Graduates’ Association and University Court

Building a sustainable and exciting future for our students, staff and community.

Fellow alumni may share my perception that time passes more quickly than it used to! It seems no time at all since I was writing at the beginning of the new academic year last September. For Court members, the year is punctuated by formal Court meetings, Committee meetings, special events such as the public meeting and the Court Retreat, and regular engagement with the University Executive Group and other colleagues. Picking highlights from all this activity is difficult. The key is recognising where Court's efforts help benefit our students, staff and community and build a sustainable, exciting future.

The Court met formally in November, February and April, and next meet in June. The February meeting was followed by the Court Retreat, an opportunity to consider critical issues in more depth than is possible within normal Court business. Our discussion focused on the decisions needed to implement the new University Strategy launched last year. We confronted the implications of growth, identifying exciting opportunities as well as the impact on people, the University and the city.

For the first time in some years our discussion was not dominated by our financial position, and this was very welcome. There has been disappointment across the higher education sector, however, at the most recent financial settlement proposed by the Scottish Government and Scottish Funding Council, where a gap seems to have emerged between policy objectives – widening access and upskilling the Scottish workforce – and the resources to pay for them.

We are proud of our success in both delivering our educational and social objectives and paying our way by diversifying income streams, but we cannot do it alone. Court discussed how we might develop an informed public conversation about appropriate priorities for the higher education sector, something on which we will align with our fellow universities.

The University Strategy envisages an outward-looking institution, attracting a wide diversity of students and staff who are fully engaged with the local and wider communities. To support that ambition, we have refocused our approach to equality, diversity and inclusion, and ensured that Court has the tools to turn words into deeds.

There is a growing sense of purpose and ambition as Court works with senior management on detailed plans to implement the strategy, and places greater emphasis on communication within and outside our community.

Jane Marshall is a nominated member of the University Court and member of the Graduates’ Association, who acts as an intermediary between graduates and the University Court.

Jane provides regular Court updates which are published at dundee.ac.uk/alumni and she can be contacted at courtadmin@dundee.ac.uk

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