Nominations Open for 2020 Executive Committee Elections

The call for nominations for the 2020 UKCGE Executive Committee Elections is now open. Nominations close on 21st September 2020. 

Nominations Open for 2020 Executive Committee Elections

UKCGE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ELECTIONS 2020.
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN.

The Chair & Executive Committee of the UK Council for Graduate Education invite nominations for election to the UKCGE Executive Committee for the period November 2020 to July 2023.

There will be THREE vacancies on the Executive Committee this year from November 2020 and the posts will be filled via ballot, the results being announced at an Extraordinary Annual General Meeting of the UKCGE in November.

Download the Nomination Form >

The closing date for nominations is Monday 21st September 2020.

How to Submit Your Nomination

To submit your nomination:

  1. Download the nomination form.
  2. Provide a brief biographical note, of no more than 100 words, on your career in postgraduate education.
  3. State how they would input into the range of activities undertaken by the Council.
  4. Send the form to each proposer to sign.
  5. Return the completed form to the UKCGE— scanned forms can be emailed to: owen.gower@ukcge.ac.uk.

About Our Executive Committee

The UKCGE Executive Committee is comprised of 12 representatives from member HEIs, elected by institutional representatives from across the UKCGE’s membership.

The role of the Executive Committee is to agree and set the strategic priorities for the Council, to oversee the various activities organised and carried out by the Council, to agree Council policy and to ensure efficient financial management and compliance with charity regulations.

The Executive Committee devolves some of its oversight to a sub-committee, comprised of the Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer and Honorary Secretary, who are elected from and by the Executive Committee, and who meet on a quarterly basis.

Our governing body has the power to supplement the election process by co-opting 4 members to the committee who they consider would add value to the governance of the UKCGE and help us to deliver our strategic priorities. Co-opted members serve for 1 year (renewable for 1 further year).

Joining the Executive Committee

Election to the Council’s Executive Committee from our membership is central to our claim to be the voice of the postgraduate sector’ and delivers our ethos of being a charity driven by the sector for the benefit of the sector.

We are seeking Executive Committee members who have a broad and wide-ranging knowledge of postgraduate education covering both administrative and academic issues, postgraduate research and postgraduate taught, part-time students and distance learners and full-time students.

Nominees should have successful significant experience of postgraduate education, an awareness of the issues facing the sector, and be in a position to advise on the strategic priorities for postgraduate education and to be willing to actively participate in contributing to the Council’s operation and its annual programme of activities and reports.

What’s involved in being an Executive Committee Member

The Executive Committee meets a minimum of 3 times a year for Executive Committee meetings. Executive Committee members are also actively involved in Working Groups set up by the Council (attending meetings etc), organising conferences and workshops, drafting material and commenting on various aspects of the Council’s work.

Executive Committee meetings alternate between the Midlands and London and are usually hosted by members of the Council. Travel expenses will be reimbursed.

As part of their auditing function, Executive Committee member are entitled to participate in up to 3 UKCGE events per year at no charge (however travel expenses will not normally be reimbursed on these occasions).

Executive Committee members can, therefore, expect to spend up to 6 days per year volunteering for the UKCGE.

Current and Future Priorities for the UKCGE

The UKCGE is active across many areas of concern to the postgraduate sector, including mental health of PGRs; equality and diversity in postgraduate education; preparedness for Masters level study; improving postgraduate research cultures; and benchmarking good practice in Research Supervision.

Our current strategic priorities are:

  • Strengthening the Council’s representation of the sector
  • Building on the Council’s trust and credibility
  • Setting standards and expectations
  • Sustaining the impact of the Council’s events
  • Developing the Council’s role as a knowledge exchange facilitator.

The strategic direction of the UKCGE is set by our governing body; the UKCGE Executive Committee.

Nomination for Election

The Council welcomes nominations from experienced academic and administrative staff, especially those who are able to contribute to the development of the priorities specified above, or who have experience of charity governance.

Nominations must be proposed by a representative of a UKCGE member institution and seconded by the representative of another institution.

Nominations close on 21st September 2020.

Election Process & Key Dates

The election ballot is run using a single-transferable vote at institutional level, which is cast by your institution’s institutional representative (typically your UKCGE Link Member).

The key dates for the election are as follows:

Wednesday 26th August 2020 - Call for nominations opens.
Monday 21st September 2020 - Closing date for nominations.
Monday 12th October 2020 — Election ballot papers sent to institutional representatives.
Friday 23rd October 2020 — The election closes.
Monday 26th October 2020 — Notification of results sent to nominees.

If you would like further information or to discuss the nomination process, please contact Kate Payne at katie.payne@ukcge.ac.uk