Minutes of the Engaged University Steering Group

Confirmed EUSG/12/15

University of Bristol

Minutes of the Engaged University Steering Group

Wednesday 31 October 2012

Present:PVC Professor Guy Orpen (Chair) , Dr Maggie Leggett, Professor Kathy Sykes, Ms Alice Peck, Mr David Oven, Professor Keri Facer, Mr David Alder, Dr Kate Miller, Dr Angela Piccini, Mr Tim Harrison, Professor Anthony Hollander, Professor Alan Champneys, Dr Lorna Colquhoun, Ms Jemma Harford.

Apologies:Mr Paul Manners, Ms Angela Milln, Mr Huw Lloyd-Jones, Ms Penny Evans, Mr Ben Barker, Colin Taylor

Welcome and Introductions

The Chair welcomed everyone, particularly Keri Facer, Professor of Educational & Social Futures, who has just joined the Group, and Jemma Harford, who has taken over from Rachel Miller in the Students’ Union and supports Alice Peck in her work as Sabbatical Officer for communities. The Chair noted that it was his first meeting, and that as Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise he might bring a slightly different emphasis to the role. He noted that the engagement agenda touched many areas of the University, including research and teaching and learning.

1. Minutes of the meeting held on 18 July 2012

The minutes of the meeting held on 18 July were confirmed as a true record.

1. Matters arising not covered elsewhere on the agenda

David Alder confirmed that the second edition of ‘Discover More’ had been sent to schools. He was still interested in subjects for future articles. Maggie Leggett reported that Wan Ching Yee had not yet been invited to talk to Council’s working group on Widening Participation, and agreed to follow this up with Nick Lieven. Maggie also reported that Tom Corfield had not sent in a report of his FRUNI initiative, and that she would circulate it when she received it

Actions:

All: suggest subjects for articles for Discover More to Mr Alder

ML: discuss presenting the Schools Mapping study to Council’s Working Group with Nick Lieven.

ML: circulate report of FRUNI initiative when she received it.

1. Chair’s Report

The Chair reported the following:

• the University now has two Research Institutes, the Cabot Institute and the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research. These provide an external face to the University and hence should be foci for engagement. The Elizabeth Blackwell Institute’s strategy has a strong public involvement and engagement element that includes provision for a post which will sit within the Centre for Public Engagement. The University has partnered with four local NHS trusts in Bristol to form ‘Bristol Health Partners’, which aims to bring the partners together to improve research and innovation partnering and lead to better outcomes for patients. It will be publicly launched on 18 and 19 April 2013
• the University achieved its student expansion targets, and will aim to modestly increase undergraduate student numbers again next September. The marketing campaign is continuing and our relationships with schools, locally and nationally, is key. The effect of the expansion on our student demographic and experience is being closely monitored
• the University’s international profile and activities is increasingly important, and hence a new Pro Vice-Chancellor: International has been appointed. Nick Lieven will take up this post when his current post has been filled.

1. Reviewing our public engagement strategy

Maggie Leggett introduced this paper. She said that thanks to the hard work of academics and students across the University over the last few years we have enjoyed a leading position in public engagement in the UK. She noted however that the external environment was changing, with many universities investing in public engagement and in some cases engagement becoming a requirement of the funders. In addition, she noted that there was always room for improvement in the way that we work with partners around the city and beyond. She suggested to the Group that in order to remain leaders in the UK in engagement and aim to improve our international profile then it could be timely to refresh the University’s public engagement strategy. She suggested that the current areas of work for the Centre for Public Engagement might remain, but that their focus could alter. In particular, she felt that increasing our focus on student engagement, on public and patient involvement in research and on the way we work with schools might be advantageous.

In response, the Chair noted that the University was uniquely placed in the middle of a city rife with opportunities for engagement, and agreed with Maggie that we should not be complacent about retaining a leadership position. He suggested that in addition to the opportunities Maggie raised that we also had world leading research on populations, for example the ALSPAC study, that required engagement and presented many opportunities. In discussion, David Alder, Alice Peck and Alan Champneys reinforced the suggestion that we could focus our strategy around supporting student engagement. Others noted that it was important, as a research intensive university, that we continued to be very strong on public engagement with research. Kathy Sykes suggested that we could learn from universities who had recently received funding for public engagement (‘catalyst’ funding, for which the University was ineligible to apply as we host the NCCPE). She also suggested that we should develop our strategy collaboratively with local stakeholders and where possible with input from universities in other countries. She noted that it was important that engagement formed part of the discourse and brand of the University. Other Group members added that it was also important to reinforce the importance of engagement internally, and ensure that engagement formed part of new staff induction and promotion processes. Lucy Collins noted that the engagement strategy must be joined up with other relevant strategies across the University. Tim Harrison suggested that more school teacher fellows would increase capacity for engagement. Angela Piccini suggested that parachuting students into communities can be risky, and project based activity with many students and academics involved was one way to mitigate against that risk. Keri Facer urged that time to reflect on activity was built into the strategy, and suggested that we look at the University of Lincoln’s approach to engaged learning. David Alder noted that there will be a revised annual report this year, and that he and Maggie Leggett should ensure that the breadth of engagement activity was well described in it.

The Chair summarised by suggesting that there should be a collaborative process for developing a new strategy, which would include at least one workshop.

