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(i) to review the quality of teaching and research in Educational Studies by reference to international standards of excellence, and having regard to the University's Mission Statement and Corporate Plan and to the divisional plan.
(ii) To review the organisational and management structures in Educational Studies including such matters as academic and non-academic planning and recruitment; accommodation and future space needs; and the relationship between the sub-units within the unit, and between the unit and cognate subject areas and colleges with which it is involved in teaching and/or research.
(iii) To review progress made in response to the last review [in 1998–9] and to identify any further action required in the light of changed circumstances during the period since that review.
(iv) To make recommendations to the divisional board, bearing in mind where there are financial implications the level of resources likely to be available within the University and possible alternative ways of raising funds to implement them.
(v) To refer the recommendations to the Planning and Resource Allocation Committee and the Educational Policy and Standards Committee as appropriate.
The membership of the committee is as follows:
Mr D.A. Hay, Head of the Social Sciences Division (Chairman)
Dr Chris Davies, Department of Educational Studies
Sir John Hanson, Warden of Green College
Dr Mary Gregory, Department of Educational Studies
Professor Margaret Brown, King's College, London
Professor Gareth Rees, Cardiff University
Professor Judyth Sachs, University of Sydney
The review committee would welcome written comments on matters falling within its terms of reference. These should be sent to the Secretary to the Review Committee, Mrs Betsy Smith, Social Sciences Division, 34 St Giles', by 13 February.
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(a) to review progress made in response to the last General Board review and HEFCE teaching quality assessment, and to identify any further action required in the light of changed circumstances since those reviews;
(b) to review, by reference to international standards of excellence, and in the context of the University's mission statement and corporate plan, the quality of academic activities in the department, especially:
(i) the quality of the research of the department, including its participation in interdepartmental, interdivisional and interdisciplinary activities, its research profile and strategy, and future challenges and opportunities;
(ii) the quality of undergraduate and graduate programmes and their delivery
(including part-time M.Sc courses offered jointly with the Department for Continuing Education), and related issues including quality assurance mechanisms, proposals for new programmes, recruitment and access, resourcing;
(iii) the organisation of the department, its management structures and the relationship between the department and the division, including such matters as
(iv) the relationship (structural and operational) between units within the department, and between the department and cognate subject areas and colleges to which it is linked in teaching and research;
(c) to consider the financial position of, and funding arrangements for, the department. The review committee is chaired by Professor David Clary, FRS, Head of the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Division. The other members are Professor Gary Gibbons, FRS, Professor of Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge; Professor John Jones, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, University of Warwick; Professor Dr Alain-Sol Sznitman, Department of Mathematics, University of Zürich; Professor John Toland, FRS, Professor of Mathematics, Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Bath, and Scientific Director, International Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Edinburgh; Professor Dr Helmut Neunzert, Technomathematics Group and Chair for the Mathematical Foundation of Physics and Technology, University of Kaiserslautern; Professor David Pettifor, FRS, Isaac Wolfson Professor of Metallurgy, Department of Materials, Oxford; Dr Peter Neumann, University Lecturer (CUF) in Mathematics and Fellow of Queen's College, Oxford.
The committee is in the process of inviting comments individually from senior and junior members of the department. Any other members of the University and members of the public who wish to submit comments in confidence on any issues covered by the committee's terms of reference are invited to send them to the secretary of the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Division, Dr A.M. Knowland, 9 Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PD (fax: Oxford (2)82571, e-mail: anne.knowland@admin.ox.ac.uk), as soon as possible, and in any case not later than 16 February.
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(a) For the purposes of this procedure, fraud is defined as an irregular or illegal act or series of acts characterised by a deliberate intent to conceal or falsely represent an act or a series of acts, resulting in the diversion of resources whether or not for personal gain for the benefit of an individual or group of individuals at a consequent loss to the University.
(b) The objective of this procedure is to safeguard the proper use of the University's finances and resources, including the finances and resources of its subsidiary companies. The University, which derives much of its income from public funds, benefactions and charitable organisations, has a particular responsibility to ensure that income and resources are used solely for the purposes intended.
