Annual Reports of the Council and the General Board
Under the terms of Statute A, IV, 1(d) the Council is required to make an Annual Report to the Regent House, giving an account of its conduct of affairs during the past academical year; the General Board is required under Statute C, I, 1(f) to make a similar Report to the Council. The Council’s Annual
Report for the academical year 2006–07 is published below together with the General Board’s Report. Both Reports summarise the work of the respective body and deal with matters which are the statutory responsibilities of each.
Annual Report of the Council for the academical year 2006–07 The COUNCIL begs leave to report to the University as follows: The purpose of this Annual Report is to summarise the activity of the University Council during the academical year 2006–07 and to draw attention to some key policy areas which the Council and other bodies are addressing. The Council is by Statute the principal policy making and executive body of the University. It receives from the General Board an Annual Report on the Board’s own work, particularly in the areas of education and research. The two Reports are published, together with the Financial Statements for the financial year 2006–07. The Chancellor 1. On 17 April 2007 the University celebrated the 30th anniversary of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Chancellorship. As part of the celebration, Professor Timothy CluttonBrock gave his inaugural lecture as Prince Philip Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in the Senate-House, in the presence of the Chancellor. The 800th Anniversary 2. The University is to celebrate its 800th Anniversary in 2009. The Council has discussed imaginative proposals to mark this important date put forward by a working party chaired by Professor Jeremy Sanders, and plans will be announced soon. The collegiate University 3. The Council is pleased to record the incorporation by Royal Charter of Hughes Hall as a College in the University. 4. An amendment to Statute G, II, about the basis of assessment of College contributions for University purposes, has been approved during the year by Her Majesty in Council. A fuller revision of this Statute has been agreed after extensive intercollegiate discussion and consultation and the Council expects to report to the University during the academical year 2007–08. The University’s financial and resource position 5. Planning and resources matters are considered through planning and budget processes controlled by the Planning and Resources Committee, which is a joint 36
Committee of the Council and the General Board, and includes in its membership Chairs of the Schools. The budget process has the active participation of the Resource Management Committee, and the Council’s Finance Committee, which is concerned with the overall financial position of the University. The results of this important work are presented annually in the form of the Council’s Annual Report proposing allocations from the University Chest, a document which is being progressively developed to form a full budget document for the ‘teaching and research’ University, that is the University as an institution not including Cambridge University Press or the Local Examinations Syndicate (nor the Colleges). 6. The consolidated accounts for 2005–06 (which include the Press and the Local Examinations Syndicate) were certified by the external auditors as ‘true and fair’ (which was possible because of the consolidation). In a further improvement to accounting and reporting, the accounts for 2006–07 are prepared for submission to the Higher Education Funding Council for England by the earlier date of 30 November (rather than 31 December as previously). The Council is grateful for the co-operation of the Press, the Local Examinations Syndicate, and the Colleges in enabling these improvements to take place. 7. A significant element in the future of University budgeting is assessment, in addition to the recurrent needs of the University, of the capital position of the University, particularly in relation to the funding of future capital projects which the University may well have itself to finance in whole or part, for example the redevelopment or improvement of some longdeveloped operational sites, and the development of non-operational lands in the Cambridge sub-region. In this connection the resource aspects of the strategic directions process (see below) are particularly relevant. 8. The present budgetary position of the University is positive, although the Council’s aim of producing a significant margin of free resource has not yet been attained. It remains an important priority. There are several reasons why progress has not been as swift as the Council would have wished: principal among these is the effect of the slower than hoped for national implementation of the policy of full economic costing of research, which has not yet fully kicked in to bring in to the University the resource which research requires.
