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EXECUTIVE BOARD
OPEN AGENDA
Monday 14th September 2015 (Room 115) – 11am
I Minutes
To approve: minutes of the meeting held on 7th September 2015 [Attached]
II Action Points
[Oral Updates]
III Matters Arising/Matters for Report
[Oral Updates]
IV Barclays Bank Mandate
To approve: a paper from the Director of Finance & Planning
[Appendix A]
V Draft Agenda – Audit Committee (1st October 2015)
To consider: a paper from the Secretary [Appendix B]
VI Draft Agenda – Board of Trustees (2nd October 2015)
To consider: a paper from the Secretary [Appendix C]
VII Executive Board – Duty Rota 2015/16
To note: a paper from the Secretary [Appendix D]
VIII UK and International HE Horizon Scanning and Circulars
To note: a paper from the Registrar [Appendix E]
20150907 Executive Board Open Minutes_Chair Approved
These minutes are for information only. Any corrections to the minutes will be
recorded in the minutes of the subsequent meeting of the committee.
SOAS, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Monday 7th September 2015
OPEN MINUTES
Members: Professor Paul Webley (Chair) Professor Richard Black Professor Matt Craven Mr Paul Doyle Professor Lutz Marten Professor Gurharpal Singh
In attendance: Dr Chris Ince (Minutes) Apologies: Ms Laura Gibbs
Mr Graeme Appleby Professor Nirmala Rao 11. Minutes The minutes of the meeting on 17th August 2015 were approved. 12. Action Points (i) MIN 8 – Social Media Policy The Secretary reported that this had been uploaded to the external website. 13. Matters Arising/Matters for Report (i) QS rankings EB noted that the School had moved up in the rankings and was now ranked 275th. (ii) University of London Foundation Day The Director reported that the University’s Foundation Day would take place on 25 November and the School would be asked to nominate attendees in due course. It had been agreed that SOAS would provide the music for the event in 2016. (iii) University of London Fee Share Payment EB noted that the School would receive £310k in respect of its share of the fees from the Laws Consortium. (iv) Refugee response The Pro-Director, Research & Enterprise reported he was convening a meeting to look at what the School could do in response to the current refugee crisis including any policy on fees for refugees. He would report back to the next meeting.
(v) London Confucius Institute EB ratified the appointment of the new Dean of the Faculty of Languages & Cultures as the Director of the London Confucius Institute. 14. UK and International HE Horizon Scanning & Circulars [Appendix A] EB noted the revised format for the report, which included greater detail on the circulars as well as any other key matters for EB to note.
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EXECUTIVE BOARD: Action Points 2014/15
Minute Item Action 2014/15 Deadline for
report to EB By
227 Monitoring recruitment on programmes
Agreed process for monitoring recruitment on existing and new programmes
TBC GA
231 Memorial award Discuss possible options with the Director
14/9/15 CI
EXECUTIVE BOARD: Action Points 2015/16
Minute Item Action 2015/16 Deadline for
report to EB By
13 (iv) Refugee Response
Report on possible options for the School
14/9/15 RB
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EXECUTIVE BOARD 14.9.15 APPENDIX A
Barclays Mandate Update
EB is asked to approve the update of signatories on the Barclays Bank Mandate (attached)
Executive Summary SOAS holds a Barclays current account for treasury management purposes. The bank mandate attached proposes to update the list of signatories to include, in addition to Graeme Appleby (Director of Finance and Planning): Laura Gibbs (Registrar) Barry Douglas (Assistant Director of Finance) Richard Lucus (Senior Financial Accountant) Two signatures are required to request a transfer between SOAS’ bank accounts. The bank mandate update also removes signatories for staff who have left. Sponsor: Graeme Appleby
Recommendations EB is asked to approve the update of signatories on the Barclays Bank Mandate (attached)
Financial Impact N/A
Risks Maintaining an up-to-date bank mandate minimises the risk of fraud and maintains the operational effectiveness of the treasury management function.
Equality implications N/A
Page 1 of 6GCD UKM AF v1.0
UK Mandate
Amendment Form
Corporate Banking
Page 2 of 6GCD UKM AF v1.0
Customer Details
Customer name (as registered with the relevant companies registry, if applicable):
School of Oriental and African Studies
Customer registration number (as registered with the relevant companies registry, if applicable):
RC000541
Country in which Customer is incorporated or formed (if unincorporated)
UK
Composition of Customer / Entity type:
Higher Education Institution
Changes to be made
Do you want to:
Add an Authorised Person?✔
Remove an Authorised Person?✔
Change the Signing Rules?
