30 City of Glasgow College Annual Report & Accounts 2019-20
Board of Management Committees
The Board and its committees play a vital role in the
oversight of College business and hold management
accountable for performance against targets and
performance indicators. The Board met six times in 2019-
20, and from the point of the closure of the College buildings
and Covid-19 lockdown in mid-March 2020, all Board
meetings were undertaken remotely via videoconferencing.
In addition, the Board's Committees met through the
session with an uninterrupted schedule of meetings (with
the exception of one meeting of the Art Foundation as this
would have involved international travel).
The responsibilities of the Board Committees are set out in
their respective Terms of Reference (access via links under
each Committee name below) or in the case of the Art
Foundation, the Foundation Remit. All Board Committees
reviewed their respective Terms of Reference through 2019-
20, which were approved by the Board in June 2020.
Audit Committee:
Responsible for monitoring the integrity of financial
statements, risk management, instructing internal audits
and reviewing internal controls and governance systems,
including assurances relating to the corporate governance
requirements for the organisation.
Development Committee:
Provides ongoing strategic review of commercial and
international activities and considers new opportunities,
ensuring alignment with the College's Strategic Plan.
Finance and Physical Resources Committee:
Responsible for the review of financial planning, monitoring
the use of funds for student welfare, carrying out duties set
out by the Board and assigned in the Financial Regulations,
and for receiving and approving the annual budget and
final accounts for recommendation to the Board. This
Committee also considers, approves and monitors plans for
the management and development of College estate and
facilities.
Learning and Teaching Committee:
Provides reports and advice to the Board on academic
policies and procedures, on matters relating to the
curriculum, quality and learning, teaching and support, and
on the role of the Academic Board.
Performance and Nominations Committee:
Monitors performance across the College with reference to
the strategic plan and considers efficiency. This Committee
also manages the recruitment of Board members, oversees
their personal development and evaluation, and helps
identify candidates for senior positions in the College.
Remuneration Committee:
Determines the remuneration of the Principal and the
Executive team, as well as severance arrangements.
Students, Staffing and Equalities Committee:
Considers and approves employee and student-focused
strategies and policies, monitors relationships between trade
unions and employees, and has a special responsibility for
Equalities matters.
The Art Foundation:
Following its inaugural year as a Committee of the Board of
Management in 2016-17, the College Art Foundation has
continued with its remit to advance the charitable purpose
of the City of Glasgow College to include the advancement
of education in the arts, by making grants and providing
support for educational projects, activities, and initiatives
being carried out by and supported by City of Glasgow
College. This includes the promotion and provision of
exhibitions, and the collection and display of works of art
and design to complement and enhance the public space
and learning and teaching environment of the City of
Glasgow College and surrounding civic landscape.
Operation of the Board of Management
In 2018-19 the Board of Management had managed
a significant turnover of membership. Four members
successfully applied to the Glasgow Colleges' Regional
Board (GCRB) for a further period of tenure; two for three
years, and two for four years. A full round of recruitment
was undertaken in consultation with GCRB, and as a
consequence, five new Board members were appointed
in June 2019. In 2019-20 three existing Board members
and the Board Chair successfully applied for and received
periods of extension to their tenures of four years each.
Two new Student Board members served on the Board in
2019-20.
One new Support Staff Board member served in 2018-19;
however, this person retired at 28 June 2019, creating a
vacancy which was filled at the beginning of Academic Year
2019-20.
The Board Chair was appointed by the GCRB in 2016,
and along with three other non-executive Board members
who concluded their first periods of tenure at 31 July 2020,
successfully extended his period of tenure to 31 July 2024.
Board Evaluation and Appraisal
Following the Board's externally directed Review of
Governance Effectiveness, published in 2017, the Board has
planned for a second external review in 2020. However, this
will now be completed in 2021 following revised guidance
from the Good Governance Steering Group in the light of the
Covid-19 emergency (which directed that the 2020 round of
external reviews now be completed by end April 2021).
The Board's internal self-evaluation review framework
is structured around the Code of Good Governance for
Scotland's Colleges, and this process informs the Board
Development Plan. The Board self-evaluation of May-July
2019 therefore informed the 2019-20 Board Development
Plan. The Board Committee self-evaluation was undertaken
from June 2020.
A full round of individual Board member appraisals was
undertaken by the Board Chair in 2019-20.
The Board Chair, in consultation with Board members,
reviewed the membership and Convenership of all Board
Committees, to include new Board members and coopted Committee members. The skills base of the Board
was referenced to ensure optimum deployment of Board
members across the Board Committees.