An uncertainty is the coming rebasing of HEFCE block grant funding of research following the present Research Assessment Exercise. The future arrangements for determining the research element of block grant are a matter of prime importance to the University. The Council and the General Board have therefore ensured that the University contributes fully to discussions about future policy in this area, both in its own right and in concert with like-minded universities. 9. An important development during the year has been the establishment of the Investment Office, headed by Mr Nick Cavalla, the Chief Investment Officer, who took up his post in the spring. Working with the Investment Board, a Committee appointed by the Council which reports to the Council through the Finance Committee, policies for the future direction of the Endowment Fund (previously the Amalgamated Fund) are in development. Strategic directions 10. The Council has initiated a process of consideration of strategic directions for the University, and a series of papers by Pro-Vice-Chancellors, officers of the Colleges’ Committee, the then Registrary, and others, on education, research, the collegiate University, resources, and governance and management have been considered by the Council on various occasions during the year, and notably at the strategic meetings held in April and September 2007. The Council will soon publish these papers on its website for the information of those interested, and will be conducting further strategic assessments which it plans to discuss in the spring of 2008. Development and the Campaign 11. The Council receives regular reports about the progress of the Campaign for the 800th Anniversary. A campaign report has been published (http://www.foundation. cam.ac.uk/uploads/File/800%20Report.pdf). Excellent progress has been made towards campaign goals. Major developments and the University’s Estate 12. On 2 February 2007 Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh visited Cambridge to open the Li Ka Shing Centre which houses the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute, on the Addenbrooke’s site. This major collaboration between the leading cancer charity and the University, with its emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration, will make a real difference to the future diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer. 13. A strategic planning project of great importance to the future of the University is that associated with the development of land at North West Cambridge, about which the Council is advised through a Strategy Committee chaired by Mr Alexander Johnston, an external member of the Finance Committee. One
of the University’s early goals would be to secure opportunities for the development of housing and other accommodation, but it seems at present that early development may not be possible until after the two planning authorities concerned, Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council, have finalised their joint Area Action Plan for the site in 2009. The Strategy Committee has overseen the preparation of representations to the Councils on their issues and options consultation, and further representations will be made during 2007–08 in subsequent stages of formal consultation. Land and buildings 14. The significant programme of capital expenditure continued, with a new building completed on the Addenbrooke’s site for the Institute of Metabolic Science, and large-scale refurbishments completed on the Wellcome Trust Centre for SBI (Systems Biology Institute), the Mond Building (New Museums), the Raised Faculty Building (Sidgwick Avenue), as well as other schemes for Plant Sciences, Zoology, and Biochemistry (Downing Site and New Museums Site), and the roof of the Seeley History Library (Sidgwick Avenue). Human Resources 15. During the year the Personnel Committee and much of the work in the Personnel Division has continued to focus on the assimilation of staff to the single spine/new grading structure. An interim report on outcomes from the exercise was published (Reporter, 2006–07, p612). Other aspects of the national Framework Agreement have also been taken forward in partnership with the trades unions, including harmonisation of terms and conditions and career pathways. Work on the introduction of the Cambridge Human Resources Information System (CHRIS) has continued throughout the year, achieving go-live in summer 2007 which is being followed by a period of parallel running. The year has also seen engagement on a wide range of policy matters including disability and gender equality schemes, pension provision, age discrimination, fixedterm working, and child protection. Work has also begun on leadership and management skills development programmes to be introduced in 2008. Much of the activity has been scrutinised by applying the selfassessment tool for people management which is feeding into a revision of the University’s HR Strategy and will ensure the mainstreaming of funds from HEFCE under the Rewarding and Developing Staff initiative. Student matters 16. The Council has oversight of student matters generally, and works principally through the Standing Advisory Committee on Student Matters, which includes in its membership the principal officers of Cambridge 37
