Senate
Senate
Senate is our senior academic board and is responsible to Council for: general issues relating to the research, scholarship and teaching of our courses; taking appropriate action to safeguard the standards and quality of our awards; considering the development of our academic activities and the resources needed to support them; and for general advice on other matters that Council or the Vice-Chancellor may refer to them.
Senate is chaired by the Vice-Chancellor and membership includes senior academics and professional service employees, representatives of the University’s teaching body, and Students’ Union representatives. Senate is supported by the University Secretariat. For queries please contact Dr Emma Tomsett, University Secretariat Manager. Proposed agenda items should be sent to the Secretary at least two weeks before the meeting to enable the agenda to be set in good time.
Senate meetings and sub-committees
Meeting dates for Senate in 2024-2025 are: 22 January 2025 and 11 June 2025. Members may access Senate paperwork by logging in to their .
The work of Senate is delegated to various sub-committees. Please see the University Committees document for full details of constitutions and terms of reference.
Research and Enterprise Committee is chaired by the Vice-Chancellor and has responsibility for monitoring and reviewing research performance across the University, identifying priority areas for research and enterprise effort and activity, and monitoring the research student environment. This includes preparation for our submission to the Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise.
Meeting dates for REC in 2024-2025 are: 4 December 2024 and 22 May 2025.
For queries, please contact Ciara Walsh, Governance Officer and Secretary.
Student Experience Forum is chaired by the Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (Student Experience) and aims to provide a student-experience focus to the work of the University in order to deliver overall improvements in student engagement, satisfaction and experience.
Meeting dates for SEF in 2024-2025 are: 8 January 2025, 5 March 2025, 30 April 2025 and 25 June 2025.
For queries, please contact Ciara Walsh, Governance Officer and Secretary.
The Institute of Health and Social Care Board is chaired by the Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (Student Experience) and provides a co-ordinating centre for BNU health and social care provision and internal/external stakeholders to maximise opportunities for collaboration, increase innovation and introduce additional forms of income. It also provides inter-related quality assurance and compliance for the University’s health and social care provision in accordance with external regulation requirements.
Meeting dates for the IHSCB in 2024-2025 are: 17 March 2025, 29 May 2025 and 21 July 2025.
For queries, please contact Ciara Walsh, Governance Officer and Secretary.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity Committee is chaired by Vice-Chancellor and aims to provide strategic direction and oversight to foster a genuinely inclusive culture at the University. It focuses on celebrating diversity and proactively developing good relations among staff and students.
Meeting dates for EDI in 2024-2025 are: 6 November 2024 and 14 May 2025.
For queries, please contact Ciara Walsh, Governance Officer and Secretary.
Quality Assurance Committee is chaired by Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education) and aims to ensure high quality academic programmes and credible awards through rigorous approval, monitoring and quality assurance processes.
Meeting dates for QAC in 2024-2025 are : 5 December 2024 and 28 May 2025.
For queries, please contact Emma Tomsett, University Secretariat Manager and Secretary.
Civic Impact Committee is chaired by the Vice-Chancellor and aims to ensure and monitor the delivery of the University's strategic commitments as a civic university, which includes improving its public perception by positively impacting its local communities.
Meeting dates for CIC in 2024-2025 are: 13 February 2025 and 7 May 2025.
For queries, please contact Komal Sharma, Governance Officer and Secretary.
Teaching and Learning Committee is chaired by Pro Vice-Chancellor and aims to enhance pedagogic excellence for BNU’s programmes, ensuring best practices and student support.
Meeting dates for TLC in 2024-2025 are: 13 November 2024 and 4 June 2025.
For queries, please contact Komal Sharma, Governance Officer and Secretary.
Sustainability Committee is chaired by Vice-Chancellor and aims to monitor the implementation of the University’s sustainability goals and targets, determine the University’s strategic sustainability direction and drive environmental improvements recognising the views and priorities of staff and students.
Meeting dates for Sustainability Committee in 2024-2025 are: 21 November 2024 and 21 May 2025.
For queries, please contact Komal Sharma, Governance Officer and Secretary.
Additional information
If you would like more information on the way in which Senate and its sub-committees operate, or would like to explore the role of different members on a committee, please consult the Committees Handbook. For a diagram of the University’s deliberative committee structure please see the University Committees document.
