Contents Page
Papers for the General Council Meeting on 10 June 2017
1 Formal communications from the University Court 2
2 Report of the Academic Standing Committee 2
3 Report of the Constitutional Standing Committee 3
4 Report of the Finance and Services Standing Committee 4
5 Report of the Public Affairs Standing Committee 5
6 Meetings of the Business Committee 6
Papers from the General Council Meeting on 18 February 2017
A Presentation on the Annual Report by the Principal 6
B Presentation of the Report of the Business Committee 18
Papers for the General Council Meeting on 10 June 2017
1 Formal communications from the University Court
The following Draft Resolutions have been received:
9/2017 / Foundation of a Chair of Environmental Law10/2017 / Foundation of Additional Chairs of Finance (2 chairs)
11/2017 / Foundation of a Chair of Infection Medicine
12/2017 / Foundation of a Chair of Interdisciplinary Science
13/2017 / Foundation of a Chair of Software Engineering
14/2017 / Foundation of a Chair of Quantum Technology Innovation
15/2017 / Alteration of the title of the Chair of Classroom Learning
16/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Jurisprudence
17/2017 / Foundation of a Sir Timothy O’Shea Chair of Veterinary Informatics and Data Science
18/2017 / Alteration of the title of the Chair of Learning, Analytics and Informatics
19/2017 / Foundation of a Chair of Material Design and Innovation
20/2017 / Foundation of a Chair of Isotope Geochemistry
21/2017 / Foundation of a Chair of Food and Environmental Security
22/2017 / Undergraduate Degree Programme Regulations
23/2017 / Postgraduate Degree Programme Regulations
24/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Anti-Racist and Multicultural Education
25/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Acoustics and Audio Signal Processing
26/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Early Modern History
27/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Food Marketing & Society
28/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Ethics and Epistemology
29/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Roman Law
30/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Social History
31/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Social Policy and Research Methods
32/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of War and Peace
33/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Russian and Sociolinguistics
34/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Evolutionary Linguistics
35/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of History of Art
36/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Economic and Social History
37/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Renal Physiology
38/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Veterinary Epidemiology
39/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Cellular and Systems Neuroscience
40/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Global Health and Development
41/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Tissue Engineering
42/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Quantitative Trait Genetics
43/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Immunology
44/2017 / Foundation of Personal Chair of Comparative Medicine
45/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Stem Cell and Cancer Biology
46/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Neurodegeneration
47/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Medicines Discovery
48/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Neonatal Medicine
49/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Molecular Imaging and Healthcare Technology
50/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Respiratory Medicine
51/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Biological Physics
52/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Wall-Crossing
53/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Theoretical Chemistry
54/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Particulate Materials Processing
55/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Synthesis and Chemical Biology
56/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Collider Physics
57/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Global Health Infection and Immunity
58/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Evolutionary Ecology
59/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Computational Biomechanics
60/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Computational Bioinformatics
61/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Nuclear Envelope Biology
62/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Polymer Chemistry
63/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of NMR Spectroscopy
64/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Computational Neuroscience
65/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Theoretical High Energy Physics
66/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Climate and Low Carbon Innovation
67/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Business Analytics
68/2017 / Foundation of a Personal Chair of Aquaculture Genetics
2 Report of the Academic Standing Committee
for the General Council meeting on 10 June 2017
Convener of the Academic Standing Committee: Professor Stephen Hillier
The Academic Standing Committee (ASC) aims to channel relevant educational issues through the General Council Business Committee (GCBC) and onwards to the University Court. Of the four key themes for the GCBC for Session 2016-2017, the priority for the ASC remains: “The Student Experience, and in particular, Teaching & Learning, to help ensure that levels of excellence and consistency are achieved across the University…”
The ASC has met twice so far this year, focusing on two aspects of University activity that strongly impact The Student Experience: internationalisation and academic staff development.
On 20 March 2017, Vice-Principal International Professor James Smith attended to provide an overview of the University’s Global Engagement Plan. Global objectives are presently grouped into three key areas: Community, Exchange and Partnerships. ASC heard how the University’s network of global offices was expanding to provide administrative support for international projects in priority geographic regions. VP Smith reported how ways in which the University offers education were continuing to evolve. In particular, there has been a growth in online distance learning and an increase in international applications, which, at 7%, is ahead of the national average. Creative ways to engage with online learners were necessary to ensure their fullest integration into the University, including summer schools to meet with tutors, ‘virtual’ graduations and a website tailored to specific needs. The ASC were impressed how much thought and effort was being put into enhancing The International Student Experience
ASC were pleased to receive a presentation on 11 May 2017 from Dr Jon Turner in his capacity as Director, Institute for Academic Development (IAD). The IAD remit is to provide direct support aimed at staff and students in teaching, learning and researcher development in the form of courses, workshops and a growing range of online resources. It also provides mentoring and advice for staff and students and supports networks and communities of practise around the University. The ASC agreed that the IAD’s work has considerable potential to further enhance The Student Experience through supporting excellence in teaching and learning across the University.
The ASC are greatly encouraged by the work going on in the international directorate and the IAD, and have fed back through GCBC and Court Assessors that it should continue to receive the University’s fullest support.