Page 3 of 6GCD UKM AF v1.0
Authorised Signatory/ies to be added + Add Signatory - Remove
Do you wish to apply this change to all of your accounts or just specific accounts?
All accounts✔ Specific accounts only
Name
Laura Gibbs
Office held/position
Registrar
Category (if applicable): (e.g. A or B signatory)
Any two to sign
Signature
Name
Barry Douglas
Office held/position
Assistant Director of Finance
Category (if applicable): (e.g. A or B signatory)
Any two to sign
Signature
Name
Richard Lucus
Office held/position
Senior Financial Accountant
Category (if applicable): (e.g. A or B signatory)
Any two to sign
Signature
Page 4 of 6GCD UKM AF v1.0
Authorised Person(s) to be removed + Add Signatory - Remove
Do you wish to apply this change to all of your accounts or just specific accounts?
All accounts✔ Specific accounts only
Name
Paul Webley
Name
Graham Furniss
Name
Donald Beaton
Page 5 of 6GCD UKM AF v1.0
Execution
We certify that:
• a resolution was passed at a meeting of the Board of Governors approving the contents of this form
• any signatures provided in this form are genuine.
Signature Print name
Nirmala Rao
Position
Pro-Director (Learning & Teaching)
Date
Signature Print name
Richard Black
Position
Pro-Director (Research & Enterprise)
Date
Notes to completion: to be signed by two governors
Page 6 of 6GCD UKM AF v1.0
For Bank Use Only
Please specify the accounts this form is to apply to:
Customer System Number Account Number
Sort Code
EXECUTIVE BOARD 14.9.15 APPENDIX B
AUDIT COMMITTEE AGENDA
Thursday 1st October 2015at 10am (Room 115)
I Minutes To approve: minutes of the meeting held on 28 May 2015 [Attached]
II Action Points [Oral Updates]
III Matters Arising/Matters for Report [Oral Updates]
IV Membership, Terms of Reference and Procedures for the Conduct of Meetings
[Appendix A]
V Deep Dive – Review of Performance Indicators [Oral Update]
VI Internal Audit – 2014/15 Annual Report and Head of Internal Audit Opinion To receive
[Appendix C]
VII Internal Audit – 2015/16 Audit Plan To receive
[Appendix D]
VIII Internal Audit – Progress Report To receive
[Appendix E]
IX Internal Audit – Admissions Process To receive
[Appendix F]
X Draft Audit Committee Annual Report 2015/16 To consider:
[Appendix G]
XI Safety Audit – Update and Progress Report To consider:
[Appendix H]
XI IS Audit – Action Plan and Progress Report To consider:
[Appendix I]
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
OPEN AGENDA Friday 2nd October 2015 09.30-11.30am
Room 116 College Buildings, Thornhaugh Street, London, WC1H 0XG
Items marked with an asterisk are formal business, not intended for discussion. If members wish to discuss any issues arising from these items they should inform the Secretary to the Board of Trustees by 9am on Tuesday 29th
September 2015
I Membership, Terms of Reference, procedures for the conduct of meetings, and annual plan of work for 2014-15 To note
[Appendix A]
II Conflicts of Interest [Oral Updates]
III Minutes To approve: minutes of the meeting held on 6th July 2015
[Attached]
IV Action Points [Oral Updates]
V Matters Arising/Matters for Report [Oral Updates]
VI Directors Reports Copies of Director’s reports since the last meeting:
[Appendix B]
VI Board of Trustees Key Performance Indicators To consider: a paper from ??