University Students Union and the Graduate Union, and the elected student members of the Council and the General Board. This Committee is responsible to the Council for, in particular, the University’s oversight under the Education Acts of the two unions. 17. During the year the student complaints procedure has been simplified, to take account of the additional complaint channel which is now available to students through the service of the national office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA). Information about complaints and applications to OIA and student complaints resolved internally will be provided during 2007–08. Governance and management 18. In April 2007 the Council issued for consultation a green paper about developing governance, which raised various possible developments for consideration, including a small increase in the number of external members of the Council and arrangements for the chairmanship of the Council. Various comments have been made and have been published. The Council has since reported to the University (Reporter, 2007–08, p109). 19. Statutory changes about the responsibilities of the Councils of the Schools and their chairs have been introduced. These codify and modernise the statements of responsibilities of the Schools and their chairs, a matter of considerable importance as the budgetary and other activities of the Schools develop. 20. The Council is the authority responsible for the University Offices, and various University service institutions which are not under the supervision of General Board. The University Offices and Unified Administrative Service (UAS) more generally are in a process of development and the Council has encouraged the then Registrary and his successor to proceed with improvements in organisation and management. The Council expects that the organisation for Council institutions, and service institutions generally, will be further reviewed and developed during the coming years. 21. The planned wider implementation of CamSIS, the student information system, has been delayed by almost a year as a result of problems with UK-specific software features delivered by the supplier. The Project Board has taken decisive recovery action, and has advised the Council that progress will resume on a sound footing in the coming year. 22. The Council appointed Dr Jonathan Nicholls, EM, Registrar and Secretary of the University of Birmingham, and previously Registrar of the University of Warwick, as Registrary with effect from 1 October 2007.
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The conduct of Council business 23. The membership of the Council changed following the elections held in the Michaelmas Term 2006. 24. The Council has continued its practice of holding strategic meetings, in principle two a year, one in September (usually residential out of Cambridge) and one in the Easter vacation (usually non-residential in Cambridge). Discussion at the September 2006 and 2007 meetings concentrated on governance and strategic directions, and that held in April 2007 particularly on the strategic directions process, with the participation of the Chairs of the Councils of the Schools. 25. The streamlining of the arrangements for Council business, to permit meetings to concentrate on matters of real significance, with routine business dealt with, under careful protocols which allow all members of the Council to participate if they desire, through the Business Committee and the system of submission of business by circulation, has continued to prove valuable. In the Lent Term 2007 the Council adopted a code of practice for members of the Council, which is to be published. This code represents a useful model for other bodies in the University. 26. Much of the work of the Council is informed by the advice and recommendation of other bodies, to which the Council records its and the University’s thanks. Particularly these include the Council’s own Finance and Audit Committees, and the major joint committees of the Council and General Board (the Personnel Committee, the Planning and Resources Committee, the Buildings Committee, and the Resource Management Committee). Education and research, which are to a significant degree the responsibility of the General Board, are the subject of advice from the Education and Research Policy Committees of the Board. Dr Timothy Mead 27. Dr Timothy Mead retired as Registrary on 30 September 2007, after a decade of service to the University, in the course of which he energetically supported two successive Vice-Chancellors, and the Council itself, during periods of some difficulty and challenge, and led major developments in the administrative services of the University, both within the UAS and more broadly. The Council records the appreciation of the Council and the University for this distinguished service.
26 November 2007
Alison Richard, Vice-Chancellor Ross Anderson Tony Badger Nick Bampos Z Baranski
William Brown M Clark S J Cowley Bob Dowling S Ensor-Rose
M Fletcher Debbie Lowther D W B Macdonald G A Reid David Simon
Veronica Sutherland Liba Taub Joan M Whitehead Richard Wilson S J Young
Annual Report of the General Board to the Council for the academical year 2006–07 1. Introduction 1.1.
1.2.
