University Committees

Ways of Working: Roles and Responsibilities

1. Background

In the light of the University Strategy 2010-2020, UEC considered, and in some cases adapted, ways of working within the University. Delivery of the University’s ambitions in research and education and of our wider environmental and social responsibilities by our Departments, Colleges and Professional Support Services will require significantly enhanced performance in many areas of the University, close working across Department/College/Professional Support Service boundaries, and strategic use of resource. This document provides a summary of roles and responsibilities.

2. Governance and Management Structure

As set out in University Statutes, Council is the supreme Governing Body of the University, while Senate is responsible for academic standards. Subject to the powers of Council and Senate, day-to-day running of the University is the responsibility of UEC. The University has, and will retain, a flat line-management structure. UEC provides the first–tier leadership with all second tier leaders (Heads of Department; College Heads; Heads of Professional Support Departments, Institute Directors, non-executive Deans) responsible directly to a member of UEC.

3. University Executive Committee (UEC)

UEC is the University’s Executive, with collective responsibility to Council for delivering the University’s Strategy and underpinning resource management, although subject to the responsibilities of Senate for academic standards. Members are appointed as members of UEC and not solely as the Head of a Faculty or Division or as a Portfolio lead. Pro-Vice-Chancellors, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Warden and Head of Professional Support Services are part of the Executive, not intermediates between the Executive and Heads of Department.

The membership and management/portfolio responsibilities of UEC members are:

Chair: Vice Chancellor and Warden (Chief Executive and Chair) - Chris Higgins
Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Ray Hudson
Portfolio Pro-Vice-Chancellors: (Research) Tom McLeish
(Education) Tom Ward
Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellors: (Arts and Humanities) Seth Kunin
(Science) Andrew Deeks
(Social Science and Health) Robin Coningham
Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Warden: Graham Towl
Head of Professional Support Services: Paulina Lubacz
Additional Member: Director Human Resources, Jack Boyd

The Vice-Chancellor is the Chief-Executive and Chair of UEC. All members of UEC (with the exception of the Director of Human Resources who reports to the Treasurer and Acting Registrar) are responsible to the Vice-Chancellor.

UEC is jointly and collectively responsible for decisions taken and overseeing implementation.

Within UEC, individuals have specific responsibilities:

a) The Deputy Vice-Chancellor deputises for the Vice-Chancellor and provides strategic academic leadership on pan-University issues outwith the education and research portfolios, as defined by the Vice-Chancellor (eg areas such partnerships, health and safety, HR), and takes responsibility for development and implementation of specific strategies and policies for the advancement of the University as a whole.

b) Portfolio Pro-Vice-Chancellors have overarching strategic responsibility for key areas of University strategy and for representing the University externally in their portfolio areas. They have minimal budgetary or line-management responsibility. Additionally, they have a defined role in linking UEC with Senate which has overall responsibility for academic standards. Thus, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) and the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) respectively chair the Education and Research committees of Senate.

The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) also has responsibility to UEC for strategy and core budgets of University Research Institutes and the Seedcorn Research Fund.

The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) is responsible to Senate and Council through Education Committee for the development of policy and strategy underpinning learning and teaching and the student experience and all issues within the remit of the Education Committee. 

c) Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellors (Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences and Health, and Science) have delegated budgetary, line-management and planning responsibility for the Departments in their remit.

d) The Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Warden has delegated budgetary, line-management and planning responsibility for the (Council) Colleges. He oversees the delivery of the student experience, including personal development, sport and other (non-academic) student activities including outreach, culture and JCRs and the contribution of student support services to the student experience. He is also responsible for the relationship with the recognised colleges.

e) The Treasurer and Acting Registrar is the Chief Finance Officer, with responsibility for managing the University’s finances and has delegated budgetary, line management, and planning responsibility for the Professional Support Services. She is also the Chief Operating Officer responsible to the Vice-Chancellor for University business.

To aid decision-making, additional expertise in a key cross-cutting area is provided at UEC by the Director of Human Resources.

Please click here to a diagram showing the members of UEC and their management/portfolio responsibilities. 

UEC has principal responsibility for developing policy and strategy and ensuring effective implementation. UEC members will take cabinet responsibility for all decisions (deputies are not permitted) and work in partnership within and out-with formal meetings.

To ensure alignment of policy and financial decisions, policy papers are presented to UEC by the Chairs of the Education and Research Committees in advance of Senate to ensure that any financial or other consequences of implementing a policy are properly identified and considered by appropriate budget holders.

