SENATE

Subject: Review of the Effectiveness of Senate

Origin: Jennifer Nutkins, Secretary

The recommendation for regular reviews of the effectiveness of University Senates by the Committee of University Chairmen was noted at the November meeting of Senate. Such a review is also timely following the recent review of the effectiveness of Council.

Senate is invited to comment on the proposals outlined in this paper for taking the review forward.

A small working group is proposed to oversee the review:

Vice-Chancellor (Chair)

One Head of Department – to be nominated by the Deans

One elected member of Senate – to be nominated by the elected members

Secretary to Senate

Assistant Secretary to Senate (Secretary)

The following issues might be considered by the working party, including how best to consult Senate members on the matters concerned:

• Senate’s key functions and it effectiveness in discharging them
• Revision of the current formal powers and functions (Senate agreed these required modernisation at its November meeting)
• The size and membership of Senate
• The frequency of meetings, their format and papers
• Induction of new members

This is an initial list and the group may wish to include other issues whilst wishing to ensure the scope of the exercise is manageable. The final report on the review will be made to Senate at its June meeting.

One of the recommendations of the review of the effectiveness of Council was “that Council and Senate actively follow up their review of the Committee structure with the aim of simplifying the processes of governance” (Recommendation 14). Consideration of this recommendation by Senate might reasonably begin in the context of its own effectiveness review.