I think Gillian is absolutely right about the importance of the Chair and
membership. We were very lucky in that when our EO Steering Group was
established it was made a joint Committee of both Senate and Council (so it
reports direct to both) and is chaired by a Lay member of Council. The
ex-officio membership also includes a PVC, a Dean and a Head of Department.
Having members in high places has, in my view, made all the difference
between being marginalised and being seen as an important committee with
clout. We did have a minor hiccup lately when our revisions to our Code of
Practice on EO for Students were thrown out by Senate (just too PC for some,
even now, I'm afraid) but with a little imaginative tinkering we got it
through the second time round.
In case anyone is interested in the new Code, I am attaching it (Rich Text
Format). It will be on the web quite soon but is in a queue for mounting
(lots of updating to do at this time of year). The code that is on there
now is the original 1993 version.
Moira
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