Court news

The main business of the June meeting of Court was the approval of the 2007/8 budget and the Strategic Framework to 2012. In early September, the Court held its annual retreat which provided an opportunity for the Heads of College to outline their individual visions.

Sports Union
The Court received an annual report from the Sports Union, presented by its President, Anna Anderson. Miss Anderson gave a lively account of the Union's developments during 2006/7 and highlighted the sporting achievements of the various clubs, in particular noting the successes of the Women's Water Polo and the Men's Fencing and Badminton teams.

Achievements
In his report to Court, the Principal singled out a number of recent announcements for particular mention: the Honorary Graduates' Award for Innovative Teaching, won jointly by Graham Pullin, Hannah Whaley, Martine van Ittersum and Matthew Ward; Grahame Hardie's nomination as a Fellow of the Royal Society (bringing the total number of Royal Society Fellows in the University to eleven); NHS Tayside's decision to provide at least £2m funding for the Clinical Research Centre; and the gift of £2.1m from the Souter Foundation for the purchase of an MRI scanner.

Finance
The Court approved the proposed budget for the Colleges and the Student and Academic Support Services for the financial year 2007/8. Following discussion with Heads of Colleges, College Secretaries and other members of the Senior Management Team, a new resource allocation model was being applied for 2007/8, with Funding Council income being allocated in a more transparent way than in previous years. Central support costs were to be funded from agreed contributions from the Colleges, and for 2007/8 the Student and Academic Support Services were being held to a stand-still budget. The Court also approved the Capital Programme for 2007/8. The focus in the medium term would be on long-term maintenance. Additionally, the Court approved routine annual financial forecasts for submission to the Funding Council.

Strategic Framework to 2012
The Court considered and approved a document laying out the strategic direction of the institution for the next five years. The document set out a series of aims and objectives, which would form the basis for College and University targets as well as for performance indicators to measure the University's progress. The intention was that this document would map out the general direction of the University, and would be supplemented by College plans. The Court welcomed what it felt was a comprehensive and well-structured document.

Court Retreat
In early September, the Court held its annual retreat at the West Park Centre. The Court and senior university officers were treated to presentations from the Heads of the Colleges of Arts & Social Sciences, Art, Science & Engineering and Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing as well as from the Dean of the Life Sciences Research School, who all explained the structure and focus of each of their areas. The Court learnt about the key developments affecting each of the Colleges and by the end of the day was in a position to understand more clearly the strategic issues and external pressures facing different parts of the University. Earlier in the day, the Court had heard from the Director of Admissions and Student Recruitment, who outlined the challenges facing the University and the sector as a whole before laying out his plans for addressing them. Throughout the day, Court members were able to discuss issues with other members and officers in a less formal atmosphere than the usual Court meeting.

Court Membership
Court said goodbye in June to three retiring members: Steve Blane, outgoing DUSA President, was taking the Diploma in Legal Practice in the Law School; Willie Wilson had completed his term as Graduates' Council Assessor; and Martyn Ward was taking retirement from the University. The Chairman thanked all three for their varied, lively and valued contributions to Court meetings.

At the Retreat in September, the Court welcomed four new members: Milan Bogunovic had become a member following his election as President of the Students' Association; Iain Wright had been elected by the Graduates' Council to succeed Willie Wilson; and Gary Mires and Ian Ball had been elected by Senate to serve on the Court.