Senate minutes 12 November 2025

Minutes of the Meeting of the Cardiff University Senate held on Wednesday 12 November 2025 at 14:15, in the lecture theatre of the Hadyn Ellis Building

Attendance

In Attendance

Sian Ballard, Laura Davies, Sally-Ann Efstathiou, Rhodri Evans (Secretary), Professor Kate Gilliver, Professor Kerry Hood, Professor Caroline Lear, Siân Marshall (minutes), Dr Angharad Naylor, Daniel Palmer, Professor Eleri Rosier, Dr Paula Sanderson, Dr Mathew Smith, Tracey Stanley, Professor Karin Wahl-Jorgensen, Professor Helen Williams, Dr Liz Wren-Owens

1147 Welcome and introductions

The new members were welcomed to their first meeting.

1148  Apologies for absence

The apologies received would be recorded in the Minutes.

1149 Declaration of Interests

The Chair reminded members of their requirement to disclose any interests which could influence their judgement. No disclosures of interested were received.

1150 Minutes of previous meeting

The minutes of the meeting held on 11 June 2025 (paper 24/682C) were confirmed as a true and accurate record and were approved by the Committee.

1151 Matters arising

There were no matters arising raised.

1152 Items from the Chair

Received and considered paper 25/118C ‘Report of Chair’s Action since the last meeting’. The Chair spoke to this item.

Noted

1152.1 that the Chair had approved by chair’s action the establishment of two new Trust Funds: The Earth and Environmental Sciences expendable endowment fund; and The “Skidmore Bursary” expendable endowment fund.

1153 Constitution and membership

Received and noted paper 25/117 Senate Constitution 2025-26.

1154 Report from the Vice-Chancellor

Received and considered paper 25/120C ‘Vice-Chancellor’s Report to Senate’. The Chair spoke to this item.

Noted

1154.1 that the Academic Transformation Oversight Group had been established, led by the Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, to oversee the implementation of decisions from Academic Future;

1154.2 that Cardiff University Kazakhstan had officially opened on 3 September 2025 with 316 students now enrolled; Professor Phil Stephens had been appointed as Interim Provost whilst a permanent appointment was made;

1154.3 the University had achieved a record high in the total value of research applications submitted during the period August 2024 to July 2025;

1154.4 that the University had secured over £4m of UKRI Global Talent funding;

1154.5 that significant improvements had been made in the NSS results thanks to the hard work of staff;

1154.6 that the issues experienced with the timetabling system were being addressed, and it was not anticipated that the issues would reoccur in Semester 2; that a 2 year plan was being developed to ensure a fit-for-purpose system is in place;

1154.7 that the restructuring of Professional Services would not involve compulsory redundancies contrary to media reports; that discussions were ongoing with the Trade Unions in relation to the three Schools where academic staff remained in scope and where some reductions in staff numbers were required; that a number of viable options were being considered for removing staff from scope; that compulsory redundancies remained the option of last resort.

1155 Report from the Students’ Union President

Received and considered paper 25/119 ‘Students’ Union President’s Report October 2025’.  The Students’ Union President spoke to this item.

Noted

1155.1 that the main priorities for 2025-26 were student wellbeing, tackling sexual violence on campus, and protecting the student experience during transformation;

1155.2 that the Students’ Union had achieved its highest freshers engagement of all time with over 90% overall satisfaction in the end-of-freshers feedback survey;

1155.3 that student voice engagement this term included providing feedback on timetabling, hybiau and student protest guidance, as well as lobbying for mandatory bystander training;

1155.4 that there was a high turnout in the autumn elections which saw student senators and executive committee members elected; that the Annual General Meeting would be held later in the month with the vote open for motions to be put forward.

1156 Academic Purpose, Function and Leadership Framework

Received and considered Paper 25/121 A new Framework for Academic Purpose, Function and Leadership’. The Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor spoke to this item.