The General Board present this Annual Report summarising their activities during the academical year 2006–07 to the Council. Major tasks completed in the course of the year include: • the review of Graduate Education; • publication of the University’s revised teaching and learning strategy; and • the restructuring of the Faculty of Oriental Studies. Work to support the University’s submission for the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE 2008) and an Institutional Audit by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) in February 2008 is on schedule and will continue into the first half of 2007–08. Further progress has been made towards integrating the academic plans of the Schools, and other institutions, into a single high-level planning statement for the University as a whole. The Board welcomed the opportunity to meet jointly with the Council to consider strategic position papers on education, research, and the Collegiate University. The Board recognise the importance of this work and the need for further joint discussions as this programme develops. In 2007–08, the Board will be undertaking a review of developments in the University’s teaching and learning support services. The Board continued to meet three times a term, supplemented by a procedure for handling more straightforward business between meetings by circular. These arrangements enabled the Board to devote more time to strategic issues, including giving detailed consideration to the academic and financial plans of the Schools, and the outcome of major reviews of Faculties and Departments.
Academic Standards, Quality and Review 2. Internal and national arrangements for quality assurance 2.1.
The system of ‘Learning and Teaching’ Reviews is a key component of the University’s quality assurance arrangements. The following institutions were reviewed: the Faculties of Divinity, Social and
2.2.
2.3.
2.4.
2.5.
Political Sciences, and Education; the Departments of Chemical Engineering, Geography, and Zoology; and the Institute of Continuing Education. The reports of the following reviews were considered and the recommendations arising from them taken forward: the Departments of Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic, Veterinary Medicine, and Chemistry; the Centre for International Studies; and the Institute of Criminology. Procedures for considering the reports of External Examiners on all taught courses have been strengthened so that the Board’s Education Committee now consider all such reports, including those for MPhil examinations, and institutional responses to ensure that any concerns have been properly addressed. The University’s arrangements for collaborative learning and teaching provision involving other institutions were reviewed by the University’s Internal Auditors whose report assisted the Education Committee in identifying matters needing to be addressed in this important area which, across the sector as a whole, has been of particular interest to the QAA. The next QAA Institutional Audit of the University will take place in February 2008; preparations led by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) and the Education Committee are in hand. It is anticipated that the audit process will be less intrusive for Faculties and Departments than the 2003 audit and will require the preparation of only a limited amount of documentation specifically for the purposes of the Audit. A number of the University’s teaching programmes are subject to scrutiny by various professional statutory and regulatory bodies. During the year the Board were pleased to note the positive reports from the Royal Society of Chemistry (on Chemistry’s provision within the Natural Sciences Tripos) and the British Psychological Society (on the Social Psychology strand within the Social and Political Sciences Tripos). The most recent Ofsted Management and Quality Assurance inspection of Secondary Initial Teacher Training in the Faculty of Education was equally positive. 39
2.6.
2.7.
Part of the publicly available data about universities, which is of growing importance, is the National Student Survey (NSS). In the 2007 survey, despite strong encouragement to final-year students to participate, the overall response rate for the University (47%) fell below the threshold for publication of university-wide data (50%) and below the national average (59%). Responses in eight subject areas, however, did meet the threshold for publication and will appear in the ‘Unistats’ website (to be launched in Autumn 2007). The Board recognise the importance of achieving higher participation in future surveys and will continue both to urge the officers of Cambridge University Students’ Union to change their stance on NSS and to press for changes to the Survey that will enable it more appropriately to reflect the experience of students in the University. The Education Committee has begun to review the implementation of the final report of UUK’s Group on a common credit framework for higher education in England. This will entail a significant amount of work for the University, including revisions to programme specifications, admissions materials, and examination transcripts. More significantly it raises fundamental questions for the University’s policy on a number of broader issues, including Tripos progression, the length of MPhil programmes, the nomenclature of a number of postgraduate awards, and the implications of the raised national profile of credit transfer and student mobility. The University’s position will need to balance the maintenance of the high quality of the University’s provision with work on access, and ensuring the attractiveness of the University’s courses to potential students of high potential.
