No 6749
Wednesday 17 July 2024
Vol cliv No 39
pp. 777–798
The procedure for the Academic Career Pathways scheme provides for applicants to have the right to lodge an appeal against the decision of the Vice-Chancellor’s Committee not to promote.
In accordance with the practice that Committee membership for the Academic Career Pathways exercise be published, the members of the Appeals Committee for the 1 October 2024 exercise agreed by the General Board are as follows:
Professor Beverley Glover (Chair)
Professor
Brian Cheffins
Professor Katarzyna Jaszczolt
Professor Paul Midgley
Professor
Rodolphe Sepulchre
The General Board has approved the establishment of Cambridge Zero as an institution in the School of the Physical Sciences.
Cambridge Zero was launched in November 2019 as the University’s ambitious climate initiative. The overarching aim of Cambridge Zero is to advance the University’s mission to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence, in the context of climate change.
During the past eighteen months, the development of Cambridge Zero over the next five years has been widely discussed and a Working Group on the administrative model for Cambridge Zero recommended that Cambridge Zero should be embedded within a School. The Schools were consulted on this proposal and the School of the Physical Sciences (SPS) agreed that Cambridge Zero should become an institution within SPS.
On 29 November 2023, the General Board approved the proposal that Cambridge Zero be embedded in the School of the Physical Sciences, subject to approval of a funding uplift for Cambridge Zero by the Planning and Resources Committee. The financial arrangements have now been agreed and the General Board has accordingly approved the Regulations below.
Cambridge Zero shall be an institution independent of any Faculty or Department but under the supervision of the General Board and shall be within the School of the Physical Sciences.
1. The purpose of the Cambridge Zero Management Committee is to ensure that Cambridge Zero’s planning, administration and finances support its aim of maximising the University’s contribution towards achieving a resilient and sustainable zero-carbon world.
2. The responsibilities of the Committee are:
(a)to agree the annual plan and longer-term strategy for Cambridge Zero;
(b)to monitor progress against the budget and objectives as set out in the annual plan;
(c)to monitor and advise on any aspect of the management of the resources and operation of Cambridge Zero, receiving regular reports on the review of risks and such other matters as the Committee determines;
(d)to approve the establishment of sub-committees and working groups, make appointments to them, and receive their recommendations for approval or comment on their reports.
3. The members of the Committee are:
(a)a member of the Regent House appointed by the General Board as Chair;
(b)the Head of the School of the Physical Sciences;
(c)the Head of another School appointed by the General Board;
(d)a Head of a College appointed by the Colleges Committee;
(e)the Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations or a deputy;
(f)a registered student or sabbatical officer of the University of Cambridge Students’ Union appointed by the Committee on the nomination of the University of Cambridge Students’ Union;
(g)between two and six members appointed by the General Board, at least two of whom shall be external members.
Members in classes (c), (f) and (g) shall be appointed to serve for three years from 1 October and may be reappointed.
4. The Director of Cambridge Zero shall be invited to attend meetings. The Committee or its Chair may invite other persons to attend for the whole of meetings of the Committee or for particular items of business.
5. A person appointed by the Director of Cambridge Zero shall serve as Secretary of the Committee.
6. The Committee shall normally meet at least once each term. No business may be transacted unless a quorum of at least half of the members is present, including the Chair. Conflicts of interest shall be handled in line with the University’s Conflict of Interest Policy.
7. The Committee shall report to the Council of the School of the Physical Sciences and the General Board through annual reports and/or by such other means as the Council of the School or the General Board determines.
1. The purpose of the Academic Advisory Board is to advise the Director of Cambridge Zero on all aspects of the academic work and academic policy of Cambridge Zero to ensure that the views of the University and the Colleges are considered.
2. The members of the Academic Advisory Board are:
(a)the Director of Cambridge Zero;
(b)up to thirty members appointed by the Cambridge Zero Management Committee from across the University and the Colleges to reflect the research diversity and need for expertise across the work of Cambridge Zero, after consulting with the Heads of the Schools.
Members shall be appointed for three years from 1 October and may be reappointed.
3. The Chair of the Board shall be appointed by the Cambridge Zero Management Committee from among the members in class (b). The Chair shall be appointed for a period of not more than one year and shall be eligible for reappointment for a period or periods of not more than one year at a time.
