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Professor D J Wallace |
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Professor J L Alty |
Professor M J Kearney |
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In attendance: |
Mr R A Bowyer |
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Apologies for absence were received from: Professor Arnold, Dr Baldwin, Dr Bouzza-Marouf, Dr Dine, Professor Golding, Professor Page, Dr Rothberg and Professor Wakeman.
Agenda items 14 and 23.5 were unstarred.
The Minutes of the meeting held on 23 June 1999 (SEN99-M5) were confirmed and signed.
Minute 99/59 - University Strategic Plan 1999/00 - 2003/04
The Vice-Chancellor informed Senate that the decision had been taken to make the Strategic Plan available on the Intranet site, open to all staff and students. It was a document to be proud of, but being of interest to other institutions it should be treated with the appropriate level of confidentiality.
SEN99-P62
In addition to the matters reported in paper SEN99-P62, the Vice-Chancellor reported that:
.1 Shelagh Wheelans, Manager of the Academic Registry, would be leaving the University to take up the post of Academic Registrar at the University of East Anglia on 1 March 2000. On behalf of Senate the Vice-Chancellor congratulated Ms Wheelans on her new position and thanked her for her contribution to the University.
.2 Following the Chancellor's Budget Statement, HEFCE had been informed of the University's budget settlement for 2000/01 and 2001/02. A promising 5% increase in cash terms had to be seen against the earmarking of 1½% extra for capital funding for which the University had bid, and the increase in funded FTEs at about 2% globally, for which the University had also bid. The success of bids was therefore crucial to achieve a budget increase of greater than 1½% which would not meet the increased salary bill. The outcome of the bids for extra funded numbers would not be known until February or March 2000. The Government would not be providing assistance in the meeting of any increased salary bill. It was important that the University take up the challenge enthusiastically to secure its future.
.3 A successful bid had been made to the Reach Out Fund for £1.1M over the next four years to enhance the University's ability to interact with industry. Those involved in submitting the bid were to be congratulated.
.4 Major sport successes by current/former students had included the World Record 200m backstroke by former sports scholar Fiona Neale and Sunday Times awards to Paula Radcliffe as Sportswoman of the Year, Jenny Tranfield as Student Sportswoman of the Year and the England Women's Netball Team as Team of the Year, which contained at least one Loughborough Student, Karen Aspinall.
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) reported that:
.1 New research grants and contracts in 1998/99 had reached a record level of £21.8M, a 20% increase on the previous year. Figures for 1999/2000 were promising, with a total of £8.6M for the first quarter, including an exceptional award of £3.76M to CRSP. This was in line with the targets in the Strategic Plan and Departments and Faculties were to be congratulated on their achievements.
.2 Bids had been submitted in the third round of the Joint Infrastructure Fund for a new building to house research in the Department of PE, Sports Science and Recreation Management, a new building to house CREST, and an Integrated Multi-Scale Engineering Building. These bids included funding contributions of up to 25% from the University. There had been no news on the two bids submitted in the second round, which was not promising. There were potentially five bids for submission in the fourth round.
.3 The University was participating in a pilot study as part of the Transparency Review, instigated in response to a Government initiative to see greater accountability and to measure the true cost of research. The University's co-ordinating group had met with Heads of Departments and would imminently be producing proposals on how to proceed for 1999/2000 and the remaining part of the five-year period. The scheme would run over three weeks, to be agreed in each Department, for the current academic year. Confidentiality would be maintained at departmental level.
.4 The first award of a Gatsby Innovation Fellowship had been made to Professor P Smith and A Hayes in Electronic and Electrical Engineering. Another award for this year was under consideration. Awards for 2000 would be publicised in January.
.5 The Chair of Council had nominated Dr David Clark, Director of Engineering and Science at EPSRC and a member of the University Court, to membership of Research Committee. This was a very welcome appointment which would place the University well strategically.
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching) reported that:
.1 The University had been awarded a HEFCE-funded Centre of Excellence in Teaching in Engineering from 1 January 2000. The Engineering Faculty was to be congratulated on this achievement against national competition. A joint initiative with the University of Ulster involving Information Science at Loughborough had also been successful.
.2 The University had received a fair share of funds for widening participation as the result of the consortium with Leicester and De Montfort Universities. This was a high profile success on an issue that was high on the Government's HE agenda. Credit was due to all those involved.
.3 Bids had been submitted for additional funded student numbers within three groups:
If awarded the additional numbers would be incorporated in baseline numbers for the appropriate departments.
