No 6766
Wednesday 15 January 2025
Vol clv No 15
pp. 222–228
21 January, Tuesday. Full Term begins. Ballot of the Regent House, voting opens at 10 a.m. Discussion by videoconference at 2 p.m. (see below).
24 January, Friday. End of first quarter of Lent Term.
26 January, Sunday. Preacher before the University at 11.30 a.m., The Rt Revd Professor Anderson Jeremiah, Bishop of Edmonton.
31 January, Friday. Congregation of the Regent House at 2 p.m. Ballot of the Regent House, voting closes at 5 p.m.
|
Discussions (Tuesdays at 2 p.m.) |
Congregations (at 10 a.m. unless otherwise stated) |
|
21 January 25 February 18 March |
31 January, 2 p.m. (degrees in absence only) 1 March 29 March 5 April |
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, 21 January 2025 at 2 p.m. The following items will be discussed:
1. Annual Report of the Council for the academic year 2023–24 (Reporter, 6762, 2024–25, p. 152).
2. Annual Report of the General Board to the Council for the academic year 2023–24 (Reporter, 6762, 2024–25, p. 160).
3. Report of the General Board, dated 17 December 2024, on the establishment of a Department of Public Policy (Bennett School of Public Policy) (Reporter, 6764, 2024–25, p. 196).
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/.
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/section1.shtml.
The Council has received the remarks made at the Discussion on 10 December 2024 on the above Report (Reporter, 2024–25: 6759, p. 117; 6764, p. 199).
Dr Astle queries the constitutional consistency of the Chief Financial Officer being accountable to the Council through the Vice-Chancellor, noting the Council’s duty to exercise general supervision over the University’s finances. As the Chair of the Council, the Vice-Chancellor is the person best placed to provide guidance to the Chief Financial Officer on behalf of the Council.
Dr Astle also suggests that the title of Treasurer should be adopted instead of Chief Financial Officer, to indicate the subordination of good financial management to the University’s academic activity.1 Following a similar line of thought, after surveying developments since 1998, Professor Evans concludes that a Report on the place and character of ‘leadership’ in the University would be helpful in enabling the Regent House to clarify its definition. The key components of the updated office of Chief Financial Officer are as set out in the current Report, therefore the Council sees no need for any additional Report. The Council understands that the title of Chief Financial Officer is now more widely used within the HE sector than that of Treasurer and has much higher recognition among suitably qualified potential applicants. The further particulars for the office will include information about the University context, including the roles of the Regent House and the Council.
The Council is submitting a Grace (Grace 1, p. 227) for the approval of the recommendations of this Report.
1Raising a matter not directly related to this Report, Dr Astle questions the statement in the Council’s Notice of 7 November 2024 stating that it has ‘sole responsibility for decisions about investments, and therefore the Grace would not be binding on the Council if approved by the Regent House’ based on the cited parts of Statute and Special Ordinance. The Council agrees that the Notice should also have referred to the Council’s executive powers under Statute A IV 1(a) for the management of the University’s resources.
The Council has received the remarks made at the Discussion on 10 December 2024 concerning the above Report (Reporter, 2024–25: 6761, p. 141; 6764, p. 200). It has consulted with the General Board in preparing this response.
The Council agrees with Professor Evans that, where a body is established in Statute or Ordinance, the key difference between a Committee and a Syndicate or a Board lies in the ability of the latter to report directly to the Regent House by publishing a Report. However, there are other mechanisms that Committee members and others can use to draw attention to issues. For example, any ten members of the Regent House can request the discussion of a Topic of concern to the University, after which any remarks made will be published in the Reporter and the Council required to publish a response to them.
The arrangements for the ADC Theatre as a General Board institution and for the new Committee, as set out in the new General Board Regulations, follow the pattern of those for similar institutions and their related committees that are also under the supervision of the General Board.
The Council is submitting a Grace (Grace 2, p. 227) for the approval of the recommendations of this Report.
The Vice-Chancellor announces that the following candidate has been nominated in accordance with Statute A IV 2 for election to the Council in class (c) (other members of the Council), and that it has been certified to her that the candidate has consented to be nominated:
Dr Mezna Qato, N, nominated by Professor Y. Navaro, N, and Professor P. M. Rose
No other persons having been nominated, Dr Qato is duly elected in class (c), to serve with immediate effect until 31 December 2026.