Court meeting: 15 September 2014
The University Court had its most recent meeting on 15 September.
Staff News publishes regular updates on matters discussed at all Court meetings, during which members consider matters of strategic importance to the University.
Meetings of the Court are held six times a year.
The Court has the best interests of the whole institution at heart and it's important that the decisions which it takes are shared with and understood by our diverse University community.
Governing body
The Court is the University’s governing body and its legal persona.
With a focus on strategic direction, it takes the final decisions on issues of fundamental concern to the wellbeing of the University.
Detailed information on the membership and activities of the University Court, including meeting agendas, papers and minutes, is available online.
Summary of Court meeting: 15 September 2014
The following reports are summaries of a selection of items discussed and agreed on at Court on 15 September.
The meeting’s agenda and papers are available online.
New members
Court welcomed four new members: Senate Assessors Professor Sarah Cooper and Dr Claire Phillips, and Co-opted/Lay external members Lady Susan Rice and Ms Mandy Exley. Member biographies and photos can be found on the University Court website.
Designation of new Vice-Principals and Assistant Principals
Professor Sue Welburn is to step down from her current position of Assistant Principal Global Health to take up the newly created position of Vice-Principal Global Access, from 1 November 2014. In this new role, Professor Welburn will focus on opportunities for securing bursary and scholarship support for international students qualified to join the University. Dr Liz Grant has been appointed to the position of Assistant Principal Global Health. She has been Deputy Director of the Global Health Academy since its foundation and is a senior lecturer in global health and development, in the Centre for Population Health Sciences.
Professor Richard Kenway’s term of office as Vice-Principal High Performance Computing has been extended by three years to 31 July 2017. He is responsible for the University’s delivery of UK high performance computing services, currently ARCHER and DiRAC, and for promoting advanced computing technology to benefit academia and industry.
Court also welcomed confirmation that Vice-Principal Professor Jeff Haywood will remain in the role as leader of Information Services until the new Chief Information Officer is in post: Professor Haywood had previously intimated his intention to step down from his current full-time duties at the end of 2014, and has been appointed Vice-Principal Digital Education from 1 January 2015, for a period of two years.
SRUC strategic alignment
The University continues to explore with colleagues at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) activities relating to strategic alignment. Court has established a Sub-Group to help take this forward.
Expression of interest for the Alan Turing Institute
The Engineering and Physical Research Sciences Council (EPSRC) has invited universities to submit an expression of interest in joining a joint venture to operate the Alan Turing Institute. The Institute will be an international centre for basic research in computer science and mathematics underpinning data-driven research across all disciplines, so-called ‘data science’, and translational research to accelerate its exploitation by the public and private sectors. Court approved the proposal that the University should submit an expression of interest and has established a Sub-Group to help take this forward.
Student experience
Court considered a paper setting out the results of the latest National Student Survey and agreed that the current plan of action should be progressed during the coming academic year.
Rectorial election
Court approved the regulations and arrangements to take forward the next Rectorial election. The election will be held electronically over 10 and 11 February 2015, with the nomination process commencing on 10 November 2014. News and updates relating to the election will be available on a designated website from late October.
Other items
Court approved the revised ‘University of Edinburgh Statement on Quality Arrangements’ and the ‘Annual Report to the Scottish Funding Council on Institution-led Review and Enhancement Activity 2013/14’ - both important documents in respect of learning and teaching - and welcomed the progress around enhancing the employment arrangements for hourly paid staff.