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Report of the Council on the structure of academic offices in the University, promotions procedures, and related matters: Notice and announcement of a ballot

8 June 1998

The Council have considered the remarks made at the Discussion of this Report on 12 May 1998 (Reporter, p. 658). They note that strong opposition was expressed to some of the recommendations of the Report. Since the matters under consideration are clearly controversial, the Council have agreed that the issues should be settled by a vote of the Regent House; they are accordingly submitting four Graces to the Regent House (Graces 1-4, p. 823) for the approval of the recommendations of the Report, subject to the modifications mentioned below, and they have determined that votes will be taken by ballot on these Graces.

The Council refrain from offering any comment on the views expressed at the Discussion, except to record that, although the Registrary in publishing the remarks made at a Discussion has discretion (see Regulation 6 for Discussions, Statutes and Ordinances, p. 113) to omit or amend any remarks likely to be held defamatory, on this occasion he authorized publication of the remarks in full, after taking legal advice. However, there is one procedural question on which the Council feel bound to explain their position. In his remarks at the Discussion Dr Edwards suggested that it would have been within the competence of the Council to agree a settlement with Dr Evans, and that it was therefore unnecessary to put Recommendations I-IV to the Regent House for decision. It is not clear to the Council that they have the authority to act in this way and to establish a panel to consider an individual case, given inter alia that detailed procedures for the conduct of the current promotions round1 were approved by Grace of the Regent House. Even if it were possible, the Council consider that it would have been inappropriate for them to settle the matter themselves. If the Council of their own motion had set up a panel to consider Dr Evans's case, and if such a panel had recommended the establishment of a Readership or a Professorship for her, a Grace of the Regent House would have been required to implement the recommendation; it would thus have been possible for the Regent House to frustrate the deliberations of the panel, and the Council thought it unwise to embark on the suggested procedure without knowing whether the Regent House would be willing to accept the outcome. Moreover, they wish to remind the Regent House that, when the present constitutional arrangements were introduced in 1994, an undertaking was given (reproduced in Statutes and Ordinances, p. 118) that the Council would consult the Regent House on 'questions of policy which in the Council's judgement are likely to prove controversial', and that they would do this by submitting a Grace to the Regent House for the approval of a provisional decision. In the Council's view the issues of policy raised by Dr Evans's case are clearly controversial and ought therefore to be decided by the Regent House.

The Council have noted that other general questions were raised by speakers at the Discussion; they intend to return to these matters at a later date when the immediate issues have been resolved.

The first two of the four Graces which the Council are now submitting to the Regent House relate to the proposal for the establishment of a panel to review Dr Evans's application for promotion. This was the subject of Recommendations I-IV of the Council's Report, but it is now necessary to modify those recommendations, owing to the lapse of time since they were first put forward. Recommendation I included a requirement that the panel should make a recommendation to the General Board before the end of the Easter Term 1998, and in Recommendation III it was proposed that the Chairman of the panel should be invited to attend as an observer the final meeting of the General Board's Committee on personal Professorships and Readerships in the 1998 promotions round. Since it is now too late to implement either of these proposals, the Council have agreed to drop Recommendation III and to amend Recommendation I by setting the end of the Lent Term 1999 as the date by which the panel are to report to the General Board. Grace 1 relates to the establishment of the panel, while Grace 2 is concerned with the composition of the panel and detailed provisions for its mode of operation.

The third Grace is for the approval of Recommendations V and VI, in which the Council proposed the establishment of a Syndicate to consider general issues relating to the structure of academic offices in the University. As originally formulated, Recommendation V required the Syndicate to report to the University by the end of the Michaelmas Term 1998; the Council consider that this timetable would now be impractical, and they have agreed to propose instead that the deadline should be the end of the Lent Term 1999. The Council envisage that the Syndicate, if established, will include in their remit the proposals contained in the General Board's Report on the recruitment, reward, and retention of academic and academic-related officers (Reporter, p. 804).

The fourth Grace is for the approval of the Council's decision to put forward their own proposal for a Syndicate, in place of the Grace promoted by members of the Regent House.

