University Council Minutes 12 May 2025

Minutes of the meeting held on 12 May 2025 at 13.15 pm in TC208A&B, Elwes Building, Park Campus, Cheltenham

Membership:

Bobola Ajibola
Ingrid Barker
Mark Burch
Thomas Chambers
James Cooper
Paul Crichard
Ruth Dooley
Nicola de Iongh (Chair)
Chris Fung
Steve Gardiner
Vanessa Garratt
Dame Clare Marchant
Pamela Sissons – A
Elonka Soros – A
Rt Revd Robert Springett
Joe Sucksmith
Julie Walkling
Dr Peter Warry

Board Apprentice

Eleanor Hill
Ben Edginton-Thomas

In attendance:

Dr Matthew Andrews (Secretary to Council), Chief Operating Officer
Julie-Ann Brooks. Director of People
Katharine Clough, Chief Marketing Officer
Rachel Gwynne, Interim Director of Governance
Tracey Harrison, Incoming Member of Council
Prof Cathia Jenainati, Exec Dean – Partnerships (Head of School, Business Computing and Social Sciences)
Rosie Phillips (Observing), Senior Associate, HCR Law
Prof Angus Pryor, Exec Dean – Research (Head of School, Creative Arts)
Camille Stallard, Chief Financial Officer
Tanya Collins, Head of Governance and Legal
Ade Odebunmi (Minutes), Senior Governance & Secretariat Officer

C.25.25 Prayer
The Rt Revd Robert Springett led the meeting in a prayer.

C.25.26 Welcome and Apologies
Received: apologies for absence from Pam Sissons and Elonka Soros. The Chair welcomed new External Member of Council, Mark Burch, and incoming External Member of Council, Tracey Harrison, who would start her term of office on 16 May 2025, the new Board Apprentice, Ben Edginton-Thomas, the new Interim Director of Governance, Rachel Gwynne and her colleague Rosie Phillips who was observing, the new Senior Governance and Secretariat Officer, Ade Odebunmi, and Tanya Collins, who was in attendance to support Ade.

C.25.27 Business of the Agenda

C.25.27.1 Noted:

a. that there had been no request to unstar any item on the agenda, and therefore it was assumed that papers C/25/25 to C/28/25 had been approved or noted as stated;
b. that the Appointment of Staff Members of Council paper (C/23/25) would be deferred to the June 2025 meeting of Council to allow further consideration by Governance and Nominations Committee to take account of the proposal by UCU.

C.25.28 Declarations of Interest
Noted: that there were no interests declared.

C.25.29 Minutes of the meeting held on 4 February 2025
Resolved: the minutes were approved as an accurate record of the meeting held on 4 February 2025.

C.25.30 CONFIDENTIAL: Matters Arising
Noted: no matters were raised.

C.25.31 Chair’s Business including Key Issues Report (C/14/25)

C.25.31.1.1
Noted and considered: the request for Council to reapprove the University’s Financial Statements for 2022/23 and 2023/24 to include a supplementary schedule of key ratios which was a condition of registration for the University’s application to register for US Federal Loans. It was noted that the External Auditors had reviewed and approved the workings of the extracted information from the audited statements, and that the Chairs of the Audit and Risk Committee and Finance and General Purposes Committee had confirmed that they were content with the schedule and audit process.

C.25.31.1.2
Resolved: Council confirmed approval of the revised the Financial Statements for 2022/23 and 2023/24 and authorised the Vice-Chancellor and Chair of Council to sign them.

C.25.31.2
Received and noted: the Key Issues Report from the Committee Chairs on the key points discussed at the following meetings:

a. Governance and Nominations Committee (GNC), 6 February 2025
b. Remuneration and Human Resources Committee (RHRC), 12 February 2025
c. Audit and Risk Committee (ARC), 7 March 2025
d. Finance and General Purposes Committee (F&GP), 15 April 2025

C.25.32 Student Union Report to Council (C/15/25)

C.25.32.1 Received: the Students’ Union (SU) update, noting in particular:

a. the latest key activities and initiatives over the reporting period;
b. the SU leadership 2025-2026 elections, varsity and awards;
c. the update from the Students Organising for Sustainability UK 2025 Students Drugs and Alcohol conference, which focused on harm reduction approaches in universities;
d. the SU attendance at the All-Party Parliamentary Group meeting which discussed challenges related to affordable and quality housing for students, particularly international students, and the status of the Renters’ Rights Bill;
e. the collaborative initiative with the police to sensitise students on crime reporting and its importance.

C.25.32.2 Considered:

a. the ongoing project being led by the SU on drugs and alcohol misuse, prioritising
students wellbeing;
b. the need for students to leverage the University’s reporting mechanism for crime
incidents, promoting internal reporting where possible.

C.25.32.3
Noted: the recent activities within the SU.

