Overview
Innopharma Education’s legal entity is that of a registered company limited by guarantee in Ireland. The Board of Directors of the Company has resolved to add a non-executive Director to the Board. The re-constituted Board for Innopharma Education (the College) governs the operation of the College as a commercial, for-profit organisation.
The Board of Directors has established a self-regulating Academic Council to govern, maintain and promote the academic standards of the College’s programmes of education and training and the awards that it provides and to advise the Board of Directors on academic matters.
The College is committed to the development and maintenance of a governance structure that is effective and fit for purpose and protects the integrity of academic standards and processes. It ensures that it is governed and managed effectively, with clear and appropriate lines of accountability for its responsibilities. The governance model ensures that objective oversight is in place to ensure that the College is financially sustainable, that financial management is sound, and that a clear distinction exists between corporate governance (concerned with the strategic, financial and business matters of the College) and academic governance (concerned with the protection and maintenance of academic standards of its programmes of education and training and its awards).
The Board of Directors appoints an Academic Council to assist it in the planning, co-ordination, development and overseeing of the educational work of the College and with a mission to protect, maintain and develop the academic standards of the College. It delegates responsibility to that body for academic decision-making, and for overseeing and developing academic standards at the College. Similarly, it delegates responsibility to the Executive Management Team for the day-to-day management of the College. The Board of Directors makes the final strategic decisions for the College, based on advice from the Academic Council or the Executive Management Team, as appropriate.
The Board of Directors appoints an independent chairperson to the Academic Council, and there is a clear delineation of responsibility between the Board of Directors and the Academic Council. This helps ensure that:
“Academic decision-making reflects the interests of learners and the maintenance of standards. It is independent of commercial considerations”1.
Specific responsibilities of the Academic Council are discharged through a committee structure, which initially will be limited to a Programme Development Committee and a Student Services Committee. In addition, temporary, project-oriented subcommittees may be established as necessary. Further details are provided in 2.4.5 Committees of the Academic Council below.
The Executive Management of the College is provided by the Executive Management Team, which is chaired by the VP for Strategic Development.
The Board of Directors will establish a Strategic Advisory Board to advise the Board of Directors, the Academic Council and the Executive Management Team on strategic issues that may impact on the work of the College.