[Appendix C]
VII HOLD: Barclays Bank Mandate: To endorse: a paper from the Registrar
[Appendix D]
VIII Governing Body Effectiveness To note
[Oral Updates]
IX To note: Next meetings of The Board
Informal evening meeting 9th November 2015 (16.00 - 20.00 hours). The Ambassadors Hotel, Bloomsbury T- Ambassador
Next formal meeting,9.30am Friday 27th November 2015, Room 116
[Oral Update]
EXECUTIVE BOARD 14.9.15 APPENDIX C
EXECUTIVE BOARD 14.09.15 APPENDIX D
DUTY ROTA
EB is asked to note the Duty Rota for the 2015/16 year
Executive Summary
In 2012/13 EB agreed that the School should set up a Duty Rota comprised of its membership, except the Director. This would provide a senior member of staff “on call” at any time. They would only be expected to respond to serious incidents in line with the School’s Incident Management Plan (extract attached).
The draft rota for the 2015/16 is attached. Personal details have been removed from the document.
The EA to the Registrar coordinates the Duty Rota and any changes required.
Recommendations
EB to note the Duty Rota. Any changes to be sent to the Secretary and copied to the EA to the Registrar
Financial Impact
None
Risks
The School has existing business continuity plans in place to mitigate the risk included in the institutional Risk Register. The creation of a duty rota will provide additional leadership support in this area.
Equality implications
None
EXECUTIVE BOARD 14.09.15 APPENDIX D
EB Duty Rota for 2015/16
Week starting EB Member Email Address Week starting EB Member Email Address 14/09/2015 Chris Ince [email protected] 22/02/2016 Richard Black [email protected] 21/09/2015 Richard Black [email protected] 29/02/2016 Paul Doyle [email protected] 28/09/2015 Gurharpal Singh [email protected] 07/03/2016 Lutz Marten [email protected] 05/10/2015 Chris Ince [email protected] 14/03/2016 Laura Gibbs [email protected] 12/10/2015 Matt Craven [email protected] 21/03/2016 Nirmala Rao [email protected] 19/10/2015 Nirmala Rao [email protected] 28/03/2016 Graeme Appleby [email protected] 26/10/2015 Paul Doyle [email protected] 04/04/2016 Gurharpal Singh [email protected] 02/11/2015 Lutz Marten [email protected] 11/04/2016 Chris Ince [email protected] 09/11/2015 Laura Gibbs [email protected] 18/04/2016 Chris Bramall [email protected] 16/11/2015 Richard Black [email protected] 25/04/2016 Richard Black [email protected] 23/11/2015 Graeme Appleby [email protected] 02/05/2016 Paul Doyle [email protected] 30/11/2015 Gurharpal Singh [email protected] 09/05/2016 Lutz Marten [email protected] 07/12/2015 Chris Ince [email protected] 16/05/2016 Laura Gibbs [email protected] 14/12/2015 Matt Craven [email protected] 23/05/2016 Nirmala Rao [email protected] 21/12/2015 Graeme Appleby [email protected] 30/05/2016 Graeme Appleby [email protected] 28/12/2015 Paul Doyle [email protected] 06/06/2016 Gurharpal Singh [email protected] 04/01/2016 Lutz Marten [email protected] 13/06/2016 Chris Ince [email protected] 11/01/2016 Laura Gibbs [email protected] 20/06/2016 Chris Bramall [email protected] 18/01/2016 Nirmala Rao [email protected] 27/06/2016 Richard Black [email protected] 25/01/2016 Graeme Appleby [email protected] 04/07/2016 Paul Doyle [email protected] 01/02/2016 Gurharpal Singh [email protected] 11/07/2016 Lutz Marten [email protected] 08/02/2016 Chris Ince [email protected] 18/07/2016 Laura Gibbs [email protected] 15/02/2016 Chris Bramall [email protected] 25/07/2016 Nirmala Rao [email protected]
INCIDENT MANAGEMENT PLAN
PART ONE 1. The strategic intent of this document is to provide a framework within which the
response to an incident can be managed and actions to mitigate foreseeable adverse impact can be implemented.
2. To ensure that, as far as reasonably practicable, normal SOAS activity is maintained during the management of an incident.
3. To ensure that minimum disruption is caused to the services provided to all stakeholders.
4. The Incident Management Team Leader must complete this document. 5. Pages are colour coded:
Key Issue:
Confirm incident
To be completed by the Incident Management Team Leader on notification of a potential incident. Complete first.
Key Issue:
Develop response
To be completed by the Incident Management Team Leader during the initial Incident Management Team Meeting. Complete second.
Key Issue:
Implement response
To be completed by the Incident Management Team during roll out of the agreed recovery strategy. Complete third.
