What is an effective and high performing governing body in higher education?

The Leadership Summit 2009 is organised jointly by the Leadership Foundation and the Committee for University Chairs (CUC) and will look at effective and high performing governance within higher education, and the future challenges that it faces.

Key Issues

Universities and higher education colleges (HEIs) in the UK are generally well governed, a fact recognised by the Lambert Review in 2004 and confirmed by research which will be presented at this Summit. But the significant financial and competitive challenges to be faced by HEIs in the next few years will require still more effective governance, and this conference will discuss what action institutions need to achieve this.

Inevitably, this raises questions such as: What exactly is an effective governing body in an HEI?; What is meant by a high performing governing body?; and How effective is the relationship between the executive leadership and the governing body?

Content of the Leadership Summit

In helping to answer these questions this conference will do three main things:

Launch and discuss the findings of a major research project on effective governance in UK higher education, commissioned by the Leadership Foundation and CUC from funding provided by all the UK higher education funding bodies coordinated through the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce). The findings from this study will be presented on the day and form the backdrop to subject workshops and discussion. Approximately 30 HEIs were involved in data collection for this study, which provides both quantitative survey data on the state of governance in HEIs, and also qualitative information from case studies of best or innovative practice. A complementary copy of the research report produced by OPM will be circulated to conference participants along with the joining instructions.
Consider possible trends in governance across all sectors in the next five years - triggered, in part, by the outcomes of the credit crunch and the almost inevitable impact on the regulatory environment. A key note address on this will provided by Sir Christopher Hogg, Chair of the Financial Reporting Council.
Feature both presentations and group discussions on five of the specific key challenges that senior leaders of HEIs and their governing bodies are likely to face in the next few years:
	Meeting tough financial challenges
	HR transformation
	Internationalisation
	Enhancing the student learning experience
	Talent management and selection tools

Advance Reading

Delegates are asked to read the following Summary Report in advance of this conference.

What is an Effective and High Performing Governing Body in UK Higher Education? A Review of Existing Research - Summary Report by Allan Schofield

Please download here

Speakers

The conference will be co-chaired by Sir Andrew Burns, Chair of the Council of Royal Holloway, University of London, and Chair of CUC and Ewart Wooldridge CBE, Chief Executive of the Leadership Foundation. Each of the discussion groups will be chaired by an experienced governing body chair of a UK university.

Other confirmed speakers are:

Tim Melville Ross, Chair of the Board of Hefce, and Chair of Investors in People
Sir Christopher Hogg, Chair of the Financial Reporting Council
Professor Sir Graeme Davies, Vice-Chancellor of the University of London
Professor Sir David Watson, Chair, Higher Education Management, University of London Institute of Education, and previously Vice-Chancellor of the University of Brighton
Professor Geoffrey Petts, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the University of Westminster

New governing body resources

The Leadership Summit 2009 will also see the launch of several new resources for governing bodies of UK HEIs:

Five easy-to-read guides for all governors on the main resource areas for which they are responsible (finance, risk, HR, audit, and estates and infrastructure)
A new web site on governance in higher education
An updated version of the CUC Guide for Governors

Who should attend?

The governance issues addressed by the Summit are a shared responsibility between the governing body and the executive leadership. So, as in previous Summits and conferences what works well is representation from both the executive and the governing body, including:

Chairs and governing body members
Vice-chancellors, deputy vice-chancellors and pro vice-chancellors
Registrars, secretaries and clerks to governing bodies
Other members of Senior Management Teams

To book a place at the Leadership Summit 2009 please complete a booking form or contact Jeremy Sheffer or call T: 0207 841 2814

A draft of the Leadership Summit 2009 Programme is available.