are part of the University’s Access Agreement with the Office of Fair Access, and (b) the reduction in the proportion of the 2006 undergraduate intake from the state sector to 56% (from 58% in the previous year). These activities fall into three categories: Cambridgespecific; collaborative work with other universities; and general aspiration-raising activities in support of particular disciplines. The UAC has taken a number of steps to refine and prioritise Cambridge’s strategies in this area. A more effective Schools/Colleges database has been established to improve internal monitoring of initiatives, including their cost-effectiveness. A number of areas for statistical research in this area are being taken forward. The following strategic aims, supported by agreed action plans, have been agreed: • to maximise the impact of activities on applications to Cambridge; • to increase awareness of, and participation in, Cambridge’s outreach and widening participation programme amongst key constituents; • to develop further systems for assessing the outcomes of particular activities; • to develop further systems for the monitoring and tracking of participants; and • to establish a sustainable funding base. 4. Degrees, courses, and examinations 4.1.
3. Teaching, learning, and assessment 3.1.
3.2.
3.3.
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Following detailed consultation with Faculties, Departments, and the Colleges, the University’s Learning and Teaching Strategy has now been approved and can be found at http://www.admin. cam.ac.uk/offices/education/strategy/. The Education Committee has put in place an action plan for implementing the recommendations arising from the Strategy. The Education Committee, together with various other bodies, has been considering the University’s matriculation requirements and widening participation. A Report to the University is expected to be published in the Michaelmas Term 2007. The Undergraduate Admissions Committee (UAC) has given particular attention to access and widening participation activities, bearing in mind (a) the challenging admissions milestones (including an increase in the proportion of the undergraduate intake from the state sector to c. 60–63% by 2010) which
4.2.
4.3.
The Board approved numerous proposals for the revision of teaching programmes; this reflects the close and continuing attention given by Faculty Boards to ensuring that provision at both undergraduate and graduate level is fit for purpose and responsive to the needs of the student body. A new Education Tripos was approved to commence in October 2007, replacing the current Education Studies Tripos offered by the Faculty of Education. A Joint Report of the Council and the Board on the introduction of a part-time route to the MPhil Degree was published in June 2007. A further Joint Report on the introduction of a degree of Master of Finance was published in August 2007. The most significant changes to Tripos regulations were the introduction of Assyriology and Egyptology in the Archaeological and Anthropological Tripos, and changes to the structures of Parts IA of the Computer Science, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences Triposes, in order to distinguish better the courses that prospective students could apply for. At postgraduate level MPhil provision in a number of Faculties and Departments was revised as follows: the Departments of Archaeology, Architecture, Biological Anthropology, and Land Economy, and the Centre for International Studies. Other new postgraduate courses approved during 2006–07, were: an MPhil course in Politics; a two-year MPhil programme in
4.4.
Environmental Design in Architecture (involving a significant placement period); an MSt course in Social Enterprise and Community Development; a Certificate in Postgraduate Study in International Studies; and an Institute of Continuing Education Postgraduate Diploma in Property Investment. Regulations to enable students to progress from a Postgraduate Certificate in Education to study for the MEd Degree were approved. The Board also considered a number of new or revised programmes offered by the Institute of Continuing Education. The Board has strengthened arrangements for (a) consulting the Councils of the Schools where course proposals have particular resource implications, and (b) setting broad timetables for decisions on significant changes to undergraduate provision.
6. Graduate education 6.1.
5. Policy consultation and development 5.1.
5.2.
5.3.
5.4.
