No 6721
Wednesday 6 December 2023
Vol cliv No 11
pp. 163–193
12 December, Tuesday. Discussion by videoconference at 2 p.m. (see below).
13 December, Wednesday. Last ordinary issue of the Reporter in Michaelmas Term.
19 December, Tuesday. Michaelmas Term ends.
25 December, Monday. Christmas Day. Scarlet Day.
5 January, Friday. Lent Term begins.
10 January, Wednesday. First ordinary issue of the Reporter in Lent Term.
16 January, Tuesday. Full Term begins.
23 January, Tuesday. Discussion by videoconference at 2 p.m. (see below).
The Vice‑Chancellor invites members of the Regent House, University and College employees, registered students and others qualified under the regulations for Discussions (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 111) to attend a Discussion by videoconference on Tuesday, 12 December 2023 at 2 p.m. The following items will be discussed:
1.Annual Report of the Council for the academic year 2022–23 (Reporter, 6720, 2023–24, p. 131).
2.Annual Report of the General Board to the Council for the academic year 2022–23 (Reporter, 6720, 2023–24, p. 141).
Those wishing to join the Discussion by videoconference should email UniversityDraftsman@admin.cam.ac.uk from their University email account, providing their CRSid (if a member of the collegiate University), by 10 a.m. on the date of the Discussion to receive joining instructions. Alternatively contributors may email their remarks to contact@proctors.cam.ac.uk, copying ReporterEditor@admin.cam.ac.uk, by no later than 10 a.m. on the day of the Discussion for reading out by the Proctors,1 or may ask someone else who is attending to read the remarks on their behalf.
In accordance with the regulations for Discussions, the Chair of the Board of Scrutiny or any ten members of the Regent House2 may request that the Council arrange for one or more of the items listed for discussion to be discussed in person (usually in the Senate-House). Requests should be made to the Registrary, on paper or by email to UniversityDraftsman@admin.cam.ac.uk from addresses within the cam.ac.uk domain, by no later than 9 a.m. on the day of the Discussion. Any changes to the Discussion schedule will be confirmed in the Reporter at the earliest opportunity.
General information on Discussions is provided on the University Governance site at https://www.governance.cam.ac.uk/governance/decision-making/discussions/.
The Vice‑Chancellor invites members of the Regent House, University and College employees, registered students and others qualified under the regulations for Discussions (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 111) to attend a Discussion by videoconference on Tuesday, 23 January 2024 at 2 p.m. The following item will be discussed:
1.Joint Report of the Council and the General Board, dated 6 December 2023, on a revised procedure for the investigation of an allegation of research misconduct (p. 172).
For information on joining the Discussion and/or contributing some remarks, please see the Notice above.
1Any comments sent by email should please begin with the name and title of the contributor as they wish it to be read out and include at the start a note of any College and/or Departmental affiliations held.
2https://www.scrutiny.cam.ac.uk/ and https://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/reporter/regent_house_roll/.
The Vice-Chancellor begs leave to refer to her Notice of 26 October 2023 (Reporter, 6716, 2023–24, p. 94), concerning the text of a Statute to amend the Statutes of Churchill College. She hereby gives notice that in the opinion of the Council the proposed Statute makes no alteration of any Statute which affects the University, and does not require the consent of the University; that the interests of the University are not prejudiced by it, and that the Council has resolved to take no action upon it, provided that the Council will wish to reconsider the proposed Statute if it has not been submitted to the Privy Council by 29 November 2024.
The Vice-Chancellor begs leave to refer to her Notice of 26 October 2023 (Reporter, 6716, 2023–24, p. 94), concerning the text of a Statute to amend the Statutes of Clare Hall. She hereby gives notice that in the opinion of the Council the proposed Statute makes no alteration of any Statute which affects the University, and does not require the consent of the University; that the interests of the University are not prejudiced by it, and that the Council has resolved to take no action upon it, provided that the Council will wish to reconsider the proposed Statute if it has not been submitted to the Privy Council by 29 November 2024.
In the following Notice the Council proposes amendments to the fees for certain categories of students as set out in the Table of Fees attached to the regulations for University Composition Fees.