Noted

1156.1 that the framework had been developed to address overly complex structures and inconsistent academic leadership roles at School level, duplication and a dilution of focus on achievement of our strategic objectives; that a standard set of leadership roles had been created at School, College and thematic/institution level; that this was not intended to be a one size fits all approach, it was intended that if needed the structure could be adapted for individual Schools in consultation with College Pro Vice-Chancellors;

1156.2 that key considerations included: the location of activity and whether activities were undertaken by academic or Professional Services staff; that the approach aimed to address frustrations and a lack of clarity and to signal stronger collaboration by bringing academic and Professional Services staff into a clear and mandated relationship;

1156.3 that the framework had been subject to extensive engagement in three phases, and had changed substantively based on this engagement;

1156.4 that the new structure would be in place from 2026-27 for all Schools; that it was planned to keep the framework under careful review to consider iteratively if it delivers on its purpose and the intended benefits;

1156.5 that the framework had been delivered to align with the restructuring of the Research Service, and Professional Services roles; that the education and student experience Professional Services roles had been designed to partner with academic staff;

1156.6 that the next steps would include drafting detailed job descriptions for the roles, defining workload tariffs, and confirming the timetable for appointments to be made;

1156.7 that UEB was assured of the need for these academic leadership roles even if they required staff to take time away from teaching or research; that the framework presupposed efficiencies with fewer roles within the new structures than at present;

1156.8 that the commitment to keep under review the academic leadership of scholarship to support the work undertaken by colleagues on Teaching and Scholarship contracts was welcomed; that the Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor had written to College PVCs to actively consider appropriate support for Teaching and Scholarship staff, and keep under the review the desirability of leadership roles in that area;

1156.9 that there had been a change in terminology from “Director” to “Lead” within the framework; that this change was in line with the revised Academic Promotions Process and reflected the emphasis on leadership within the Academic Promotions criteria;

1156.10 that it would be helpful to have some elements of the role descriptions that were standard and other elements as customisable to the specific context of the School;

1156.11 that the framework had been extensively iterated through engagement and incorporated flexibility to enable success for individual Schools (e.g. single-and multi-disciplinary models, and the option to frame ‘strategic’ roles, where needed, in consultation with the College Pro Vice-Chancellors).

1156.12 that resource would be provided to support Schools in implementing the new structure; that feedback was welcomed on the resource required;

1156.13 that the cost and affordability of the new structures would need to by kept under review; any specific capacity issues should be addressed with College Pro Vice-Chancellors in the first instance.

Resolved

1156.14 to recommend to Council that Ordinance 9 – Academic Bodies be updated to reflect the changes, to be undertaken via Chair's Action to seek the approval of Council;

1156.15 for a diagrammatic way of representing the relationship between academic leadership roles and education and student experience Professional Services roles to be developed.

1157 Modernising Governance

Received and considered paper 25/122 Modernising Governance – proposals for Senate and next steps. The Director of Transforming Governance spoke to this item.

Noted

1157.1 that the strategic and regulatory context required the governance structure to be revised to ensure it is fit for purpose to support delivery of the University strategy and to provide greater clarity in some areas;

1157.2 that the Council had approved several changes to its committee structure in July and had identified some inconsistencies in Senate’s remit in relation to the oversight of education and research; that it had advised the establishment of a Research Committee under the remit of Senate;

1157.3 that a Constitutional Reform Group would oversee a review of the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances, including clarifying the role of Senate as recommended by the Bicameral Review;

1157.4 that further work would be required to clarify the role of the Audit and Risk Committee in receiving assurance over research integrity and ethics;

1157.5 that the function of the Academic Promotions Committee was to advise management on the operation of the academic promotions process rather than to perform a governance role delegated by the Senate and Council; that it was proposed for  Academic Promotions Committee to become a sub-group of UEB;

1157.6 that any changes required to the Ordinances to reflect the updated committee structure would be approved via chair’s action.

Resolved

1157.7 to approve the establishment of the University Research Committee as a Major Committee of Senate;

1157.8 to approve the establishment of the University Research Integrity and Ethics Committee as a Major Committee of Senate with its relevant sub-committees, including Biological Standards Committee;

1157.9 to approve the establishment of the University Awards and Progress Committee as a Major Committee of Senate;

1157.10 to approve the disestablishment of the Academic Promotions Committee as a joint committee with Council.

1158 Future ready – transforming strategy into action

This item was deferred to the next meeting.