The future strategy of the Council for Lifelong Learning has been considered by the Board and its Education Committee, and has been the subject of consultation with University institutions and relevant intercollegiate bodies. The Board will work with the Council for Lifelong Learning on refinement of the strategy and an action plan for its implementation in 2007–08. The Board are pleased to note considerable progress by the Committee of Management for the Cambridge Interfaith Programme (CIP) on the project, the vision of which is to develop new educational resources and a programme of teaching that will enable Judaism, Christianity, and Islam to be better understood in centres of intellectual, religious, and cultural influence, and to help create a closely affiliated centre for public education in London. Following further consultation, proposals to enhance the role of the Chairmen of the Councils of the Schools, to more appropriately reflect the weight of their responsibilities, and formalise the responsibilities of the Councils, were approved by the University in May 2007 (Reporter, 2006–07, p230); approval of the statutory amendments is awaited. The principal changes in the structure of Faculties and Departments approved in the course of the year were: • The formation of a Department of German and Dutch (Reporter, 2006–07, p147), and the suppression of the Department of Other Languages (Reporter, 2006–07, p760); • The renaming of the Faculty of Oriental Studies as the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Reporter, 2006–07, p637) and the formation of the Departments of Middle Eastern Studies and of East Asian Studies (Reporter, 2006–07, p314); and • The establishment of a Kavli Institute of Cosmology (Reporter, 2006–07, p119) through the generous support of the Kavli Foundation.
6.2.
6.3.
The Board’s Review Committee for Graduate Education, jointly chaired by the Pro-Vice-Chancellors for Education and Research, reported to the Board, with initial recommendations across its terms of reference: • the constitutional and organisational structures underpinning that provision, with particular reference to the balance of local and central responsibilities and the role and responsibilities of the Board of Graduate Studies; • the funding of postgraduates, with particular reference to provision from within Cambridge; • the future shape, characteristics, and purposes of that provision, including the balance between taught and research courses and between full- and part-time provision, the appropriateness of the University’s current range of postgraduate degree titles, and means of facilitating inter-institutional and inter-school collaboration; • the University’s capacity to influence, and respond to, the policies of external bodies; and • the role of the Colleges. The Report’s fundamental recommendations concern: • redefining the Board of Graduate Studies as a strategic body, accompanied by greater devolution of operational and policy matters to School level, and rationalisation of the number of Degree Committees; • strengthening and ensuring greater co-ordination of the arrangements for providing student financial support, to improve the University’s ability to attract the best students to its graduate programmes; • the need to establish a separate unit for academic integrity, responsible for handling student complaints and appeals; and • codifying and simplifying the structure of postgraduate qualifications. Following their acceptance of the Review Committee’s recommendations, the Board have established a Steering Committee to consult widely and oversee implementation of the recommendations, which will be a major project for the central offices, Faculties, and Departments. The Board recognise the significance of this work and the need quickly to carry it forward.
7. Academic Services 7.1.
The Board has responsibility for the oversight of a range of academic services, including the University Library, the University Computing Service, the Language Centre, and the Centre for Applied Research in Educational Technologies (CARET). In the course of the year, the Board, initially through the Education Committee, has begun consideration of the future developments, and oversight, of these areas taking account of the growth in the use of electronic media and the need for better 41
7.2.
7.3.
7.4.
co-ordination of pedagogic support. The pace of technological development, and the potential scale of investment to ensure that provision is at the leading edge, requires both a forward-looking strategy and clear governance structures. A full review will be undertaken in the course of 2007–08. The Board endorsed the proposal for the integration of the work of the Information Technology Syndicate and the Information Strategy Group, under the proposed Information Services and Strategy Syndicate. The Board was pleased to acknowledge the position of the University Library as a national leader in the development of digital repositories through the DSpace Project. Through the Committee on Libraries the Board recognises the continuing success of the scheme for the co-ordination of journals, piloted in the Schools of the Biological and Physical Sciences and now extended to include the Schools of Technology and the Humanities and Social Sciences. Discussions are ongoing about the duplication of journals between the Colleges and between the Colleges and the University. The Committee has also noted substantial progress in two other areas: the ebooks project for developing delivery of undergraduate study materials has seen rapid expansion over the past year; and on the matter of professional development for librarians, a pilot oneday conference for library staff was held in June 2007. The Committee has continued its rolling programme of visits to Faculty and Departmental libraries in the University, and is pleased to report continuing evidence that a very good service is being provided, notwithstanding resource constraints.