C.25.33 CONFIDENTIAL: Vice-Chancellor’s Report (C/16/25)
This item was considered under Confidential Business.

C.25.34 CONFIDENTIAL: Financial Performance Report (C/17/25)
This item was considered under Confidential Business.

C.25.35 CONFIDENTIAL: 2025/26 Initial Budget Development (C/18/25)
This item was considered under Confidential Business.

C.25.36 CONFIDENTIAL: Estate Updates (C/19/25)
This item was considered under Confidential Business.

C.25.37 Transforming our Academic Offer (C/20/25)

C.25.37.1
Received: a paper on the proposed transformation of the University’s academic offering which aligned closely with its student recruitment targets.

C.25.37.2 Noted:

a. that the proposed academic transformation was undertaken to achieve greater efficiency of the University’s academic offering;
b. the priorities for the Curriculum Transformation Programme;
c. the ongoing programme diversification initiative, particularly the Continuing Professional Development provision, the Executive Education programmes which included the Professional Masters by Research, Online Offering and the Pre-sessional English Provision;
d. the comprehensive review of the University’s course portfolio, aimed at creating an appealing academic offering to prospective students, thereby driving recruitment growth, and ultimately enhancing the financial sustainability of the University;
e. that course closures or suspensions were implemented following consultations with affected staff, and applicants were engaged to explore alternative options, enabling informed decision-making;
f. that the priorities were shared with staff through workshops designed to explain the proposed changes, gather inputs, and finalise the implementation;
g. the next steps, particularly the implementation of change in the initial four priority areas.

C.25.37.3 Considered:

a. whether the proposed transformation would not cause a reduction in student enrolment;
b. the need for a cautious, efficient, and seamless transition, ensuring minimal disruptions throughout the process.

C.25.37.4 Resolved: Council took assurance from the paper presented.

C.25.38 CONFIDENTIAL: Academic School Consolidation (C/21/25)
This item was considered under Confidential Business.

C.25.39 Council and Sub-Committee Membership (C/22/25)

C.25.39.1
Received: an update on the vacancies on Council and the planned recruitment of members to Council and its Sub-Committees.

C.25.39.2
Resolved: Council approved the following appointments:

a. the recommendation that Becki Albrighton be appointed as the Academic Board Member of Council and Governance and Nominations Committee from 13 May 2025;
b. Mark Burch as a member of F&GP effective 12 May 2025;
c. Peter Warry as a member of F&GP effective 12 May 2025;
d. Tracy Harrison as a member of ARC effective 13 June 2025;
e. Steve Gardner as a member of RHRC effective 1 October 2025; and
f. Steve Gardner, as Senior Independent Governor, who was invited to attend GNC from 18 June 2025.

C.25.40 CONFIDENTIAL: Appointment of Staff Members of Council (C/23/25)
This item was considered under Confidential Business.

C.25.41 CONFIDENTIAL: Governance Review Action Plan (C/24/25)
This item was considered under Confidential Business.

C.25.42 CONFIDENTIAL: Risk Management Report* (C/25/25)
This item was considered under Confidential Business.

C.25.43 Scheme of Delegations Annual Review* (C/26/25)

C.25.43.1 Received and Noted:

a. the annual review of the Scheme of Delegations;
b. the revisions made to the Scheme of Delegations, reflecting the new Academic Leadership Structure, specifically the removal of the Deputy Vice Chancellor position and the introduction of Executive Deans roles.

C.25.43.2
Resolved: Council noted the changes to the Scheme of Delegations approved by the Governance and Nominations Committee on 6 February 2025.

C.25.44 NSS Improvement Plan and Status Report* (C/27/25)
Received and Noted: the NSS Improvement Plan and Status Report.

C.25.45 Council Schedule of Business* (C/28/25)
Received and Noted: the Council Schedule of Business and made no recommendations for change.

C.25.46 Minutes from Council Committees*
Noted: that the minutes from the following meetings would be available from the University Committees page on the staff Sharepoint site:

a. Governance and Nominations Committee, 6 February 2025
b. Remuneration and Human Resources Committee, 12 February 2025
c. Audit and Risk Committee, 7 March 2025
d. Finance And General Purposes Committee, 15 April 2025

C.25.47 Any Other Business
Noted:

a. Eleanor Hill’s new appointment as Community Project Co-ordinator with a charitable
organisation, GL11 Community Hub. The Chair congratulated her and wished her success in the new role;
b. that this was the last meeting for Chris Fung who would complete his term of office on 15 May 2025. The Chair expressed gratitude for his significant contributions to Council and its committees, noted that he would be greatly missed, and wished him well in his future endeavours.

C.25.48 Date of Next Meeting
Noted: Tuesday, 24 June 2025 at 9.15 am to be held via Microsoft teams.