Notices

Calendar

29 July, Wednesday. Last ordinary issue of the Reporter in the 2025–26 academic year.

23 September, Wednesday. First issue of the Reporter in the 2026–27 academic year.

1 October, Thursday. Michaelmas Term begins. Congregation of the Regent House at 9.55 a.m.: Election and admission of the Proctors. Annual address by the Vice-Chancellor.

6 October, Tuesday. Full term begins. Discussion by videoconference at 2 p.m.

Notice of a benefaction

23 July 2026

The Vice-Chancellor gives notice that she has accepted with gratitude a benefaction from Cambridge in America, payable over three years, following a donation from Dr Mark Hayter, as endowment to support research and education in the Department of Computer Science and Technology, including by endowing an EDSAC Professorship of Computer Science for a single tenure. The Council, on the recommendation of the General Board, is submitting Graces for the approval of the establishment of the Professorship and the related endowment fund (see the General Board’s Notice, p. 686, and Graces 1 and 6, pp. 692 and 693).

Vice-Chancellor’s deputies appointed with authority to accept benefactions

23 July 2026

The Vice-Chancellor gives notice of changes to the delegations of authority for the acceptance of donations with effect from 1 August 2026. From that date, the Vice-Chancellor has appointed the following, in accordance with Statute C III 7(b), to act on her behalf until further notice in relation to the acceptance of benefactions,1 subject to the limitations noted below.

The following have authority to accept donations of up to and including £100k for the benefit of their respective institutions or for the benefit of a centre or institute under the supervision of their institution:

The Librarian

The Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum

The Director of the Botanic Garden

The Director of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

The Director of the Scott Polar Research Institute

The Chairs of the various Faculty Boards

The Heads of the Departments listed in Regulation 3 of the General Board Regulations for Departments and Heads of Departments (Statutes and Ordinances, 2024, p. 608)

The Directors of other institutions independent of any Faculty or Department but under the supervision of the General Board

The Heads of the Schools

The Director of University Information Services

The following have authority to accept donations of up to and including £4m:

The Executive Director of Cambridge University Development and Alumni Relations (CUDAR)

The Senior Director of Advancement Services of CUDAR

The purpose of the donation acceptance procedures is to ensure that the University can continue to accept philanthropic gifts efficiently while maintaining appropriate oversight and due diligence controls. These changes have been prompted by a review of those procedures. Since the current framework was introduced 15 years ago, philanthropic income has increased substantially, and current processes are no longer well aligned with the volume and complexity of donations now being handled by the University. The amendments to existing delegations:

•retain the £100k limit for the acceptance of donations by heads of institutions but with the cumulative threshold removed;

•raise the threshold for the acceptance of donations by the Executive Director of CUDAR to £4m and extend that delegation to include the Senior Director of Advancement Services of CUDAR.

The revised delegations will reduce the number of lower-value gifts requiring acceptance by the Vice-Chancellor, which will allow the Vice-Chancellor’s involvement to focus on the most significant or sensitive gifts, while ensuring that donors continue to receive appropriate recognition (the Vice-Chancellor will continue to send letters thanking donors for their support). The changes are also expected to shorten settlement times and reduce administrative burden while retaining appropriate legal, governance and due diligence safeguards, providing benefits for both the University and donors.

The Procedures for Handling Donations, as referenced in Chapter 14 of the University’s Financial Procedures, will be updated to reflect these revised delegations.

Acceptance of all benefactions will continue to be considered in accordance with the ethical guidelines published by the Council (Statutes and Ordinances, 2024, p. 1054). Other related procedures remain unchanged, including the establishment of endowment funds of £100k or more by Grace.

Preachers before the University in 2026–27

Further to the Notice published on 25 March 2026 (Reporter, 6820, 2025–26, p. 399), the Vice-Chancellor gives notice that the following persons, appointed in the manner prescribed by Ordinance, are now expected to preach during the next academic year:

Michaelmas Term 2026

18 October 2026, His Eminence Nikitas Lioulias, Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain (Select Preacher)

1 November 2026, The Reverend Malcolm Guite, Fellow of Girton College and member of Pembroke College (Lady Margaret’s Preacher, Commemoration of Benefactors)