8. International matters 8.1.
Work has begun on implementation of the two Working Party Reports on international matters (Reporter, 2005–06, pp614 and 623) and in particular on the forming of strategy for overseas collaborations. Presentations on this developing strategy were made both to Councils of Schools and to Heads of Institutions. This strategic work is underpinned by the expansion of the role of the International Office, including the development of an international links database. Collaborative agreements have been signed with the National University of Singapore, with A*STAR in Singapore, with the Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai, the Universidad Chileno-Britanica de Cultura in Chile, and with the American University of Sharjah.
9. University Finance and Planning 9.1.
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The Board, through the Planning and Resources Committee (a joint committee of the Council and the Board), were closely engaged in the consideration of the annual budget and the financial planning process. Guidance for the next planning round indicates a
9.2.
9.3.
tightening of the level of available resources, and the need for clear scrutiny of plans and prioritisation of aspirations for new developments. While the financial representation of plans, and their reconciliation with available funds, is a significant exercise, they are rooted in plans developed by Schools and other bodies. The Board take the opportunity annually to review the content of the plans, which on this occasion was based on a summary prepared by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Planning and Resources), which was also used as background material for the Council’s Strategic Directions discussions. Schools have been given a clearer template for the next round to enable them to provide narrative information in a common format which can be readily adapted for the preparation of a University-wide statement. Arising from their discussion the Board will consider the following issues further: • the financial and academic impact of the 800th Campaign; • the organisation and governance of small institutions; • staff–student ratios; and • the reliance of certain Faculties on College Teaching Officers for teaching and examining.
10. Capital programme 10.1. Much preliminary planning work was undertaken during the year in anticipation of the release by HEFCE of capital funding for 2008–09 onwards. However, because of changes in the way that HEFCE will administer these funds (http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/ circlets/2007/cl21_07/), the funding announcement is not now expected until early 2008. 10.2. The Board endorsed an updated draft Estate Strategy, which will form the context for planning over the next two years, particularly in relation to development of a number of central sites. The Board strongly support the development of a capital investment plan, integrating key academic developments on the New Museums, Old Press, Sidgwick and West Cambridge Sites, which are essential to the realisation of the Estate Strategy. Such a plan will be the basis for the future allocation of University capital resources and the identification of fund-raising priorities. 11. Establishment of Professorships 11.1. As a result of generous benefactions raised through the 800th Campaign, or other external funds, the Board proposed the establishment of the following Professorships: • the Sir Evelyn de Rothschild Professorship of Finance in Judge Business School; • the Prince Philip Professorship of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in the Department of Zoology;
• the Jawaharlal Nehru Professorship of Indian Business and Enterprise in Judge Business School; and • the Li Ka Shing Professorship of Oncology in the Department of Oncology. 11.2. The following Professorships were established, or re-established, as a result of success in gaining prestigious competitive awards from the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust: • an MRC Professorship of Behavioural Neurology in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences; • a Professorship of Developmental Genetics in the Department of Genetics; • a Professorship of Immunogenetics in the Department of Medical Genetics; • a Professorship of Experimental Neurosciences in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences; and • a Professorship of Immunology and Cell Biology in the Department of Medicine. 11.3. In addition, the following Professorships were established supported on general University funds by the reallocation of recurrent funding within the Schools concerned: • a Professorship of Experimental Astrophysics in the Department of Physics; • a Professorship of Primary Care Research in the Department of Public Health and Primary Care; • a Professorship of Medical Genetics in the Department of Medical Genetics; • a Professorship of Infectious Disease Informatics in the Department of Zoology; • a Professorship of Financial Policy in Judge Business School; • a Professorship of Comparative Immunogenetics in the Department of Pathology; • a Professorship of Systems Biology and Biochemistry in the Department of Biochemistry; and • a Professorship of Law in the Faculty of Law. 11.4. A single-tenure Professorship of Materials Science was established in advance of the retirement of an existing Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy as part of the planning for the 2008 RAE. 12. Research policy and the Research Assessment Exercise 12.1. The Board have closely monitored the planning of the University’s submission to the 2008 RAE. There has been continuous interaction between the central RAE administrative team based in the Old Schools and the Unit of Assessment Committees in Faculties and Departments to oversee preparation of individual submissions in accordance with the University’s RAE Equality Code of Practice. To accompany the launch of the Funding Councils’ web-based RAE data collection system in March 2007, training sessions, attended by some 80% of staff responsible for preparation of