4. A person appointed by the Director of Cambridge Zero shall serve as Secretary of the Board.
5. The Board shall meet at least once each year. No business may be transacted unless a quorum of at least half of the members is present, including the Chair. Conflicts of interest shall be handled in line with the University’s Conflict of Interest Policy.
1. There shall be a Director of Cambridge Zero, an office which may be held concurrently with another University office.
2. The Director shall be appointed by the General Board on the advice of the Management Committee and for such period as the General Board shall determine. The stipend of the Director shall be determined by the General Board on the advice of the Management Committee, taking into account the stipend of any other University office the Director may hold.
3. The Director shall be the Head of institution for Cambridge Zero, and shall be responsible for the leadership, strategic direction and operation of Cambridge Zero, subject to the advice of the Academic Advisory Board and the approval of the Management Committee.
1. The Management Committee shall have power to grant the title of Cambridge Zero Fellow to any member of the University associated with Cambridge Zero (other than a member of the staff of Cambridge Zero) who has made or is making important contributions to research associated with or facilitated by Cambridge Zero.
2. A person to whom the title of Cambridge Zero Fellow has been granted shall hold that title for not more than five years at a time. At the end of any such period the title may again be granted for a further period of not more than five years on each occasion.
1. The Management Committee shall have power to grant the title of Cambridge Zero Senior Associate to any person (be they a member of the University or otherwise) associated with Cambridge Zero (other than a member of the staff of Cambridge Zero) who has made or is making important contributions to the work of Cambridge Zero.
2. A person to whom the title of Cambridge Zero Senior Associate has been granted shall hold that title for not more than five years at a time. At the end of any such period the title may again be granted for a further period of not more than five years on each occasion.
The General Board has been informed by the Board of Electors to the Charles Darwin Professorship of Animal Embryology that they have been unable to make an election to this Professorship. Under the provisions of Special Ordinance C (vii) B. 20(a)(ii) the Board has discontinued the Professorship until 24 July 2024.
The General Board has approved changes to the membership of the Faculty Board of Business and Management in class (e) by removing the Director of the M.B.A. course as the holder of a specified office. There is no longer a need for the officeholder to be present at Faculty Board meetings, with other members able to cover matters relating to the M.B.A. and other courses offered by the Faculty. Schedules I and III of the General Board Regulations for Classes of Faculty Board Membership, Elections and Periods of Office (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 609) have been updated accordingly.
The General Board has approved changes to the arrangements for the biennial contribution-based review of Professorial salaries. The Human Resources Committee (HRC) commissioned an academic-led working group to identify improvements to the current Professorial Pay Review (PPR) scheme in 2021. The group developed a set of proposals that were consulted on with Schools and the wider academic community. The General Board approved these changes in Easter Term 2022, and also agreed that implementation would be in two phases. Phase one changes included removing the need for references for within-band progression applications and an expectation of progression for those in the first three points of Band 1, on application, as long as employees can demonstrate they have maintained the expected level of performance at the time of promotion to Grade 12. These changes were implemented in the 2022 round of the PPR scheme.
The General Board has subsequently approved the details of the phase two changes, together with some additional updates, to take effect from the 2024 round. These include the development of a Teaching and Scholarship (T&S) pathway, renaming the scheme Academic Career Pathways (Grade 12) (ACP (12)), revised scheme criteria, future-dating awards to align to other pay and progression schemes, and minor amendments to the committee structure for the consideration of awards. The overall changes to the scheme provide a more efficient and effective application and assessment process for all parties involved in the process.
The General Board has agreed to amend the General Board Regulations for Degree Committees (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 611) to enable the establishment of Interdisciplinary Education Committees to oversee interdisciplinary courses not falling with the remit of one Faculty, by adding new Regulation 7 as follows:
7. For interdisciplinary courses not falling within the remit of one Faculty, the School or Schools responsible shall establish and appoint the members of an Interdisciplinary Education Committee reporting to the General Board to serve as the comparable authority for the purposes of Regulation 1 and with the responsibilities set out in Regulation 6.
The Board has also agreed, on the recommendation of the Council of the School of Arts and Humanities, to add the Arts and Humanities Interdisciplinary Education Committee to Schedule I.