Daffodils on the University of Plymouth campus
In November 2014, University of Plymouth commissioned the Good Governance Institute (GGI) to conduct an independent, external review of its governance (hereafter, ‘the Review’). 
The main aim of the Review was to: 
Assess the effectiveness of the University’s governance processes, systems, culture and behaviours and recommend improvements with regard to governance best practice, nationally and internationally in higher education (HE) and other sectors. 
The resulting report was considered and accepted by the Board of Governors on 18 March 2015 and thereafter published on the University’s website. 
To address the recommendations from the Review and ensure the institution applies the new Committee of University Chairs Code of HE Governance, the University set-up a Governance Improvement Programme, Chaired by the Board of Governors Vice-Chair, Margaret Schwarz, and included staff and student representation. The Steering Group for the Programme was responsible for setting the direction for the implementation work, dealing with any risks or issues that arose, and championing the governance improvement work with key stakeholder groups. In November 2015 the Programme concluded its focused work and handed over responsibility to the Governance and Nominations Committee of the Board.
One year on, the Board commissioned GGI to assess the University’s progress against the original governance review and this was reviewed and endorsed for publication by the Board on 22 March 2016.
The University valued the process of the external governance review and is fully committed to continuing to make enhancements to institutional governance in line with best practice. 
Good governance is vital to the success of the institution and we recognise that the pursuit of and maintenance of good governance is an ongoing process of review and reflection.
For any questions please contact Emma Hellingsworth, Clerk to the Board, email: emma.hellingsworth@plymouth.ac.uk