CANTERBURY CHRIST CHURCH UNIVERSITY
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE CHAIRS COMMITTEE: TUESDAY 7 MARCH 2017 AT 1:30 PM IN THE FREDERIC MASON ROOM AT THE PRIORY
Strictly Confidential
Present: Mr Stephen Clark (Pro-Chancellor and Chair)
Professor Rama Thirunamachandran (Vice-Chancellor)
Mr Colin Carmichael
Sir Ian Johnston
Mr Frank Martin (Pro-Chancellor Elect)
Bishop Trevor Willmott
In attendance: Ms Alison Sear
1. Apologies for absence
Apologies were received from Mrs Janice Shiner.
2. Declarations of Interest
Mr Stephen Clark and Mr Colin Carmichael declared an interest in the agenda item regarding ‘Honorary Fellowships and Doctorates: Recommendations’. It was confirmed that members, other than SC, had considered by correspondence the proposal for an Honorary Doctorate for SC and had agreed on this recommendation unanimously.
3. Chairs Communications
The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and in particular welcomed the Clerk to her first Chairs Committee meeting.
4. Minutes of the Meeting of the Chairs Committee held on 11 October 2016
The minutes of the meeting of the Chairs Committee held on 11 October 2016 were confirmed and signed as an accurate record.
5. Matters Arising not Appearing elsewhere on the Agenda
(i) University’s approach to harassment and abuse of students
The Vice-Chancellor noted the progress of the “Expect Respect” project, led by the University’s Pro-Vice Chancellor (Education and Student Experience) and in partnership with the Students’ Union, which has been well received by students and staff with a good level of engagement. A report outlining the steps taken to implement the recommendations from the Universities (UUK) taskforce and the overall action plan was referred to. Assurance was provided that the agenda will continue to be taken forward by the Senior Management Team. Committee members asked that the report be circulated to them following the meeting.
(ii) DCCA OFSTED
The Vice-Chancellor reported that Committee member Mrs Janice Shiner and the University’s Dean of Education had recently visited the Dover Christ Church Academy (DCCA). Following the visit they considered the school to be doing well and responding positively to the OFSTED inspection of DCCA which had concluded that the Academy continued to ‘require improvement’. Committee members noted that DCCA had received an encouraging letter from the new head of OFSTED confirming the strength of the governance and leadership of the school, which was circulated to the Committee members.
NOTED
6. Strategic Discussion Item (including student numbers, financial and Estate Master Plan)
The Vice-Chancellor noted that the external environment faced by the University has changed considerably since the original funding approach for the Estate Master Plan was presented to the Governing Body in September 2016 and discussed at the last Chairs Committee meeting in October 2016.
A £6m in-year shortfall in income was due to under recruitment of student numbers against target and lower than expected retention of existing students together with a reduction in other income. As a consequence, the University has identified in-year savings and contingencies of around £6m to bring the forecast surplus back to £8m, in line with original budget plans and KPI expectations.
A Committee member asked whether the University had been overoptimistic in its forecast relating to student numbers. The Vice-Chancellor explained that this was the first time in recent years the University has not met its targets. The removal of caps on student numbers had meant that the higher tariff universities had lowered their entry tariffs and this had impacted negatively on Universities at the lower end of the national league tables. Assurance was provided that the University is working hard to maintain its strong marketing drive in the light of this challenge. In addition, as a precaution, some £5.5M of costs is being removed from next year’s budget in response to the challenging market conditions. This will protect the overall planned 2017/18 budget position in the event of further under recruitment next year.
The Vice-Chancellor confirmed the level of investment in the higher education sector generally at this time was high despite falling student numbers. It was acknowledged that the Audit Committee and Finance & General Purposes Committee members had agreed that the University needed to be cautious and prudent in how it decided to invest but that not investing at all was a higher risk than investing in a measured and controlled way.
The Vice-Chancellor noted that the University has therefore refined its Estate Master Plan ambitions by lengthening the overall period of the proposed development. Building 1 would, subject to planning permission, go ahead as originally planned and there would be a phased approach to Building 2 to enable the overall development objectives to be achieved in line with the University’s financial sustainability priorities. This, together with clearance of the prison site would take place in the originally envisaged 10 year window. It is proposed that Phase 3 of the plan (including building the student hub) be delayed until after 2026/27 when the institution’s financial position may have strengthened. This element of the original plan has therefore been removed from the current funding proposals save for the heritage centre which is to be established within the 10 year window. In light of this, it has been decided to continue to develop a Heritage Lottery Fund bid to support the potential costs associated with the creation of the heritage centre.
In terms of external grant funding Committee members noted that the University had received confirmation that its grant application to the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) for the development of its programmes in engineering has been successful and a £6.0m grant has been approved. In addition, the University is also submitting a further £7m bid to HEFCE to help support the University’s engineering ambitions.
The Committee members discussed the timetable for the University’s proposed divestment of a number of its properties in order to generate a significant contribution to its overall investment requirements.