1. Ordinances provide that recommendations for the University Composition Fees to be charged to Home undergraduate students be accompanied by an analysis of the cost of an undergraduate education agreed by the General Board and the Council following consultation with the Colleges (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 155; Grace 13 of 26 May 2011). The outcome of the agreed calculation for 2021–22 is an average cost per student of £28k as follows:
|
2021–22 |
£k / UG FTE |
|
|
University expenditure |
20.3 |
|
|
less: College fee |
(4.7) |
|
|
net University expenditure |
15.6 |
|
|
plus: College expenditure |
12.4 |
|
|
Total cost |
28.0 |
Further information on the analysis is provided on the Academic and Financial Planning and Analysis (AFPA) website.1
2. On 24 February 2022, the Minister of State for Higher and Further Education confirmed2 that for the 2023–24 and 2024–25 academic years, the maximum tuition fee cap will be maintained at £9,250, meaning the maximum fee cap will now have remained at the same level for over eight years.
3. The Council therefore proposes that Home students admitted on or after 1 September 2017 will be liable for a fee of £9,250 in 2024–25. The cap and fee may be increased for those students and for new entrants in future years.
4. Although on certain conditions the cap might also have been increased for continuing students starting before 1 September 2017, no increase was applied. The Council therefore proposes that Home New Regime students admitted before 1 September 2017 be liable for a fee of £9,000 in 2024–25.
5. Table 1 in the Schedule sets out the fees subject to the cap, including the fee for the year abroad.
6. Fees for the courses in Table 2 in the Schedule shall be as set out in the table.
7. Fees for the degree of Master of Architecture and the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (P.G.C.E.) are regulated, and are in line with the regulated fees as described above.
8. Students aiming for equivalent or lower qualification (ELQ) on courses in Medical and Veterinary Sciences leading to the B.A. Degree, as defined in the Regulations, to the M.B. or B.Chir. Degrees, the Vet.M.B. Degree, on courses in Architecture, or the Postgraduate Certificate in Education, are exempt from the ELQ policy and pay the Regulated fees set out in Tables 1 and 2.
The Council is accordingly submitting a Grace to the Regent House (Grace 1, p. 192) for the approval of the fees set out in the Schedule attached to this Notice.
|
Qualification |
Annual fee (£) |
|
|
Home |
||
|
2024–25 |
||
|
Students who commenced on or after 1 September 2012 but before 1 September 2017 |
Students who commenced on or after 1 September 20173 |
|
|
B.A. Degree:2 Courses leading to Tripos, Preliminary or Ordinary Examinations in |
||
|
Group 1 |
||
|
Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Archaeology |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Asian and Middle Eastern Studies |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Classics |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Economics |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Education |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
English |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
History |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
History and Modern Languages |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
History and Politics |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
History of Art |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Human, Social and Political Sciences |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Land Economy |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Law |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Linguistics |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Modern and Medieval Languages |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Philosophy |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Group 2 |
||
|
Mathematics |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Group 3 |
||
|
Architecture |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Design |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Geography |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Music |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Group 4 |
||
|
Chemical Engineering |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Computer Science |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Engineering |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Management Studies |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Manufacturing Engineering |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Natural Sciences |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Psychological and Behavioural Sciences |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Group 5 |
||
|
Medical and Veterinary Sciences (including for this purpose the Second M.B. and the Second Vet.M.B. Examinations) |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Year Abroad 4 |
1,350 |
1,385 |
|
B.Th. Degree |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
Medical and Veterinary Degrees: |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
M.Eng. Degree and M.Sci. Degree |
9,000 |
9,250 |
|
M.Math. Degree |
9,000 |
9,250 |
1See Table 5 for fee rates for certain students taking equivalent or lower qualifications (ELQ).
2Students who have proceeded to the B.A. Degree but have been given leave to read for another Tripos ‘not for honours’ are deemed to be ELQ students for the purpose of their fee liability (see Table 5).
3Fees are liable to change annually.
4The Year Abroad fee applies to students undertaking a full year course of study abroad or working away (see Regulation 7 for the Law Tripos, Regulation 23 for the Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Tripos, Regulation 27 for the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos, Regulation 24 for the Engineering Tripos). For Home students admitted in or after 2012 who are on a full year abroad, the fee is set at 15 per cent of the full regulated fee for that year, rounded down to the nearest £5, in line with rates for year abroad fees set by the government. Overseas undergraduates will be charged 50% of the fee during their year abroad and postgraduates will pay the full fee.
|
Qualification |
Annual fee (£) |
|
Home |
|
|
2024–25 |
|
|
Postgraduate Certificate in Education (P.G.C.E.) |
9,250 |
|
Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) |
9,250 |
Further to Notices published in February and July (Reporter, 2022–23: 6689, p. 423; 6710, p. 885), the Council and the General Board now wish to update the University on the timetable for the completion of the review of the University’s Retirement Policy and Employer Justified Retirement Age (EJRA).