(c) Fraud is a serious matter and the Council of the University is committed to ensuring that all cases of suspected fraud are investigated. Any member of staff, regardless of their position or seniority, against whom prima facie evidence of fraud is found will be subject to disciplinary procedures that may result in dismissal.
(d) The University reserves the right to seek redress via civil proceedings against individuals whose fraudulent acts have resulted in financial loss to the University.
(e) The University reserves the right to involve the police in any case of fraud or suspected fraud at any stage of an investigation.
(f) The attention of staff is drawn to the University's financial regulations (http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/finance/finregs/index.shtml).
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(a) Any member of staff who suspects that a fraud has been committed must report the matter immediately to the office of the Chief Internal Auditor (telephone: (2)70185). (If it is the Chief Internal Auditor who is suspected of fraud, the matter must be reported to the Registrar and the Chairman of the Audit Committee.) The office of the Chief Internal Auditor will then advise the Registrar, the Director of Finance, the Head of Personnel Services and the head of department/faculty board chairman or the head of division of the suspected fraud. No other action should be taken, and no investigation should commence, without the explicit approval of the Director of Finance, as this may prejudice any subsequent action that the University may wish to take.
(b) An individual reporting a suspected fraud will not be penalised and will be protected from unwarranted detriment where the report is made in good faith and in the reasonable belief that the information reported is substantially correct (see the University's Code of Practice and Procedure on Public Interest Disclosure: http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/ps/codes/hcdoc040.shtml). The University will treat all such reports in a confidential manner. In some cases, however, for the investigation to be carried out fully and for appropriate action to be taken, it may be necessary for the identity of the individual making the report to be disclosed. The individual will be advised before such disclosure is made.
(c) An investigation under this procedure is will be treated as an investigation under the first part of the University's Code of Practice and Procedure on Public Interest Disclosure.
(d) In the event of any employee making malicious or vexatious allegations, disciplinary action may be taken against the employee concerned.
(e) Any person who believes that his or her concerns have not been fully investigated and dealt with under this procedure may request a review under the provisions of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1999 (see the University's Code of Practice and Procedure on Public Interest Disclosure).
(f) It is essential that all those involved in a case of suspected fraud (including the person who reported the matter) observe the strictest confidentiality consistent with operating this procedure.
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(a) Any individual who is suspected of fraud will, subject to clause 3(b) below, be suspended immediately on the currently appropriate rate of pay pending a full investigation. In some cases it may also be necessary to suspend other staff in order to conduct a proper investigation. The suspension of a member of staff does not constitute a finding of misconduct against him or her. Any staff suspended as a result of suspected fraud will be informed of the reason for the suspension.
(b) Personnel Services must be consulted before any staff member is suspended, and on the conduct of the investigation. No one person, acting only on his or her own volition, may move to suspend a member of staff suspected of fraud.
(c) Individuals suspended for suspected fraud or to enable a proper investigation to be carried out will normally be required to leave the University's premises immediately and will not be permitted to return to the premises, to make contact with staff or witnesses, or to act/trade on behalf of the University, unless given express permission to do so by the relevant university authorities, during the period of suspension. Any infringement of this requirement will be treated as a disciplinary offence.
(d) The Registrar and the Director of Finance will decide whether the police should be involved at any stage of each fraud investigation, on the basis of recommendations made by the office of the Chief Internal Auditor and with the advice of the University Marshal.
(e) In cases where the police are involved, the University reserves the right to proceed with its own disciplinary procedures when it would be reasonable to do so, bearing in mind the staff members' rights to a reasonable investigation, to defend him/herself, and to a fair and impartial hearing.
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(a) The office of the Chief Internal Auditor will ensure that all fraud investigations take account of appropriate professional practice, and guidance issued by HEFCE. The Chief Internal Auditor will also ensure that an appropriate fraud response plan detailing the Internal Audit service's procedures is in place and is reviewed regularly.
