Operational Responsibilities of Members of the Senate

In the conduct of their duties, all Senators (elected and ex officio, Staff and Student) have a responsibility to:

  1. uphold and follow the Values of the University as well as the nine principles of public life in Scotland: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, leadership, public service, and respect;
  2. help ensure the delivery of the University’s academic Vision and Mission, and Strategic Goals;
  3. put into effect the principles of institutional citizenship that were agreed by the Senate in May 2017;
  4. encourage colleagues to stand for election to the Senate – bearing in mind the benefits to be gained from Senate being composed of members drawn from a wide diversity of backgrounds and experiences;
  5. help ensure the delivery of the responsibilities of the Senate (including through participation in the Senate committee structure, which includes appropriate School committees), and to take collective and individual ownership for the issues under the Senate’s remit and for the discussion and resolution of these issues;
  6. be prepared by reading the papers prior to meetings, whilst respecting confidentiality and handling sensitive matters with discretion;
  7. engage in free, frank, candid and respectful discussion on matters brought before Senate, contributing to the broad spectrum of thoughts and opinions that are necessary for proper consideration of academic business – recognising that respectful disagreement is an important and valid part of arriving at an outcome;  
  8. take into account the unique needs and priorities of HWU’s global composition, including to ensure the inclusion of colleagues participating in meetings remotely; 
  9. participate in all meetings of Senate unless absence is due to illness, urgent personal reasons or academic commitments, and whilst in meetings to remain ‘engaged’ with the subject matter, only using technology to enable their participation in the meeting;
  10. if allocated actions, to ensure that these are followed up and reported on in the anticipated timescale;
  11. be committed to communicating the work of Senate to the wider University Community, bearing in mind that the only official report of the meeting is the Minutes of the meeting, and that some matters must remain confidential;
  12. participate actively in the wider University community (including to attend other formal and informal meetings/events in the University relevant to the business of Senate) and show a willingness to be appointed as members of Senate committees,[1] sub-committees, or working groups.

[1] Senators have the opportunity to further specialise in areas within the remit of Senate, such as Research and Innovation, Learning and Teaching or Quality and Standards, by serving on these Committees. Senators also have the opportunity to stand for election by Senate to serve as a member of Court.