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The North East Wales Instituteof Higher Education

Annual Review 2005/06

AELOD O / MEMBER OF

Contents

Page 1 Foreword by Trefor Jones CBE

Introduction by Professor Michael Scott

Page 4 Year in Brief

Page 5 Market Led

Page 8 Student Centred

Page 10 University

Page 12 International Significance

Page 14 Open to All

Page 15 Sustainability

Page 17 NEWI and the Welsh Language

Page 18 Performance

Page 19 NEWI’s Board of Governors

Page 21 Corporate Governance

Page 23 Financial Statements

I am delighted to present this Annual Review for the academicyear 2005/06. As you will see from the pages that follow thiswas a particularly exciting and eventful year for the Institute.

One problem when producing an Annual Review is decidingwhat to include and what to leave out. This year has been noexception. In common with all other higher educationinstitutions, many developments take a number of years tocome to fruition as associated activities are spread across anumber of years. Consequently, we have been a little flexiblewith the timescale for this Review and have included an updatefor events following August 2006 where appropriate.

You will also notice that this year the Review follows the fiveaspects of the Institute’s vision. It also provides reports on theInstitute’s progress against key performance indicators andcontains reports on the Institute’s sustainability performanceand progress against the Institute’s Welsh language scheme.Corporate governance and financial statements are alsoincluded.

The stories and statistics provided in this Review paytestament to the tremendous work undertaken by all the staffand students of the Institute. I am very grateful for all their hardwork and dedication and I look forward to another successfulyear at NEWI.

www.newi.ac.uk 1

Foreword by Trefor Jones CBE

NEWI is a full member of the University of Wales and it or itspredecessors have been providing higher education to thepeople of Wrexham and North East Wales for nearly 120 years.During that time its character like that of the community itserves has changed, although its commitment to the people ofWrexham and North East Wales has remained constant. Inrecent years the character of the Institute has been expressedformally through a number of statements.

MissionTo provide quality higher education and research in awelcoming, friendly and supportive environment to meetindividual, local, national and international needs.

VisionTo become a market led, student centred university ofinternational significance, which is open to all.

This Annual Review examines the Institute’s progress by mappingactivities against each element of the vision.

Values• Respect for the individual, for the expression of ideas and

the pursuit of knowledge;

• Education, academic and professional integrity;

• Care for students, colleagues and customers and the anticipation of their needs and requirements;

• Organisational commitment to the pursuit of excellence andloyalty to the Institute as a community of learning.

Vision and Mission

Trefor Jones CBEChairman of NEWI’sBoard of Governors

A year of growth and celebrationThe past year was one of success and improvement across abroad range of areas. It saw a growth in NEWI’s student numbersboth at the Institute itself and in our collaborative partners; adeveloping research base, increased third mission activities anda higher international reputation. This was supplemented bycontinuing improvements to the Institute’s estates and furtherhigh profile visits.

The Institute spent much of the year under scrutiny; a challengewhich all members of the Institute took seriously. The pathwaytowards obtaining taught degree awarding powers is always longand arduous. However, NEWI’s progress towards that goalcontinues with confidence and determination. The immenseamount of hard work put into that process placed NEWI in goodstead for its imminent quinquennial Institutional Review.

NEWI’s estate has never looked better. Much work has beenspent on landscaping the previously underutilised quadrangle.The result is a delight to students and members of staff and hasbeen developed to support NEWI’s firm commitment toenvironmental sustainability and increased biodiversity. Theseconsiderations were also high on the agenda when the Instituteundertook further developments of the campus included a newwater-based hockey pitch of international standard and a£130,000 investment in a new theatre for the theatre andperformance degree. The Human Performance Laboratory alsoreceived an investment of £80,000. The new equipment andfacilities will not only be used by the students of the two newsports degrees, but has also attracted a lot of interest to be usedas a resource by professional sports people and the WrexhamMaelor Hospital. The North Wales School of Art and Design hasalso received a huge investment, totalling nearly one millionpounds, enabling all the art facilities to be housed at RegentStreet which has consequently undergone a major refurbishmentand expansion.

NEWI’s commitment to the social and economic development ofthe region and to the building of a wider community of learning inWrexham led it to organise the Wrexham Science and TechnologyWeek in collaboration with local partners which enabled theWrexham Science Festival to maintain a presence in the town andin preparation for its full resumption in 2007. NEWI eventsattracted thousands of people on to the campus across the weekwith its range of talks, events and the family Scientriffic day.

Widening Participation and Enterprise activities have never beenfar away from the agenda and these areas have grown rapidlyover the last 12 months. NEWI had a 28% increase in its studentnumbers in 2005 many of these students coming frombackgrounds where there is no history of higher education. At thesame time NEWI has been reaching out to businesses with itsgraduate and student work placement schemes, its organising ofkey business events and its support for graduate start-upcompanies. The NEWI Innovation Centre, which houses start-upbusinesses, has been full to capacity almost since it opened andnow has a waiting list for potential tenants.

Research has been taking on an international footing this yearwith visiting professors coming to the Glyn O PhillipsHydrocolloids Research Centre from India and Japan. Staff fromthe Institute’s Centre for Applied Internet Research (CAIR) alsoorganised the first International Internet Technologies andApplications conference in 2005 which attracted delegates andspeakers from all over the world. The Institute is currentlypreparing for its submission for the Research AssessmentExercise in 2008.

October 2005 included a royal visit to open officially the recentlyrefurbished entrance hall and the Nick Whitehead Theatre. HRHthe Duchess of Gloucester was repeating her mother-in-law’s visit52 years ago. During her visit the current Duchess was shown therenovated Nick Whitehead Theatre which has been named afterWrexham’s Olympic champion and Fellow of NEWI. The theatrehas been equipped with a state of the art sound system and videolink. In addition to its role as a lecture theatre this theatre will nowbe used for film showings, developing its role as a multi-functionalresource for the Institute.

The entrance foyer now has a memorial window in the memory ofNEWI’s former Principal Professor J. O. Williams. Other changesare a lift in the foyer which allows visitors easy access to NEWI’sart gallery, Gallery 103; a new reception; and a bookings office forthe sale of tickets for events at NEWI.

The Institute’s Welsh language scheme has been approved by theWelsh Language Board and is to be launched officially inDecember 2006. It has three main priorities: to increase theprovision of Welsh medium programmes, to ensure that theInstitute is able to offer a bilingual service to the public and topromote the learning and use of Welsh within the Institute.Reports on progress are to be submitted to HEFCW through theStrategic Plan, to Governors and the Welsh Language Boardthrough annual reports and to the general public through theInstitute’s Annual Review.

2 The North East Wales Institute of Higher Education

Introduction by Professor Michael ScottPrincipal & Chief Executive

The Institute continues to provide an important gateway intohigher education for many from a socially excluded background.Its student profile differs significantly from traditional universities.70% of its students come from families with incomes of £17,000or less. 12% of the full-time student population is in receipt of theDisabled Students Allowance, compared to a UK average of 4%and a Welsh average of 5%. Yet against this background over90% of the Institute’s full-time students are in meaningfulemployment within six months of graduating from NEWI. TheInstitute was also able to ensure that the number of students onNEWI programmes and number of credits including franchisepartners rose to record levels.

The year also saw recognition of the Institute’s research andscholarship and its market based nature. In a league table ofinstitutions in Wales whose work is cited by other academicsNEWI came second only to Cardiff University.

Throughout 2005/6 there was a range of initiatives anddevelopments which continue to demonstrate NEWI’s proactiveapproach to learning and teaching. NEWI had three projectsaccepted by the Change Academy and two development projectswith the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education (LFHE). InJune 2006 the Institute was awarded a LFHE Fellowship.