Key Issue:
Reinstatement
To be completed by the Incident Management Team Leader during reinstatement to operations as usual. Complete last.
Information Only Contains commentary to assist the reader.
Plan opened by: Name of Incident Management Team Leader
Notification received from:
Name of source (first responder) Contact details
Description of potential incident:
Brief summary of information provided during the initial conversation with the first responder
Date:
Time:
Incident Management Plan Part One
CONTENTS
1. Incident Management Process 1
2. Initial Assessment 2
3. Definition of an Incident (Guidance) 4
4. Incident Management Team 6
4.1 Incident Management Team Members 7
4.2 Additional Resources 8
4.3 Incident Control Centre Location 9
5. Initial IMT Meeting Error! Bookmark not defined.
5.1 Incident Assessment Error! Bookmark not defined.
5.2 Incident Declaration Error! Bookmark not defined.
5.3 Incident Response Team Objectives Error! Bookmark not defined.
5.4 Operational Constraints Error! Bookmark not defined.
5.5 Incident Recovery Strategy Error! Bookmark not defined.
5.6 Actions Arising from the Initial IMT Meeting Error! Bookmark not defined.
6. IMT Review Meeting Error! Bookmark not defined.
6.1 Incident Assessment Error! Bookmark not defined.
6.2 Actions Arising from the IMT Review MeetingError! Bookmark not defined.
Document Owner: Chris Ince, Secretary
Version Control
Version Date Change
1.0 20/06/2008 Original version
1.1 13/04/2012 Updated contact details
1.2 12/3/2013 Updated contact details
1.3 6/11/13 Updated contact details
Confidential i Version 1.0
1.4 23/7/14 Updated contact details
19/1/15 Updated contact details
1.5 1/9/15 Minor review and update of contact details
1. INCIDENT MANAGEMENT PROCESS
The escalation process for a potential incident1 should be completed within one hour of detection.
1 Potential incidents include: Major utility supply failure, gas / chemical / radiation leak, building subsidence or collapse, flood,serious storm damage, terrorist threat, major industrial action, disturbance or demonstration, chronic crisis (e.g. fuel crisis), fire, illness outbreak, city centre incident. Confidential 1 Version 1.0
2. INITIAL ASSESSMENT
GATHER AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE REGARDING THE DISRUPTION FROM APPROPRIATE SOURCES.
On being notified of a potential incident by the First Responder, the person receiving notification will assume the role of Incident Management Team Leader (IMT Leader) and will carry out an initial assessment to confirm whether or not the Incident Management Team (IMT) should be activated.
Brief summary of the information available:
What is the status of the following:
Health & safety:
People (casualties):
Buildings and property:
IT and communications:
Security:
Transport:
Emergency services:
Cordons:
CON
FIRM IN
CIDENT
Additional information obtained / other considerations: Include information such as: current SOAS activities; next shift change; current School timetable and implications; emergency service contacts.
CON
FIRM IN
CIDENT
3. DEFINITION OF AN INCIDENT (GUIDANCE)
# Qualitative Assessment Disruption Incident
1 Have students, members of staff, visitors or third parties been killed or remain in mortal danger (whilst on SOAS related activities)?
2 Has there been serious injury or illness to students, members of staff, visitors or third parties (whilst on SOAS related activities)?
3 Will functions in a single department be disrupted?
4 Is there a threat of serious liquidated damages, other financial claim or serious breach of regulation or legislation?
5 Any combination of disruptions 2 – 4 that together will become an incident.
6 Will functions in multiple departments be seriously disrupted for more than 24 hours?
7 Is SOAS’s reputation under serious threat?
8 Is there or will there be persistent or extensive media involvement?
9 Are there other serious employee or student welfare implications affecting multiple persons (on SOAS related activities)? For example:
• Displacement• Trauma• Kidnap• Loss of contact
10 Is there potential for serious environmental consequences?
BASED ON THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO ME, I CONSIDER THAT THE DISRUPTION IS / IS NOT AN INCIDENT ACCORDING TO THE CRITERIA IN THE
TABLE ABOVE
Date: Time: Name: Signature:
Reason:
Escalation
CON
FIRM IN
CIDENT
Initial actions where the disruption IS NOT an incident: • Transfer control back to the appropriate authority.• Complete a debrief (separate document – Incident Management Plan Part Two) and
review.• Close the Incident Management Plan.• Prepare a Disruption Review Report if appropriate.
