The General Council
The General Council of the University was set up by Act of Parliament to give voice to the views of the graduates and academic staff on the regulation and wellbeing of the University. A report prepared for the General Council by Amber Higgins, Clerk to the General Council. clerkgc@glasgow.ac.uk.
The last General Council meeting was held on Monday 22 January 2018 in the Imaging Centre of Excellence, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow. The Principal, Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli, was in the chair. This article contains an abbreviated description of the business of the meeting.
Election of General Council Business Committee Members
It was reported that one member of the General Council Business Committee (GCBC) whose first term of office was due to expire had intimated that they wished to stand again for another four-year term of office until January 2022. They were as follows: Gerry Law BA(Ord) 1980.
Report of the Business Committee Convenor, Mr John Marsh
Business Committee Matters: Convenor John Marsh thanked the Principal for his introduction and welcomed everyone to the meeting. The Convenor reported that there had been two meetings of the GCBC since the last half-yearly meeting. The meeting was informed about the work of the Academic Standards Committee and the matters noted by the GCBC were the proposals for the Teaching Excellence Framework.
It was also noted that the GCBC had agreed to changes to the General Council Card and that a series of email communications would now be sent out to recent graduates instead of a one-off letter, in the hope that this would increase engagement with recent graduates. It was also reported that meetings had taken place with Rachel Sandison, Director of External Relations, following the restructuring of University Services.
The GCBC has approved Draft Resolution 677 – Board of Catholic Education, which amended the membership, remit and responsibilities to reflect changes in the University structures and nomenclature.
The Principal thanked the Convenor for his report and thanked all the GCBC members for all their hard work on behalf of the General Council. It was noted that no questions were raised and John was thanked for his presentation.
Principal’s Report, by Vice-Principal, Professor Frank Coton
The Principal reported that the University continued to make progress in the UK and World league tables and had been named Scottish University of the Year by The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide. In the National Student Survey the University had been rated joint first overall in the Russell Group. Nineteen subjects had been in the top ten for the UK and three had been at number one. It was also reported that student numbers were increasing for UG and PG student intake.
The University had an operating surplus of £32m last financial year (2016–17) and the University’s research order book has been the highest ever, currently sitting at £345m. (See bar graph below.) The University had also been successful with the Global Challenges Research Fund.
The Principal reported that the campus development was progressing and outlined the plans for the Learning & Teaching Hub which would help improve the student experience. The Learning & Teaching Hub foundations were currently being built and the building was due to open in late 2019.
Q&A: General Council members commented on the positive report by the Principal and were delighted that the University continued to go from strength to strength under his guidance. A General Council member asked about the use of IP, licensing and spinoff companies. It was reported that the University was working on this area to improve success rates but that the University wanted to make sure that it was not spread over too many areas and that critical mass was important. The Principal drew this section to a close.
Draft Ordinances – Election of Chancellor and General Council Assessors on Court
The Clerk to the General Council reported that currently three different ordinances covered the elections of the Chancellor and General Council Assessors on Court, which can make it very difficult to understand the processes. The current ordinances contain the need for a purely postal vote and outline the voting papers which must be used. The three existing ordinances would be withdrawn and replaced by one ordinance. The new ordinance would be stripped back and only outline the terms of office for both positions, who is eligible to stand, and who is responsible for approving the regulations to run the elections. The new regulations would contain the detail for the running of the elections and the procedures and processes for doing this, including the provision for e-elections. The regulations could easily be updated to reflect any changes in the future by the General Council Business Committee and Court Office rather than the need to go to the Privy Council. The General Council body had changed significantly over the years and this streamlined procedure would allow more members to vote in elections and bring the University in line with other ancient universities.
The Clerk reported that the Draft Ordinance had been submitted to the Scottish Government and the University was waiting for approval to go to public consultation. The GC raised no concerns over the new draft Ordinances in relation to the elections of the Chancellor or GC Assessors on Court.
Closure of the Meeting
The Principal closed the meeting by thanking all present for their attendance and invited Professor Dame Anna Dominiczak, Vice-Principal and Head of the College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, to address the members.
Our financial performance
The financial figures we reported for 2016–17 confirmed the strong position we are in as an institution. Our total income of £608m included almost £180m of research income, reflecting our reputation as one of the UK’s leading research-intensive universities.
- Research grants & contracts £179.5m
- Tuition fees & education contracts £178.4m
- Funding body grants £160.4m
- Other income £80.4m
- Investment income £9.2m
WE HAVE UPDATED THE DEVELOPMENT & ALUMNI OFFICE PRIVACY INFORMATION
We are committed to protecting your personal information and being transparent about the information we hold and how it is used. All graduates of the University of Glasgow are members of the General Council; a database of graduates is retained by the University’s Development & Alumni Office and your details are used to contact you as a member of the General Council. Your data is also used by us for alumni and supporter relations, and for fundraising. For more information about the management, use and retention of your data, or to tell us about your preferences, please read our full privacy notice.