In order to enhance learning and teaching excellence andpromote best practice the Institute introduced its own Fellowshipscheme in 2006. Four Fellowships for Learning and Teachingwere made available, with each Fellowship involving a six monthsecondment. In addition the Institute made available fourFellowships to support research and one Fellowship to supportan organisational development project. Two staff were alsoawarded Harris Manchester Fellowships, providing NEWI staffwith the opportunity to undertake research projects at theUniversity of Oxford.

It has been a year of achievement, celebration and growingconfidence which will put NEWI in a strong position for apositive future.

Professor Michael ScottPrincipal & Chief Executive

www.newi.ac.uk 3

Introduction by Professor Michael Scott Principal and Chief Executive

Helen James Welsh Woman of the YearNEWI’s belief that its staff are its greatest asset was reinforced in2005 by the awarding of the prestigious title of Welsh Woman ofthe Year for Science and Technology to Helen James, AcademicDirector of Science and Technology at NEWI. The awardrecognised Helen’s personal struggle to build a successful careerin the male dominated world of engineering and her continuingefforts to encourage more women to take up the challenge of acareer in science and technology.

Welsh Livery Guild Student AwardA NEWI Applied Art student has been selected for a prestigioustravel scholarship, which meant that she received a £1000 travelscholarship from the Welsh Livery Guild which enabled her to fulfila lifelong ambition of travelling to Africa to research and study thetechniques used by African artists.

Calon FM LicenceWrexham has got its own Community Radio Station, Calon FM,based at NEWI. The studio was first opened by Ian Lucas MP inMay 2004 and since then the station has broadcast on a numberof short licences often focusing on and supporting particularcommunity events happening in the Wrexham area. The studiohas provided a useful resource for NEWI students and for thewider community with many school children from the local areausing the facilities.

Human Performance LaboratoryRefurbishment and Research UseStudents on the Sport & Exercise Science programmes benefitedfrom a huge investment in new Human Performance Laboratoryfacilities and equipment. In a complete refurbishment costingover £80,000 the Human Performance Laboratory underwent amassive facelift. The space was completely transformed in to abright and airy, work friendly space and state-of-the artequipment has been installed.

Internet ConferenceMaking the Internet faster andmore secure were two of theissues high on the agenda ata major internationalconference on the Internetheld at NEWI. NEWI’sCentre for Applied InternetResearch (CAIR) hostedan internationalconference on InternetTechnologies andApplications (ITA05).The conference was openedby Wrexham’s MP, Ian Lucas, and drewtogether researchers and developers from all fields of Internetcomputing and engineering.


Year in Brief

Japanese Research ProfessorNEWI’s prestigious Glyn O Phillips Hydrocolloids Research Centrehas a new Visiting Professor. Professor Katsuyoshi Nishinari fromJapan will spend two years in North Wales carrying out veryspecialist research at the Centre which is an internationalbioscience research centre; dedicated to researching andidentifying natural materials which can be used for a wide rangeof purposes from medical uses to various uses in food. ProfessorNishinari is visiting from the Department of Food Science andNutrition at Osaka City University and is an internationallyrenowned scientist. He is currently the President of the Societyof Rheology in Japan and in August 2005 he was awarded theJapan Premier Award in Food Science for his innovativecontribution to the industry.

Royal Opening of Nick WhiteheadTheatre and FoyerNEWI’s refurbished entrance hall and the Nick Whitehead Theatrewere opened by HRH the Duchess of Gloucester who took theopportunity to view some of the artwork by NEWI students. Theentrance foyer has undergone some dramatic developmentsincluding the creation of a memorial window in the memory ofNEWI’s former principal Professor J. O. Williams, designed byAnne Smyth, a leading artist in the field of glass. The windowrepresents Professor Williams’ life in abstract, using images fromhis successful years of research in advanced materials.

Art School Developments and Art StudentsSuccess StoriesTalent scouts visited the Final Year Art Show at NEWI’s NorthWales School of Art and Design to view students’ art work. Thetalent scouts were from Cosgrove Hall Film Studios in Manchesterand came to view the students’ animation work with a view tooffering them future employment. Cosgrove Hall Film Studioshave produced many famous animations including children’stelevision favourites Dangermouse, Postman Pat and Wind in theWillows and the animated feature film of Roald Dahl’s BFG.

www.newi.ac.uk 5

At the opening of the Nick Whitehead Theatre, HRH the Duchess of Gloucester

was entertained by the Bangra Boys, a group of Bangladeshi students (above)

and met members of Professor Nick Whitehead’s family (below).

Year in brief

IntroductionNEWI defines being market led as having the ability tounderstand, anticipate and respond to the needs of students,business, public bodies, governments, sector skills councils,further education partners and the wider community. This isachieved through providing high quality, timely and flexible highereducation with an emphasis on foundation degrees, professionaldevelopment, research and specialist services.

Success in these areas is measured by reference to theemployability rates of NEWI graduates and progress in this areais shown in the first article given below.

The second example of how the market led vision is being put intopractice shows how NEWI’s industrial links not only ensure thecurrency of the Institute’s provision but also how these canprovide immediate benefits for the industrial partners.

The third article examines another aspect of the Institute’s marketled vision, research. With no research council funding NEWI isforced to rely on individual commercial contracts. The success ofresearch therefore at NEWI is wholly dependent on being amarket led institution. Significant investment such as that by theJapanese food giant San Ei Gen is a sign of success in this area.The end of the twentieth century and start of the twenty-first haveseen as much emphasis being placed on the protection as on thegeneration of intellectual property. The third article explains howNEWI is working with industrial partners to realise the commercialbenefits of their latest development.

Education that gets you to workThe majority of students at NEWI are undertaking their studies inorder to improve their job prospects. Their choice of studying atNEWI is therefore not just based on the academic expertise andexcellent facilities that are offered at the Institute but also on itsemployability record and the vocational nature of its programmes.

With 91% of its graduates entering full-time meaningfulemployment or further studies within six months of graduating,NEWI’s record in this area exceeds most other higher educationinstitutions in the UK. NEWI’s success in this area is attributed toensuring programmes offer what employers want, therebymaking the Institute’s graduates highly sought-after recruits. Thisis achieved through involving employers in the design, monitoringand, where appropriate, delivery of programmes.

Working closely with professional bodies also ensures the skillsNEWI’s graduates have are widely recognised and valued. It alsomeans the skills are transferable between different employers soas not to restrict the graduate’s choice of career.

The inclusion of job seeking and enterprise modules in manyprogrammes also means that students are thinking about theircareers from an early stage and are able to present themselves ina manner suitable to potential employers.

Behind all the work in achieving the Institute’s enviable record onemployability is the Careers Centre. This has expandedconsiderably over the past five years reflecting the Institute’sgrowing emphasis on employability.

For NEWI the employability of its graduates is an integral part ofits mission. Its work is this area is not directed at obtainingheadline figures, but at making an important contribution to thesocial and economic development of the region. The 91% figurefor students obtaining full-time meaningful employment should beread in conjunction with another statistic that 67% of theInstitute’s Welsh domiciled students come from families on thelowest recognised income bracket. Yet, as the employmentfigures show, most of this group are able to take their firstimportant steps on building successful careers as a result of theirexperience at NEWI.

Aeronautical Apprenticeship Takes OffA new foundation degree in aeronautical engineering waslaunched in September 2005 as a result of collaboration betweenNEWI, Deeside College and Airbus UK to support Airbus’sapprenticeship scheme. This ground-breaking programme wasthe first foundation degree developed between a highereducation institution, a further education institution and anindustrial partner within the higher education apprenticeshipscheme.

The programme completes the training framework for Airbus UKand allows for the progression of the company’s employees fromsixteen all the way through to the point where they can obtainChartered Engineer status. This new system will allow Airbus UKemployees to study the academic programme appropriate fortheir current qualifications and experience.

Foundation degrees, like the one offered at Airbus, are anessential element of NEWI’s relationship with industry. Combiningwork-based learning with the rigorous academic disciplinerequired of any degree programme, foundation degrees providestudents with the skills employers want as well as the opportunityfor progression to honours degrees and postgraduate studies.


