dispatches - issue 3, July 2010
Our Higher Education group publishes a regular ebulletin
'dispatches' to keep you up-to-date with news and topical
issues affecting the sector. Please click on the links below to
view July's edition. Alternatively click on the link to view the
pdf of dispatches.
Swine flu, extreme weather conditions and volcanic ash should all be serving to highlight to HEIs the need for contingency plans and employment policies which are broad enough to cover all unexpected emergency situations.
The way that charities are regulated has changed with the introduction of the Charities Act 2006. Formerly, student unions were able to enjoy exempt charitable status by reason of their association with their parent university but this will no longer be the case and they will need to register separately with the Charity Commission.
Notes from a Blake Lapthorn seminar held in May are now available to view. The notes aim to help HEI's get to grips with student complaints.
The University and College Union's (UCU) success in April 2010 against Lancaster University serves as a real reminder of the protection employees on fixed term contracts receive.
Professor Joy Carter is Vice Chancellor of the University of Winchester and also the chair of the Higher Education Advisory Group for the Prime Minister's Initiative for International Education (PMI2). In this interview we have asked Joy to talk through the work that PMI2 is doing and what impact the change of government might have.
In this issue, we talk to Stephen about Transentia's new venture UKFunders. UKFunders is an online database of sources of finance for businesses and commercialisation projects. It is used by businesses and academic institutions who are looking for funding for themselves or their spin-outs, as well as professional advisors assisting their clients with fund-raising.