Guidance for Committee Secretaries in Schools and Research Institutes

Background Audit Committee – ensure that the University’s core administrative systems continue to operate effectively and equal standards are set and maintained Dramatic increase in FOI requests Students are more savvy – DPA requests External scrutiny e.g. Quality Assurance Agency Institutional Review

Aims of the Session How to be an effective Committee Secretary To promote high standards, an excellent level of service and consistency across all Committees The role of a Committee Secretary before, during and after the meeting House style Reporting arrangements Decision making

The Role of a Committee Secretary The role of a Committee Secretary is: to provide the University’s Committees with a professional support service to ensure that the University’s business is dealt with efficiently, effectively and appropriately without compromising the quality of the decisions that emerge to provide an accurate and concise record of the meeting

Housekeeping Arrangements Book the venue Refreshments (budget permitting!) AV if required Make arrangements for non-members attending to present an item Be the main point of contact for members rather than relying on the Chair

House Style Arial 11 Left and right justified Margins: Top and bottom 2cm Left and right 2.5cm Agenda items in capitals When a paper is attached the word ‘attached’ should be in bold Page numbers Heading – logo, name of Committee, date of meeting Formatting – consistent alignment throughout

Agenda Follow the house-style (see example) Printed on yellow paper Numbering should always start at 1 State what the Committee is required to do with each item e.g. approve, recommend approval, receive for information etc. – check the powers/terms of reference Keep the wording brief – a couple of lines for each item Do not use the agenda instead of presenting a paper Starred items

Action Lists See example Useful to keep track of actions Presented at each meeting along with the minutes Once an action has been completed and reported back to the Committee it can be removed/hidden from the list

Committee Papers Agenda item in header in top right hand corner e.g. SPC 5JUL12 6, ULTC 25JUL 3 Check formatting Use of cover sheets? (see example) Page numbers

Chair’s Briefing Prepare a briefing note for the Chair (see example) Pre-meet if required/desired Apologies Welcome to new members Thank you to members who are leaving Additional people attending for individual items and timings

Role at the Meeting Sit next to the Chair Build a good rapport with the Chair Record attendance Check the quorum (40% of full members) as decisions cannot be made if the meeting is not quorate Keep the meeting to time Ensure that business is being transacted within the Committee’s powers/terms of reference Take a spare set of papers Taking minutes

Minutes Follow the house style (see example) Produce an accurate and concise record of the meeting Not verbatim – the general thrust of the discussion Long, flowing sentences It is important to be clear what a Committee has done with a particular agenda item e.g. received for information, discussed, noted, endorsed, approved, etc. – check the powers/terms of reference Minutes will normally be available to members of the public under FOI or individuals under DPA Write sensitively regarding individual student cases – the student has the right to see the minutes

Minutes Continued Pay attention to spelling, grammar and sentence structure Write in the past tense Write in the third person to record the consensus of the Committee rather than individuals When referring to individuals use Professor Jones, Mrs Jones, Mr Jones etc – be consistent Action points – follow house style e.g. ACTION: FD Item numbers follow on from the previous meeting for the duration of an academic year

Minutes Continued Printed on yellow paper Signed by the Chair Attach attendance list to the back – follow house style (names not just initials)

The Final Test Will my minutes make sense to someone new to, or outside of, the University reading them in five years’ time?

Approval of Minutes Once minutes are drafted they should be sent to the Chair for comments. Email minutes to the Committee once agreed by the Chair – service standard is within 15 working days of the meeting. Put them on the agenda for the next meeting where they will be approved. Circulate action points as soon as possible but within 5 working days of the meeting. Get the minutes signed by the Chair at the following meeting Send Minutes to the parent Committee.