SSH07-M1
The
Minutes of Meetings of the Faculty Board are posted on the Web for three years
after the relevant date.
Minutes of the Meeting of the Faculty Board held on Tuesday 22
May 2007.
Members: Professor Dave Allen, Professor Barbara Bagilhole, Professor
Jon Beaverstock, Professor Stuart Biddle (ab), Dr Paul Byrne, Dr Ian Campbell
(ab), Dr Alastair Cheyne, John Costello (ab), Dr Oliver Daddow (ab), Professor Ian
Davidson, Dr Clive Edwards (ab), Huw Edwards (ab), Professor A P France, Johnny
Hardstaff, Professor E A Hobby, Tony Hodgson, Dr Dennis Howitt,
Dr Phil
Hubbard (ab), Professor Terry Kavanagh, Professor Malcolm King (ab), Dr Moya
Lloyd (ab), Professor Joseph Maguire (ab), Robert Marshall (student
representative) (ab), Dr Kate Moss-Brookes (ab), Graham Murdock (ab), Professor
Shirley Pearce (ab), Nick Rodgers (ab), Phil Sawdon (ab), Professor Dennis
Smith, Dr Chris Spray (ab), Dr David Stensel (ab), Ruth Stubbings (ab),
Dr Neal Swettenham (ab), Kerry Walton (ab), Dr Paul Wood
(ab)
Apologies for absence: Professor Stuart Biddle, Dr R I Campbell, Mr J Costollo, Dr
O Daddow,
Dr C
Edwards, Mr T H Edwards, Professor M King, Dr M Lloyd, Dr G Murdock, Mr P J
Sawdon,
Dr C M
Spray, Dr D J Stensel, Miss R Stubbings, Ms K Walton
In attendance: Sally McKinley (Secretary)
1. Minutes SSH06-M2
The Minutes
of the Meeting of the Social Sciences and Humanities Faculty Board, held on
Tuesday 14 November 2006, were CONFIRMED.
2. Matters
Arising from the Minutes Not Appearing Elsewhere on the Agenda
2.1
National Student Survey (item 15.3 (iii) refers)
NOTED: The University’s response rate to the national student
survey was 78%, 20% above the national average.
Congratulations were extended to all departments and Marie Kennedy for
their hard work.
3. Reports from the Dean and Associate
Deans
3.1 Dean’s Report
(i) Information
Systems
NOTED: Two major IT projects were currently being
implemented. The Loughborough University
Student Information System (LUSI) was commencing well. The next element to be targeted would be a
new virtual learning environment using Moodle.
Agresso which was already being used in 40 universities in the
(ii)
NOTED: The BUE trustee delegation would be visiting
the University on 24 May 2007. A Head of
Department for the
(iii) Financial position
NOTED: It had been an exceptional
financial year for the Faculty with an initial surplus of £1.8m now reduced to
£1.3m (after paying off part of the costs of the
(iv) New appointments
NOTED: Some significant posts, Head of
IT, Head of Estates, Head of Human Resources and Chief Operating Officer had
been, or were shortly to be, advertised.
3.2 The Associate Dean (Teaching)
(SSH07-P1
electronically circulated)
(i)
Recruitment update
NOTED:
Overall recruitment was healthy with a 10% increase in UK/EU
undergraduate applications University-wide, the Faculty accounting for 55% of
all applications. All
schools/departments were expected to meet their quota. International applications had risen by 19%. Home postgraduate taught continued to be low
with 373 applications University-wide. The
AD(T) stressed the importance of ensuring home
students to be made aware of postgraduate taught opportunities in their own and
other departments. International
applications were up by 13% and applications from
(ii) League tables
NOTED: The University had been placed sixth out of 109 in The Times
Top Universities Guide and ninth in the Guardian making Loughborough the top
rated University in the
(iii) Annual Programme Reviews
NOTED: APRs for 2005-06 were good across the board. There was still concern about Programme Board
procedures and the role of External Examiners.
(iv)
NOTED: The response of the validation panel covering Business
Studies, Economics, Political Science, Informatics and Computer Science had
been positive with recommendations to Learning and Teaching Committee and
Senate in June. The calibre of newly recruited staff and
students had been excellent.