1159 Supporting Research Excellence 2024-25 and REF 2029 Preparations

Received and considered paper 25/124C ‘Supporting Research Excellence 2024-25 and REF 2029 Preparations’. The Head of Research Excellence and Culture spoke to this item.

Noted

1159.1 that an assessment of each school had been undertaken, which had identified some risks and key activities for the coming year;

1159.2 that it was a priority to establish a Unit of Assessment submission strategy; that more robust data was required to achieve this; that REF 2021 data would be used as a starting point; that this process would take account of transformation changes;

1159.3 that twenty Cardiff University staff had been appointed to REF 2029 panels demonstrating the depth of research strength and knowledge across the institution; a community of practice would be developed to capitalise on this; that it was desirable to include REF 2021 panel members in the community of practice;

1159.4 that output scoring had been paused during Academic Future as a supportive measure for staff; that there was a backlog to address as a result;

1159.5 that the REF2029 pause was expected to end in December and work was being undertaken in anticipation; that engagement and consultation with staff on the REF Code of Practice would be undertaken.

1160 Annual Report for the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers

Received and considered paper 25/125 ‘Annual Report for the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers’. The University Dean of Research Environment and Culture spoke to this item.

Noted

1160.1 that the report detailed progress against the action plan over the last year and the priorities for the coming year; that the report reflected the challenges faced by the University over the last year;

1160.2 that limited data was included in this iteration of the report as large scale surveys were not undertaken during the last year; a survey of research staff was being developed to facilitate benchmarking;

1160.3 that a range of activities had taken place to engage staff and promote research culture;

1160.4  that a review of open ended contracts with relevant factors had been paused during Academic Future; that this would be re-established with a working group this year to include consideration of alternative models of employment;

1160.5 that the range of sector-wide professional development opportunities had increased;

1160.6 that priorities for the coming year included strengthening communications, improving job security, and incorporating the researcher voice in University activities.

Resolved

1160.7 to recommend to Council the report detailing progress made against the Researcher Development Concordat Action Plan since October 2024 for approval.

1161 2024/25 Annual Statement on Research Integrity

Received and considered paper 25/126 ‘2024-2025 Annual Statement on Research Integrity’. The Senior Research Integrity Officer spoke to this item.

Noted

1161.1 that the publication of an Annual Statement was a requirement of the Concordat to Support Research Integrity; that the paper had been reviewed in detail by the Open Research Integrity and Ethics Committee;

1161.2 that the Research Integrity and Ethics Team was commended for the comprehensive work undertaken.

Resolved

1161.3 to approve the 2024-25 Annual Statement on Research Integrity.

1162 Education and Student Experience Committee Report to Senate

Received and considered paper 25/127 ‘Education and Student Experience Committee Report’. The Head of Education Governance spoke to this item.

Noted

1162.1 that a sustained improvement in NSS scores had been achieved; that three subjects and three questions remained under regulatory monitoring;

1162.2  that a new approach to receiving and responding to the Student Views had been agreed and was working well;

1162.3 that the Committee had considered a report from the AI in Education Working Group, which identified key developments and sector wide shifts and their impacts on educational priorities; that guidance on AI for staff and students has been updated, and different approaches to assessment were being explored;

1162.4 that Medr continued to regulate using the NSS overall satisfaction question; that the consultation of the new regulatory framework provided an opportunity to feedback to Medr on the approach to NSS;

1162.5 that it was being clarified that the module enhancement process was a mechanism for seeking student feedback on modules to inform enhancement activity by schools; that a communication was to be sent out to Schools.

1163 Academic Standards and Quality Committee Report to Senate

Received and considered paper 25/128 ‘Academic Standards and Quality Committee Report’. The Dean for Academic Quality spoke to this item.

Noted

1163.1 that the regulations and policies for approval would need to be updated to align with the terminology used in the new Academic Purpose, Function and Leadership Framework with effect from 2026-27;

1163.2 that the Committee had approved a framework for the review of academic regulations and policies, which would ensure consultation with staff and students and consistency in approach;

1163.3 that the Committee had reviewed the arrangements for Cardiff University Kazakhstan and confirmed that the regulations and policies in place were substantially the same as those at Cardiff University; that any differences in regulations or policies related to structural differences or valid process variations.

