Handing-Over Notes for Deans of Faculties

8.0  Other Responsibilities (page 3)

8.1 Office of Postgraduate Studies

The Office of Postgraduate Studies is located in the Cledwyn Building and the Deans of Faculty liaise closely with the Dean of Postgraduate Studies on matters pertaining to postgraduate research training, monitoring of progress of research students, etc. The Deans of Faculty and the Dean of Postgraduate Studies are part of the Postgraduate Strategy Implementation Group which monitors the Postgraduate Strategy under the AU Learning and Teaching Strategy.

8.2  Unfair Practice

The Deans play a monitoring role under the regulations governing unfair practice, where students opt to have their cases dealt with by departmental panels rather than a University Committee of Inquiry. Departments are required to seek the approval of the Dean for any penalty imposed for unfair practice and the Deans report annually to the Academic Affairs Committee on cases within their Faculty. (See the Academic Regulation on Unfair Practice).

8 .3  Student Complaints

Under the University Complaints Procedure, students should seek to resolve any complaints at the lowest possible and appropriate level. If it has not been possible to resolve them within the department, the head of department will forward the paperwork on the case to the relevant Dean, who will make a ruling on the complaint, either based on the paper evidence, or by interviewing the parties concerned, or by establishing a panel to consider the complaint. (See the AU Complaint Procedure).

8.4   West Wales Summer University

The Deans are asked in June each year by the Centre for Widening Participation and Social Inclusion to vet modules to be delivered at the annual Summer University, which prepares potential applicants for university study.

8.5 Membership of External Bodies

It is expected that the Deans will be members of external representative bodies such as the UK Deans of Science Committee and attend appropriate meetings of these committees to represent AU and discuss issues with colleagues from other institutions

8.6 Teaching Quality Enhancement

The Deans are involved in activities geared to the enhancement of teaching quality such as the annual awards for Teaching Excellence.

8.6  Gooding Fund

The Dean of Science controls this fund and approves requests from staff (and occasionally research students) within the Science Faculty for funding to attend conferences.

8.7 Support Staff

The Deans’ Office consists of one full-time and one part-time secretary, and is managed by the Academic Secretary through the Administrative Assistant. Secretarial support includes arranging meetings with the Deans, maintaining student files and attending and note-taking at meetings with unsatisfactory students. The Faculty Secretaries provide support on Faculty related issues.