Board of Governors
Roles and Responsibilities
The Board is governed by legislation and its Articles.
The Articles set out, in broad terms, the responsibilities of the Board. Article 3 states that the Board shall be responsible for:
- the determination of the educational character and mission of the University and oversight of its activities;
- the effective and efficient use of resources, the solvency of the institution and the corporation and for safeguarding their assets;
- approving annual estimates of income and expenditure;
- the appointment, general assignment, grading, suspension, appraisal, dismissal and determination of the pay and conditions of service of the holders of senior posts; and,
- setting a framework for the pay and conditions of service of all other staff.
Based on the Articles, and on guidance from the Committee of University
Chairmen (CUC), the primary responsibilities of the Board of Governors
are as follows:
- To approve, review and develop the mission and strategic vision of
the University, long-term academic and business plans and key
performance indicators, and to ensure that these meet the interests of
stakeholders.
- To appoint the Vice Chancellor as chief executive, and to put in
place suitable arrangements for monitoring his/her performance.
- To delegate authority to the Vice Chancellor, as chief executive,
for the academic, corporate, financial, estate and personnel management
of the University. And to establish and keep under regular review the
policies, procedures and limits within such management functions as
shall be undertaken by and under the authority of the Vice Chancellor.
- To ensure the establishment and monitoring of systems of control and
accountability, including financial and operational controls and risk
assessment, and procedures for handling internal grievances and for
avoiding conflicts of interest.
- To ensure processes are in place to monitor and evaluate the
performance and effectiveness of the University against the approved
Strategic Plan and key performance indicators.
- To establish processes to monitor and evaluate the performance and
effectiveness of the Board of Governors itself, including taking account
of the views of the University Executive.
- To conduct its business in accordance with best practice in higher
education corporate governance and with the principles of public life
drawn up by the Committee on Standards in Public Life.
- To safeguard the good name and values of the institution.
- To appoint a Clerk to the Board of Governors and to ensure that, if
the person appointed has managerial responsibilities in the institution,
there is an appropriate separation in the lines of accountability. The
present Clerk to the Board has institutional managerial responsibilities
as University Secretary
- To be the employing authority for all staff in the University and to
be responsible for establishing a human resources strategy.
- To be the principal financial and business authority of the
University , to ensure that proper books of account are kept, to approve
the annual budget and financial statements, and to have overall
responsibility for the University’s assets, property and estate.
- To be the University’s legal authority and, as such, to ensure that
systems are in place for meeting all the University’s legal obligations,
including those arising from contracts and other legal commitments made
in the University’s name.
- To make such provision as it thinks fit for the general welfare of
students, in consultation with the Academic Board.
- To act as trustee for any property, legacy, endowment, bequest or
gift in support of the work and welfare of the University.
- To ensure that the University’s constitution is followed at all times and that appropriate advice is available to enable it to do so.
In accordance with Responsibility 6 above, the Board periodically
undertakes a formal review of its effectiveness. The Report on the
Self-Effectiveness Review 2007 and 2008 can be found below: