Notices

Calendar

26 March, Wednesday. Last ordinary issue of the Reporter in the Lent Term.

29 March, Saturday. Congregation of the Regent House at 10 a.m.

5 April, Saturday. Congregation of the Regent House at 10 a.m.

11 April, Friday. Congregation of the Regent House at 2 p.m. (degrees in absence only).

17 April, Thursday. Easter Term begins.

20 April, Sunday. Easter Day. Scarlet Day.

24 April, Thursday. First ordinary issue of the Reporter in the Easter Term.

29 April, Tuesday. Full Term begins. Discussion by videoconference at 2 p.m. (see below). Mere’s Commemoration Sermon in St Benedict’s Church at 11.45 a.m. Preacher, The Revd Professor Andrew Davison, former Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Regius Professor of Divinity and Canon of Christ Church, University of Oxford.

Discussion on Tuesday, 29 April 2025

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, 29 April 2025 at 2 p.m. The following item will be discussed:

1. Joint Report of the Council and the General Board, dated 17 March 2025, on a change of name for the Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute (Reporter, 6776, 2024–25, p. 421).

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/.

Notice of benefactions

20 March 2025

The Vice-Chancellor gives notice that she has accepted with gratitude the following benefactions:

(a)£4m as endowment from the trustees of the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Charitable Foundation, VPMA Property Holdings Inc and VPMA BAC North Property Ltd, payable over two years, to support the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute;

(b)£1m as endowment and £124k as income from Mr Daryl Ng, payable over four years, to support a Ph.D. studentship at the Department of Land Economy to be known as the Professor Yeoh Ghim Seng Ph.D. Studentship in Land Economy. The University has agreed to contribute a minimum of £50k in matched funding to the endowment;

(c)$830,000 USD as endowment from Cambridge in America, following a donation from Dr Jennifer Read as trustee of The Read-Gostick Education Fund, to support a studentship at the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute for a student who nominates Selwyn College as their first-choice of College at the University. The Studentship will be known as the Raymond C. Read and Lillian J. Gostick Ph.D. Studentship. The University has agreed to contribute 25% of the GBP value of the benefaction in matched funding to the endowment;

(d)£100k as endowment from the James and Lucilla Joll Charitable Trust, to support a student bursary in the Hamilton Kerr Institute to be known as the Herbert Lank Student Bursary.

The Council is submitting Graces (Graces 1–4, p. 459) to establish the related endowment funds.

Amending Statutes for Selwyn College

25 March 2025

The Vice-Chancellor begs leave to refer to her Notice of 26 February 2025 (Reporter, 6774, 2024–25, p. 396), concerning the text of a Statute to amend the Statutes of Selwyn 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 24 March 2026.

Office of Chancellor: Review of election arrangements

20 March 2025

In January 2024, the Council agreed to call a ballot on whether the voting system used in Senate votes should be changed, when the next Senate vote took place.1 It has since published a timetable for the election of the next Chancellor by the Senate.2

The Council has reflected further and determined that it is preferable to review potential changes to the voting system as part of a larger lessons learnt exercise following this summer’s election. Such an exercise will enable the Council to consider the impact of the revised arrangements in the round, covering all parts of the current election and nomination process, including online voting,3 which are being used for the first time in this election. The Council expects to receive a report as soon as possible in the next academic year and to and publish its findings in the Reporter. In the meantime, the existing arrangements, including the use of the Single Transferable Vote system, will remain in place.

Amendment to Grace 1 of 12 February 2025 (ACP (R) proposals) initiated under Special Ordinance A (ii) 5: Notice in response

24 March 2025

The Council has received a proposed amendment to Grace 1 of 12 February 2025, put forward by 31 members of the Regent House.1 The Grace recommends a new promotion and reward scheme for researchers. The amendment seeks to revise one of the Report’s proposals, by changing the frequency of a new contribution reward scheme so that it runs termly instead of annually (the current scheme runs termly).

The Council has agreed to authorise submission of the amendment under Special Ordinance A (ii) 7, so that the amendment can be added to the ballot paper (see the options on the ballot paper below and ballot timetable on p. 457). The Council has adopted this course of action as the one most likely to be supported by the Regent House, but it has concerns about the intent of the amendment (and its drafting). It also wishes to note that – if approved – the proposed amendment is likely to increase the administrative burden on Faculties, Departments and Schools at a time when greater efficiencies are sought. If the amendment is approved in the ballot, the General Board will not be bound to implement the change it proposes. This is because the General Board is responsible under Statute A V 1 for the academic and educational policy of the University, and under Statute C II 2 for processes for the management of employment by the University. Should the vote be in favour of the amendment, the General Board will consider whether it wishes to make changes to its proposals for a new contribution reward scheme and will publish a Notice confirming its decision.

The delay to the ballot to allow time for consideration of the amendment has had an impact on the plans for implementation of the scheme. If some form of the proposals is approved in the ballot, the General Board will consider when the scheme can take effect and will publish that information in the Reporter.

Options on the ballot paper

The Vice-Chancellor has confirmed that the options in this vote will be as follows:

(A)  In favour of the Grace in its original form

•The new promotion and reward scheme for researchers will be implemented as set out in the Report

•This will include a new annual contribution reward scheme held annually

(B)  In favour of the Grace as amended

•The new promotion and reward scheme for researchers will be implemented as set out in the Report, with the exception of the new contribution reward scheme

•The General Board will consider whether it wishes to make changes to its proposals for a new contribution reward scheme and publish a Notice about its decision

(C)  Against the Grace, whether in its original or amended form

•The existing arrangements for promotion and reward for researchers will remain in place, including the existing termly contribution reward scheme

Ballot timetable

For a fly-sheet to be circulated to members of the Regent House when voting opens, the Registrary needs to receive the fly-sheet, signed by 10 or more members of the Regent House or other authorised groups,2 by 1 p.m. on Thursday, 24 April 2025.

The Registrary will accept fly-sheets:

(a)signed by completing an online form on the Regent House Petitions site or other authorised site by the deadline;3

(b)in hardcopy, signed with wet-ink signatures, with the names of signatories in block capitals, delivered to the Old Schools, or as an email from a University account that includes the text of the fly-sheet or amendment sent to registrary@admin.cam.ac.uk, or as a photo or scan of the document showing the signature sent by email (ideally from a University account) to registrary@admin.cam.ac.uk, by the deadline.

The Single Transferable Vote regulations4 will apply in this ballot. Those listed on the Roll of the Regent House promulgated on 6 November 2024 will be eligible to vote.5 Online voting6 will open at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 6 May and close at 5 p.m. on Thursday, 15 May 2025 (voters will receive an email when voting opens). Hardcopy voting papers and supporting materials will be distributed not later than Tuesday, 6 May to those who opted in November 2024 to vote on paper; the last date for the return of voting papers is 5 p.m. on Thursday, 15 May 2025.

Report of the Council on a new temporary facility for the Molecular Imaging Chemistry Laboratory at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus: Notice in response to Discussion remarks

25 March 2025

The Council has received the remarks made at the Discussion on 18 March 2025 concerning the above Report (Reporter, 2024–25: 6774, p. 399; p. 466).

Professor Aigbirhio, Director of the Molecular Imaging Chemistry Laboratory (MICL), welcomes the alternative proposal for the MICL’s temporary relocation to a site next to the John Van Geest Centre for Brain Repair.

Professor Evans draws a comparison between the recommendations of the above Report and the Second-stage Report of the Council on the alteration and redevelopment of the Hutchison Building on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus site. Professor Evans suggests it would be helpful to know the reason for the difference in the recommendations of these two Reports. The Report on the Hutchison Building has followed the standard process, with a first Report seeking approval in principle before a planning application is submitted and a second Report now seeking final approval before construction starts. However, not all proposals for new buildings, or the demolition or substantial alteration of existing buildings, follow this process (Statute F II 3 only requires approval by Grace, not the publication of a Report). The Council refers Professor Evans to paragraph 2 of the above Report, which includes the following:

As the project remains urgent and consultation suggests both the project in principle and the proposed new location have broad support, this Report seeks approval for both the project and its construction in one stage. Therefore if planning permission is granted, there will be no second Report unless there are significant changes to the project as outlined below.

The Council is submitting Graces (Graces 5 and 6, p. 461) for the approval of the recommendations of this Report and the Report on the Hutchison Building.

Honorary Degrees: Call for nominations

Nominations are invited from members of the University community for the award of honorary doctorates. Full details about eligibility to nominate for and to receive such degrees and the process are published online at https://www.cam.ac.uk/about-the-university/how-the-university-and-colleges-work/processes/honorary-degrees/the-nomination-and-approval-process, where a list of honorary degrees conferred since 1977 may also be found.

The University Council’s Honorary Degree Committee would welcome nominations of persons of national or international distinction and especially of those whose work promotes the University’s mission and core values1. Such distinction may be in any field (and any genre within a field) and need not always relate closely to academic achievement. The Committee wishes to increase the breadth and diversity of its field of candidates – both in terms of background (for instance, gender and ethnicity) and area of achievement.

The Committee has simplified the process for making nominations, which should be submitted via the online form.

Annual Reports

The following Annual Reports have been received by the Council and/or the General Board and are available as indicated:

Cambridge University Endowment Fund Trustee Body Annual Report 2024 (University account required):
https://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/cam-only/reporter/documents/cuetb/CUETB-AnnualReport2024.pdf

Fitzwilliam Museum and Hamilton Kerr Institute Annual Report, 2023–24:
https://fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/about-us/governance-policies-and-reports

Institute of Continuing Education Annual Report, 2023–24:
https://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/annual-report

Kettle’s Yard Annual Report, 2023–24:
https://www.kettlesyard.cam.ac.uk/about-us/annual-reports

McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, 2022–23:
https://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/institutes-and-facilities-overview/mcdonald-institute-archaeological-research/annual-reports