University of Brighton Board of Governors Open Meeting

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University of Brighton Board of Governors Open
Meeting
Mithras House 2 February 2004 Sir Michael
Checkland
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Annual Report 2002-03

• An open assessment of our achievement and
  progress against the values and aims set out in
  our Mission and Corporate Plan. We make use of
  both the judgements of members of the University
  in the best traditions of mature academic
  self-governance and, where available, external
  evidence from peers and funding bodies in the
  best tradition of public accountability.

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• Annual Report presents achievements and further
  work under Aims of Corporate Plan
• Sustaining an extensive, challenging and high
  quality academic portfolio
• Nurturing intellectual capital ethically,
  imaginatively and sustainably, making it widely
  available
• Equipping students with the skills, knowledge and
  enthusiasm to learn successfully and to secure
  employment
• Collaborating actively with local, regional,
  national and international partners on the basis
  of mutual respect

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• Cont
• Further improving the environment in which
  members of its community study, work and live,
  contributing positively to the wider environment
• Continuing to manage and govern itself with
  responsibility and sensitivity.

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Some highlights

• 5.4 increase in overall student numbers
• Over 250 new international students enrolled from
  86 countries and 25 new merit and hardship
  scholarships
• Nearly 5,000 degrees and diplomas awarded
• Expansion of student residences at Falmer

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Some highlights continued

• Successful subject engagements with QAA in
  Geography and Social Policy (judgements of
  confidence and aspects of commendation)
• 130 nominations for Teaching Excellence Awards
• New degrees/masters in Tourism Management, Sports
  Journalism, Early Years Education, Health Ethics
  new professional doctorates in Health DBA
• First sports scholarships for international
  sports people
• Sustained research activity (but slight fall in
  value of grants)
• Virtual Research Unit launched to support
  research effort
• Rapid growth in use of Virtual Learning
  Environment

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Some highlights continued

• Brighton and Sussex Medical School
• Opened on time, by Secretary of State for Health
• New buildings on both campuses
• Over 1000 applicants for 135 entrants
• University Centre Hastings opened and first
  students learning there (and HEFCE funding
  secured December 2003)
• Community-University Partnership Project launched

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Governance and management

• Deans presentations to Board of Governors
• Review of Board Committee structure to assess and
  sharpen
• Focus on people (staff and students)
• Focus on finance
• Preparation for institutional audit in 2004

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Financial matters

• Outturn encouraging
• Maintained historical cost surplus
• Reduced deficit after depreciation on replacement
  costs
• Strong balance sheet (net assets 126m)

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Financial matters

• Outturn continued
• Further capital investments to be funded from
  income, reserves and borrowing, including Falmer
  stages IV and V additional residences at
  Moulsecoomb and Eastbourne science, research and
  IT digital media related developments for
  Eastbourne, Moulsecoomb and Grand Parade

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Financial matters

• Looking ahead continued prudence
• Pensions exposure
• Salaries running ahead of increases in funding
  council grant
• Increased tuition fees must be seen to deliver
  real improvements in learning, teaching and
  support for students

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University of Brighton Board of Governors Open
Meeting
Mithras House 2 February 2004 Sir David
Watson, Vice-Chancellor
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The future of higher education (22 Jan 2003)

• 6 increase in base-line funding, but heavily
  ear-marked
• deregulation of fees (between 0 and 3,000) from
  2006, graduate contribution scheme, restoration
  of grants and grants for part-timers
• access agreements and regulator (OFFA)
• concentration of R funding (6), Knowledge
  Exchanges, Centres of Excellence in Teaching and
  Learning (CETLS)
• university status possible on undergraduate
  degree-awarding powers only
• new Arts and Humanities Research Council
• accreditation of teachers, the Academy for the
  Advancement of Learning and Teaching in Higher
  Education, and the Leadership Foundation
• expansion principally through Foundation Degrees
• national survey of student views and published
  external examiners reports

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Hits

• the replacement of up-front fees for full-time
  undergraduates by an income-contingent graduate
  contribution
• the availability of significant non-repayable
  maintenance support for poorer students
• improvements in the subsidized loan facilities
  available to all students
• forgiveness of all related debt 25 years after
  graduation
• the promise of at least some further funding for
  the institutions and
• the establishment of the Arts and Humanities
  Research Council.

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Lobbying points

• amelioration of the effect on the sector of
  variable fees, ideally by fixing a floor
  (possibly at the level of the current statutory
  fee) to accompany the ceiling confirmed by
  government up to 2009 at least
• care in the definition and scope of the
  responsibilities of the access regulator
• a single point for assessment of students for
  mean-tested support and
• detailed attention to the support available to
  part-time students.

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Zero fees will

• undermine the sectors commitment to collective
  responsibility for academic standards and student
  support
• further weaken the position of some institutions
  with a strong record in widening participation
  and
• lead to large providers undercutting small but
  strategically important providers in key
  curriculum areas such as science, engineering and
  languages.

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The excluded middle?
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International students non-UK students
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