Actions:

ML: suggest a process for developing a new strategy to the Group

ML and DA: ensure that engagement is well represented in the annual report

1. Update from the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE)

David Owen noted that NCCPE was working towards Engage 2012. Eric Thomas and Guy Orpen were involved in the conference, and Maggie Leggett and Kate Miller were both leading workshops. The conference would be held in the Bristol Hotel on 5 and 6 December 2012. David asked that Group members disseminate information about the conference through their networks.

The Chair suggested that NCCPE’s future direction be an agenda item at the next meeting.

Actions:

All: Group members disseminate information about the conference through their networks Secretary: NCCPE’s future direction on next EUSG agenda

1. EUSG terms of reference and membership

The Group agreed that the terms of reference may be changed as a result of the redevelopment of the strategy. The Group also agreed that Professor Ralph Pite, Director of the Institute of Advanced Studies, and a representative from the BBC should be invited to join the Group.

Actions:

All: Group members were invited to send any minor alterations to the terms of reference to Maggie Leggett

Chair: invite Ralph Pite and a representative from the BBC to join the Group

1. Interactions with schools

The Group received a presentation from Dr Helen Heath, Schools Outreach Officer in the School of Physics. Helen shares the role of Schools Outreach Officer with Dr Gemma Winter, Teaching Laboratory Manager. This role forms part of Helen’s workload allowance and is in Gemma’s job description. Their role includes replying to requests that come from schools through the generic contact information provided on Physics’ website for schools. Mostly schools request speakers, and Helen said that she tried to involve as many staff and students as possible in fulfilling these requests, to share the load and also to provide opportunities. The induction of PhD students into the School of Physics includes engagement and there is an expectation that students will take part in engagement activities. Undergraduates are also exposed to public engagement, and there was a new module for first years on communicating science. There are also bigger projects in the School, including the HiSpark project where cosmic ray detectors are put into schools. The quality and quantity of Physics’ schools activities was noted in their departmental review. Helen also outlined Physics work experience scheme. They take 12 students a year on a fixed week, on a first come first served basis. The cost in staff time per head was much less for 12 than it was for 1. School students have to provide a group report which they work on every day, which Physics then use to advertise the scheme.

Helen noted she also taught school teachers, through working with the Science Learning Centre South West.

In discussion, Group members commended Physics’ activities and suggested their model be shared with other academic schools, although issues around resource to run these activities were noted. Helen noted that outreach activity was expected to cover costs. Keri Facer suggested that schools have devolved budgets so do have the ability to pay, and also that they want the same things each year, rather than one off activities. She also suggested that we offer heads of departments in schools the opportunity of becoming a research fellow of the corresponding department in the University, thus making easy links between schools and departments. Group members discussed the drivers for doing schools engagement work, with members noting the different emphasis placed on this kind of activity by different funders. Maggie Leggett suggested the Group look at the different models used by academic departments to supporting schools liaison, with the aim of sharing best practice across the University. Alan Champneys noted that academics’ time was limited, and in engineering there tended to be a focus on industry engagement, and Group members agreed that the diversity of audiences for different subjects should be described in the future engagement strategy. Keri Facer suggested that we look at the data that we have about interactions of different departments with the city at a future meeting, and David Alder suggested information on the different ways departments engage should be described in the prospectuses and literature for new employees.

In conclusion, the Chair thanked Helen Heath, saying there were various aspects of the work that the Group should discuss further. He commended the schools engagement work in Physics.

Maggie Leggett reported on a recent meeting of staff acting as school governors. These staff provide a valuable link with schools, and Maggie’s team were collating information about the University’s offer to schools to circulate to them to ensure they had all the information they needed. The main issue reported by staff was the variance in support from the University. For example, some support staff use their ‘volunteering day’ for governor activities and others do not, and in one faculty being a governor is recognised in the workload credit model.

Maggie agreed to discuss the apparent inconsistencies with HR, and the Group agreed that schools engagement should be an agenda item for the next meeting, when we will know whether or not we have been successful in our bid to the RCUK schools partnership scheme. Group members also requested that at a future meeting we have information about how the money from student fees that has to be spent on widening participation under the OFFA agreement is being used.

Actions:

ML: meet with HR to discuss issues noted above

ML: investigate how different academic departments support schools engagement and bring information to next meeting, along with existing information about how the University works with the city

Secretary: future Group agenda items should include schools engagement and use of money under OFFA agreement

1. Any other business

The Chair agreed these future agenda items:

• NCCPE and its future funding and direction
• Looking at our relationships with the city (review information held by RED)
• How money from student fees used for widening participation purposes in accordance with OFFA agreement was being used

Keri Facer noted that FSSL was doing some work on policy engagement, which should be joined up with the work of this Group.

Action: Secretary

1. Equal Opportunities

No items noted.

1. Communication issues

The minutes will be circulated to PVC Professor Lieven and DVC Professor Clarke, in order to communicate the issues raised at the meeting. David Alder and Maggie Leggett would ensure engagement was well represented in the Annual Report. Other issues noted as above.

Action: Secretary

1. Date of next meeting

EUSG will meet on:

• 28 February 2013, from 3 – 5pm
• 2 May 2013, from 2 - 4pm
• a workshop to develop strategy, timing tbd

END OF MEETING

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