Boardof Scrutiny

Thursday 12 February 2004

Robinson College

Garden Room

Present:Mantas Adomenas, Stephen Cowley, Christopher Forsyth (chair), Nicholas Holmes,Elisabeth Leedham-Green, Saskia Murk-Jansen, Timothy Milner, David Phillipson,Jennifer Rigby, Roger Salmon, John Spencer (from 12.50), Helen Thompson.

1.Apologies

John Spencer for the first part of themeting

2.Minutes of the meeting of 29 January 2004

The Boardconfirmed the minutes with a correction to a typo.

3.Matters arising

3.1.Administrative support

The Chair reported that he had been in contact withone of the role analysts in the Personnel division and as a result had producedthe required paper work for proceeding with an advertisement for the positionof a support officer for the Board. The role analyst had advised him that thepost should be at AO2 level with a contract to work for 240 hours a year.He also informed the Board that he hadconveyed the Board’s view that the person appointed be given a laptop but thatPersonnel had not yet made a decision on this issue

ACTION: The Chair to continue to liaise withPersonnel.

3.2.Meeting with the Council on 19 February 2004

The Chairreported that the delegation from the Council would arrive for the meeting at1.15.The Board agreed to send theRegistrary and the members of the delegation a draft agenda prior to themeeting.

ACTION: The Chair and Secretary to prepare an agendaand send it to the Registrary.

3.3.The building maintenance fund

Nick Holmesreported that during further correspondence with the Pro-Vice-Chancellor forPlanning and Resources he has ascertained that the Abstract of Accountspublished in July 2003 had allocated an erroneous sum of SRIF 2 money tomaintenance over a two-year period.

ACTION: Nick Holmes tocontinue his correspondence with the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Planning andResources.

3.4.Meeting with the Vice-Chancellor

The Chairreported that the Vice-Chancellor had agreed to attend the meeting of the Boardon 22 April.

3.5.Audit management letter

The Chair reported that the Registrary had informedhim that the University had received the HEFCE audit management letter. Theletter would go to the Council on 23 February and the Board would receive itimmediately after that meeting.

3.6.Meeting with the Registrary

The Board confirmed the recordof the meeting.

4.The effectiveness of Council

Roger Salmon circulated a paper that he had writtenfor the Board to discuss on the functioning of the Council. The Board discussedthe issues raised in the paper. It agreed to send an amended version of thepaper to the Registrary and members of the Council attending the meeting withthe Board on 19 February.

Roger Salmon circulated a second paper, outlining someof the strategic issues facing the University. The Board agreed to discuss theissues raised in this paper at its next meeting.

ACTION: Roger Salmon to revise the paper onCouncil and the Chair to send to the Registrary and the delegation of theCouncil. David Phillipson to expand the paper on the strategic issues facing theUniversity.

5.Invitation to Chair to serve on a Council committee

The Chair reported that he had been invited to serveon a Council committee that will consider the voting system used in theUniversity. The Board agreed that in its view it would be better for DrForsythe to serve as his own person rather than as Chairman of the Board. TheBoard also agreed that the committee should include an expert in probability.

ACTION:The Chair to accept invitation in a personal capacity and suggest in doing sothat a mathematician be invited to serve on the committee.

6.Requests for documents

The Board agreed to ask formally for theBlue Book each year and the accompanying data-sheet.

ACTION:The Chair to ask for last year’s Blue Book and data-sheet from the Director ofFinance.

7.The University’s investments

Stephen Cowley reported that he had heard that therewas some disquiet in some quarters that the University’s investments are stillmanaged by a single firm. The Board agreed to ascertain what mandate the InvestmentCommittee had given the investment fund managers used by the University.

ACTION: The Chair to write to the Director of Finance torequest (i) the letter sent to the University’s investment fund managersand(ii) any minutes on discussions ofalternatives to the present management of investments.

8.Preparation of the Board’s Annual Report

The Board agreed that it would onceagain produce an Annual Report.

9.Any otherbusiness

9.1.Staff Development course

John Spencer reported that he had given, earlierin the week, a presentation about the Board’s role in the governance of theUniversity to the Staff Development course.

9.2.Freedom ofInformation Act

The Board noted that Faculties and Departmentswould need clear guidelines about how to deal with possible requests under theAct from 1 January 2005.

10.Date of thenext meeting: 19 February 2004