No 6392
Wednesday 24 June 2015
Vol cxlv No 36
pp. 651–692
24 June, Wednesday. Congregation of the Regent House at 10 a.m. (General Admission). Scarlet Day.
25 June, Thursday. Congregation of the Regent House at 10 a.m. (General Admission). Scarlet Day.
26 June, Friday. Congregation of the Regent House at 10 a.m. (General Admission). Scarlet Day.
27 June, Saturday. Congregation of the Regent House at 10 a.m. (General Admission). Scarlet Day.
7 July, Tuesday. Discussion of the Regent House at 2 p.m. (see below).
18 July, Saturday. Congregation of the Regent House at 10 a.m.
Ordinary issues of the Reporter for the remainder of the 2014–15 academical year will be published on 1 July, 15 July, and 29 July 2015. The first issue of the 2015–16 academical year will be published on 23 September 2015.
The Vice-Chancellor invites those qualified under the regulations for Discussions (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 111) to attend a Discussion in the Senate-House, on Tuesday, 7 July 2015, at 2 p.m. for the discussion of:
1. Joint Report of the Council and the General Board, dated 5 June 2015, on procedures for dealing with questions of fitness to study (Reporter, 6390, 2014–15, p. 619).
2. Report of the General Board, dated 3 June 2015, on the establishment of certain Professorships (Reporter, 6390, 2014–15, p. 623).
3. Report of the General Board, dated 8 June 2015, on Senior Academic Promotions (Reporter, 6390, 2014–15, p. 625).
4. Second-stage Report of the Council, dated 15 June 2015, on the construction of a new laboratory for the Schools of the Biological Sciences and Clinical Medicine (Reporter, 6391, 2014–15, p. 642).
5. Report of the General Board, dated 12 June 2015, on the future arrangements for the Centre for Applied Research in Educational Technologies (CARET) (Reporter, 6391, 2014–15, p. 644).
6. Joint Report of the Council and the General Board, dated 23 June and 19 June 2015, on the University’s student disciplinary procedures (p. 666).
7. Second-stage Report of the Council, dated 23 June 2015, on the North Range of buildings on the New Museums site (p. 679).
The Vice-Chancellor begs leave to refer to his Notice of 18 May 2015 (Reporter, 6388, 2014–15, p. 588), concerning proposed amending Statutes for Christ’s College. He hereby gives notice that in the opinion of the Council the proposed Statutes make no alteration of any Statute which affects the University, and do not require the consent of the University; that the interests of the University are not prejudiced by them, and that the Council has resolved to take no action upon them, provided that the Council will wish to reconsider the proposed Statutes if they have not been submitted to the Privy Council by 22 June 2016.
The Vice-Chancellor begs leave to refer to his Notice of 18 May 2015 (Reporter, 6388, 2014–15, p. 588), concerning proposed amending Statutes for St John’s College. He hereby gives notice that in the opinion of the Council the proposed Statutes make no alteration of any Statute which affects the University, and do not require the consent of the University; that the interests of the University are not prejudiced by them, and that the Council has resolved to take no action upon them, provided that the Council will wish to reconsider the proposed Statutes if they have not been submitted to the Privy Council by 22 June 2016.
The Vice-Chancellor gives notice that Professor Ray Monk, FRSL, Professor of Philosophy, University of Southampton, has been appointed to deliver the next Leslie Stephen Lecture. Professor Monk will speak in the Senate-House at 5.30 p.m. on Monday, 21 November 2016. Further details, including a title for this Lecture, will be published early in that Michaelmas Term.
The Council has received the remarks made at the Discussion on 9 June 2015 (Reporter, 6391, 2014–15, p. 646) on the above Report (Reporter, 6387, 2014–15, p. 544).
The Council notes Dr Flewitt’s support for the West Cambridge master plan and will share his recommendation for a shared, central microfabrication facility with the West Cambridge Site Development Board for further consideration. The Research Policy Committee, the Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research), and the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Institutional Affairs) are working with the West Cambridge Site Development Board to explore opportunities for incorporating multi-disciplinary centres working across Schools and Departments into the detailed planning of West Cambridge.
Dr Cowley has requested further detail of the potential highway improvements proposed as part of the West Cambridge master plan. The detailed improvements are not yet agreed with the County Council or Highways England, as the development is subject to further testing through the County Council’s Cambridgeshire Sub-Regional Model (CSRM), which will determine the potential transport impacts of the development. At this stage, and from initial modelling results, it is expected that the impacts of the development can be accommodated within the existing carriageways and the highway improvements scheduled for the North West Cambridge development, with the possible addition of some further minor junction and link improvements and redesigns, local carriageway widening, and restrictions to certain movements along the Madingley Road corridor, though this will be validated through the CSRM-led transport testing process. In parallel, the University is preparing a package of public transport and cycling improvements that will reflect and help to facilitate the forthcoming City Deal proposals. The City Deal includes options for bus prioritization on the A428/Madingley Road corridor, as well as an orbital route that could link West Cambridge with the Guided Busway and Science Park station to the north and the Addenbrooke’s site to the south. A package of stand-alone improvements is being developed; however, if the City Deal proposals are agreed, then the West Cambridge development would be designed to link to them.
