Terms of Reference – Academic Board
Constitution
The Academic Board comprises the Vice-Chancellor and President (who shall be the Chair) and such other members of staff and students as are approved by the Board of Governors.
In addition to the Vice-Chancellor and President, the members shall comprise up to 5 holders of senior posts; at least twenty but not more than twenty-four members of staff holding the role of Executive Dean, Head of School and Head or Director of a school, department or service; a teaching member of staff elected by each School; two non-teaching members of staff elected by the non-teaching members of staff; three students nominated by the Students’ Union; and up to four co-opted members.
Total Membership: Up to 40
Committee representation should reflect the demographic of the University. The committee chair is accountable for ensuring that the committee constitution is representative in terms of gender and ethnicity at the start of each academic year. (The EDI team will work with Governance and Legal to monitor and report on committee membership annually).
Where committee membership is not representative due to members being elected or appointed ex-officio, the Committee may seek to co-opt members to achieve representation.
Every effort will be made to arrange for committee meetings at times that will not disadvantage or preclude participation due to working patterns or caring responsibilities.
Quorum: 40%
Terms of Reference
The Academic Board was established by the Articles of Government and, subject to the overall responsibility of the Board of Governors and to the responsibilities of the Vice-Chancellor and President, is responsible for:
- all academic matters relating to the research, scholarship, teaching and learning, programmes and qualifications, and the student experience at the University including:
- criteria for the admission of students;
- the appointment and removal of internal and external examiners;
- policies and procedures for assessment and examination of the academic performance of students
- the content of the curriculum;
- academic standards and the validation and review of courses;
- the procedures for the award of qualifications and honorary academic titles including the powers to revoke such awards in accordance with section 76 of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992;
- and the procedures for the expulsion of students for academic reasons.
Such responsibilities shall be subject to the requirements of validating and accrediting bodies.
- for considering the development of the academic activities of the University and the resources needed to support them and for advising the Vice-Chancellor and President and the Board of Governors thereon.
- for advising on such other matters as the Board of Governors or the Vice-Chancellor and President may refer to the Academic Board.
Committees and Sub-Committees
- The Academic Board may delegate activities and authorities to committees as appropriate but retains overall responsibility for these. The Academic Board has established the following committees with the approval of the Vice-Chancellor and President and the Board of Governors:
- Education and Experience Committee
- Careers & Enterprise Committee
- Impact & Innovation Committee
- The terms of reference for these committees will be approved by the Academic Board. The Academic Board will receive regular reports from these committees and approve proposals from them.
The following committees will report to both the Board of Governors and the Academic Board:
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (Chaired by the Dean of the Office for Institutional Equity);
- Health, Safety and Well-Being Committee (Chaired by the Director of People and Culture)
The Board of Governors will approve the terms of reference for joint committees. Both the Board of Governors and the Academic Board will receive regular reports from them and may approve proposals from them.
Frequency of meetings
The Academic Board shall meet at least four times per year.
Reporting Procedures
The minutes will be circulated to all members of the Board of Governors.
Chair’s action between meetings
The following categories of business may be conducted by the Chair of the Board
of Governors, Academic Board or any of their subcommittees and panels and by chairs of boards of directors of subsidiary companies. Chairs should use reasonable endeavours to contact all other members before taking the Chair’s action.
The first three delegations are minuted in advance and then reported back at the next meeting of the board or committee.
The fourth to sixth delegations are requested in writing by officers between meetings, supported by background information and then reported back at the next meeting of the board or committee.
The relevant board or committee will monitor the use made of the Chair’s action.
- Business which is unfinished at a board or committee meeting for lack of information but on which a clear steer is given to guide the decision when the information becomes available.
- Business which is approved by a board or committee subject to certain conditions to be met by the management or other parties and signed off by the chair.
- Business involving signature/s to the detailed formal paperwork associated with a prior decision of a board or committee such as the sale of a building.
- The signing of routine contracts that commit UEL, or a subsidiary company or UELSU, above a certain level of expenditure.
- Routine decisions on senior post holders (Chair of the Board/Remuneration Committee only).
- Urgent business between meetings, canvassing the support of other board and committee members as far as possible by phone or email. Such decisions should not involve changes of policy of the board or committee and should only be taken where there is material risk to UEL, or a subsidiary company or UELSU.
