Board of Governors

Statement of primary responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of the Board of Governors are as follows.

• To approve 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 delegate authority to the Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive for the academic, corporate, financial, estate and human resource 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 managing conflicts of interest.
• To ensure processes are in place to monitor and evaluate the performance and effectiveness of the University against the plans and approved key performance indicators, which should be, where possible and appropriate, benchmarked against other comparable institutions.
• To establish processes to monitor and evaluate the performance and effectiveness of the Governing Body itself.
• 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 University.
• To oversee and monitor the quality of the student experience.
• To ensure that the University provides equality and diversity of opportunity for staff and students.
• To appoint the Vice Chancellor as chief executive and to put in place suitable arrangements for monitoring his or her performance.
• To appoint a secretary to the Governing Body and to ensure that, if the person appointed has managerial responsibilities in the University, there is an appropriate separation in the lines of accountability.
• To be the employing authority for all staff in the University and to be responsible for establishing a human resources strategy.
• To ensure the solvency of the University and the safeguarding of its assets, to be the principal financial and business authority of the University, to ensure that proper books of account are kept and to approve the annual budget and financial statements.
• Ensure that the Instrument and Articles of Government are followed at all times and that advice to available to ensure this happens