Chairs of Higher Education Wales

Chairs of Higher Education Wales (CHEW) came into being in 2004 to be the representative body for university governing body Chairs.  It is a unified body which encompasses all Welsh universities irrespective of their mission or origins. As such, it reflects the diversity of the Welsh higher education sector, and therefore seeks to address generic rather than specific issues. It engages with a wide range of stakeholders. It works in close association with Higher Education Wales and the HEW office provides the secretariat for CHEW.

By sharing their knowledge, experience and problems, Chairs are able to act more efficiently to help their councils and boards to discharge their responsibilities, and to contribute their own knowledge, experience and perspective to considering matters of concern. 
 
CHEW’s principles are to:  

• be an enabling body which seeks to ensure that its members are well informed of relevant issues and developments, so that they are better able to discharge their roles for the accountability and sustainability of their institutions.
• address strategic policy issues pertaining both to trends in HE as a whole and to the particular responsibilities of members of governing bodies.  
• be a constructive body which seeks to contribute the distinctive experience, knowledge and perspective of its members.
• be a body which provides a forum and network for members where they can share common issues and concerns in a supportive environment.
• conduct its business without prejudice to the autonomy of the institutions of its members

 The aims of CHEW are to:

• support the HE sector in developing the highest standards of governance appropriate within a sector comprised of autonomous institutions, serving a multiplicity of stakeholders and vital to the nation’s prosperity
• promote best practice in university governance
• work with individual governors to develop their knowledge and skills, as these relate to the good governance of their institutions, through (for example) governor development programmes