(b) All reports of suspected financial irregularities or fraud will be investigated by the University's Internal Audit service. The Internal Audit service has unrestricted right of access to all vouchers, documents, books of account, computer data, and any other information which it considers relevant to its inquiries and which is necessary to fulfil its responsibilities. This includes the right to verify assets and to have direct access to any employee or person responsible for the administration or management of university funds with whom it is felt necessary to raise and discuss such matters (see Council Regulations 43, Part 3, Sect. 8.c) In cases that involve or may involve students, the Proctors will be informed by the Internal Audit service at an early stage.
(c) Fraud investigations shall be completed in a timely manner. The office of the Chief Internal Auditor will be responsible for ensuring that the Director of Finance and the Head of Personnel Services, and the Proctors in any cases involving students, are kept informed of the progress of the investigation.
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(a) The Chief Internal Auditor will prepare a report on the suspected fraud that will be sent to the Registrar, the Director of Finance and the Head of Personnel Services, and to the Proctors in any cases involving students. The report may also be sent to the individual's head of division, head of department and/or line manager as appropriate. If the Vice- Chancellor is the employee under investigation, the report will be sent to HEFCE.
(b) The individual or individuals concerned will be informed of the outcome of the investigation when it has been completed.
(c) If the investigation concludes that there is prima facie evidence of fraud, then the matter will be referred under the University's disciplinary procedures (for staff under the jurisdiction of the Visitatorial Board as set out in Part D of Statute XII of the University's Statutes; for all other staff as set out in the relevant staff handbook). It will be the responsibility of the duly authorised person under those procedures to take forward the disciplinary process. Personnel Services must be consulted on all aspects of the process.
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(a) All fraud investigations will be reported to the University's Audit Committee by the Chief Internal Auditor, who will submit a report describing the incident and the outcome of the investigation, any subsequent disciplinary process, the action taken against the individual or individuals involved if the fraud was proven to have taken place, and any measures taken to prevent a recurrence of a similar fraud.
(b) Under the HEFCE Audit Code of Practice (HEFCE 02/26 paragraphs 19 and 20) the HEFCE Chief Executive will be notified by the Vice-Chancellor, as the University's Accounting Officer, of any attempted, suspected or actual fraud where:
(i) the sums involved are, or are potentially, in excess of £10,000;
(ii) the particulars of the fraud are novel, unusual or complex; or
(iii) there is likely to be public interest because of the nature of the fraud or the people involved.
(c) In cases where fraud has resulted in disciplinary action and the police have not been involved, the Registrar will provide HEFCE with an explanation of this course of action.
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All university employees, with the exception of CUF lecturers, are required to obtain approval for the holding of any outside appointment. The following do not count as outside appointments for this purpose (see Council Regulations 24, Sect. I, § 5.A, cll. 10–11):
The University permits its employees to hold outside appointments without deduction of stipend subject to the following conditions:
Outside appointments can take a number of different forms, such as consultancy, private professional practice, expert witness and non-executive directorships. (Approval will not be given for the holding of executive directorships). These are activities carried out outside the University and are contracted for from the individual's personal address. University letterhead, facilities and premises should not be used without the University's express permission.
Certain types of activity involving consultancy/services to industry may be carried out within the University and may be included, where appropriate, within projects funded by externally-funded research grants and contacts. These are described below.
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(a) Applicants must complete an application form (form OA1, available on the University's Web site at http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/ps/outappts.shtml, or in hard copy from departmental administrators/faculty board secretaries).
(b) Applicants whose salaries are funded from externally funded research grants or contracts, or who are Principal Investigators or Co-Investigators on outside-sponsored projects, must adhere to the terms and conditions stipulated by or agreed with the sponsor and, if necessary, seek written approval from the sponsor. [3] Research Services is able to provide advice on the terms and conditions of externally-funded research grants and contracts held by the University (telephone: (2)70143).
(c) Where it is appropriate for the outside appointment to be covered by a contract or letter of agreement, and particularly when the external organisation requires a written agreement to cover a consultancy, applicants must arrange for the terms governing the outside appointment to be scrutinised by Research Services in advance of signature. (All applicants are, in fact, advised to stipulate in writing the terms which will govern their outside activities for an external organisation, not least to limit their personal liability.) The University's legal advisers have drafted a standard personal consultancy document which serves as a useful starting point for discussions around the terms of a consultancy appointment. This is available from Research Services (telephone: (2)70143) or on the Research Services Web site at http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/rso/oxonly/agreements/pcaform.htm.