(v) Institutional audit
NOTED: The institutional audit would take place in Spring 2008. The
Faculty were advised they may be approached with requests for information but
it was not clear yet as to which individuals the auditors would be contacting.
3.3 The
Associate Dean (Research) (SSH07-P2)
(i) New
research magazine
NOTED: Funding for a research magazine had been approved for one
year. The Board was reminded to continue to send
information about research to the PVC(R).
(ii)
NOTED: The PVC(E) was in collaboration
with IPSO Ventures, a specialist in commercialisation of University properties. The AD(R) would circulate more details, when
they became available, to the Board.
ACTION: AD(R)
(iii) Japan
Society for the Promotion of Science
NOTED: The Board were reminded that the deadline for
the call of applications to the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science was
14 June 2007.
(iv) Association of Commonwealth Universities/British Academy Fellowships
NOTED: Interested parties in the British academy
Fellowships should contact the PVC(R).
(v) Review of PG Studentships
NOTED: A review of postgraduate
studentships was currently taking place and it was hoped that this would
coordinate the timing of development funding more efficiently.
(vi) Research degree submission rate by department
NOTED: The Research Committee had been examining
the very variable submission rates of research degrees by departments over the
last 4 years. From the Faculty of Social
Sciences and Humanities currently three departments were under 50% of their
submission rate and three were at 50% of their submission rate.
(vii) Continued study bursaries
NOTED: £1000 continued study bursaries
were available from individual departments to
(viii) Prizes
NOTED: Postgraduate prizes would be
judged on 8 June 2007.
4. Award of degrees (tabled)
APPROVED:
The award of Higher Degrees to candidates whose examinations had been
conducted since the last meeting of Senate.
5.
Destination statistics for 2006
Graduates (paper
tabled)
The Board RECEIVED a report from David Lilley, Careers
Service.
NOTED: All destination figures for 2005/06 were now available on
the web. For the Faculty it was an
improvement on the previous year. The
percentage of those employed and in work and study (including part-time study
and working and working while doing professional qualifications) rose for a
second consecutive year from 69.2% to 73.4%.
Following a rise in 2005, unemployment had returned to 4.6% and the
proportion of graduates continuing in full-time study also dropped back to
15.6%, the lowest rate for some years.
The percentage of graduates undertaking other activities, including
travelling, remained similar.
(i) The
percentage of students going into non graduate jobs across the University was
on average 25%, in the Faculty it was 33%.
(ii)
87%
of students took up employment following a placement year compared to 71.2% who
were offered employment and had not undertaken a placement.
(iii)
The
Careers Office had reported that 96 students in 2006 had been placed on work
shadowing and it was anticipated that 125 students would be placed on work
shadowing in 2007.
(iv)
Yvonne
Handly had taken up the role of Employability Development Advisor in the
Careers Office to enhance Loughborough University Award achievements; the alumni
careers database; work experience and the development of students’,
departments’ and employers’ work opportunities. Departments would shortly be receiving a
questionnaire on employability skills.
(v)
The
Careers Office job of the year for 2006 had been awarded to a Design and
Technology graduate for the development of ‘a chocolate experience’
for Master Foods and a starting salary of £29k.
The Board
commented that although a longitudinal survey would be expensive and time
consuming, it would be useful to know where students had got to in 3-4 years
time. Bearing in mind the University was
known for its employer engagement, Board members were reminded that students
and departments should carry out personal development planning using
RAPID. Explicit marketing of placements
was crucial as were other elements such as the issue of accommodation being
sorted out well in advance.
6.
Changes to Ordinance XV, Study Leave
(SSH07-P4)
NOTED: The Board were content with the changes.
7. Periodic
Programme Review
The Board
RECEIVED a verbal report from the AD(T).
NOTED: Congratulations were extended to
the
8. Health and
The Board
RECEIVED a verbal report from Professor David Williams.
NOTED: The scope for the Health and Life Sciences Research School was
to provide a definition to Healthcare that would compliment existing activity
and provide new and nationally distinctive research. Deliverable to the DVC, the school would
build on the University’s track record of relationships with industry, encourage
income generation by fostering cross disciplinary working between departments
and also inform teaching.
The
healthcare agenda was now visible with new appointments and a physical
environment. An interim advisory group
had been set up and some outcomes were already in evidence eg regional
networking with EMDA and Healthcare INET, an EPSRC proposal in regenerative
medicine area £3.5m and a similar proposal in Built Environment £1.5m.
