Agenda item

Report of the Principal.

The Board received a report of the Principal updating the Board on the following areas:-

Quality Assurance Agency (QQA) Report

The Principal tabled the executive summary of the QAA report regarding the application by the School for the grant of degree awarding powers, which had arrived on the morning of the Board meeting. He advised that the language used to describe the School was very positive and that the School's application (which would be considered later in the Autumn) was well-positioned and cautious optimism was appropriate regarding a positive outcome before the Privy Council, the decision-making body.

Milton Court

The Principal advised that snagging was underway on the project with a total of 6098 issues having already been reduced down to 734. He expected the majority of those outstanding matters to be resolved prior to the official opening on 26 September.

Some Members expressed concern that there had been no arrangements put in place to compensate the School if the project was delayed.

National Student Survey

The Principal reported that the most recent results of the National Student Survey were less impressive than in earlier years. The view expressed in the Principal's report, that it was essential to identify the reasons for the fall in student satisfaction, were endorsed by the Chairman. 

Recruitment

The principal reported that the School had been a little over-optimistic in hoping it could fill places on the new Orchestral Artistry course in 13/14 but reported that four vacancies in the music department were now filled. Overall student recruitment was on target except for postgraduate music, nearly all being vacancies in the Orchestral Artistry course.