Changes to the Duties of the ISSS

Extract from the Minutes of the ISSS meeting held on 7 February 2008

4. In view of the weight of work likely to fall upon the shoulders of new Syndicate, suggestions had been made later that the Syndicates could possibly benefit from the support of two sub-committees or sub-Syndicates. However, resolution of the precise terms of reference of these sub-Syndicates had proved difficult to achieve and the Council had accepted the view of the University that the matter of sub-Syndicates should be delegated to the Syndicate itself. This development supported the Chairman's own view that the Syndicate should be actively involved in information strategy issues and not operate simply as a "rubber stamp", allowing substantive matters to be decided by sub-Syndicates. Furthermore, since the objective was to shorten the bureaucratic decision process and not to extend it, the establishment of sub-Syndicates should be treated with caution. The Chairman therefore proposed that the formation of sub-Syndicates should be held-in abeyance for at least 6 months pending experience of ISSS operation.

5. The effect of this would be that the existing Project Boards would, for the time being, report directly to the Syndicate, as would those responsible for the operation of the Granta Backbone Network, Telecomms management and aspects of the operations of the Management Information Services Division (MISD) and the University Computing Service. In parenthesis, it should be noted that the information systems activities of the Library, CARET and the Language Centre were not included in the Syndicate's remit; however, the results of Professor Cliff's review would illuminate further deliberations on the governance of these activities.