The
school’s objectives for 2006-07 were to install and operate the school’s
processes; create and maintain a web structure; increase an internal
understanding of capabilities and ensure it had early sight of big bidding
opportunities with Research Office staff.
The school, and its advisory group, hoped to encourage and support the
growth of untapped health and life science research areas in the
University.
9. Establishment
of History at Loughborough (SSH07-P5 electronically circulated)
The Board RECEIVED a proposal from Professor
AGREED:
The Board supported the proposal for History to be reintroduced as a
joint honours programme. The AD(T), Professor Allan and the Faculty Finance Accountant
would produce a robust business plan to accompany the proposal when submitted
to Operations Sub Committee.
ACTION: AD(T), Professor Allan, Faculty Finance Accountant
10.
University
Strategic Plan (item 18 refers)
The Board RECEIVED
a verbal report from the Dean.
NOTED:
The final draft of the strategic plan would be submitted to Senate in
June.
11. Associate
Dean (Teaching) Action
RATIFIED: Actions taken by the Associate Dean (Teaching) in approving
the following:
i. Waivers
of Programme Regulations
ii. Appointment
of Programme Boards
iii.
Credit
Transfers
Further details of
the actions were available from the Faculty Board Secretary upon request.
12. Appointment
of Examiners of the University, External Examiners and External
Programme Assessors
NOTED: Details
of appointments made by the AD(T) were available from
the Faculty Board Secretary on request.
13. External
Examiner Reports
NOTED: Reports
of External Examiner’s had been deposited with the Faculty Board
Secretary and were available for consultation on request.
14. Personal Titles
NOTED: The
following personal titles had been awarded and the Faculty offered their congratulations:
Dr Michael
Pickering (Social Sciences) - Personal Chair in Media and
Cultural Studies
Dr Phillip Hubbard
(Geography) - Personal Chair in Human Geography
15. Curriculum Sub-Committee
15.1 Changes to Programme Title/Awards
NOTED: Curriculum Sub-Committee will be recommending
the following proposed programme title changes to Learning and Teaching Committee,
prior to their meeting on 7 June 2007 (effective date shown in brackets):
BSc Sport
and Leisure Management to BSc Sport Management (October 2008 entry)
BSc
Geography and Sport and Leisure Management to BSc Geography and Sport
Management (October 2007 entry)
MSc Sport and Leisure Management to MSc Sport
Management (October 2007 entry)
15.2 New Programme Proposals
NOTED: Curriculum Sub-Committee will be recommending
to Learning and Teaching Committee prior to their meeting on 7 June 2007 a
programme proposal from the Department of English and Drama for a new
full-time/part-time MA in English with effect from October 2007.
16. Staff/Student Committees
NOTED: Reports of Staff/Student Committee meetings had been deposited with the Faculty Board Secretary as follows:
Department |
Level |
Date |
|
Postgraduate Diploma in
Management: HEA |
31 October 2006, 14
March 2007 |
|
MBA Semester One |
28 November 2006 |
|
MSc Management/MSc
International Management/MSc Marketing & Management/MSc Finance &
Management |
6 December 2006 |
|
MBA Semester Two |
17 April 2007 |
Economics |
UG |
28 February 2007 |
English and Drama |
All |
6 December 2006, 14
March 2007 |
Geography |
All |
8 November 2006, 21
February 2007 |
17. Membership
of Faculty Board
SSH06-P31
NOTED: There were 7 vacancies for elected departmental representatives of the Faculty Board for the session 2007-2008:
Department of Economics (1)
Department of Geography (2)
LUSAD (2)
18. Any
Other Business
NOTED: Concern was expressed that about the poor attendance of the meeting. It was agreed that the University had a
strong faculty structure and it was therefore important that Board members
attended the only two Faculty Board meetings per year. It was suggested that Faculty Board members
should receive a brief headline report from Directorate prior to a Faculty
Board meeting to encourage them to attend and inform them of activities that had
been discussed recently at Directorate level.
19. Date
of Next Meeting
The next Faculty Board meeting will
take place prior to a Directorate meeting on Tuesday 13 November 2007 at 9.30
am in the Council Chamber, Admin 2.
Author – Ms S J McKinley
May 2007
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