University of Gloucestershire: governance effectiveness review

Dating back to 1847, the University of Gloucestershire (UoG) serves a community of more than 8,000 students and 1,000 staff across campuses in Gloucester and Cheltenham.

Between August and November 2024, GGI conducted a governance effectiveness review focusing on the university council and its committees, academic governance, and the relationship between council and the executive.

The review took place following some significant leadership transitions at UoG and in the context of a higher education sector facing significant financial and structural pressures.

Why GGI?

UoG last conducted a governance review in 2020 and, in accordance with CUC code of practice, thought the time was right for the next review that would bring fresh insights and offer a strong mandate for change.

UoG shortlisted three organisations from an initial longlist of eight. It ultimately went with GGI because of what Camille described as our ‘fresh and honest’ approach, in contrast to the generic outputs sometimes delivered by larger, sector-dominant firms.

“We didn’t want a trophy report to put on the website. We wanted something that worked for us,” she said.

The review

The review was primarily framed using the Committee of University Chairs (CUC) higher education code of governance. But the review team also looked at some specific factors identified by the university and informed by GGI’s experience in the HE sector and beyond.

It was conducted using GGI’s tried-and-tested methodology, which includes extensive document review, interviews, observations, focus groups and surveys.

While the review identified plenty of good practice, it also highlighted some key areas for improvement, including streamlining committee structures, enhancing meeting efficiency, and improving the culture of challenge and team dynamics within the council.

One aspect of the review that Camille found particularly helpful was the way it addressed some issues around team cohesion. She said: “I thought the drafting around some sensitive issues was excellent – offering advice in a neutral manner without backing away from the message you needed to convey.”

What’s changed?

UoG developed an action plan based on the review, taken to its Governance and Nominations Committee in February 2025.

Several changes have already been implemented, including the transformation of the council chairs group. The group had recently become accustomed to meeting more frequently and was perceived by some as an influential ‘pre-meeting’, it has now been restructured to become a smaller post-meeting reflection group—improving transparency and reducing perceptions of exclusivity.

Camille said UoG would be acting on all GGI’s recommendations. While some cultural shifts will take longer to embed, early results suggest a more focused, cohesive governance model is already emerging.

Working with GGI

Camille was impressed by the way the GGI review team went about their work. She said: “We thought the team were great. They took the time to listen and to get to know us and they dealt with a range of issues sensitively and pragmatically.”

The GGI team also demonstrated a commitment to longer-term relationship-building. Camille said: “We always got the sense that we wouldn’t just get to the end of this review, receive the report and then off you’d go. There were bits of added value, such as sharing articles that you thought might be of interest or relevance to us. It showed that you really cared about the work. I would definitely recommend working with GGI.”