SEN99-P63
Senate received a draft University Strategy for Learning and Teaching and the comments of Faculty Boards and Teaching and Learning Committee thereon. Senate was informed that the Strategy had been built on the University's Strategic Plan in which quantitative targets had been presented. Targets would be added to the revised draft of the Strategy. Other than a request that the final bullet point under Learning Support in para 3.5 refer also to the provision of sufficient teaching space, Senate was content with the input from Faculty Boards and Teaching and Learning Committee and noted that a revised version taking account of comments would be considered by members of Teaching and Learning Committee. Some further consultation would then be possible through AD(T)s. A final version would be available in mid January for submission to HEFCE later that month. When accepted by HEFCE the Strategy would be made available on the University's Intranet site.
ACTION: PVC(T)
SEN99-P64
.1 Senate noted the QAA's position statement on postgraduate qualifications following the recent consultation exercise, and received new QAA proposals for a wider Qualifications Framework for comment to the PDQ Team.
.2 The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching) identified the following particular areas of concern for the University arising from the proposals:
.3 The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) highlighted the proposals with which the University's current practice concerning the MPhil would conflict:
.4 Members raised concerns on the dangers to international competitiveness should conversion programmes not be designated at Masters level. Examples were provided of existing conversion programmes which were not only subject specific but which were built also on skills and were taught at Masters level. It was suggested that the approach proposed in footnote 4 on page 9 of the proposals should allay concerns on this matter in relation to the University's own conversion programmes. The need to ensure the identification of the PGCE as postgraduate would remain a concern.
.5 Senate was clear that the proposal to change the title and status of the MEng award should not be supported. Such a move would counter the enhancement of mobility in Europe at a time when France and Germany were moving to adopt the UK's current degree structure. Support by the Engineering profession in defence of the MEng was likely to be strong though the Engineering Council had not yet expressed a firm view. It had to be emphasised that the extended degree was more substantial than simply an extra year bolted on to a Bachelor's degree. The University's comments to QAA should encompass extended degrees other than the MEng, though there may be less influential support externally for these.
.6 The proposal that awards would not be offered as compensation for failure at another level was considered to fly against the GCSE principle that candidates should be rewarded for their achievements. It was also considered that General degrees, as now proposed, had proved a considerable burden to staff in the past and there seemed no good reason for their reinstatement. The position of the EngD award and the DIS/DPS award within the proposals was unclear, though it was recognised that the latter was not credit rated.
.7 It was AGREED that a terse response be made to the QAA with the overriding comment that the QAA's approach was unnecessarily restrictive and they should be looking to the second-level descriptor to amplify the nature of a degree. In addition a student's transcript provided valuable information to employers. It was considered that the issue of whether degree classifications should be dropped was not one to be raised at this time. The Vice-Chancellor expressed his willingness to co-ordinate a like response from other Vice-Chancellors.
ACTION: PVC(T), Vice-Chancellor
It was RESOLVED on the recommendation of the Teaching and Learning Committee and on the advice of the Curriculum Sub-Committee to recommend to Council as appropriate:
MSc Advanced Systems Engineering
MSc Innovative Construction
BEng/MEng Automotive Materials
BSc/MChem Chemistry with Materials
BSc Sport and Leisure Management/Sport and Leisure Management with DPS
Regulations for the Curriculum-Based Component of the Doctor of Engineering (Eng D) Research Programme
BSc/MChem Chemistry with Polymer Science/Technology (last intake 1999)
BSc Recreation Management (last intake 2000)
BEng/MEng Electronics Manufacture and Management (last intake 1996)
BSc Physics with Environmental Science (last intake 1999)
Diploma in Social Psychology (last intake October 1994)
Diploma in Substance Abuse (last intake October 1994)
SEN99-P66 (revised)
A revised paper with amendments which did not affect the proposed quotas was tabled. It was RESOLVED on the recommendation of Resources and Planning Committee to approve UK/EU undergraduate intake quotas for 2000/2001.
It was RESOLVED to recommend to Council proposals from the Director of Information Strategy and Services for revisions to the Constitution, Terms of Reference and reporting line of Information Services Committee.
On the recommendation of Research Committee, it was RESOLVED to approve:
.1 On the recommendation of Teaching and Learning Committee, it was RESOLVED to approve:
A revised Code of Practice that addressed the points raised by Senate at its meeting on 23 June 1999 (Minute 99/60).
.2 It was RESOLVED to ratify the action of the Vice-Chancellor in approving, on behalf of Senate, the report of a review of arrangements for the franchise by licence of the BTEC Diploma programme in Art & Design Foundation Studies to Newark and Sherwood College.
SEN99-P71 / SEN99-P71(a) (tabled) / SEN99-P72
.1 Senate received the unconfirmed minute of General Assembly's discussion on a timetable for elections to Senate, together with a tabled paper providing information on the appointment of Senate members to elected places on Council and the principle of rescheduling elections to Senate. It had been suggested that the timetable for the conduct of elections to Senate be reviewed following a shortage of nominations to Senate in the last round.
