Corporate Governance at the University

The Committee shall:

• Agree and oversee implementation of a common strategy, plans and policies for non-academic aspects of student life, to be jointly led by the University and the SRC
• Ensure that every student has the opportunity to enjoy and derive value from their university experience
• Ensure that the University’s provision for the student experience reflects the diversity of needs within the student population (e.g. overseas, part-time, mature, visiting and disabled students, BAME students, care leavers and students with children or caring responsibilities and students who live at home)
• Review and monitor the effectiveness of services and determine their priorities, in consultation with relevant senior managers
• Consider the activities and plans of the SRC, GUU, QMU and GUSA as they support the student experience
• Determine and monitor key measures of the student experience and oversee the development and implementation of plans to enhance student satisfaction
• Consider key trends in the external environment, and consider their implications for the student experience
• Report to SMG, Senate and Court and make recommendations to other relevant bodies and committees, such as the Student Finance Committee, on matters relating to these terms of reference
• Ways of Working
• Members will participate in an annual away-day, which will consider aspects of the strategy and action plan, such as:
• Diversity, inclusion and community cohesion
• Health and wellbeing
• Opportunity: volunteering, internships, enterprise, study abroad, clubs and societies
• Estates and facilities
• Student services
• The Committee will receive reports from its sub-committee, Chief Advisers Sub-Committee
• The Committee will also receive reports on non-academic aspects of the student experience from the Equality and Diversity Strategy Group (EDSC)
• The Committee will consider periodic reports:
• On the performance of the services, from the directors of Information Services, Student and Academic Services, Estates and Commercial Services, and External Relations
• From the representatives of the student bodies on matters for celebration or concern
• The Committee will also receive periodic inputs from external speakers on key trends in the external environment

The following details the delegated authority for the SEC and shows how it is placed in the overall University Scheme of Delegation with escalation Court:

This is an executive chaired committee with the following membership:

• Chief Operating Officer and University Secretary (Co-Chair)
• 8 representatives of the students
• Students’ Representative Council President (Co-Chair)
• Students’ Representative Council Vice President (Student Support)
• Students’ Representative Council Vice President (Student Activities)
• Students’ Representative Council, 2 additional representatives of the students
• Students’ Representative Council, First Year Representative
• Students’ Representative Council, PG Research Representative
• President, Glasgow University Sports Association
• President, Queen Margaret Union
• President, Glasgow University Union
• 4 representatives of the academic staff including:
• Clerk of Senate
• Assistant Vice Principal (Learning and Teaching)
• Representative of the Chief Advisers
• Elected Academic Staff Member on Court
• 4 representatives of the professional services including:
• Information Services
• Estates
• External Relations
• Student and Academic Services
• Permanent Secretary Students’ Representative Council
• Senior Advice & Policy Officer Students’ Representative Council
• Two lay members of Court
• Clerk (member of Academic Policy and Governance Office)

In attendance

• Head of Equality and Diversity Unit

Each Committee member has a responsibility to:

• Ensure all student experience actions are in line with University Strategies & Policies
• Agree on the achievability of a common strategy, action plan/roadmap
• Identify, assess and mitigate risk at a University level
• Openly and constructively challenge where policies, the common strategy or action plans do not meet key criteria for regulatory and business continuity requirements
• Actively contribute to mitigation of student experience risks from the SMG Strategic Risk Register
• Take ownership for specific actions and risks in the SEC Action and Risk Logs. All actions and risks must have a committee member as overall owner
• Activity and behaviour should embody the University’s values (click here for details)

The Committee will normally meet 5 times per academic year.

INPUTS

• UofG strategy and plan
• Student Experience Strategy and Action Plan
• Papers and minutes from
• Chief Advisers Sub-Committee
• Students’ Representative Council (SRC)
• Glasgow University Union (GUU)
• Queen Mother University (QMU)
• Glasgow University Sports Association (GUSA)
• Equality and Diversity Strategy Committee (EDSC)
• University Services performance reports including Information Services, Student and Academic Services, Estates and External Relations
• Papers and reports from representatives of the student bodies, as appropriate
• External speaker papers on key trends in the external environment as they relate to student experience
• Summary of changes made to action log

OUTPUTS

• Updated common strategy paper, action plan and papers to Court
• Decision Log
• Action Log
• Minutes

Substitutions may be made with prior notice given to the clerk.  There must be a minimum of 5 from the core group (excluding clerk) in attendance for decisions or approvals. 

The SEC will follow the UofG procedure for the management of any conflicts.  The procedure defines declaration of conflicts as a standard agenda item at the start of the meeting, the maintenance of a register of conflicts, and a process for managing all conflicts which are declared.