Market Led

NEWI’s leading role in the provision of foundation degrees inWales led it to organise a Work-based Learning conference heldin October 2006 and attended by delegates from industry and theacademic and political worlds. The key note speakers at the eventwere Steven Jackson Director of Reviews at the QualityAssurance Agency, Dame Sandra Burslem former Vice-Chancellor at Manchester Metropolitan University and ProfessorDerek Longhurst, Director of Foundation Degree Forward.

From Concept to CashBeing a market led institution, NEWI not only has to ensure thecurrency of its academic provision but also to ensure that it is atthe forefront of pioneering research and development projects.The commercial potential of these research and developmentprojects is investigated with the support of Patent and Proof ofConcept Projects (PPOC) funding formerly by the WelshDevelopment Agency and now by the Welsh AssemblyGovernment. Among NEWI’s PPOC projects is one to developthe intellectual property for the specific application of gas plasmatechnology for medical sterilisation. A plasma generating methodhas been developed and niche market identified.

PPOC also funded an investigation into the commercialexploitation of water soluble polymers based on research anddevelopment work was carried out by NEWI’s Water SolublePolymers Group, part of the Centre for Advanced and RenewableMaterials (CARM).

The project led to the development and launch of a new product,Glucovis, in conjunction with an established Harrow basedcompany Chesham Chemicals Limited (CCL) which has a brandpresence in Europe and the United States. Glucovis is a polymerblend of the two natural polymers Konjac Mannan (apolysaccharide derived from a tuber found in south east Asia) andXanthan gum (a polysaccharide derived from the bacteriaXanthomonas campestris). These produce a thermo reversiblegel with the required properties to form the basis of cosmeticproducts such as shampoos, lotions and creams.

www.newi.ac.uk 7

Market Led

The wings for the Airbus 380 are

made at Airbus’ Deeside site.

IntroductionAs a student centred institution NEWI is committed to developinga learning culture in which the student takes greater control overthe pace, content and assessment of their own educationalprovision with the institutional academic and personal supportnecessary to reduce the barriers to achievement.

Success in this area will be measured in two ways. Firstachievement rates will be examined to evaluate the number ofstudents for whom involvement in higher education has broughtsome measure of success. Success may not always be countedsolely in terms of awards received, but may also take into accountindividual achievements by students for whom the idea ofstudying in higher education had never been is entertained. Indetermining the achievement rate NEWI has used the number ofstudents leaving the Institute with an award. This may range fromHE credits to a first class honours degree. It also records,therefore the number who either failed or withdrew from theirprogramme. Using these statistics NEWI is able to quote anachievement rate for undergraduate programmes in excess of90%. A fuller breakdown of the achievements of graduates isgiven below.

The second measure is the Institute’s student retention rates.Having given people the opportunity to study, NEWI is obliged toensure that as far as possible, potential obstacles to completingtheir studies are removed. For the academic year 2005/06 thewithdrawal rate for full-time students stood at 6.2% and for part-time students at 4.9%.

The articles given below show a number of examples of NEWIputting the student centred aspects of the vision into practice.The first deals with the story of a student from one of WesternEurope’s most deprived areas who through personal commitmentand the support offered over a long period by NEWI, has finallywon a place at the Institute on a degree programme.

The second story looks at some statistical evidence on theacademic success of students from Communities First areaswhile the third and fourth stories examines individual examples ofsuccess achieved by the Institute’s alumni.

Realising a DreamAs part of HEFCW’s Reaching Wider initiative, NEWI hasorganised a pilot two year project to equip mature students withthe knowledge and skills to enable them to apply for appropriateprogrammes at NEWI or any other higher education institution.The Caia Park Progression Programme is aimed at theCommunities First and Urban II areas of Wrexham who arenot able to take advantage of the existing entry routes intohigher education.

One student who successfully completed the programme isCarole Binnersley. A resident of Caia Park all her life, Carole hadnever thought of the possibility of studying for a degree. On theProgression Programme, Carole covered a range of subjectsincluding communication and study skills, informationtechnology, sociology, psychology, research and numeracy. Shebelieves participating in the programme helped build herconfidence and helped her to focus on her career aims.

“Although the workload was tough at times I think I’ve copedquite well. There were a few sticky moments, but I perseveredand things got easier.”

“I think this programme was excellent preparation for me to studyon the degree programme. Not only did it give me all the skillsneeded to be able to start the programme at the same level aseveryone else, but it also gave me the confidence to apply. Beforethat I had never thought of going to university. That was an alienworld to me. But this programme showed me that I could do it.”

“I am currently enjoying my studies on the BA (Honours) CriminalJustice and I look forward to completing the degree and hope topursue a career in either counselling or the probation service.”

NEWI Graduate ProfileThe annual review of the degree classifications once again gaveinteresting reading for the academic year 2005/06. 45% of allNEWI graduates in that year received a first and upper secondclass (2:1) honours degree with women representing 57% of thattotal. This figure means that women have slightly outperformedtheir male counterparts as the percentage of all women graduatesat NEWI stands at 55%.

The older student profile of the Institute meant that 35% of allgraduates were over 25. However, this group performed betterthan their younger colleagues with 44% of the first and uppersecond class degrees being awarded to graduates whowere over 25.

Low participation and Communities First areas were wellrepresented within the graduate population accounting for 25%of all NEWI graduates in this year. 16% of all first and 2:1s wereawarded to students from low participation or CommunitiesFirst areas.

Thirteen percent of all NEWI graduates had some form ofdisability, a figure which is mirrored in the number of first and 2:1degrees awarded to disabled students.

The international nature of NEWI can be seen in the fact thatnearly 19% of all degrees awarded in this year were awarded toEuropean Union or international students.


Student Centred

www.newi.ac.uk 9

Student Centred

Above right, Andrew

Gwynne MP

Above, Carole Binnerdley

(l) receiving a Reaching

Higher Reaching Wider

certificate from Wendy

Bates, Widening

Access Manager

Right, new Humanities

graduates celebrating

their success

NEWI Alumni: Movie MagicNEWI art and design graduates Mark Kendrix and John Bloxhamhave set up their own Wrexham based company and broughtsome of the glitz and glamour of the film industry to the town inJune 2006. Frozen Moon Productions Ltd is based in NEWI’sInnovation Centre and offers a range of services within the fieldsof animation, film and design.

The company produces stunning animations and films whichcapture people’s attention, helping businesses to advertisethrough promotional films which can be put onto DVD andwebsites. They have worked with local authorities producingcorporate and training films, record labels to produce musicvideos and the BBC and other television channels to producecontent for broadcasting as well as with a variety of private sectorcompanies. Some of their clients have included S4C, PropellerTV, Wirral Borough Council, Wrexham County Borough Counciland Kelloggs.

NEWI Alumni: From C Corridor to theCorridors of PowerOne of the most interesting features, for NEWI, of the 2005General Election, was the election to the House of Commons forthe first time of an alumnus of NEWI.

Andrew Gwynne is the new LabourMP for Denton and Reddish, nearStockport. Originally from Denton,Andrew came to NEWI in 1993 on ajoint degree programme with theUniversity of Salford.

Almost immediately after leaving NEWIhe took a seat on TamesideMetropolitan Borough Council holdingthe Denton West ward. Not satisfied

with local politics, Andrew soon had his eye on Westminster andin 2005 he succeeded Andrew Bennett as MP for his home seat.

It did not take Andrew long to get noticed in Westminster. Withina few weeks he had made his maiden speech and in November2005 he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to theMinister of State at the Home Office, the Right HonourableBaroness Scotland QC.

NEWI will be watching Andrew’s progress with a great deal ofinterest over the next few years.

IntroductionThis aspect of the Institute’s vision concentrates on thedevelopment and maintenance of a university culture on campuswhere the acquisition of knowledge, professional skills, criticalthinking and the promotion of a respect for learning are highlyvalued and which is recognised as such outside the Institute.

