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MEETING OF THE BOARD OF SCRUTINY

MEETING OF THE BOARD OF SCRUTINY

MINUTES

Thursday,
17 April 2008 at 11.30am

Music Room, Downing College

Present: Mr Richard Stibbs (Chair); Dr Catherine Pitt
(Secretary); Miss Rebecca Collins (Support Officer); Mr Paul
ffolkes Davis; Dr Margaret Glendenning; the Revd Roger Greeves;
Mrs Jamie Horsley; Dr Elisabeth Leedham-Green; the Revd Ian
Thompson; Professor David Yates.

1.

Apologies

Dr Margaret Guite; Dr Peter Sarris

2.

Minutes
of Meeting on 6 March 2008

Approved.

3.

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

Matters
Arising

Registrary:

  • RS
    has been in touch and
    Thursday 12 June has been set
    as the date for the Registrary’s next visit to the Board. The
    Board’s Annual Report is normally sent for comment on any
    errors of fact prior to this meeting. It needs to be decided
    whether to send the draft report before this meeting.

UAS Reorganisation

- The
Registrary held a meeting on 11 April. The changes announced
included the movement of Health & Safety into HR; Personnel
will be renamed HR; RSD will remain separate; Security move to
EMBS. The proposed shared services will not come about.

VoIP

- Positive
feedback is being received from some departments. To be kept
under review.

4.

(i)

(ii)

Guest:
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alison Richard

Background:

  • The
    VC has travelled extensively since her last meeting with the
    Board. Opportunities for development of the alumni network
    internationally were reported.

  • The
    University will not ‘recruit’ students internationally but
    allow numbers to grow naturally. This matter will be passed to
    the colleges.

  • An
    intense programme of meeting with central Government, the Shadow
    Government and senior civil servants has been arranged.

  • The
    North-West Cambridge initiative is moving forward.

  • Work
    and communications with colleges are progressing positively.

  • The
    800 Campaign is progressing well. Global financial pressures may
    have some impact on donations.

  • The
    new Registrary has brought a fresh approach to established
    practices.

  • The
    RAE submission for this year has been completed.

  • Cambridge
    junior academics are being offered posts at leading US
    universities. Cambridge is also attracting senior staff from
    these universities.

Discussion:

  • College
    funding for students has reverted to a per capita system.

  • Colleges
    are seeing large numbers of outstanding overseas students.

  • The
    graduate population of the University is growing at around 1% per
    year.

  • Cambridge’s
    role in relationships with Government is that of communication
    and education of policy-makers.

  • The
    Council is reviewing the tenure of the post of Vice-Chancellor.

  • The
    University’s next HEFCE review takes place in June 2008.

  • Consideration
    will be given to the University’s funding sources given the
    present economic climate.

5.

(i)

(ii)

Any
Other Business

Some
suggestions were made of guests for future meetings.

A
draft of the Annual Report was circulated and comments recorded.

6.

Date
of next meeting

11.30am
on Thursday, 1 May 2008

Music
Room, Downing College

Rebecca
Collins

Support
Officer

19
April 2008