The Council has considered the remarks made at the Discussion of this Report on 18 March 2008 (Reporter, p. 677) and has referred them to the General Board who have commented as follows.
With regard to Professor R. J. Bowring's observation about the placing of the Centre outside a School, the Board consider that the constitution of the Centre contains adequate provision for oversight by, and representation of, the relevant Schools consistent with the Board's general policy as stated in Professor Bowring's remarks. Turning to Professor Bowring's other comments:
1. Balance of internal and external membership of the Committee of Management. The Board will keep this under review when making appointments to the Committee in class (d), which provides for a minimum of two members appointed by the Board.
2. Outreach. The Board agree that the Centre's outreach activities need to be based on outstanding research and scholarship.
3. The RAM and charging for space. As the Centre will be a separate unit its income and expenditure will appear separately in the RAM (the Resource Allocation Model) and there is no reason why the Centre's financial position should reflect adversely on that of the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. Charging an academic institution rent for its operational space, as suggested by Professor Bowring, would not be in accordance with current policy.
Having noted that all the speakers spoke in support of the proposed establishment of the Centre the Board have requested the Council to submit a Grace for the approval of the recommendations of the Report. The Council has considered the views expressed by the Board and has agreed to submit a Grace (Grace 3, p. 656) to the Regent House for the approval of the recommendations in the Report.