Resolved

1163.4 to approve amendments/insertions to academic regulations and policies with immediate effect:

.1  minor amendments to the Monitoring and Review Policy, removing references to the old University strategy, and revisions to nomenclature to reflect current practice;

.2  minor amendments to the Academic Management Regulations to reflect the changes to the review and enhancement process;

.3  amendments to the MB BCh degree programme regulations to allow students to repeat up to two years of the programme rather than one, and remove the section on ‘entry with advance standing’ as this is now addressed by an admissions policy which specifies that it is not permitted;

.4  an insertion into the Research Degrees Assessment Regulations which provides for the assessment of the taught component of an Integrated PhD and progression to the next stage of the programme.

1164 Quality Enhancement Review

Received and considered paper 25/129 ‘Quality Enhancement Review (QER) 2026’. The Head of Education Governance spoke to this item.

Noted

1164.1 that the external quality review was to be conducted by the Quality Assurance Agency, on behalf of Medr, in March 2026 to provide the assurances required with regards to the quality of education;

1164.2 that a satisfactory outcome was a necessary condition for an approved Fee and Access Plan (a prerequisite for setting the maximum tuition fee) and the holding of the Home Office student sponsor licence;

1164.3 that a Steering Group had been established to oversee the preparations for the review; development of the self analysis report was underway; that the submission would include enhancement case studies on rethinking assessment, programme development, academic staff development, and the digital learning environment; that the submission would also include information about challenges the University has addressed over recent years.

1165 Annual Quality Report

Received and considered paper 25/80R ‘Annual Quality Report 2024-25’. The Dean for Academic Quality spoke to this item.

Noted

1165.1 that the report provided assurance on academic standards and the quality of the student experience to Senate and Council; that the report would be used by Council to confirm to Medr the required assurance statements relating to academic standards and the quality of the student experience;

1165.2 that the quality of education and student experience residual risk score had decreased primarily as a result of the improved NSS outcomes which provided evidence that the education and student experience programme enhancements and the actions taken by schools were having a positive impact; that the implementation of the Academic Moderation and Feedback Policy was anticipated to lead to further NSS improvements;

1165.3 that the report acknowledged the challenges posed by the timetabling project issues and the lesson learnt exercise;

1165.4 that the External Examiners continued to confirm that the standards of award met the requirements of the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications and were aligned to standards at other institutions;

1165.5 that the ethnicity awarding gap was narrowing; that the student success and student transition initiatives were expected to further improve degree outcomes and retention;

1165.6 that the Marks Processing Project would reach completion in 2026; that the ASQC would seek assurance that this work transitions to business as usual;

1165.7 that the report confirmed that arrangements for oversight of academic provision, students and the student voice were in place at Cardiff University Kazakhstan.

Resolved

1165.8 to recommend the Annual Quality Report 2024/25 to Council for approval;

1165.9  for the risk severity and likelihood scores to be included in the section on strategic risks.

1166 Any Other Business

Noted

1166.1 Senate’s thanks to Professor Rudolf Allemann for his leadership and efforts across the range of portfolios he had led during his time as Pro Vice-Chancellor.

1167 Education and Student Experience Committee Terms of Reference

Received and considered paper 25/51 ‘Education and Student Experience Committee Terms of Reference’.

Resolved

1167.1 to approve the minor changes to the terms of reference of the Education and Student Experience Committee.

1168  Items received for information

The following papers were received for information:

• 25/76 Academic Standards and Quality Committee Terms of Reference
• 25/132 Cardiff University Response to the Student View 2025
• 25/133 ESEC Minutes 6th October 2025
• 24/681 ASQC Minutes 10th July 2025
• 25/131 ASQC Minutes 22nd October 2025
• 25/134C Cardiff Academic and Academic Promotions
• 25/113C Fee and Access Plan Monitoring 2024-25
• 25/135 Employee membership of University Sub-Committees 2024/25 (appointments made by Senate)
• 25/136 Students' Union Charter and Relationship Agreement 2025-26