The Council notes Mr Maclaren’s comments on design of cycle, pedestrian, and vehicle routes, and these will be shared with the West Cambridge Site Development Board. The master plan will take account of the University’s investment in existing infrastructure on the West Cambridge site, as well as the potential to adapt this in the future as new development is built.
The Council is submitting a Grace (Grace 1, p. 680) for the approval of the recommendations of this Report.
The Council has received the remarks made by Dr Cowley at the Discussion on 9 June 2015 (Reporter, 6391, 2014–15, p. 646) on the above Report (Reporter, 6387, 2014–15, p. 548).
This Report seeks permission from the Regent House to provide authority to the Council to arrange in advance, on the advice of the Finance Committee, external finance up to a total amount of £300m for income-generating projects. If approved, the authority would apply for a period of two years from the date of the Report with the option for the Council to request continuation of the authority on a rolling two-year basis annually by Grace.
As the Report states, the University is engaged upon a period of intense strategic capital development. The cost of the developments necessary to ensure that the University can continue to compete at the highest levels internationally is very significant when projected over the next twenty years. This is made all the more difficult by the loss of regular capital funding from government. Receipts from Cambridge Assessment and Cambridge University Press are channelled into the Capital Fund and fundraising will necessarily play an increased and crucial role, especially as the University embarks on a new Campaign. However, external finance may also play a part by its use to fund non-operational projects where income will meet the costs of the borrowing and ultimately repay the principal of the sum borrowed. This would have two effects. The first would be to relieve pressure on the Capital Fund that must be devoted to meeting pressing operational needs and where fundraising is most likely to be in support. The second is that projects like Phase 2 of the North West Cambridge development and the type of commercial developments referred to in the Report can further support the University’s mission by the provision of low-cost housing for staff, paid-for research facilities for partners in innovation and research, and the generation of income for the Chest where the development (as in the case of Old Press and Mill Lane site) is designed to maximize income from retail and non-research commercial uses.
The authority sought in the Report is similar to that granted when the University launched its public bond in 2012. The authority granted then enabled the Finance Committee and the Council to act purposefully and to the tempo of the markets using professional advice. The intention of this Report is to provide a similar opportunity. No decision has been made about whether or how to seek external finance at this stage and what form any borrowing would take. It is a clear principle of the Finance Committee and the Council that any borrowing could only be for projects where a business case supported the cost of the borrowing and repaid the loan. Nor does the Council wish to prejudice its Aaa rating with Moody’s. The Report is timed to coincide with the maturing of cases for decision by the Regent House about a second phase of the North West Cambridge development, the building-out of commercial research facilities at West Cambridge, and the development of the Old Press and Mill Lane site and other properties during the next year or so. The opportunity for borrowing at favourable rates remains good but any decision to take advantage of that opportunity would be matched against the financial strength of the strategic business case for the individual project concerned.
The Council is submitting a Grace (Grace 2, p. 680) for the approval of the recommendations of this Report.
The Council has received the remarks made at the Discussion on 9 June 2015 (Reporter, 6391, 2014–15, p. 646) on the above Report (Reporter, 6387, 2014–15, p. 550).
Professor Evans makes reference to the financial risks associated with the Capital Plan. The Council is aware that the proposed levels of investment are considerable. However, they remain lower than the levels of spending on capital infrastructure by most of our key international competitors. The Council believes that the provision of high-quality space is essential to retain the University’s position as a world-leading academic institution, to enhance the student experience, and to promote the wellbeing of our staff. The University continues to make a major investment in CUDAR, and it is expected that philanthropic funds will make a significant contribution to funding the Capital Plan. In the event that philanthropic and other receipts are lower than planned, then the Council will consider scaling back the Capital Plan.
Professor Evans also draws attention to the aspiration for more academic staff time to be claimed on grants. The Full Economic Costing model operated by the Research Councils and others allows for ‘PI (Principal Investigator) time’ as a category of cost. If the University under-claims in this category – and there is evidence that it does – then it loses out on an important source of income which forms part of the overall settlement between the Higher Education sector and government. Those who are able to claim PI time on their grants are therefore encouraged to do so. There is no suggestion that those who are unable to do so, either because of the rules of the funding bodies which support their work, or because their work is ‘self-funded’, should be in any way disadvantaged.
Mr Maclaren draws attention to the fact that funding for the UIS is not set to increase in this Report. Considerable sums for restructuring the UIS were set aside in a previous Budget Report, and the Director of the UIS has brought forward budgets that operate within that previously approved envelope.
The Council is submitting a Grace (Grace 3, p. 680) for the approval of the recommendations of this Report.
The University Combination Room will be closed for two weeks for maintenance from Monday, 10 August 2015, reopening at 9 a.m. on Monday, 24 August 2015.