Our Commitment to Governance
NUKH is committed to best practice in all aspects of corporate governance and conducts its business in accordance with:
- the public interest governance principles issued by the Office for Students; and
- the guidance on corporate governance which has been provided for the sector by the Committee of University Chairs (CUC), including the Higher Education Code of Governance (the Code).
As NUKH and its colleges do not have degree awarding powers, nor is it in direct receipt of government funds, the complexity of its learning and teaching operations and reporting obligations is reduced. Accordingly, there are certain elements of the Code which have been opted-out from as they are disproportionate to the size and complexity of operations, including:
- to not set up separate nominations or remuneration committees;
- to not have a majority of external members on the Governing Body – there are two external independent members of which one is the Chairperson of the Governing Body;
- to not prepare extensive non-financial (i.e., environmental) sustainability reporting processes on the basis that our college operations are on the same campus as our University Partners and we participate in their sustainability programs.
Governing Body
To maintain complete oversight of NUKH operations and educational endeavours NUKH has a Governing Body that supports, promotes and oversees the strategic direction, academic quality, governance, policies, practices, risk and financial management of NUKHs operations.
The Governing Body was formed on its Articles of Association and guided by its Terms of Reference with the latter reviewed annually. Both documents and a full governance chart can be found in the ‘Supporting Documentation’ section at the bottom of this page.
The Governing Body meets at least three times per year and comprises four members, including two external members one of which is the Chairperson. In accordance with the Code, the Governing Body maintains a statement of primary responsibilities (as an adopted terms of reference) which summarises its key accountabilities including:
- setting the mission, vision, values and strategic goals of the Company with reference to the Navitas corporate strategic framework;
- inputting into the final approval of management’s development of corporate strategy and performance targets and objectives;
- ensuring processes are in place to monitor and evaluate the performance and effectiveness of the institution against the strategy, targets and objectives;
- reviewing and ratifying systems of risk management, operational controls and compliance, including plans for business continuity and tuition safeguards, and considering the occurrence and nature of formal grievances raised against the Company;
- reviewing the Company’s institutional environment with an emphasis on workforce planning, strategic resource allocation, freedom of intellectual inquiry, protecting the principles of academic freedom and freedom of speech legislation, equitable treatment of students and staff, fostering of wellbeing of students and staff, supporting informed student decision making and that students are given the opportunity to participate in the deliberative and decision making processes of the Company, including supporting participation by demographics typically underrepresented in English higher education;
- overseeing the academic governance of the Company and confirming that the provision of education provided by the Company is consistent with the Company’s policies and provides value for money to students;
- approving and monitoring financial and other reporting to ensure the Company maintains financial viability and sustainability, including that it has sufficient funds for its ongoing operations;
- ensuring the Company continues to meet the General Ongoing Conditions to maintain registration with its educational regulator (as provided for by the Office for Students).
Supporting Documentation