Initial actions where the incident IS an incident: • Select the members of the Incident Management Team (section 4).• Instruct selected personnel to convene as the IMT at an appropriate location (for
details of Incident Control Centres, refer to section 4.3).• Follow the process in this Incident Management Plan.
CON
FIRM IN
CIDENT
4. INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAM
The IMT Leader must initially assign an individual to each of the roles listed below. An individual may be assigned to more than one role if there are insufficient members available or if the roles can be satisfactorily filled by one person. The names of potential team members and meeting locations are set out in section 4.1. Refer to the separate document – Incident Management Plan Part Two – for detailed role descriptions and individual action plans.
Role Brief Description Person Assigned
Date /Time
Contacted
Leader Ensure that the IMT operates effectively and delivers its objectives.
People Co-ordinator
Monitor and report the status of people (staff, students, third parties and IMT).
Operations and Academic Recovery Co-ordinator
Establish the recovery requirements and resource needs of any departments affected. Arrange IT recovery and departmental relocation (Business Continuity Plans) as required. Appoint Functional Experts as required.
Communications Co-ordinator
Control the creation and delivery of appropriate messages.
Estates and Infrastructure Co-ordinator
Establish the impacts on and requirements for buildings and infrastructure
Planning Co-ordinator
Plan, monitor and evaluate incident response activities. Anticipate future actions. Provide risk management and quality assurance support.
Team Secretary Administrative support for IMT activities. Record decisions, information and actions arising.
Additional resources (if required):
IT Service Recovery Co-ordinator
Control IT service recovery and resource needs (if required).
Functional Expert
Expert in particular functional areas, called by the IMT to provide specific information, advice or to perform specific tasks.
Functional Expert
CON
FIRM IN
CIDENT
4.1 Incident Management Team Members
The Incident Management Team will be made up of individuals drawn from the list below. (P) indicates primary contact; (D) indicates Deputy NB - Home and mobile numbers held on separate sheet by key contacts
Name Home telephone Work telephone Mobile
Leader
(P) Laura Gibbs 4003
(D) Chris Ince 4110
People Co-ordinator
(P) Paul Doyle 4171
(D) Chris Ince 4110
Operations and Academic Recovery Co-ordinator
(P) Graeme Appleby (Prof. Services)
5032
(P) Nirmala Rao (academic)
4120
(D) Chris Ince / John Robinson
4110 / 4161
(D) Richard Black 4366
Communications Co-ordinator
(P) Katie Price (interim) 4956
(D) Vesna Siljanovska 4135
Estates and Infrastructure Co-ordinator
(P) Richard Poulson 4903
(D) Mike Haddon 4901
Planning Co-ordinator
(P) Chris Ince 4110
(D) Albert Chan 4150
Team Secretary
(P) Suzanne Green 4015
(D) Emma Jessup 4072
CON
FIRM IN
CIDENT
4.2 Additional Resources
The Incident Management Team may call out additional expert resource as required.
Name Home telephone Work telephone Mobile
Information Technology
John Robinson 4161
Martin Whiteside 4948
Professional Services
TBC (Academic Services) 5081
Marianne Harris-Bridge (interim) 4100
Matt Gorman 4136
Paul Doyle 4171
Graeme Appleby 5032
Richard Poulson 4903
John Robinson 4161
Silke Blohm 4005
Chris Ince 4110
Academic
Richard Black 4366
Nirmala Rao 4120
Matt Craven 4655
Lutz Marten 4474
Gurharpal Singh 4108
Graham Davies 4803
CON
FIRM IN
CIDENT
4.3 Incident Control Centre Location
Upon notification of an incident, the IMT must meet to complete the actions identified in the Incident Management Plan. In the event of an exclusion from the site it may be appropriate to meet locally at first. The IMT member who makes the initial incident assessment must identify the appropriate Incident Control Centre and notify other IMT members that a meeting is to be convened. Potential locations (in order of preference) for the Incident Control Centre are identified below. The IMT Secretary is responsible for ensuring that the selected Incident Control Centre is properly equipped.