Membership
Chair
Vice-Chancellor and President
Ex-officio members
- Provost
- Pro Vice-Chancellor, Education and Experience
- Pro Vice-Chancellor, Impact and Innovation
- Pro Vice-Chancellor, Careers and Enterprise
- Chief Student Officer
- Head of Quality Assurance and Enhancement
- Director of Library, Archives and Learning Services or nominee
- Director of Student Services
- Director of Strategic Planning
- Dean of the Office for Institutional Equity (OIE)
- Dean of School x6
- Head of Academic Partnerships
- Director of Talent Gateway
- Head of CELT
- Academic Registrar
Nominated members: Student Representation
- UELSU Representative x3
Heads of Department
- Department Head x1 from each School
Elected members: Teaching Staff
- Representative of the teaching staff (School of Business and Law)
- Representative of the teaching staff (School of Childhood and Social Care)
- Representative of the teaching staff (School of Health, Sport and Bioscience)
- Representative of the teaching staff (School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering)
- Representative of the teaching staff (School of Arts and Creative Industries)
- Elected Members (elected by and from the non-teaching staff) x2
Co-opted:
- Elected Member (Professor elected by those holding the title of Professor)
- Elected Member (elected by and from the Readers)
In attendance:
- The Committee shall have the power to request the attendance of key members of staff at meetings where there is business on the agenda that requires the benefit of their expertise.
Servicing Officer: Daniel Macdonald, Quality Assurance Officer (d.a.macdonald@uel.ac.uk)
Membership academic year 2024/25
Chair
Professor Amanda Broderick, Vice-Chancellor and President
Ex-officio members
- Professor Hassan Abdalla, Provost
- Professor Bugewa Apampa, Pro Vice Chancellor, Education and Experience
- Matt Bellgard, Pro Vice Chancellor, Impact and Innovation
- Dr. Paul Marshall, Pro Vice Chancellor, Careers and Enterprise
- Sophie Bowen, Chief Student Officer
- Helen Fitch, Head of Quality Assurance and Enhancement
- Regina Everitt, Director of Library, Archives and Learning Services or nominee
- Nicole Redman, Director of Student Services
- Laura Clayton, Director of Insight, Strategy and Transformation
- Olajumoke Jummy Okoya, Interim Dean of the Office for Institutional Equity (OIE)
- Dr David Tann, Architecture, Computing and Engineering, Dean of School
- Dr Rosemary Stott, Arts and Creative Industries Dean of School
- Richard Harty, Dean of Professional Academic Compliance
- Robert Waterson, Health, Sport and Bioscience Dean of School
- Dr Sophia Bokhari, Interim Childhood and Social Care Dean of School
- Professor Fatima Annan-Diab, Business & Law Dean of School
- Diane Glautier, Head of Academic Partnerships
- Gulnara Stover, Director of Talent Gateway
- Sima Heer, Interim Head of CELT
- Martin Hoyle, Academic Registrar
Nominated members: Student Representation
- Dipika Gokulnath, Inclusion Officer
- Aswin Mathew, Education Officer
- Sampath Ganesh Sangu, Communities Officer
Heads of Department
- Dr Richard Courtney, Business and Law
- Dr Matthew Almond, Health, Sport and Bioscience
- Carl Callaghan, Architecture, Computing and Engineering
- Beatrice Newman, Fashion / Performing Arts, Arts and Creative Industries
- Ciro Genovese, School of Childhood and Social Care
Elected members: Teaching Staff
- Dr Chau Duong, Representative of the teaching staff (School of Business and Law)
- Dr Eva Galante, Representative of the teaching staff (School of Health, Sport and Bioscience)
- Associate Professor Sohrab Donyavi, Representative of the teaching staff (School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering)
- Dr Paulet Brown-Wilsher, Representative of the teaching staff, (School of Childhood and Social Care)
- Lesley Robertson, Representative of the teaching staff, (School of Arts and Creative Industries)
- Mary Mitchison (elected by and from the non-teaching staff)
- Jason Dickson (elected by and from the non-teaching staff)
Co-opted:
- Professor Kirk Chang (Professor elected by those holding the title of Professor)
- Dr Iwa Salami (Reader elected by and from the Readers)
Servicing Officer: Daniel Macdonald, Quality Assurance Officer (d.a.macdonald@uel.ac.uk)