In many ways this is the most difficult aspect of the vision tomeasure. However a number of ancillary effects of the universityculture can be measured and these give some indication of howthe Institute is performing in this area. Primary among thesemeasurements is a calculation of the economic impact of theInstitute. This includes not only the direct effect of salaries paidby the Institute on the local economy, but also the considerablecontribution made by the Institute’s graduates to the localeconomy as a result of their studies at NEWI. It also takes intoaccount the improvements to local businesses’ competitivenessthrough improved efficiency as a result of collaborations withNEWI. An important and easily identified element of this is theincome NEWI receives as a result of research and consultancyservices.

A second element of the university aspect of NEWI’s vision is therequirement to establish and maintain the financial, physical andhuman resource base required to support NEWI’s mission andachieve sustained organisational improvement towards achievingthe vision and its priorities of employability and contribution tosocial and economic development. This is measured by referenceto sustainability targets and the developing staff profile.

The first of the two examples of how NEWI has been achievingthis aspect of its vision, examines scholarly activities, in particularsome of the work undertaken by students in the School ofHumanities. The second example looks at the latest researchcentre established at NEWI with the aim of assisting in thedevelopment of new and appropriate research and scholarshiptechniques across all disciplines. This has been an excellentexample of the developing relationship between NEWI and theHigher Education Academy, which has set the scene for otherhigher education institutions to engage with the Academy.

Photographic MemoriesPeter Bolton has recently completed research into the use of oldphotographs as a resource for teaching local history. This work islinked to the Certificate in Family and Community History which isdelivered by the School of Humanities.

The use of old photographs has often been overlooked by familyand local historians lacking, as the majority of photographs do,definitive dates or names which would facilitate easyincorporation into a family tree. The starting point for the researchhas been to investigate how photographs can be approximatelydated, through visual clues like fashions, composition andphotographic techniques. Such approximation, coupled withsubsequent age estimates, can then be used to narrow down therange of text based evidence which need to be examined. Thesematerials can include birth, marriage and death certificates orcensus reports.

Another dimension to the research has been that oldphotographs can provide clues to the social status of thesubjects, using various visual pointers like location, clothing, andthe symbolic nature of objects contained within the photographs. This consideration of status adds a new dimension to familyresearch as it provides the enthusiast with an understanding ofthe society in which their forefathers lived, or aspired to live.Photographs help students to develop an active engagement withthe past and engage with concepts of collective and popularmemory.

Promoting Research and ScholarshipThe Centre for Pedagogical Research and Scholarship wasestablished to support pedagogical culture changecommensurate with the institutional mission and strategic vision.It forms part of NEWI’s strategic focus on pedagogical research.Situated in the School of Education and Community, the Centrehas an institute-wide remit to promote an active culture ofresearch and scholarship to support high quality teaching andworks to advance models of professional practice that encouragelearning and enhance the student learning experience.

The Centre is led by Phil Bassett and its members are ProfessorPatrick Costello, Colette Bleakley and Dr Hilary Fabian. It issupported by its associates, Dr Alex Carson and ProfessorBrenda Smith, Assistant Director of the Higher EducationAcademy and Fellow of NEWI. The Centre undertakes strategicand applied research in the area of education and professionaldevelopment and supports colleagues in NEWI and in the widereducational community to contribute to the work of the Centre.This work embraces compulsory and post-compulsoryeducation, as well as higher education, and is informed by thedifferent subject-specific cultures and contexts. The Centre usesconsultancy, research training and mentoring to enable membersof staff to begin to publish or seek out and apply for researchfunding to advance the work of the Centre.


University

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University

Above, St Mary’s College, Twickenham

Below left, Wrexham High Street scene late eighteenth century.

Below, 1833 map of Wrexham

Supporting its work will be a Journal, the first edition of which isscheduled for publication in April 2007.

One example of the Centre’s current success is a collaborativeproject on ‘Strengthening the nexus between Research,Scholarship and Teaching’, between NEWI, St Mary’sTwickenham and St Mark and St John (MARJON). Thisrelationship was the result of a successful bid to the LeadershipFoundation for Higher Education (LFHE) for £15,000. A further£30,000 was secured from the LFHE by Colette Bleakley whowas awarded an LFHE Fellowship to research an appreciativeapproach to coaching. In addition a recent Mini ProjectApplication to the Higher Education Academy Subject Centre forHealth ‘Exploring the needs of service users involved in planningand delivering mental health services and education’ wassuccessful.

IntroductionThe fourth element of the vision may appear the most challenging.It requires NEWI to build an international reputation throughselectively investing in areas of research excellence, activelyengaging in the transnational exchange of knowledge andexperience and contributing to the internationalising of Wrexhamand the region through a culturally diverse student body andincreased diversity of academic staff.

The most difficult element of this aspect is its monitoring. Theperformance indicator identified for this area is the measurementof the Institute’s reputation.

The examples given below cover a number of aspects of theInstitute’s international reputation. The first example looks at asuccessful project to assist migrant workers integrate intoWrexham society. The second example shows the extent ofinstitutional links with other European countries and how manystudents are attracted to NEWI to complete their studies. Thethird example details a long standing relationship with Wales’stwinned country, Lesotho.

NEWI Welcomes Polish WorkersThe migration of labour throughout the European Union has beena feature of the Union since at least the Treaty of Maastricht,although it has featured in newspaper headlines only since theeastward expansion of the European Union. Wrexham has longhad a strong Polish community and it was only natural thereforethat many Polish migrant workers came to North East Wales.

Despite the fact that they only intent to stay in North Wales for ashort time, many migrant workers want to integrate with the localcommunity. NEWI’s Social Inclusion Research Unit conductedresearch into this new section of the community and found thatmany of these newcomers take employment below the level oftheir skills or qualifications. In response to that NEWI devised aprogramme which would allow the qualifications and skills held byPolish and other Central and Eastern European migrants to berecognised.

To help them achieve that NEWI organised a short course offeringan introduction to British culture. Recruitment to this programmepresented no difficulties as students on courses for English forSpeakers of Other Languages were anxious to expand theirunderstanding of local customs and practices.

The courses themselves were arranged at different timesthroughout the week as migrant workers are by definitionworking.

Although the programme was aimed specifically at the Polishcommunity, the need for such an introduction became apparentwith the recruitment of students from the Czech Republic,France, Spain, Hungary, Bulgaria and even as far as thePhilippines and China, as well as a good number of Polishstudents.

Entering the Global EconomyFor the past seven years, NEWI has been offering summer schoolprogrammes for students from other member states of theEuropean Union. These have concentrated on a small number ofmainly technology areas such as Computing, Engineering andStudio Recording. The success of these programmes led theInstitute to expand the provision for the summer of 2006 byincluding Business within the summer school programme.

The primary aim of these sessions is to provide additionaltechnical insight into specific areas and to help the participants todevelop specialist skills. They also provide an excellentopportunity for students from outside the UK to improve theirEnglish and meet people from other countries. The programmesare organised around a series of lectures and seminars fromindustrialists and academics. This is supplemented by a numberof business and cultural visits, all of which adds to the learningexperience.

One of the reasons for expanding the summer school to includeBusiness was the success of the BBC television programme TheApprentice. Sir Alan Sugar’s search for new executives hassparked a new interest in business techniques and projectmanagement while at the same time providing considerableentertainment to many millions of viewers. In a similar fashion theNEWI Business summer school aims to demonstrate that abusiness education, in addition to being highly valuable on thejobs market, can also be an enjoyable and stimulating experience.

It was natural that the Business summer school was offered to awider international audience as globalisation sits firmly within thepriorities of any business planning today.

Out of AfricaWales’s overseas involvement, once restricted to Patagonia andthe Welsh diaspora, has, in recent years, developed considerablyas the Welsh Assembly Government takes its first steps on to theinternational stage. One relationship which has existed for manyyears is that with Lesotho, the small landlocked country totallysurrounded by South Africa.


