QSN ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, 2 October 2015
Minutes
Minutes of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Quality Strategy Network, held at Aston Conference Centre on 2 October 2015.
1.The Chair, Jack Aitken, opened the Annual General Meeting and welcomed those members who were in attendance.
2.Minutes of the AGM held on 19 September 2014
2.1The minutes of the meeting held on 19 September 2014 were approved as an accurate record.
3.Chair’s Report
3.1The Chair introduced his report on the year. It had been an active year, against a background of very significant national changes. Two scheduled symposia had been held. The December symposium, held at the University of London, had been devoted to future QA arrangements and how QSN might influence them. Feedback collected during the symposium was then used to inform the QSN Executive’s response to HEFCE’s initial consultation on the future of quality assessment. The second scheduled symposium had taken place at Cardiff University in June, taking as its subject experiences from around the UK of institutions’ complaints handling processes, with particular foci on the different national requirements and on using complaint outcomes to improve the student experience.
3.2Following the publication of HEFCE’s proposals for future quality assessment, a further QSN workshop had been in Birmingham in July. As well as providing the opportunity for members to share thinking, the discussion again helped inform the QSN Executive’s response to HEFCE.
3.3The year had also seen a new departure for QSN, through the commissioning of a research project. The subject was the use of management data to support academic quality assurance. Based at Edge Hill University, the project is being taken forward by David Williams, with oversight provided by QSN Executive members. A presentation on the findings of the project thus far had been included at the Cardiff symposium in June.
4.QSN Financial Statement
4.1The financial report was introduced by Jon Renyard, QSN Treasurer. The QSN account continued to show a healthy balance, which meant that future liabilities were covered. Consideration might be given by the Executive to means whereby funds might be used.
4.2The AGM approved the accounts for 2014/15.
5.Constitution 2015-16
5.1The Chair confirmed that no amendments were required or recommended to the constitution for 2015-16.
6.Future Activity
6.1The Executive intended to hold two symposia during the coming year. The Executive would also consider the submission of responses to appropriate consultations and the research project was also due to be published during the course of the year.
7.Executive 2015-16
7.1The AGM joined the Chair in expressing the Network’s thanks to Irene Bruce, Richard Martindale and Dorothea Ross-Simpson, who were standing down. All had contributed significantly to QSN’s success.
7.2The Executive membership for 2015-16 would be:
Jack Aitken, University of Glasgow
Katie Akerman, University of Chichester
Ruth Ayres, University of Derby
Trish Barker, University of Liverpool
Irene Bruce, University of Stirling
Alexandra Graham, Royal Academy of Dance
Sue Gregory, University of Plymouth
Richard Harrison, University of Newcastle
Lee Jones, Leeds Beckett University
Victoria Korzeniowska
David Lloyd, Cardiff University
Anne Miller, University of Buckingham
Tam Milner
Carol Morris, University of St Andrews
Emma Price, Goldsmiths, University of London
Cathy Shaw, University of Wolverhampton
Diana Stammers, The Open University
Helen Thomas, Southampton Solent University
Tony Turjansky, Edge Hill University
8.Any other business
8.1There being no further business, the Chair closed the meeting.