4. UEC Advisory Groups

UEC has established a number of Advisory and Steering Groups to assist in managing key areas of responsibility and to which some decision-making is delegated, subject to report to UEC. The twelve principal groups currently are:

  • Capital Planning Group (CPG) (Chair: Paulina Lubacz)
  • Diversity and Equality Advisory Group (DEAG) (Chair: Tom Ward)
  • Fees Advisory Board (FAB) (Chair: Ray Hudson)
  • Global Engagement Steering Group (Chair: Ray Hudson)
  • Gold Steering Group (Chair: Graham Towl)
  • Greenspace Advisory Group (Chair: Tim Burt)
  • Health and Safety Policy and Strategy Committee (HSPSC) (Chair: Ray Hudson)
  • HR Steering Group (HRSG) (Chair: Ray Hudson)
  • IT Steering Group (ITSG) (Chair: Tom Ward)
  • Library Steering Group (Chair: Seth Kunin)
  • Planning and Finance Steering Group (PFSG) (Chair: Paulina Lubacz)
  • Regional Advisory Group (Chair: Ray Hudson)
  • Regional Strategy Group (Chair: (tbc))

Senate and Council have agreed an interim appointment of a University Secretary for a period of 2 years.

5. Non-executive Deans

Non-executive Deans are senior academics (eg normally Professors who have served as Head of Department/College) appointed for a defined period of time to assist UEC by taking responsibility for leading and championing specific cross-cutting areas of strategy and policy; ensuring joined-up working across the University; and representing the University in their area of responsibility. They remain within their Department/College and do not have significant budgetary or managerial responsibility but develop strategy and policy for discussion and ultimate approval by UEC.

Non-executive Deans are not members of UEC but normally report to UEC through a Portfolio Pro-Vice-Chancellor, attending UEC when their area of responsibility is on the agenda. They may be supported by an advisory group.

There are currently 8 non-executive Deans, whose portfolios and reporting lines are as below:

  • Environmental Sustainability (Tim Burt; supported by Environmental Sustainability Advisory Group (ESAG)) - Deputy Vice-Chancellor
  • Experience Durham (Peter Warburton) - Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Warden
  • Global Engagement (Dave Petley) - Deputy Vice-Chancellor
  • Knowledge Exchange and Impact (Richard Davies) - Deputy Vice-Chancellor
  • Postgraduate and Undergraduate Education (Tim Clark) - Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education)
  • Queen’s Campus (Jo Phoenix; supported by Queen’s Campus Strategy Group) - Deputy Vice-Chancellor
  • Research (REF) (Dave Petley) - Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research)
  • University Enterprise (Brian Tanner) - Deputy Vice-Chancellor

6. Deputy Heads of Faculty

Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellors have significant strategic and management responsibilities and are supported by senior members of academic staff in their Faculty who assist them in specific portfolio areas. They are not Deputies for the Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor at UEC and do not have delegated authority in relation to HR, financial or strategic planning matters. Each Faculty will normally have a Deputy Head for Research, who is a member of the University Research Committee, and two Deputy Heads who chair the Faculty Education Committees (Undergraduate/ Postgraduate) and sit on the University Education Committee.

7. Heads of Department/College

Heads of Department/College have individual responsibility and accountability to their Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor/Deputy Warden for the budgets and resources (including space) allocated to them by their Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor/Deputy Warden. They also have responsibility for line-management and mentorship of staff in their Departments/Colleges. Heads of Department are not simply Department Chairs but have executive responsibility.

The Head of an academic department will normally also serve as Chair of the Board of Studies with responsibility for academic standards in research and teaching. He/she will normally be supported by a Director of Research, a Director of Learning and Teaching and a Department Administrator (who has responsibility to communicate and interact effectively with colleagues in the Professional Support Services on behalf of the Department).

A critical role for every Head of Department/College is communication, in both directions, between UEC (through their Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor/ Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Warden) and staff in their Department/College.

Please click here for lists of current Heads of Department and Heads of Colleges.

8. Heads of Professional Support Departments

The Heads of Professional Support Departments are responsible to the Treasurer and Acting Registrar for the budgets, space and facilities and staff allocated to them in delivering the University’s strategy.

Please click here to the current Departments and Heads.

9. Institute Directors

Institutes are not cost-centres (apart from small core resource to facilitate their activities) and all salaries, staff and research funding are managed through cognate Departments/Faculties. Institute Directors are some of our most outstanding academic leaders and are responsible to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) (and through Research Committee to Senate) for strategic planning and the delivery of internationally-leading research through the Institute.

The Research Committee is also responsible for recommending the establishment of new Institutes and for reviewing and, if necessary, winding down Institutes which are no longer at the international forefront of Research. Their other academic activities and research funding are line-managed by the relevant Head of Department as part of the Faculty budget.

Currently there are nine University Institutes and Directors:

  • Institute of Advanced Study (Veronica Strang)
  • Biophysical Sciences Institute (John Girkin)
  • Institute of Particle Physics Phenomenology (Valya Khoze)
  • Institute of Computational Cosmology (Carlos Frenk)
  • Durham Energy Institute (Wilf Wilde )
  • Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience (Sarah Curtis)
  • North East Stem Cell Institute (Colin Jahoda)
  • Wolfson Research Institute (Clare Bambra)
  • Institute for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (David Cowling)

Chris Higgins

Vice-Chancellor and Warden

December 2009

(Updated May 2013)