International Significance

www.newi.ac.uk 13

The moving force behind the relationship has been Dolen Cymru,the Wales Lesotho link, which had its first national office in NEWIin the late 1980s. Although the office has now moved to Cardiff,NEWI’s commitment to the link with Lesotho remains as strongas ever.

This was seen in October 2005 when the leaders of the four mainchurches in Lesotho visited NEWI as part of a tour of Wales,which also included visits to the National Assembly, the Cytûncymanfa and a number of churches, schools and religiousorganisations across the country. Bishop Joseph Tsubella of theAnglican Church in Lesotho, Archbishop Bernard Mohlalisi of theRoman Catholic Church, Reverend John Mokhahlane, leader ofthe Lesotho Evangelical Church and Reverend Daniel Rantle,President of the Methodist Church met the Principal of NEWI,Professor Scott, who is also Chair of UNESCO Wales. The groupwas accompanied by Bishop Edwin Regan, Roman Catholicbishop of Wrexham and Andrew Parry, secretary of the DolenCymru Churches subcommittee.

Following the meeting with Professor Scott, the group metProfessor Odette Parry and other representatives of NEWI’sSocial Inclusion Research Unit to discuss the greatest problemfacing Lesotho, that of HIV/AIDS. Not only are the churches inLesotho concerned with the social implications of the disasterfacing the country as a result of HIV, but they have also manypractical concerns as well, as the churches are responsible forrunning the vast majority of schools and hospitals in Lesotho. Asa result of the meeting at NEWI a group from the Social InclusionResearch Unit visited Lesotho in March 2007 to undertake aUNESCO funded study of HIV.

International Significance

Right, Lesotho Church leaders at the start of their visit to Wales

accompanied by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cardiff the Most

Rev Peter Smith, the Church in Wales Archbishop of Wales the Most

Rev Barry Morgan and the Chair of the Dolen Cymru Churches

subcommittee and Bishop of Wrexham Rt Rev Edwin Regan.

Below, NEWI has seen a significant increase in the number of

students from China enrolling on programmes.

IntroductionNEWI’s commitment to the widening participation agenda and todeveloping its role as a major influence in the social and economicdevelopment of the region is reflected throughout its vision,nowhere more so than in this aspect. NEWI aims to be a leadinghigher education institution in Wales for widening access andparticipation through delivering accessible, flexible highereducation to anyone who has the potential to benefit from it andwhich rewards progression and academic, personal andprofessional achievements at a pace and level conducive to thelearner.

Success in this area is shown by reference to the Institute’swidening participation profile and student recruitment figures.Three statistics demonstrate NEWI’s commitment to the wideningparticipation agenda. In 2005/06 over 98% of all NEWI’sundergraduate entrants came from state schools, 49% camefrom social classes 4, 5, 6 and 7 and 13.5% of all NEWI’s full-timeundergraduate students were on Disabled Students’ Allowance.

NEWI’s recruitment statistics also demonstrate a confident andsuccessful institution. The total number of students on NEWIprogrammes in 2005/06 stood at 7,838, an increase of 28% onthe previous year

NEWI believes however that widening participation should not berestricted to those who want to enter higher education on a fullprogramme but should offer people the opportunity to have someexperience of higher education. In that respect it aims to extendthe benefits of higher education to people not attendingprogrammes through the development and use of universityfacilities both on campus and in the wider community.

An important measure of success in this are is through examiningthe quality of the Institute’s estate and one of the articles belowprovides an example of NEWI’s achievements in this area.

The first of the three articles below looks at howTechniquest@NEWI has developed into a leading visitor attractionwhile at the same time retaining its primary role as an educationalresource. The second example looks at the success of theInstitute’s sports facilities in engaging local people in sport andbecoming a major sporting venue in North Wales.

The third story deals with the continuing success of the WrexhamScience Festival and how that has grown to be a permanentfixture in both the science and entertainment calendars.

Delivering Science for AllHaving proved highly successful in its first three years ofoperation and winning a second three year contract from the

Welsh Assembly Government, NEWI’s science discovery centre,Techniquest@NEWI has taken its enthusiasm for science out ofthe campus and across North Wales.

Its new Schools Outreach Programme went into 43 schools withinthe first few months of operation with its blend of workshops,planetarium shows and a hands-on mini exhibition covering manydifferent aspects of science, technology and engineering. By July2006 the programme had reached 6,400 pupils and theirteachers.

Schools were not the only venues for the Outreach Programme.A number of other community based activities were includedwithin the schedule and the highlight of the year was theTechniquest@NEWI stand at the Urdd Eisteddfod in Ruthin whichattracted over 3,000 visitors.

Buoyed by the success of the Outreach Programme,Techniquest@NEWI was awarded substantial funding to increasethe facility further through acquisition of a new planetarium, state-of-the-art digital projection equipment and three new interactiveshows for schools. These will feature biology, physics andastronomy. Among the new features will be a journey insidehuman cells and a visit to the stars, all without leaving school. Inaddition to the shows themselves, participating schools will alsoreceive support materials and professional development forteachers.

New Hockey Pitch puts NEWI on theInternational Sporting SceneA new artificial hockey pitch, only the second of its kind in Wales,means that NEWI has now become a major venue forinternational hockey matches. The building work on the water-based turf pitch was undertaken during the spring and summerof 2006.

The project which cost one million pounds was funded by theSports Council of Wales and Sport@NEWI and is the first of itskind in North Wales. The result is a pitch suitable for national andinternational championships as well as for training at all levels.

This is the latest feather in the cap of Sport@NEWI, which hasalready hosted the Welsh Badminton Championships, EuropeanHockey Championships and the Commonwealth Veteran FencingChampionship.

Water based pitches are generally preferred by hockey players tothe alternatives because they allow for a faster game. The wovenfabric which provides the artificial surface acts like grass andrests on a cushion of water. Water is sprayed on to the surface ofthe pitch before the match and again at half time. Most drains


Open To All

Open To All

away, but the water that remains makes for a fast playing surfacewith fewer friction burns to the players.

Speaking at the initial “cutting the turf” ceremony Professor MichaelScott, Principal of NEWI said, “Obtaining this funding for the pitchwill make a huge difference to sport in North Wales. I believe it isimportant that such facilities are available in North Wales for highquality sporting events and we are proud to have such a facilitybeing built at NEWI. Many people in Wrexham and the surroundingarea enjoy sport but miss out on live events because they are sooften held in South Wales. Hopefully this will mean moreopportunities here in the north of the country.”

Thousands visit NEWI for the 2006 WrexhamScience FestivalBringing people on to the campus and engage in science hasalways been a major feature of the Wrexham Science Festival. Theeighth festival which ran from 20 to 25 March 2006 continued thesuccess of previous years attracting thousands on to the campusfor a week of talks, demonstrations and exhibitions on science-related topics.

Continuing interest in all things Egyptian meant that one of the mostpopular events for the adults was the lecture given by Dr KateSpence, one of the UK’s leading authorities on Egypt who spoke onthe impact of Hatshepsut, Egypt’s female king. Similarly a talk onthe life and achievements of Michael Faraday by Dr Frank James,one of the Royal Institution’s leading researchers, brought in ahighly appreciative and informed audience.

For younger scientists, Pretty Pretty Bang Bang providedan explanation of how fireworks are created accompaniedby a suitably impressive firework demonstration and Energy:Snap, Crackle and Bang by NEWI’s Dr Stan Mooredemonstrated the use of energy through a number offun experiments. Other highlights included a seriesof science fiction films, talks on the science ofalcohol and interactive presentations on thescience of sound.

The festival culminated in the annual Scientriffic daywhich attracted families from all over North Wales and beyond.Some of the day’s stars were a bright yellow Burmese python andhis fellow reptiles which brought excitement and fear in equalmeasures. NEWI’s forensic science students’ reconstruction of acrime scene attracted considerable interest as visitors took part inan organised forensic trail.

