Reporter 9/8/00: Report of the General Board on the establishment of a GKN Professorship of Manufacturing Engineering: Notice

Report of the General Board on the establishment of a GKN Professorship of Manufacturing Engineering: Notice

7 August 2000

The Council have considered the remarks made at the Discussion of this Report on 4 July 2000 (Reporter, p. 963). They have sought comments from the General Board, and have taken those comments into account in presenting the following response:

The Council and the General Board have noted that the academic case for the establishment of a GKN Professorship of Manufacturing Engineering was not challenged in the Discussion. The Report points out that the Faculty Board of Engineering have advised the General Board that the establishment of this Professorship is vital to the ongoing development of research and teaching in Manufacturing Technology in the Department. In his remarks at the Discussion Professor Gregory commented that, as arguably the UK's leading mechanical engineering company, GKN was an appropriate benefactor for this new Professorship. The company's millennium fund is to be the source for funding the Professorship and not any particular business unit, and there are no conditions attached to the benefaction. He further stated that the company had assured him that 'No GKN subsidiary (including the Westland companies) has any outstanding contract with Indonesia and none are being sought.'

In considering potential benefactions, the Council and the General Board believe that it is right to take account of what is lawful and what is considered ethical by the UK Government. When it is also clear that a gift can be put to good use in a way which is consistent with one or more purposes of the University, without any member of the University being put under any obligation or restraint in respect of their future actions or in respect of their personal views about the donor, it is right that it should be accepted. The Council determined that this benefaction met these criteria.

Dr Evans queried the presence of a representative of GKN on the Board of Electors for the Professorship. The membership of Boards of Electors is given careful consideration by the General Board and the Council, in consultation with the appropriate Faculty Board, with regard to achieving a balance of internal and external members, breadth of subject expertise, gender, and departmental representation. For this Professorship, the Faculty Board of Engineering suggested that the Head of GKN's Strategic and Corporate Learning Division would be an appropriate member of the Board of Electors and the General Board were pleased to support this nomination.

The Council are submitting a Grace to the Regent House (Grace 1, p. 1075) for the approval of the recommendations in this Report.

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