.2 Senate also received, on the recommendation of Ordinances and Regulations Committee, revisions to Ordinance XXX for recommendation to Council with immediate effect. The revisions incorporated changes that would allow the election process to start and finish earlier, all within Semester time, allowing longer gaps between processes.
.3 A member suggested that in view of the importance of filling representative positions on committees, there should be a procedure for filling vacant places in the event of insufficient nominations coming forward, and that in such situations elections should be re-held. It was AGREED, however, that a revised procedure for elections should be the first approach and the effectiveness of this determined before any other actions were considered. Rerunning elections could prove time consuming and costly and could disrupt the sequence of elections to other bodies.
.4 Members highlighted the need for Senate to be at full strength and for its promotion as a body whose membership made a valuable contribution. All available means should be used to inform those eligible of election schedules, and it was AGREED that the possibility of using personal email broadcasts to relevant electorates should be explored.
.5 It was noted that the Academic Registry was exploring the feasibility of nominating and seconding candidates electronically, as suggested by General Assembly.
.6 It was RESOLVED to recommend to Council the revisions to Ordinance XXX with immediate effect. It was AGREED that the possibility of extending the period of nominations for Senate elections to other bodies, currently restricted to seven days, should be explored.
.7 A member suggested that the current practice that vacancies remaining on Council following elections from Senate are filled at the invitation of the Vice-Chancellor was ultra vires. The Vice-Chancellor responded that whilst this practice followed the principle within Ordinance XX on unfilled vacancies on Senate Committees, he was happy to avoid such a procedure in future.
ACTION: Manager of Academic Registry
.1 Ordinance XXX : Concerning the Composition of the Senate and the Election of Members thereto and to the Court and the Council by the Academic and other staff of the University, by the General Assembly and by Students of the University
It was NOTED that the Committee's recommendation was included as agenda item 14.2.
.2 Regulations for Higher Degrees by Research
It was RESOLVED to ratify the action of the Vice-Chancellor, on behalf of Senate, in approving the following amendment to RHDR with immediate effect:
Para 17.9 (Appeals)
Change from:
'…. If the Dean or Associate Dean (Research) of the Faculty has been associated with the appellant's research, a past Dean or Associate Dean (Research) of the Faculty, who has had no such association with the student, shall be appointed as Chairman ….'
to
'….If both the Dean and the Associate Dean (Research) of the Faculty have been….'
.1 It was RESOLVED to ratify the action of the Vice-Chancellor on behalf of Senate, on the recommendation of Prizes Committee, in recommending to Council the establishment of the Blackwells Prize.
.2 On the recommendation of Prizes Committee, it was RESOLVED to recommend to Council the establishment of new prizes and revised conditions of award for prizes.
SEN99-P75 (tabled)
Pursuant to Statute XVIII and with the advice of the Honorary Degrees Committee it was RESOLVED to make a recommendation to Council regarding persons to be invited to receive Honorary Degrees at Degree Congregations in 2000.
It was RESOLVED to approve the following dates for the 2000/01 Academic Year for Further Education programmes in LUSAD:
Monday 4 September to Friday 15 December 2000 (15 weeks)
Tuesday 2 January to Friday 6 April 2001 (14 weeks)
Monday 23 April to Friday 25 May 2001 (5 weeks)
99/117 Membership of Senate 1999/2000
SEN99-P76
The Membership of Senate for 1999/2000 was NOTED.
It was NOTED that the Strategic Plan for 1999/2004 had been widely circulated and a summary was available on the Web at the following URL:
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/admin/central_admin/policy/stratplan/
It was NOTED that the Operational Plan for 1999/2000 had been widely circulated and that a copy was available from the Secretary on request.
The Annual Report for 1998/99 from the Librarian was RECEIVED.
Reports from the following Committees were RECEIVED:
(i) A member had unstarred the report wishing to draw attention to the importance of the document in relation to the University's financial position and the identified difficulty in achieving the target surplus before transfers of £1.658M required to meet the budget for 1999/2000 approved by Council. Senate was informed that the Bursar was preparing a paper with options for action to the Chair of Council's Advisory Group on 9 December, one option being the easing of Council's Financial Strategy. Senate was assured that the University was financially strong, though was unlikely to meet Council's financial requirements in 1999/2000 and possibly 2000/01. It was for the University to ensure that its cost base was reduced and income increased.
(ii) The need to prioritise on funding was emphasised. The total student experience needed investment, which had to include both infrastructure and staff. The appropriateness of the current 'mix' of staff had been identified as an area to be explored. The need to reward staff and ensure that the best were encouraged to stay was acknowledged.
Wednesday 2 February 2000 am (if required).
Wednesday 8 March 2000 am.
Jennie Elliott
December 1999
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