The atmosphere of the day was added to by Wrexham’s newestradio station Calon FM which broadcasted throughout the dayproviding visitors with a variety of music and information about theday’s events and exhibits.

www.newi.ac.uk 15

Above, the Scientriffic day at the Wrexham Science Festival

provides a fun day out for all the family.

IntroductionNEWI has always taken sustainability seriously and integrates itinto all aspects of the institution’s business. This has beensupported by the Assembly Government placing considerableemphasis on sustainability. All higher education institutions arenow required to report on it as part of their annual returns toHEFCW.

Sustainability at NEWI falls into three categories: economicsustainability, business sustainability and environmentalsustainability. These are examined in turn below.

Economic SustainabilityThe principal driver in the Institute’s move toward economicsustainability is the Strategic Plan. This outlines how the Instituteconsider how to bring activity, resources and infrastructure into asustainable balance while optimising outputs and opportunities.Supporting the Strategic Plan NEWI has a Financial Strategywhich demonstrates the viability and coherence of the Institute’sactivities.

In particular the Financial Strategy helps the Institute to setpriorities and to manage its operations. In performing these tasksthe Institute is conscious of the financial climate in which itoperates and how this places constraints on the Institute’s abilityto generate financial surpluses. It also allows the Institute toidentify its future resource need, an essential element if NEWI isto continue to expand and offer a diverse portfolio of programmesand services.

The Strategy also provides a useful foundation upon which NEWIcan build partnerships and engage new technologies andstrategies to support its development and which inform theInstitute’s responses to funding initiatives and opportunities.

In all aspects of the Institute’s Financial Strategy consideration isgiven to maintaining the support of the Institute’s variousstakeholders and to enhancing the university culture of NEWI.

Business SustainabilityNEWI maintains a detailed and comprehensive businesscontinuity programme including as an essential item a riskmanagement process which is continually monitored, regularlyupdated and is subject to a number of audits. The most recentaudit found that the Institute ‘has adopted a proactive approachto developing and designing risk management processes. Formalrisk management procedures are in place and have becomeintegral to the regulatory framework of the organisation. TheInternal Audit work has identified that the benefits of riskmanagement are recognised by staff within the Institution, andthe evidence supports that risk management has become

embedded at both a strategic and operational level. In the opinionof NEWI's internal auditors, the controls governing RiskManagement, as currently laid down and operated, providesubstantial assurance that risks material to the achievement ofthe organisation’s objectives for the system are adequatelymanaged and controlled’

Environmental SustainabilityThe past few years have seen a major shift in the Institute’sattitude toward environmental sustainability. At the forefront ofthis progress has been the Estates department which hasimplemented a number of changes to start to address theenvironmental agenda. These have initially concentrated onpromoting energy efficiency, such as fitting a new, eco-friendlyheating and hot water boiler system; double glazed windowsthroughout; water efficient push taps and water-free urinals. Dayand night lighting on the corridors has been introduced and stepshave been taken to increase the biodiversity of the estate bylandscaping and planting indigenous plants. NEWI has alsoreceived an award by the British Astronomical Association for thefitting of new specialised outside lamps which shine down thusreducing light pollution.

Another example of an innovative approach to environmentalsustainability was in the construction of the new internationalwater-based hockey pitch. One of the conditions of the contractwith the building contractors was that the topsoil removed as partof the construction was to be recycled or reused and not go to awaste landfill site. The topsoil was transported for reuse at ahousing development in the Wrexham area for reinstatement workand the formation of gardens.

The Sustainability Forum was established in 2006 which hasrepresentatives from academic and operational department. Akey focus of activity has been raising the profile of environmentalsustainability across the Institute. The curriculum is beinginformed by research and development undertaken by DerekJones and David Cheesbrough.

Other departments have also made progress in meeting theInstitute’s environmental responsibilities. One example of this isthe adoption by all the Institute’s catering outlets of Fair Tradeproducts as preferred products.

Environmental sustainability was also the focus of aStaff/Governor workshop held in March 2006. Chaired byProfessor Eileen Baker, the workshop reviewed much of theprogress that had been made in this area and identified a numberof areas where further action was required. As a result of thatworkshop, considerable effort is being put into place to ensurethe responsibility for environmental issues is spread across theInstitute.


Sustainability

www.newi.ac.uk 17

IntroductionIn August 2006 the Welsh Language Board approved theInstitute’s Welsh Language Scheme, which had previously beenapproved and adopted by the Board of Governors. The need fora scheme had become increasingly apparent as interest acrossWales in the Welsh language continues to grow at a considerablerate and as public bodies across the country recognise the valueboth in Wales and internationally of working in a bilingual country.

NEWI’s scheme also complies with the requirements of the WelshLanguage Act 1993.

As part of the scheme NEWI is required to make regular reportson progress in implementing its detailed action plan. Thesereports are presented to the Welsh Language Board everysummer and to HEFCW as part of the Institute’s Strategic Plan. Itis also required to include a report on the scheme every yearwithin the Annual Review.

The Language Scheme and Action Plan set out three areas wherethe Institute will take action to promote the use of the Welshlanguage. These areas are:

- to ensure that the Institute is able to offer a bilingual service tothe public;

- to promote the learning and use of Welsh within the Institute;- to increase the provision of Welsh medium programmes.

A Bilingual Service to the PublicIn many cases the scheme formalises existing working practice.An example of this is the requirement of staff to respond in Welshto written communication received in that language. All generalcommunication such as flyers, posters and circulars are allproduced bilingually for distribution in Wales and a number ofpublications, such as the Student Guide, are produced bilingually.The Institute is committed to expanding the number and range ofbilingual publications.

Telephone calls received in Welsh are transferred to Welshspeaking staff. NEWI will be providing basic Welsh languagetraining for all reception staff to extend this facility. Greater use ofthe language will also be introduced into all public events held atNEWI

Opportunities to Learn and Use WelshFor many years NEWI has offered staff and students theopportunity to learn Welsh. Classes continue and have been wellsupported. These classes cover all levels from absolute beginnersto Gloywi programmes for fluent Welsh speakers.

Welsh Medium ProgrammesNEWI currently has a mall number of programmes whereinstruction is available through the medium of Welsh, although allstudents may be assessed in Welsh if they so wish. NEWI’sflagship for Welsh medium education are the Criminal Justiceprogrammes which use a system of blended learning whichfacilitates the use of Welsh medium materials.

The Institute is represented on a number of committees andorganisations involved in the development of Welsh mediumprogrammes. These include the Welsh Medium Higher EducationSector Group, the Steering Group of Mantais and the WelshMarketing Managers Group. Through these groups and throughworking closely with the Welsh Medium Education DevelopmentCentre, NEWI is seeking to expand the range of Welsh mediumprogrammes offered at the Institute.

NEWI and the Welsh Language

All the Institute’s corporate publications

are produced bilingually.

IntroductionThe Institute’s Strategic Plan, which is approved and adoptedannually by the Board of Governors, sets out a series ofperformance targets, progress on which is reported to the Board.The Board also takes particular interest in the performancetargets set out in the Corporate Plan. These have been detailedin the sections of this Review looking at each aspect of the vision.

In addition the Board has agreed on three key performanceindicators which will give some indication of how the Institute ismaking progress. These cover the following areas: academicstanding, financial standing and market share. Each of theseareas is looked at in a little more detail below, although individualtargets are yet to be set.

Academic StandingOne of the most significant decisions of the academic year wasthat made by the Quality Assurance Agency that NEWI wouldhave to undergo a separate Institutional Review in the year2006/07. Preparations were started in the year for the Reviewwhich was scheduled for March 2007.

Note: The Review has been completed although the final reportwas not published at the time of going to press. NEWI isconfident, however, of a positive and constructive outcome.