In their revised form, the recommendations of the Council's Report now read as follows:

Grace 1

I. That a panel be established to consider Dr Evans's application for promotion in the light of the contemporary Cambridge context, and to make a recommendation accordingly to the General Board before the end of the Lent Term 1999.

Grace 2

II. That the panel comprise (a) an external chairman to be appointed by the Council with the agreement of Dr Evans, and (b) four other members qualified by experience and personal attainment, such four members to be appointed by the Council and to include at least two chosen from a list of at least four names proposed by Dr Evans and also to include at least one external member proposed by the Council.

III. (Deleted.)

IV. That Dr Evans be deemed to have withdrawn her current application and be invited to resubmit it to the panel in accordance with the instructions contained in the General Board's booklet 'Procedure for the consideration of applications for the establishment of personal Professorships and Readerships with effect from 1 October 1998' (the 'Yellow Book'); that the panel evaluate her application against the criteria for promotion required to be used by the General Board's Committee on personal Professorships and Readerships and in the light of reports from referees, two such referees to be nominated by Dr Evans and not more than three to be nominated by the panel; that a positive recommendation for promotion to either a Professorship or a Readership should require Dr Evans's application to be evaluated as meeting at least the relevant minimum level of attainment of successful candidates in either the 1997 or the 1998 promotions round, whichever is the lower; that the panel should have access to the papers considered by the General Board's Committee in respect of successful candidates in the 1997 and 1998 promotions rounds and borderline unsuccessful candidates in the same rounds, and at their own discretion should choose individual comparators from the successful candidates for the purpose of making their evaluation.

Grace 3

V. That a Syndicate be established to consider, in the light of the needs of the University for the recruitment and retention of academic staff and in the light of the Report, dated 3 June 1998, of the General Board on these matters (see Reporter, p. 804), the structure of academic offices in the University and their scales of stipends, and procedures for promotion; that the Syndicate have power to seek evidence from members of the Regent House and/or from expert witnesses of its own choosing as the Syndicate shall determine; and that the Syndicate be required to report to the University in the first instance not later than the end of the Lent Term 1999.

VI. That the membership of the Syndicate be as follows, individual members to be appointed by Grace:

(a) a Chairman not being a member of the Regent House;
(b) two other persons not being members of the Regent House;
(c) not less than four nor more than eight other persons.

Grace 4

VII. That approval be given to the Council's decision to submit a Grace to the Regent House for the approval of Recommendations V and VI above, in place of the Grace set out in Annex 2 to the Council's Report (see Reporter, p. 578).

8 June 1998

ALEC N. BROERS, Vice-Chancellor D. E. L. JOHNSTON ONORA O'NEILL
A. L. R. FINDLAY JOHN A. LEAKE SANDRA RABAN
DAVID HARRISON A. M. LONSDALE M. SCHOFIELD
BRIAN F. G. JOHNSON C. T. MORLEY DAVID M. THOMPSON

Any ten members of the Regent House may submit a written proposal to the Vice-Chancellor for the amendment of any of the Graces listed above (see Regulation 9 for Graces and Congregations of the Regent House, Statutes and Ordinances, p. 113). Such a proposal, signed by those supporting it, and bearing in addition to the signatures the names and initials (in block capitals) of the signatories, should be delivered to the Registrary at the Old Schools, not later than 1 p.m. on Thursday, 23 July. Proposed amendments will be published outside the Senate-House as they are received, and in the Reporter on 29 July.

In connection with this ballot the Registrary will arrange for the printing and circulation of any fly-sheet, signed by ten or more members of the Regent House, which reaches him by 1 p.m. on Thursday, 15 October. Fly-sheets must bear, in addition to the signatures, the names and initials (in block capitals) of the signatories (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 117). Voting papers and fly-sheets will be distributed to all members of the Regent House on or before Tuesday, 27 October; the last date for the return of voting papers will be Friday, 6 November.

1 The instructions contained in the General Board's booklet 'Procedure for the consideration of applications for the establishment of personal Professorships and Readerships with effect from 1 October 1998' (the 'Yellow Book').

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Cambridge University Reporter, 17 June 1998
Copyright © 1998 The Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University of Cambridge.