3 Report of the Constitutional Standing Committee
for the General Council meeting on 10 June 2017
Convener of the Constitutional Standing Committee: Professor David Munro
Under new convenership, the Constitutional Standing Committee has focused on two key issues during the 2016-17 session. Firstly, a review of the implications for the University of Edinburgh of the UK leaving the European Union following the referendum held on 23 June 2016. On 30th January the Committee held an open meeting, attended by 17 members of the General Council’s Business Committee, at which Tracey Slaven, the University’s Deputy Secretary for Strategic Planning, confirmed that the University’s work on scenario planning is a dynamic process which started prior to the referendum and will continue to respond to the situation as it evolves during the period of negotiating the terms of the UK exit from the EU. The process of scenario planning looks at the political impact on the University’s long-term financial position whilst also developing mitigation responses for both the immediate and medium-term. It was agreed that the Constitutional Standing Committee would endeavour to keep abreast of this developing situation and in this context committee members were made aware of The University and Europe news website (http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/eu) which contains updates on the latest statements and discussion on the subject as well as advice and support for staff and students.
The committee has also given consideration to the ongoing formal review of the Scottish Code for Good Higher Education Governance. A draft of the Revised Code was circulated to members of the Business Committee of the General Council and Professor Ann Smyth, a member of the Steering Group reviewing the Code, was invited to attend an open meeting of the committee on 8 June to discuss how the code has evolved into its present shape and how it may impact upon both the University of Edinburgh and the General Council.
4 Report of the Finance and Services Standing Committee
for the General Council meeting on 10 June 2017
Convener of the Finance and Services Standing Committee: Sir Philip Mawer
The Committee’s programme of meetings for the 2016-17 academic year is now well underway.
Each year the Committee receives a presentation from the Director of Finance on the University’s Annual Report and Accounts. On 8 February, the Committee received a presentation from Mr Phil McNaull on the Report and Accounts for the year ending 31 July 2016. These covered the last period of the University’s 2012-16 strategic plan.
The 2016 Accounts represent a further step forward in the development of an integrated approach to reporting how the University has used all of its capital resources (not simply financial) and how its activities have impacted the external world as well as its own staff and students. The University continues to be in a strong financial position, although its operating surplus in 2016 was lower. A very significant investment programme is underway, funded by substantial borrowing taking advantage of relatively low rates of interest. Challenges and risks to the University’s continued progress were identified and discussed by the Committee, including the effects of ‘Brexit’ and of changes in Government funding policies. Nevertheless, the University is better placed than many to rise to these challenges.
In support of the Business Committee’s key emphases for the 2016-17 session, the following two meetings of the Committee explore two of the four development themes identified in the University’s 2016 Strategic Plan. The first of these meetings, held on 27 March, focussed on Digital Transformation and Data Science. Professor Richard Kenway, Vice-Principal, High Performance Computing, introduced discussion with a fascinating, and in some respects disturbing account of the rapid pace of development in Big Data, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, during which he highlighted not only the implications these would have for the University but also the wider economic, political and social opportunities and challenges, and the ethical dilemmas they would pose. As one of the five university partners in the Alan Turing Institute (the UK national centre for data science), Edinburgh is well-placed to benefit from, and to lead the development of thinking about the issues which exploitation of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence will entail for us all.
Discussion following Professor Kenway’s presentation focussed on the challenges and opportunities to society and to the University in understanding and handling the consequences of these developments. Among the opportunities to the University are closer partnerships with major organisations seeking to develop a safe and secure infrastructure for a data-rich world. The challenges include that of ensuring that the education given to today’s students equips them to understand and to use the different tools now rapidly becoming available, which will impact many different professions. The Committee was excited and stimulated by what Professor Kenway told them.
The next meeting, to be held on 22 May (just after the deadline for submission of this report) will enable the Committee to explore a further theme of the University’s current strategic plan, partnerships with industry. Dr George Baxter, Chief Executive Officer of Edinburgh Research and Innovation (ERI), will discuss with the Committee his plans for the development of ERI. I will report to the next meeting of the General Council on that discussion.
5 Report of the Public Affairs Standing Committee
for the General Council Meeting on 10 June 2017
Convener of the Public Affairs Standing Committee: Mr Matthew McPherson
When I served on the University's court, I challenged the view of the Vice Convener that two years was an adequate and appropriate amount of time to consider institutional change, by saying "At your age, two years may pass like a fortnight, but I'm only here for one!". Yet again, I had succeeded in offending almost everyone in the room. But little did I know that a year later I would serve on the General Council, and my four year term would come to a conclusion just as I felt as though I was getting started.
It has been a great pleasure serving each of you as a member of the Business Committee. To be on such a committee, surrounded by inspirational and thoughtful friends and colleagues is a great honour, and it has given me as much as I hope I have given it. If you will allow me, I would like to make this final report an overview of our achievements since we came together.
My view of the Public Affairs Standing Committee (PASC) is that it exists to establish, defend and enhance the reputation and relevance of the General Council. In everything we have done, we looked carefully at almost all aspects of the University's work, and pushed for not only their ear, but for their considered action, on issues that we believe graduates care passionately.
There is no denying that a transition is taking place in the relationship formed between the University and the rapidly growing and diversifying graduate population. Where a financial relationship was the perceived principle behind the continued bond, over my time at the University it is clear that this has developed into something much more meaningful. PASC has been a driving force behind this positive change. Having met with the University on numerous occasions, PASC has encouraged and overseen the University's expansion on relationship development with the graduate body. It has encouraged the University's doors remaining firmly open for people long after they walk across that stage and get hit on the head by John Knox's breeches (for a reason I am yet to truly understand). This has included the summer's successful Alumni Weekend (along with several events throughout the year of which everyone is welcome), and vastly improved relevance in the communications graduates receive from this great institution.