The Council and the Board wish the review outcome to be known in sufficient time for any changes it recommends to be capable of implementation from 1 October 2024. They would also like to have certainty that the proposals have the support of the University. They have therefore agreed to publish a Report in early Easter Term 2024 and to call a ballot on its proposals. The Council and the Board are aware that the timeline they have set is ambitious. However, they are satisfied that the timetable balances the desire to complete the review promptly with the need to gather sufficient data in support of its conclusions. If it is necessary to make significant changes to this timetable, a further Notice will be published.
|
March 2024: |
Headline proposals published, followed by town hall meetings/focus groups with various constituencies |
|
May 2024: |
The Council and the General Board publish a Joint Report together with a timetable for a ballot on the Report’s recommendations |
|
May 2024: |
Discussion of the Report |
|
June 2024: |
Ballot on the recommendations of the Report |
|
October 2024: |
If approved, implementation of the Report’s recommendations |
The Council has received the remarks made at the Discussion on 7 November 2023 on the above Report (Reporter, 2023–24: 6715, p. 69; 6718, p. 118).
Dr Pidgeon and Mr Hutton ask questions about the remit of the new Pro-Vice-Chancellor, specifically whether the new Pro‑Vice‑Chancellor’s portfolio will cover all aspects of sustainability in a whole-institution approach. These are pertinent questions that the Nominating Committee for the office of Pro‑Vice‑Chancellor and then the Council will consider if this Report’s recommendation is approved. The remarks made at the Discussion will be provided to the Nominating Committee, when it meets later this term, to inform its thinking. The Council will discuss the Nominating Committee’s recommendations at its meeting in January and will confirm the remit when advertising the role in the Reporter in Lent Term. The Council also noted that, even if the role is initially more narrowly defined, there would be scope to broaden it in future to cover the full range of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The Council will keep this matter under review. Related to this point, it is also worth noting that, at its meeting in October, the Council agreed that the University needed to expand its sustainability objectives to embrace more fully the opportunities for research with impact, educating for sustainability and operational excellence. These were some of the levers identified in a draft Strategic Framework for Sustainability which will be a foundational document for a new sustainability strategy.
Ms Mandapati and Mr Hutton are concerned that the creation of this new office might delay action on the Topping Study’s recommendations. Ms Mandapati suggests that some of those recommendations can be taken forward before the new Pro‑Vice‑Chancellor is appointed. The Council draws attention to its Notice on the implementation of those recommendations, which provides information on work that is already under way, including a review of processes related to the acceptance of funding (Reporter, 6718, 2023–24, p. 111). The Research Policy Committee has already agreed to establish a working group to develop a University-level strategic approach to the energy transition.
Dr Astle suggests that there will be ‘reasonable suspicions about administrative bloat’ raised by this recommendation of an additional office of Pro‑Vice‑Chancellor. He also asks, on behalf of the Regent House, for convincing arguments and empirical evidence that the benefit of having this additional office will be worth the cost. Professor Evans provides a comprehensive review of the Reports and other papers that document the history of the office of Pro‑Vice‑Chancellor.
The Council acknowledges the value of understanding how the past has shaped the present, but also recognises the need to evolve the approach where necessary. With this proposal the Council acknowledges that the development of a strategy in climate and sustainability and its implementation will require dedicated resource. Delivery of this portfolio is more likely to be achieved with focused leadership, rather than dividing that role among those responsible for individual components. The person appointed will need to have the appropriate skills and experience to be capable of taking on this task. As the Report notes, the Council will review the effectiveness of having a Pro‑Vice‑Chancellor with responsibility for sustainability before the end of the second term.
The Council is submitting a Grace (Grace 2, p. 192) for the approval of the recommendations of this Report.
A vacancy will arise on the Council’s Finance Committee for a member of the Regent House, elected by representatives of the Colleges, to serve for three years from 1 January 2024. As there were no nominations by the previous deadline on 24 November 2023, there is a new deadline for nominations.
The election is conducted in accordance with the Single Transferable Vote regulations.1 Voting is by postal ballot.
Nominations should be made in writing and received by the Director of Governance and Compliance by 12 noon on Friday, 15 December 2023. They can be submitted by email to HdGCDEA@admin.cam.ac.uk, or c/o University Offices, The Old Schools, Cambridge, CB2 1TN, and must include a statement by the person nominated that they are willing to serve on the Finance Committee. Nominations should be supported by the signatures of two members of the Regent House.
If a ballot is necessary, papers will be dispatched by Friday, 5 January, for return by 12 noon on Tuesday, 16 January 2024.
The Information Services Committee has published its annual report for 2022–23, which is available on the ISC website at: https://www.governance.cam.ac.uk/committees/information-services/Pages/strategic-priorities.aspx (Raven only).