Lent Term 2027

24 January 2027, The Reverend Canon Dr Jamie Hawkey, Bye-Fellow and formerly Fellow and Dean of Clare College, member of Girton College and of Selwyn College, Canon Theologian of Westminster Abbey, Chair of the Westminster Abbey Institute, Chaplain to HM The King (Select Preacher)

21 February 2027, The Reverend Prebendary Dr Isabelle Hamley, Principal of Ridley Hall (Hulsean Preacher)

Easter Term 2027

16 May 2027, Professor Esther Mombo, Professor of Theology at St Paul’s University, Limuru, Kenya (Ramsden Preacher)

These University Sermons will be delivered in Great St Mary’s, the University Church, at 11.30 a.m. on the Sundays stated. Members of the University are reminded that they should wear academic dress in the University Church when attending University Sermons and that 1 November 2026 and 16 May 2027 are ‘Scarlet Days’ for Doctors. All are welcome and those present will be invited to take refreshments with the Preacher afterwards.

Report of the Council on changes to the senior administrative offices: Notice in response to Discussion remarks

23 July 2026

The Council has received the remarks made on the above Report at the Discussion on 14 July 2026 (Reporter, 2025–26: 6831, p. 583; 6834, p. 676).1

Dr Rutter notes the proposed changes to enable the Council and the General Board to allocate any duty of the Registrary, the Academic Secretary, or the Chief Operating Officer (COO) to a postholder. He suggests that ‘it is difficult to see why the duties, and presumably responsibilities, of some of the most senior roles in the University should be assigned to non‑officers’, stating that officers ‘are given substantial protection by Statute which not only protects their academic freedom, but also gives them the independence to be able to discharge duties without fear of coercion’. The review of the Employer Justified Retirement Age has cast doubt on the legitimacy of extending those statutory protections to academic‑related officers, a subject to which the Council expects to return in due course. The Council refers to its previous response to a similar comment on its consultation report on these proposals, in which it noted that the University’s Statutes already give the Council the ability to fill an unestablished post of Acting Registrary2 during a vacancy in the substantive office and its wish to have the flexibility to choose the right person to undertake a duty normally assigned to the Registrary (or to the Academic Secretary or the COO) based on their skills and experience rather than on the terms under which they are employed. However, it accepts that this matter is not central to the main recommendations of this Report and therefore it has revised Recommendation I and paragraph (a) of Annex A of the Report to remove these proposed amendments, as set out below.

In his remarks, Mr Haynes suggests that ‘it does not look like these options will help reduce the overall budget concerns, except perhaps as an aspirational potential that all the new posts (COO, Deputy, Assistant, etc.) will somehow pay for themselves in the savings they can generate’. The Council has not claimed that these proposals will generate savings in the short term nor pay for themselves over time, though there may be opportunities for savings in the future from the injection of new ideas. The primary purpose of these changes is to redistribute the current duties of the Registrary and the Chief Financial Officer to create two more coherent and manageable roles. The changes will also enable the Council to recruit from an existing pool of candidates with experience of similar roles.

Mr Haynes suggests alternative models for the placement of University Information Services (UIS) within the University’s reporting structures, including creation of ‘a properly resourced Academic Team’ or merger with the University Library. The Council notes that both of these models have been tried in the University but ultimately rejected following reviews, with UIS formed following the merger of teams focused on academic and administrative systems, and with the activities of the Centre for Applied Research in Educational Technologies (CARET) transferred from the University Library to UIS in 2015. There is more to be gained from bringing teams together than creating new divisions.

Mr Haynes refers to the ‘substantial yet controversial nature of these proposed major changes, and the time of year in which they are being pursued’, and anticipates an intention to put the Report’s proposals to a vote. The Council notes the strong support from Professor Philpott, Dr Glover and previous commentators for the plans to recruit a COO and to have three senior administrative officers reporting to the Council (Registrary and COO) and the General Board (Academic Secretary) through the Vice-Chancellor. It also notes that most contributors who considered the position of UIS during the consultation and at the Discussion of the Topic of concern were supportive of UIS joining other professional services focused on facilitating teaching and research within the remit of the COO as part of the Unified Administrative Service and did not favour a suspension of those plans until work to develop a digital strategy is complete. It therefore sees no need to seek a vote on these matters. The Council agrees with Mr Odgers (echoing similar comments from Dr Glover and Professor Philpott) that it is important to move ahead with the recruitment of a COO who can coordinate the key professional services teams, given the pressing need to operate more efficiently and effectively.

