No 6232
Wednesday 20 July 2011
Vol cxli No 36
pp. 1045–1072
When the School of Clinical Medicine was established as a separate School of the University in 2001, the Faculty Board, rather than its Resources and Planning Committee, became the Council of the School despite the fact that the business for which Councils of Schools are responsible largely coincided with the duties of the Committee.
The main reason for this was that, at that time, University regulations did not permit the Chairmanship of a Council of a School to be an ex officio appointment. Within the School of Clinical Medicine, it was considered essential that the Regius Professor chair the Resources and Planning Committee. Although this expedient has worked in the short-term, it has led to a certain level of duplication of effort between the Resources and Planning Committee, where resources issues are given material consideration, and the Faculty Board, which as Council of the School have been required to give formal consideration to the same matters.
Following revisions by the University of the Statute and Ordinances governing the Councils of the Schools and the Heads of Schools, the Regius Professor is now ex officio Chairman of the Council of the School. However, Chairmanship of the Faculty Board remains a matter for annual decision by the Faculty Board (although in recent history it has been the custom for the Regius Professor to stand unopposed). The Council of the School have therefore recommended to the General Board that the composition of the Council of the School (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 573) be revised to remove this inconsistency.
The Council of the School further propose that membership of the Council should include all Heads of Department within the School (but not heads of centres, sub-departments or divisions), Heads of Institutes recognized by the Council of the School, the Director of Medical Education in the Clinical School, the Chairman of the Faculty Board (although it is expected that this will continue to be the Regius Professor of Physic for the immediate future), plus representatives from the School of the Biological Sciences and a representative of Cambridge University Health Partners. The student representatives on the Faculty Board would continue to serve as the student representatives on the Council of the School.
The Council has accepted the recommendation from the General Board that the composition of the School be amended and is submitting a Grace (Grace 1, p. 1068) to amend the regulations for the School.
The General Board, on the recommendation of the Faculty Board of Biology, has agreed that the office of Director of Medical and Veterinary Education in the Faculty of Biology be restyled the Director of Education (Biological Sciences) to reflect a wider range of responsibilities and that the Special Appointments Committee for the office be brought in line with other Appointments Committees for such positions. The regulations for this office have accordingly been amended so as to read:
1. Appointments and reappointments to the University office of Director of Education (Biological Sciences) in the Faculty of Biology shall be made by an Appointments Committee consisting of the following persons:
(a)the Vice-Chancellor (or a duly appointed deputy) as Chairman;
(b)the Regius Professor of Physic;
(c)the Chairman of the Faculty Board of Biology;
(d)the Head of the Council of the School of the Biological Sciences;
(e)one person appointed by the General Board.
2. The Directorship shall be held concurrently with a University office.
3. The duties of the Director shall be determined by the General Board after consultation with the Faculty Board of Biology.
4. The Director shall conform to such conditions of residence as may be determined by the Faculty Board of Biology subject to the approval of the General Board.
5. Appointments shall be for a period of up to five years at a time.