As a result of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 thirty-five polytechnics were permitted to become universities. South Bank Polytechnic was one such institution and as a result was redesignated South Bank University.
The Corporate Planning and Management Committee was was established by the Polytechnic's Director Baronness Pauline Perry in 1988 to bring together the resource and academic planning systems as a sub-committee of the Academic Board, alongside an Academic Standards Committee driving the quality assurance side. The Committee considered the University's short and long term strategies, corporate plan, faculty plans, plans for student numbers and the impact of these plans on resources.
The Council of the Polytechnic agreed to establish the awarding of Honorary Fellowships in 1976. The Polytechnic then began creating honorary graduates in 1989 and once it became a University in 1992 it started awarding honorary degrees. Candidates are required to demonstrate a notable contribution to either the University, education and academia in general or the local community.
The Joint Committee on Honorary Fellowships was established in 1980 comprising four members: two nominated from the Polytechnic of the South Bank Council and two from the Academic Board. The terms of reference were to consider nominations and submit names for the award of Honorary Fellow. Honorary Degrees were award after the Polytechnic was granted university status, but recipients were decided by a committee of the Academic Board.
In March 2002 the Joint Committee's terms of reference amended to create a single committee responsible for both the Honorary Fellowships and Degrees. This was named the Honorary Awards Joint Committee.
The Board of Directors is more commonly known as the Board of Governors. For a time they were known as the Board of Directors when organising and holding the Annual General Meetings but those present still attended as members of the Board of Governors, rather than as Directors.
The Charitable Funds Committee was a committee of the Board of Governors which exercised custodianship over originally the Polytechnic and then the University's charitable funds and ensured that these were allocated appropriately. The final meeting was held in December 2012.
Ethelm House (Waterloo Centre) was situated on Cornwall Road and leased by South Bank University until the late 1990s. It was used as teaching space, primarily for short courses.
The Policy and Resources Committee was established in 1989 and contained the Finance and General Purposes Committee (LSBU/2/1/1). In 2001 the Finance Committee became a separate committee. In 2003 it was subsumed back into the Policy and Resources Committee.
The Policy and Resources Committee was a committee of the Board of Governors and advises the Board on the University's policies, its solvency and the use and safeguarding of its resources and assets. It also ensured that the University operated within the law and implemented matters delegated to it by the Board.
On 14 May 2015 the Board closed the committee as part of the governance effectiveness review.
The Policy Committee was established in 1981 as a sub-committee of the Council with the following terms of reference:
-To review the Polytechnic's activities;
-To determine strategic policy for the development of the Polytechnic;
-To work in co-operation with the Strategic Planning Committee of the Academic Board;
-To review general provision for student support services.
The Committee for Student Affairs acted as an advisory forum at which representatives of the Student Union could raise matters of concern to senior management. It had the right to make recommendations to the Executive Board, Board of Governors and the Academic Board. The Committee was originally called the Joint Committee for Student Affairs, but was renamed the Committee for Student Affairs in September 1992 after revising its membership and terms of reference. The Committee was disbanded and the final meeting held in June 2011.
The Audit Committee oversees the University's audit activities including auditing the financial statements, appointing the internal and external auditors and advising the Board of Governors on the effectiveness of the internal control system. It is a committee of the Board of Governors.
The terms of reference for the Library Committee in 1968 were "to formulate general Library policy" and to ensure that the Librarian sought the advice from the Departments for the selection of books suitable for the courses run by the Polytechnic.
The Formation Committee was formed jointly in April 1970 by the Governing Bodies of the Borough Polytechnic Institute, the Brixton School of Building, City of Westminster College and National College for Heating, Ventilating, Refrigeration and Fan Engineering to oversee the establishment of the Polytechnic of the South Bank, including the appointment of the Director, Secretary and other senior officers.
Reports produced for London South Bank University's internal audit. The reports would originally have been included in the papers for Audit Committee meetings.
The Appointments Committee was established in December 1990 and exists to consider and ratify recommendations from the Nominations Committee to appoint people to sit on the Board of Governors. It is a committee of the Board of Governors.
The Human Resources Committee was a committee of the Board of Governors and advised the Board on employment policies and procedures and ensures that the University complies with employment law. The Board closed this Committee on 14 May 2015 as part of the Governance effectiveness review.
The Nominations Committee was established in July 1995 to consider nominations for positions on the Board of Governors and to make recommendations to the Appointments Committee. The Nominations Committee is a committee of the Board of Governors.
The Educational Character Committee began in October 2011 as an advisory body influencing matters of academic strategy and educational character. It discussed educational issues such as student recruitment and progression, considers the University's teaching and research portfolios and allowed Governors to increase their understanding of the University's academic life. The Committee consisted of five Governors and the Students' Union President.
The Board closed the Commitee on 14 May 2015 as part of the governance effectiveness review.