A review that was undertaken within the academic year was theQAA Special Review of Research and Postgraduate Provision.The result of the review was highly satisfactory for NEWI with highpraise and commendations for the Institute’s work in these areas.

Financial StandingThe Institute maintained its financial category A status meaningthat the funding council had full confidence in the financialmanagement of the Institute.

Each year the Institute publishes its annual accounts whichcontain information on its turnover and operating surplus. Thishas recorded consistent growth in both areas with the turnoverfor 2005/06 exceeding £27 million up from £25.5 million for2004/05. The operating surplus is also up to £1.6 million from justover one million pounds the previous year. As a percentage ofturnover this means an increase from 4.5% to 6.1%. Full detailsare given later in this Annual Review.

Market ShareFollowing the departure from the University of Wales of CardiffUniversity the relative position of NEWI within the University ofWales has increased significantly. On HESA reported statistics,NEWI has 11% of all University of Wales undergraduate students.Swansea leads the table with 17% with University of Wales,Bangor and University of Wales, Aberystwyth each on 13%,UWIC, University of Wales Lampeter and University of WalesNewport on 12%, Swansea Institute on 7% and Trinity CollegeCarmarthen on 3%.

Performance


www.newi.ac.uk 19

Trefor Jones (Chair) CBEAppointed November 2001

Trefor Jones spent 35 years in Pilkington Optronics, rising tobecome its Chairman and Chief Executive. He was a member ofthe Clwyd Health Authority from 1990 to 1993 and was Chairmanof the Training and Enterprise Council for North West Wales andVice-Chair of CELTEC (the North Wales TEC). He is currently amember of the North Wales Economic Forum. In 1996 he wasappointed as a member of the Welsh Development Agency andcurrently is its Deputy Chairman. In 2001, The Queen appointedhim Lord Lieutenant of Clwyd.

Professor John Last (Vice-Chair) CBE MA DLitt

HonFMA FRSAAppointed September 2001

Professor Last spent most of his working life based in Liverpool,first working for Littlewoods and then for United Utilities asDirector of External Affairs. He now has a part-time teachingcontract at City University, London, together with a visitingprofessorship. He is non-executive Chairman of Dernier PropertyGroup based on Merseyside and non-executive Chairman of ButeCommunications Ltd, a PR/Public Affairs company based inCardiff. Professor Last was awarded a CBE in 1989 for servicesto the Arts.

Geoff Andrews BSc MScAppointed February 2005

Geoff Andrews has spent over 30 years working at seniormanagement and board level in high-tech, high growthbusinesses. He has a first degree in Physics and Mathematicsand a Master’s degree from Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology in the Management of Technology. In 1993 he led amanagement buyout team to acquire a Pilkington business inCommunications Systems. The business grew to have a £60million turnover by 2001 when it was acquired by a largeAmerican multinational. Geoff is now Chief Executive of ClearviewAssociates Limited, a successful management consultancycompany currently working with a number of blue chip clients onstrategic organisational managerial and business developmentprojects.

Professor Eileen Baker OBE BA MSc PGCE DLitt FRSAAppointed February 2005

Eileen Baker taught in secondary schools from 1969 until 1974when she took up her first lecturing post. Recruited to HerMajesty’s Inspectorate in 1988, she specialised in the inspectionof English in the university sector and production of the ChiefInspector’s Annual Report. Formerly the Principal of BishopGrosseteste College of HE, she has served on amongst othersthe Standing Committee of Principals’ Council, The TeacherTraining Agency Board, the General Teaching Council, theNational Mathematics Inquiry, the HEFCE Sector Strategy Group,

Lincoln Cathedral Council and the ‘Vision of Lincolnshire’committee. Awarded a professorship by the University of Hull in1998, on retiring in 2003 she received an OBE for services tohigher education and an honorary doctorate and EmeritusProfessorship from Leicester University.

Chris Burgoyne ACIBAppointed May 2004

Chris Burgoyne has been Area Director for HSBC Bank in NorthWales since July 2004. Prior to that he was Area Director forNorth East Wales for two years and has undertaken variousmanagerial roles across Wales during his 27 year banking career.He is responsible for HSBC’s retail, commercial and corporateoperations in North Wales

Terence Burman C.Eng F.I.STRUCT.EAppointed April 1999

Terry Burman joined Veryard & Partners, Consulting Civil &Structural Engineers as Junior Engineer in Cardiff in 1963. Hebecame a Partner in 1974 and opened a new office in Wrexham.Until his retirement Mr Burman was responsible for thedevelopment and day to day running of the North West Region.He is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution ofStructural Engineers. He was also a member of the North WalesCommittee of the CBI and member of the Chester and NorthWales Chamber of Commerce.

His Honour Judge Roger Dutton BAAppointed September 2001

Judge Roger Dutton was called to the Bar in 1975 and practisedat common law chambers in Chester until October 1996 when hewas appointed a Circuit Judge. He now sits on criminal cases onthe Wales and Chester Circuit. He serves on various committeesat the invitation of the Lord Chancellor and is an occasional tutorjudge for the Judicial Studies Board. In 2004 he became amember of the central committee of the Council of Circuit Judges.

Robert (Bob) Hill BSc FRICSAppointed March 2002

Bob Hill has lived in Milton Keynes since 1972 where he becameCommercial Director and later Deputy General Manager at theDevelopment Corporation. A Fellow of the Royal Institution ofChartered Surveyors, he joined the British Rail Property Board in1992 as Managing Director and in 1994 became PropertyDirector of Railtrack plc. In 1998 he established his own propertyconsultancy, Peerless Hill Partnership. He is currently a Trustee ofthe Milton Keynes Parks Trust and of the Powell Foundation - acharity helping the aged and those with disabilities, and has beena Board Member of De Montfort University, BuckinghamshireHealth Authority and the Milton Keynes Theatre and GalleryCompany.

NEWI’s Board of Governors


NEWI’s Board of Governors (continued)

Jane M James, ARAgSAppointed July 2006

Jane James has been Director of Prince’s Trust Cymru sinceJanuary 2004.Her involvement in the Welsh food industry over theprevious ten years has included Managing Director of the WelshMeat Company, Centre Manager of Food Centre Wales – a foodtechnology centre – and agricultural PR across a range ofproduction sectors.

She has also played a major role in developing and diversifyingthe family farming business in Pembrokeshire. She is a LicensedReader of the Church in Wales, a Governor of Christ CollegeBrecon, a past holder of the Welsh Woman Farmer of the Yeartitle and a member of the BBC Broadcasting Council for Wales.

Lady Janet Jones DLAppointed July 2006

Lady Janet Jones was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for theCounty of Clwyd in 1998. Lady Janet is a long-serving magistratewho has held a number of high profile magistrate roles throughoutEngland and Wales. She was formerly a Council Member of theWales and England Magistrates’ Association and an ExecutiveMember of the Clwyd Magistrates’ Association. She was formerlya member of the Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Committee in Clwydand Chairman of the Flintshire Bench of Magistrates (2001-2005).

Lady Janet is committed to the Voluntary Sector. She is currentlypresident of Flintshire Pre-School Playgroups Association,Deeside Mencap and Deeside Guides Association. She is atrustee of P.A.C.T and North Wales Victim Support. She wasformerly a Member of Clwyd’s School Governing Bodies.

Professor Katharine Perera, BA MA PhD LLDAppointed September 2001

After an early career in teaching, Katharine Perera took up a postas lecturer in the Department of Linguistics in the University ofManchester, being appointed professor in 1991 and pro-vice-chancellor in 1994. Having served as Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor,with responsibility for academic development and academic andfinancial planning across the University, she retired in September2004. She is chair of governors of Withington Girls' School,Manchester, a non-executive director of Hope Hospital, Salford,and a member of the Board of the Leadership Foundation forHigher Education.

