Can you remember the PG Tips advert with the monkeys (no, wait to see where I’m going and get that thought out of your mind now – our Management Board is an excellent affair!) – but the commercials were very funny. There was one that had the monkeys sitting in a meeting and one said “This is supposed to be a Board meeting” and got the reply “Well, I’m bored!” – then “The interest rate’s gone up” – “not in here it hasn’t!” I have my own supply of PG Tips in my top drawer – which is different to the tea I have access to under the staff coffee club – which is different again to the tea I buy to give to my visitors! Wow, life is complicated – and that’s just the tea!
Anyway, Management Board – it was really quite exciting this month! We discussed a new vision for the University first of all (after all the normal formal “minutes/actions from last time” stuff). Newport is in a privileged position. We have a chance to continue doing something very special and fulfil a crucial role for our local community – as well as play a huge part in a changing national and international Higher Education sector. I am moved by (and its why I came here to work!) our current Missions which is To bring learning to the heart of our communities, responding to their needs, inspiring and enabling individuals from all backgrounds through excellence in higher education. So its genuinely fab to be involved in discussions about how we look at building on this as we go forward. We also looked at various other issues from the current smoking policy, to RAE preparations and an issue within my area – Safeguarding Young People and Vulnerable Adults Policy. Very useful meeting.
Now then, perhaps for some, the thought of attending an Academic Development and Planning Committee isn’t something that would normally evoke feelings of passion – but it can! Its a place where in many ways the future of a University is determined. This is because evidence suggests that the predominant factor in whether a student is satisfied and recommends a University – is the course (content and delivery). Therefore, the committee that looks at concept papers for new courses and discusses proposed incremental changes to current ones is paramount in importance! And it can even get amusing when one member of academic staff quite rightly points out some issues in another member’s concept paper, only to find just a few moments later that the exact same problem exists in her own 
City Centre Campus Project Management Board is the formal project board for our new and inspirational development – comprising relevant people from the University, Governor representatives and of course, representation from the external consultants. One of latter in particular has (and it would inappropriate to mention his name) a comprehensive air of competence about him – to the degree that you feel you could trust him with any important aspect of your life and he just wouldn’t let you down in any respect! Whatever else he does in life, to have people think that way about you is a wonderful achievement in itself.
Diversity Panel is where some very interesting things happen, aimed at not just fulfilling legislation, but really looking at what we can do to change hearts and minds and remove barriers so as to get the best from everyone and genuinely help the capable to fulfil their potential! We’re looking at some interesting approaches to staff development at the moment, influenced by the spectacular Rachel Stubley from our School of Education – and getting things moving terrifically within LIS by Simon Philips. Now there’s a chap whose dedication and tenacity on these issues just makes me sit back in awe and wonder – I’m very fortunate to be able to work with such calibre!
And there was more besides but its Sunday and statistics indicate that nobody ever reads this far anyway so …
Oh, and two weeks to Christmas – and the Christmas talk season is upon us! I did one last week for a bunch of young people where I used two CDs with the words “HM Revenue – Everyones’ Data” written on them for effect – I then gave them to two of the lads who asked for them. Now of course, there’s a £20k reward out on them and I’m sure the lads thought they were genuine – so I’m expecting a knock on the door at anytime!
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