# Location Contact Details Comment
1 College Building Room 116
2 Faber Building Room FB01 Need to review post HR refrub. Alternative is T101/T102
3 Vernon Square
4 Offsite, location tbc Dependent on incident
CON
FIRM IN
CIDENT
EXECUTIVE BOARD 14.9.15 APPENDIX E
UK AND INTERNATIONAL HE DIGEST Friday 4th to Wednesday 9th September 2015
EMPLOYER BRIEFINGS
1. UCEA
UCEA’s 2015-16 programme of work includes • Supporting HE organisations in taking forward their recruitment, reward and recognition
strategies • Assisting HE organisations in achieving effective employment practice and employee relations• Seeking and supporting movement towards sustainable solutions in HE pensions provision
HEFCE
• HEFCE Annual Meeting will be held in the Brunei Gallery on 12th November from 9.15am-1.30pm followed by a buffet lunch. Even if you have already notified HEFCE of your attendance,to reserve a place, complete the online booking form https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hefce-annual-meeting-registration-16802723398 (one representative per organisation)
UK HE
1. GOVERNMENT POLICY
Business Secretary, Sajid Javid, has asked UUK and Vice Chancellors to establish a taskforce to reduce violence against women on campus. VCs are requested to establish a code of practice for dealing with incidents over concerns that male undergraduates and lad-culture are subjecting women to unwanted sexual advances. Javid stated that he would consider legislation to make universities more responsible for the behaviour of their students, similar to the American system http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/Society/article1603462.ece (6th September 2015) Mark Harrison, Diversity and Inclusion Manager, has arranged a meeting on 11th September to discuss this issue with Fiona Wayne at UUK, policy lead in this area.
Universities must comply with the guidance set out by the Competition and Markets Authority with clear and transparent messaging when describing the services they will provide, in line with consumer protection legislation https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/411392/HE_providers_60ss.pdf. This is particularly relevant to marketing campaigns and the use of social media to make offers to students. http://www.out-law.com/en/articles/2015/september/universities-must-bear-consumer-law-in-mind-when-marketing-courses-on-social-media-says-expert/ (2nd September 2015)
Graduate labour market statistics report that the median salary for graduates aged 21-30 has risen by £1,000 to £25,000,the current unemployment rate of 4.4% of young graduates is at its lowest since 2008 and the employment rate for working-age postgraduates of 88.3% is the highest since 2007 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/458101/BIS-15-484-graduate-labour-market-statistics-Q2-2015.pdf (8th September 2015)
The Government admits it did not investigate whether the decision to replace maintenance grants with loans would deter young people from disadvantaged backgrounds from attending university http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/higher/government-admits-not-investigating-whether-replacing-student-maintenance-grants-with-loans-would-deter-young-poor-people-from-university-10449048.html (10th August 2015)
UUK’s submission to the treasury’s spending review argues that funding for expensive subject should not drop below current levels and the student opportunity grant should be maintained https://www.researchprofessional.com/0/rr/he/agencies/other/2015/8/Submissions-to-CSR.html (9th September 2015)
2. TEACHING EXCELLENCE FRAMEWORK
Jo Johnson warns that universities have allowed teaching to become a ‘poor cousin’ to research, speaking at the UUK conference. He stated that teaching across the sector has become highly variable http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-34197403 (9th September 2015)
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3. A LEVELS
Proposed changes to AS exams mean that they will no longer make up half of students’ final grades. Many sixth forms hit by severe funding cuts will not enter students for AS exams, so information available to admissions tutors will be greatly reduced. Universities myst work out the details for how they will judge applicants in light of these changes http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/sep/08/university-admissions-as-levels-sixth-form-exams (8th September 2015)
Teenagers forced to study fewer A Levels due to funding cuts at some sixth form colleges, meaning that less popular subjects like German and Latin are disappearing from the curriculum http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/teenagers-forced-to-study-fewer-alevels-in-squeeze-on-public-spending-says-exam-boss-10446807.html (8th August 2015)
4. STUDENTS
Number of students receiving 2:1 or 1st class honours degrees has risen up to 83% since the introduction of tuition fees in 1998, according to a survey by the Sunday Times Good University Guide. This rise has prompted allegations of grade inflation. http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/Education/article1603355.ece?CMP=OTH-gnws-standard-2015_09_06 (6th September 2015)