(d) Research Services scrutinise the terms of an agreement in order to consider their compatibility with the University's interests as employer. The office cannot advise the employee on the terms from the employee's standpoint; and the employee should take his or her own advice unless he or she makes use of Oxford University Consulting Ltd (see paragraph 8 below).
(e) Applicants must obtain the approval of their direct line manager where relevant.
(f) When Research Services has confirmed in writing that the terms proposed to govern the outside appointment meet the University's minimum requirements and the necessary approvals have been obtained from the relevant line manager or sponsor (as appropriate), applicants should submit the completed form to their head of department, who will be asked to sign to confirm that he/she is content to approve the outside appointment in the context of the applicant's university duties. Heads of department who themselves wish to hold outside appointments must submit their application forms to their head of division for approval. Heads of Division should submit applications to the Vice-Chancellor.
(g) If the above procedures are followed and the relevant approvals obtained, applicants will be granted insurance cover for the outside appointment in question under the University's professional indemnity insurance policy, subject to the limitations of that policy. Details may be obtained from the Insurance Officer, Mr G.C. Waite (telephone: (2)80307).
(a) Heads of department are responsible, through their departmental administration, for keeping records of the number of days spent on outside appointments by all staff (regardless of staff group) in their departments.
(b) Heads of department will report their approvals of outside appointments, and the basic details of the outside appointments, to their divisions on an annual basis, by the end of July each year.
(c) Divisions are responsible, through their divisional administration, for monitoring and coordinating information relating to all approvals for outside appointments submitted by departments within their remit, and for making an annual return to the Personnel Committee by the end of September each year.
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Members of the University choosing to use the services of OUC Ltd must still follow the internal procedures for University approval of their outside appointments as outlined in these guidelines; OUC Ltd will, however, assist the process on behalf of the individuals concerned.
[2]
Faculty board chairman in non-departmentally organised subjects, head of division in the
case of heads of departments.
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[3]
The Wellcome Trust's grant conditions, for example, include stringent conditions relating
to the holding of consultancies and these apply equally to individuals who are in receipt of
Wellcome Trust research grants, as well as to those whose salaries are paid from Wellcome
Trust grants.
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The Language Centre is open 9.30 a.m.–6.30 p.m., Monday–Friday during noughth week and 9.30 a.m.--8 p.m. (6.30 p.m. on Friday) in full term, as well as 10 a.m.- -1 p.m. on Saturday in full term. Further details of all courses and activities may be obtained from the Information Officer, Angela Pinkney, at the Language Centre, 12 Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6HT (telephone: (2)83360, e-mail: admin@lang.ox.ac.uk, Web pages: www.lang.ox.ac.uk).
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17 Jan.: No. 1 in G major, no. 3 in C major, and no. 5 in C minor.
24 Jan.: No. 2 in D minor, no. 4 in E flat major, and no. 6 in D major.
Admission is free. Programmes for each concert will be available from the porters' lodge at St John's. Each programme will be valid as an admission ticket until 8.20 p.m. Any vacant seats will be filled from the door during the last ten minutes before the concert starts.
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(2)83401, e-mail: shop@oucs.ox.ac.uk.
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(Note: OxCERT does not handle virus related problems unless they have a major impact on e-mail servers or the network infrastructure. Virus incidents and assistance—see www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/viruses/.)
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Professor Whatmore will be a fellow of Linacre College.
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Professor McDowell will be a fellow of St John's College.
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Professor Lauritzen will be a fellow of Jesus College.
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Appointed by Mr Vice-Chancellor ex officio The Warden of All Souls ex officio Professor M.K. Atack Council Professor D. Knight Council Professor A. Viala Council of the University of Paris Professor B. Marchal Council of the University of Paris Dr R.C.S. Walker Humanities Board Professor E. Fallaize Modern Languages Board Professor C. Howells Modern Languages Board Professor I. Maclean All Souls College
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