Peter Purdom CCIPD BA HonsAppointed October 2005

Peter Purdom has over 30 years experience in human resourcemanagement and development, spanning both the public andprivate sectors. Following his role as County Personnel Officerwith Cheshire County Council, he took up a senior consulting rolewith KPMG and subsequently with Sanders and Sidney plc. Afterthen establishing a successful search and selection consultancy,he joined Penna plc as Regional Head of Client Partners. Peterwas previously the National Vice President of Education for theformer IPM and, for six years until 2005, he served as the National

Honorary Treasurer for the CIPD. He is a Chartered Companion ofthe CIPD, a previous trustee of the CIPD Pension Scheme, as wellas a Member of CIPD’s Professional Standards and ConductsCommittee.

Aldham Robarts DL ACBA, FLJMU FRASAppointed January 2003

Canadian citizen resident in Denbigh for the past 28 years, AldieRobarts has worked on eleven Thomson Newspapers worldwide,finally as a Marketing Director. He founded the Wirral Globe in1973, one of the first free distribution newspapers in the UK andlaunched Northwest AutoTrader magazine. Former Chairman ofthe Wrexham Maelor Hospital NHS Trust (1992-99) and formerDirector of Telescope Technologies Limited (1996-2004) andChairman (2001-04), he is a Trustee and former Board Member ofthe Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society and a Trustee ofLiverpool John Moores University

Basil Towers BA FCIPRAppointed December 2001

Basil Towers has spent over 23 years in public relationsconsultancy with particular emphasis on corporate reputationand issue management programmes. He established his ownLondon based consultancy, Christow, in 1989 which became oneof the UK’s leading corporate reputation consultancies. Prior toChristow he was Managing Director of ShandwickCommunications, which he founded, and a director of ShandwickUK plc, the UK’s largest PR consultancy. He now runs HesledenPartners a reputation management consultancy. He is a Fellow ofthe Chartered Institute of Public Relations of Wales.

Professor Michael Scott BA MA PhD FRSA

Professor Michael Scott is Principal and Chief Executive of NEWI.He has spent thirty years in the higher education sector devotedto social inclusion and the opening up of universities to thecommunity. He is a distinguished literary scholar having writtennumerous books and articles and edited two major series, mostnotably the influential Text and Performance series which helpedspawn Masters programmes in a new approach to ShakespeareStudies in the UK, the USA, Australia and elsewhere.

He is the Chairman of the North Wales Film Commission,Chairman of The North Wales Events Commission, Chairman ofUNESCO, Wales, and is a member of the Board of Clwyd TheatrCymru and until January 2007 was a member of the BBC Councilfor Wales.

He was previously Pro Vice-Chancellor of De Montfort University,Leicester, which he joined in 1989 from Sunderland Polytechnicwhere he was Professor of English and Head of the School ofHumanities. Michael Scott was educated at the University ofWales, Lampeter and Nottingham University and gained his PhDfrom De Montfort University. For fourteen years he was VisitingProfessor of English at Georgetown University, Washington DCwhich honoured him with the Centennial Award for DistinguishedTeaching and Scholarship in 1989.

www.newi.ac.uk 21

Corporate Governance

As the governing body of the North East Wales Institute of HigherEducation (“the Institute”), we have responsibility for maintaininga sound system of internal control that supports the achievementof policies, aims and objectives, while safeguarding the publicand other funds and assets for which we are responsible, inaccordance with the responsibilities assigned to the governingbody in the instrument and articles and the FinancialMemorandum with HEFCW.

The system of internal control is designed to manage rather thaneliminate the risk of failure to achieve policies, aims andobjectives; it can therefore only provide reasonable and notabsolute assurance of effectiveness against materialmisstatement or loss.

The system of internal control is based on an ongoing processrecorded as the risk register designed to identify the principalrisks to the achievement of policies, aims and objectives, toevaluate the nature and extent of those risks and to manage themefficiently, effectively and economically. A strategic risk registerhas been in place all year up to 31 July 2006. Risk managementand control processes have been in place throughout the periodand risk review is embedded within the management culture andapplied to the risks on the register and to all new initiativesidentified during the year. These processes have been applied upto the date of approval of the financial statements and accordswith HEFCW guidance.

As the governing body, we have responsibility for reviewing theeffectiveness of the system of internal control. The followingprocesses have been established:

• We meet at regular intervals to consider the plans and strategicdirection of the Institute.

• We receive periodic reports from the Chair of the Audit Committee concerning internal control and we require regular reports from managers on the steps they are taking to managerisks in their areas of responsibility, including progress reports on key projects and issues.

• We have requested the Audit Committee to provide oversight of the Institute’s management of risks.

• The Audit Committee receives regular reports from the independent internal audit provider, Bentley-Jennison, which include the internal audit’s independent opinion on the adequacy and effectiveness of the Institute’s system of internalcontrol, together with recommendations for improvement.

• A programme of facilitated workshops is held for Governors, senior and other managers to identify and keep up to date thekey issues and risks for the Institute.

• The Institute-wide risk register is maintained and a system of reporting on risk management has been agreed by the Board and Audit Committee. This involves a range of formal reports received during the year. In addition an internal audit review ofRisk Management in July 2006 has given substantial assuranceand recommended some improvements to embed the management of risk.

• At the end of the year the Chair of the Audit Committee formallyreports to the full Board on the Committee’s activities during the year in accordance with relevant guidance. This report includes an assessment of the effectiveness of the Internal Control System (including risk management) during the year.

• A risk prioritisation methodology based on risk ranking has been established and reviewed.

• Each risk is assigned to a relevant director who reports regularly to the Senior Executive on the actions taken.

Our review of the effectiveness of the system of internal control isinformed by internal audit, which operates to standards definedin the HEFCW Audit Code of Practice, and was itself audited bythe ELWa Audit Service in October 2004. In spring 2006, thenewly appointed Head of Risk Assurance at HEFCW visited NEWIto complete the follow-up process. The report confirmed thatNEWI had satisfactorily addressed all the recommendationsmade in 2002/03.

In summer 2006 a review of corporate governance wasundertaken and the internal auditor’s opinion was that thecontrols within the system provide substantial assurance thatrisks are adequately managed and controlled. The overall opinionof the internal auditors was that the Institution has adequate andeffective risk management, governance and control processes tomanage the achievement of the institution’s objectives.

The key risks for NEWI arise from the potential failure to recruitand retain students, retain key staff capability and maintainbusiness systems. Student recruitment was buoyant in 2005/06and NEWI met funded student numbers. These risks are thesubject of regular review at meetings of both Senior Executiveand the Governing Body.

Our review of the effectiveness of the system of internal control isalso informed by the work of the executive directors within theInstitute, who have responsibility for the development andmaintenance of the internal control framework and by commentsmade by the external auditors in their management letter andother reports from external bodies such as the National AuditOffice.


Corporate Governance (continued)

Effectiveness ReviewThe Board of Governors, its subcommittees, the Academic Boardand its subcommittees are subject to regular effectivenessreviews. These examine how far the particular body is meetingsits terms of reference and whether there are any improvements tobe made to the operation of their activities.

The Board of Governors has an annual effectiveness review anda report on the findings for the 2005/06 academic year, with acomparison with the academic year 2004/05 was presented tothe Board of Governors on 19 October 2006. The review foundthat the governors were sufficiently engaged in the developmentof the Institute’s overall strategy, including the details of theStrategic Plan. It found there was sufficient clarity between theroles of the governors, the Senior Executive and the Board’ssubcommittees and it stated that the arrangements for riskmanagement were appropriately detailed.

A recurring issue was the need for the governors to receive theinformation on which they rely in their decision making. It was feltthat a small number of key performance indicators were requiredif the governors were to gain an overview of the Institute’sprogress. As a result a KPI subgroup of the Board wasestablished and will report towards the end of the academic year2006/07. It has already established three areas where KPIs will beprovided. These have been covered in earlier sections.

Financial Statements 2005/06

www.newi.ac.uk 23


Financial Statements 2005/06 (continued)

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