A Committee member asked whether a fundamental remodelling of strategy was required to ensure the University’s reaction to the external situation was sustainable in the long term. The Vice-Chancellor noted that strategy was under constant review and that the Governor Away Day later in the year would address this subject. The Chair noted that a robust management of the University’s cost base would be necessary to manage the effects of the external environment including the changing funding of some of the University’s core subjects such as health and education.
Committee members noted that the revised Estate Master Plan model and underpinning assumptions have been developed by the University’s Senior Management Team and have subsequently been subject to review by the Finance & General Purposes Committee at its meeting on 20 January 2017 and the Audit Committee at its meeting on 23 February 2017. It was noted that the plans would be further scrutinised at the Finance & General Purposes Committee at its meeting together with members of the Audit Committee later that day before submission to the Governing Body on 28 March 2017.
NOTED
7. Honorary Fellowships and Doctorates: Recommendations
The Vice-Chancellor reported that he had invited nominations from governors, staff and students and had received a number of nominations on a standard pro forma. He reminded the Committee of the key criteria for the awards and the Committee was invited to agree 7 awards for the academic year 2017/18. The Committee in its capacity as Nominations Committee agreed to the awards.
Honorary Doctorates
Dina Asher-Smith
Sir Richard Branson
Stephen Clarke TD
Mervyn King, Baron King of Lothbury KG GBE DL FBA
Sarah Matthews-Marsh MBE
Honorary Fellowships
Phil Gallagher (already confirmed by the Chairs Committee)
Kate Blewett
Jane Carter
RESOLVED that the awards be notified to the full Governing Body
8. Peer Review of Governance
The Members of the Committee received paper J87 and noted the recommendations arising from the Peer Review of the Effectiveness of the Governing Body and its Committees. The Clerk noted that the University is required to carry out four yearly reviews of its governance pursuant to the CUC Code of Practice. The Clerk reported that the Peer Review had been conducted by the Clerk to the Governing Body at Southampton Solent University as part of a reciprocal peer review arrangement. The Clerk commented that the report was an encouraging reflection of the work which had been done to establish good governance practices at the University and commented that the recommendations which had been made would be considered as part of the planned ongoing governance activities. The Chair acknowledged the Committee members’ thanks to the Clerk to the Governing Body at Southampton Solent University for her considerable work.
RESOLVED that the Peer Review and associated action plan be shared with the full Governing Body.
9. Membership of the Governing Body
Members of the Committee received paper J88 concerning three non-executive vacancies on the Governing Body arising at the end of the current academic year 2016/17and two such vacancies at the end of the academic year 2017/18.
The Clerk noted that an advertisement requesting Expressions of Interest in joining the Governing Body was published on the University’s website and in the Church Times in November 2016. In addition, Mr Cedric Frederick had kindly publicised the advertisement to his professional network. The advertisement had targeted skills in the areas of Estates, Marketing, Finance, IT, Legal and Human Resources as identified following analysis of the Governing Body skills and experience matrix. The advertisement had encouraged expressions of interest from minority ethnic and female candidates to enhance the Board’s diversity and overall gender balance. It also welcomed expressions of interest from members of the Church of England in view of the University’s Anglican Foundation status and constitutional requirements. The Clerk reported that expressions of interest had been received from thirteen people with a variety of skills and experiences and that a panel had met with several of those in accordance with the University’s Appointment Policy. It was proposed that the Chairs Committee recommend three candidates for the approval of the Governing Body to join the board as Governors, subject to receipt of satisfactory references.
Those to be recommended are:
Mr Philip Fletcher CBE
Ms Judith Harding
Reverend Robert Stevenson
RESOLVED that the Chairs Committee in its capacity as Nominations Committee to make the recommendation to the full Governing Body that three of those who had expressed an interest become members of the Governing Body.
10. Governor Informal Feedback
Members of the Committee received paper J89 concerning the informal Governor discussions that took place in 2015/2016. The Committee members agreed that insights gained from the conversations were valuable and reiterated the desire to keep the process informal in view of the voluntary nature of being a University Governor.
The Committee members agreed the proposed timetable for the 2016/2017 informal discussions. Given his retirement from the Governing Body at the end of the current academic year, the Pro-Chancellor and Chair suggested that the Pro-Chancellor Elect should commence the informal discussions by meeting with each of the Committee chairs in turn.
RESOLVED that the Pro-Chancellor Elect would commence the informal discussions with Committee chairs in order for the Committee chairs to speak with their committee members within April 2017.
11. Governor Away Day
The Vice-Chancellor proposed that the Governor Away Day be around the University’s business model for the future and the Committee members agreed. The Committee members agreed that a Governor Away Day in autumn 2017 should be held. The Committee members acknowledged that this would be well timed given the student numbers for the next academic year would be known and the outcome of the Away Day could feed into discussion at the full Governing Body meeting in November.
12. Any Other Business
None.
13. Date of next meeting
The next meeting of the Chairs Committee was scheduled to take place on Tuesday 6 June 2017 at 1.30pm.
The Chair declared the meeting closed at 3.15pm.