submissions, were organised. Faculties and Departments have found this system to be reasonably user-friendly and the University is on schedule to meet the deadline for submission. Prior to submission the Pro-ViceChancellor (Research) will review and sign off each submission with Chairmen of the Councils of Schools. 12.2. Following responses by Higher Education Institutions to HEFCE’s 2006 consultation exercise on the future of research assessment in the UK, it is probable that a metrics-based exercise will be run in 2009 for most STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and medicine). HEFCE have announced that further consultation with the sector will take place towards the end of 2007. It is expected that the results of this exercise will inform funding decisions on a phased basis between 2010 and 2013. It is planned that a modified peer-review assessment exercise will take place for all other subjects in 2013. The Board have concerns about the implication of these proposed arrangements for the University and the short timescale for implementing them, given the lack of specificity about the operational requirements. These will be communicated through the consultations and other appropriate channels. 12.3. A significant matter of continuing concern for the Board’s Research Policy Committee is reviewing the impact of fEC (full Economic Costing) in terms of numbers and values of research applications and awards, as a result of which the Committee has established a small working group to consider the impact of fEC on industrial funding, to report in 2007– 08. The Committee also regularly reviewed progress made in specific interdisciplinary projects and major bids. 12.4. In 2005–06 the Committee established a small working group to identify the scope and number of research ethics committees across the University, which reported to the Committee in 2006–07. Its main recommendation to the Board was to set up a University-wide ethics panel to deal with exceptional matters which could not be dealt with by the established local committees, which were shown to be working well. This will be the subject of a Report to the University. 13. Personnel 13.1. During the year the assimilation of staff to the single spine/new grading structure has continued to command the attention of the Board, with an interim report on outcomes from the exercise being published (Reporter, 2006–07, p612) and other elements of the national Framework Agreement being taken forward in partnership with the trades unions and in consultation with institutions. In recognising the considerable progress in the development of the single spine and policies underpinning the University’s position as a 43
good employer, the Board are in no doubt of the need for further work to strengthen the University’s position to recruit and retain staff in a highly competitive market for many academic and support staff. Balancing these considerations with future financial projections will present a considerable challenge for the University. 13.2. Work has also continued on the introduction of the Cambridge Human Resources Information System (CHRIS) and on a wide range of matters including disability and gender equality schemes, pension provision, age discrimination, fixed term working, and on leadership and management skills development programmes to be introduced in 2008. 14. Health and Safety 14.1. The Board receive regular advice on performance in health and safety principally through the Health and Safety Executive Committee (HSEC), whose Annual
7 November 2007 Alison Richard, Vice-Chancellor Nick Bampos Graeme Barker John Bell
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Tom Blundell William Brown P Coulthard Philip Ford
Report was published (Reporter, Special No. 19, 10 August 2007). Safety auditing, workplace inspection and surveys, an extensive safety training programme, testing of several thousand items of equipment, environmental contaminant measurements, and hazardous waste collection all contribute to providing assurance of compliance for the Board. 14.2. The number of visits received from the enforcement agencies remained at a consistently high level compared to other universities, and an Improvement notice was served by the Health and Safety Executive in respect of manual handling training for a workshop situation. 14.3. The growth in interdisciplinary activities, which is not exclusively a safety issue, represents an area where core competencies may need to be carefully assessed and Heads of Institutions need to be particularly vigilant.
Richard Friend Richard Hunter Katherine Linder D W B Macdonald
Melveena McKendrick Patrick Sissons I H White