maintenance of up to date terms of reference
  • Updating the relevant website section
  • Maintenance of a briefing document for new members of the committee
  • Making arrangements for meetings, including timing, venue and hospitality
  • Broad knowledge of the working of the committee including relevant statutes, ordinances, regulations, codes of practice and procedures including acting as a source of advice on such issues
  • Promotion of the business of the committee, including facilitating and co-ordinating procedures which are the responsibility of the committee
  • Drafting of the agenda, and possibly some papers, in consultation with the Chair
  • Circulation of papers for meetings
  • Attendance at meetings and producing minutes and reports of meetings to other committees or individuals
  • Ensuring that decisions and actions are followed up in a timely way

The sections of this handbook provide more detailed guidance on committee conventions and procedures at Loughborough together with general advice on good practice.

2.5 Role of Committee Chair

The Chair is very important to the effectiveness of the Committee. He/she:

  • Promotes and supports the committee's aims and objectives (does not pursue own agenda).
  • Plans committee meetings and agenda in collaboration with committee secretary.
  • Attends all meetings and keeps an ongoing awareness of committee work and related matters between meetings.
  • Chairs the meeting fairly and impartially, introduces agenda items but does not dominate discussion nor allow individual members to dominate. Where appropriate, introduces speakers and invites relevant members to comment on agenda items, whilst ensuring that debate is not unnecessarily long. Draws discussions to a clear and timely conclusion on each item.
  • Reports to committee members on developments and decisions that affect the work of the committee.
  • Facilitates members' active participation and effective decision-making.
  • Approves minutes and reports of committee meetings before their distribution.
  • Approves urgent and non-controversial matters on the committee’s behalf between meetings
  • May be involved in the selection and appointment of new members, and assists with their induction.

2.6 Characteristics of a Good Chair

These include:

  • Good listening and communication skills, including a willingness to listen to ways in which meetings can be improved
  • Impartiality together with a firm but flexible and facilitating focus upon achieving the aims of the meeting
  • Ability to summarise discussion fairly and succinctly to ensure that all present accept and are clear about what has been decided
  • Ability to gain consensus and avoid unproductive dispute
  • Willingness to exert authority when necessary but in an appropriate manner
  • Tenacity in ensuring follow-through