Growing numbers of British school leavers are favouring studying at EU universities on courses taught in English to avoid the higher tuition fees. Maastricht University, a trailblazer for courses taught in English, has more than 370 students from Britain. Universities in Germany and Denmark do not charge tuition fees and in Netherlands, British students have the same rights as Dutch students when applying for loans http://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/sep/05/students-university-study-abroad-eu-fees-cost (5th September 2015)
Complete University Guide ranks crime rates as the highest in the UK at London universities. The report suggests that universities should monitor and record crimes, and follows the inquiry launched by Sajid Javid into how to reduce sexual violence at universities. However, British universities have no legal duty to record crime. www.theguardian.com/education/2015/sep/07/rates-crime-around-complete-university-guide-students (7th September 2015)
The number of school leavers applying to university is at an all-time high, but the number of part-time students is plummeting. In an unpublished survey carried out earlier this year by BIS, university staff admitted that part-time students were seen as a lower priority than full-time and international students bringing in more revenue. Student numbers at the OU have fallen by 1/3 over five years, and Birkbeck has had to re-engineer its courses so they can be taken in three years http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/sep/08/part-time-student-numbers-undergraduates (8th September 2015)
56% of the first students to graduate under the higher fees regime said they did not get value for money from their courses, according to a survey carried out by NUS. One in 20 said said they
3
would not have gone to university if they had their time again and 55% predicted they would not fully repay their loans (at present they repay after they are earning £21,000 per year and any outstanding debt is written off after 30 years) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/higher/over-half-of-the-first-graduates-paying-9000-a-year-think-they-did-not-get-value-for-money-10452323.html (13th August 2015)
5. GRADUATE EMPLOYMENT
The Association of Graduate Recruiters indicates a 13.2% increase in vacancies offered by graduate recruiters since 2014. The annual survey also suggests a £1,000 rise in annual starting salaries to £28,000. However, the survey shows that the number of female graduates recruited is lower than it should be http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-34186954 (9th September 2015)
6. ACADEMICS
Publishers with high sales targets are approaching academics to write books priced too high for people to buy for the sake of profit to the publishing house. An anonymous academic was asked to write a book, which would have 300 copies printed, priced at £80 each and sold solely to university libraries. The academic discovered the publisher had a target to publish 75 of these titles, at a total profit of £1.8m http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2015/sep/04/academics-are-being-hoodwinked-into-writing-books-nobody-can-buy (4th September 2015)
UCL has come under fire for discriminating against their female staff after emails emerged showing that female academics on its Qatari campus are paid less http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/11838761/Tim-Hunt-sexism-UCL-university-admits-paying-women-less.html (2nd September 2015)
4
INTERNATIONAL HE
1. EUROPE
GREECE
The Greek financial crisis is impacting Greek study abroad students whose parents are unable to transfer money outside the country to pay rent and tuition fees. The government is applying corrective actions to loosen some of the controls, but as the country heads towards another election, further reforms to the research and education system in Greece are likely http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20150902145712494 (4th September 2015)
7/10 European universities report an increase in non-EU enrolment over the past five years according to a report from the European University Association. 40% felt that a stronger emphasis on widening access and participation was behind the growth in student numbers, and 39% thought the increase was a result of expanded international recruitment http://monitor.icef.com/2015/09/demographics-economics-and-internationalisation-driving-enrolment-growth-in-europe/ (8th September 2015)
2. OPEN LEARNING
Emerging digital technology could boost academic learning, such as through the use of ‘open badges’, offering a standard for organisations to issue credentials to people every time they learn that are portable – painting a good picture of a person’s lifelong learning activities http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20150903075852771 (4th September 2015)
3. SYRIA
The Institute of International Education, a US non-profit organisation, estimates there are 40-50,000 university-qualified displaced Syrian students in Turkey alone, but only 3% of these are enrolled at university. New universities have been tailored solely for the Syrian students, providing an education in refugee camps and offering scholarships and funding support for study in the West http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20150905073544523 (5th September)
4. OPPORTUNITIES FOR OVERSEAS RECRUITMENT
Vietnam is emerging as an important education market in Asia, and 125,000 Vietnamese students pursued studies overseas in 2013 http://monitor.icef.com/2015/09/challenges-in-vietnamese-higher-education-contributing-to-demand-for-study-abroad/ (7th September 2015)
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