Corporate Governance at the University

The mandate for the CSDB is as follows:

Strategy and Policy:

• Improve the focus, visibility and effectiveness of the University’s civic commitment
• Develop a framework for civic and community engagement at a strategic and institutional level
• Define the Civic Mission and secure support for it from the University community
• Develop and recommend policies regarding civic and community engagement to SMG and Court
• Oversight of the University’s Civic University Plan, ensuring full alignment to the 2025 University Strategy and associated thematic and enabling strategies
• Ensure the University’s Civic Mission and ambitions are understood and embedded in each College and across University Services
• Ensure the University’s contribution is solution focused and impact orientated, mobilising knowledge and using all its capabilities as a leading anchor institution for the social, cultural and economic benefit of the city of Glasgow and the surrounding areas
• Ensure that the Board's membership includes the skills and experience necessary to address its remit effectively.  To this end, the Board membership may rotate depending what aspect of the civic agenda is under development. Small working sub-groups may be formed from time to time

Delivery and Operations:

• Ensure that civic and community engagement is effectively co-ordinated and leveraged across the Colleges and University Services and at University level
• Develop training and support mechanisms that enable staff to engage more effectively with civic and community partners, while ensuring that best practice is shared
• Work with the Learning and Teaching Committee, the Student Experience Committee and the Student’s Representative Council to broaden the range of opportunities open to students through civic and community engagement, either within the curriculum or in a volunteering capacity, to hone their skills, gain experience and contribute to social gain/the public good
• Ensure that suitable mechanisms are in place to facilitate dialogue and consultation between the University and its civic and community partners
• Ensure that resources are made available to support new joint initiatives and for prioritised activities so that the University responds in an agile fashion where the need or opportunity arises
• Build relationships and trust with external civic partners, ensuring effective communication and engagement at strategic and project level
• Ensure that the contributions of the University, its staff and students to the public good are appropriately recognised and valued, alongside those of civic and community partners
• Ensure that outcomes are monitored and reviewed and, where appropriate, linked to performance measures
• Ensure that civic engagement activities are profiled effectively through the communications channels of the University and its partners

The following details the delegated authority for the CSDB and shows how it is placed in the overall University Scheme of Delegation with escalation to Senior Management Group, Finance Committee or Court:

This is an executive chaired Board with the following membership:

• Senior Vice-Principal and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Chair)
• Chief Operating Officer OR Deputy Chief Operating Officer (Vice Chair)
• Vice Principal and Head of College (CoSS) OR Dean of External Engagement CoSS
• Vice Principal and Head of College (MVLS) OR Chief Operating Officer (MVLS)
• Vice Principal and Head of College (CoA) or Engagement Lead (CoA)
• Vice Principal and Head of College (CoSE) or Engagement Lead (CoSE)
• Vice Principal (Learning and Teaching) OR Executive Director of Student and Academic Services
• Vice Principal (Corporate Engagement) OR Director of GRID
• Pro Vice-Principal (Special Projects)
• Director of Strategy, Performance and Transformation (Estates)
• SRC Permanent Secretary and Student Opportunities Co-ordinator
• Director of Marketing and Communications
• 3 non staff members who bring relevant expertise and connections to civic and community engagement at local and national level

The Head of Civic and Community Engagement will support the Board and work to the Senior Vice Principal. Other members of University staff who have operational responsibility will be invited to be in attendance as required.

The Board has final accountability for the production and governance of the annual and 3-year investment plans.  Each Board member has a fiduciary responsibility to:

• Maintain and strengthen collaborative links with civic and community partners, working towards agreed social purposes and shared agendas
• Assess and publicly support the outcomes from the Civic Mission including providing insight into impact
• Provide challenge on the Civic Mission Strategy Delivery Timescales including cost and resource constraints
• Identify, assess and mitigate innovation risk at an institutional level as well as horizon scanning at a sector level
• Openly and constructively challenge where investments or gap funding proposals do not meet our Civic Engagement Strategy outcomes
• Take ownership for specific actions and risks in the CSDB Action and Risk Logs. All actions and risks must have a board member as overall owner
• Ensure all investments and gap funding proposals are in line with University Strategies & Policies
• Agree on the achievability of business cases, plans and roadmaps
• Activity and behaviour should embody the University’s values (click here for details)

The meeting schedule will be every 2 months tying in with annual budgeting cycle. 

INPUTS

• UofG strategy and plan
• Civic Engagement Strategy and Roadmap
• Civic Engagement related policies
• Management information provided by Planning Insights & Analytics
• Budgets and Investment Business Cases to be presented

OUTPUTS

• Papers as required to SMG or Court
• Action Log
• Delivery Plan and updates
• Minutes

Substitutions may be made with prior notice given to the clerk.  There must be a minimum of 4 from the core group (excluding clerk and non-University staff members) in attendance for decisions or approvals. In the event of a consensus not being reached, the Chair will have the casting decision.

The CSDB 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.