The Council has amended paragraph (c) of Annex A to clarify the separate elements of the Report’s recommendations, as set out below.

The Council is submitting Graces (Graces 2 and 3, p. 693) for the approval of the recommendations of this Report, as revised by this Notice.

29 July 2026

The Report’s revised recommendations

New or revised text is underlined to highlight the changes.

Revised text of Recommendation I:

I.That the Statutes of the University be amended as follows, and that these amendments be submitted to His Majesty in Council for approval.

By amending Statute C VI (Statutes and Ordinances, 2024, p. 20) to read as follows:

THE REGISTRARY

1. Provision shall be made by Special Ordinance for the appointment of the Registrary, for the determination of the duties and responsibilities of the holder of that office and for the appointment of an Acting Registrary during a vacancy in that office.

2. There shall be under the direction of the Council administrative officers in categories determined by Ordinance. So far as the Council may allow or direct, any duty of the Registrary may be performed by such an officer.

Revised text of paragraphs (a) and (c) of Annex A:

(a) By amending Special Ordinance C (iv) (Statutes and Ordinances, 2024, p. 79) to read as follows:

The Registrary, Chief Operating Officer and Academic Secretary
(Special Ordinance under Statute C VI)

1. (a) The Registrary and the Chief Operating Officer shall be appointed by the Council and placed under its direction through the Vice-Chancellor.

(b) The Academic Secretary shall be appointed by the Council after consultation with the General Board and placed under the direction of the General Board through the Vice-Chancellor.

(c) None of the holders of the offices of Registrary, Chief Operating Officer and Academic Secretary shall be a member of the Council or the Board of Scrutiny.

2. (a) So far as the Council may allow or direct, any duty of the Chief Operating Officer may be performed by an officer.

(b) So far as the General Board may allow or direct, any duty of the Academic Secretary may be performed by an officer.

3. During a vacancy in the office of Registrary (or Academic Secretary or Chief Operating Officer), the Council may appoint an Acting Registrary (or Acting Academic Secretary or Acting Chief Operating Officer, as the case may be) upon such terms of remuneration as it thinks fit.

4. It shall be the duty of the Registrary

(a)to act as the principal governance officer of the University, and the head of the University’s administrative staff supporting governance, legal affairs and policy;

(b)to keep a record of the proceedings of the University, and to attend for that purpose all Congregations of the Regent House and such other public proceedings of the University as may be specified by Statute or Ordinance or by the Council;

(c)to act as Secretary to the Council;

(d)to receive reports of Boards, Syndicates, and other bodies, and to deal with them as required by Statute or Ordinance;

(e)to be responsible for maintaining a register of members of the University, and keeping records of matriculations and class-lists, and of degrees, diplomas, and other qualifications;

(f)to edit Statutes and Ordinances and the Cambridge University Reporter;

(g)to issue such certificates as may be required in accordance with Statute A II 8;

(h)to witness the affixing of the Common Seal, or appoint deputies to do so, and to carry out related duties as set out in Statute A II 13(c);

(i)to issue such certificates as may be required in accordance with Statute J 11;

(j)to perform such other duties as may be prescribed by Statute or Ordinance or by the Council.

5. It shall be the duty of the Chief Operating Officer

(a)to act as the principal operations officer of the University, and the head of the University’s administrative staff supporting other operations not within the remit of the Academic Secretary under Section 6(a);

(b)to perform such other duties as may be prescribed by Statute or Ordinance or by the Council.

6. It shall be the duty of the Academic Secretary

(a)to act as the principal academic planning officer of the University, and the head of the University’s administrative staff supporting academic planning and education and research operations;

(b)to perform such other duties as may be prescribed by Statute or Ordinance or by the General Board.

(c) In the Ordinance for the Unified Administrative Service (staff of the University Offices) (Statutes and Ordinances, 2024, p. 693)

(i) by amending Regulations 1, 2, 3, 6(c) and 7(a) to read as follows and retaining existing footnotes:

1. The staff of the University Offices shall form a Unified Administrative Service which shall be under the supervision of the Council and shall comprise the following Divisions split between (i) Operations, (ii) Academic Planning and Related Operations, and (iii) Governance and Legal:

Operations

Estates Division

Finance Division

Health, Safety, and Regulated Facilities Division

Human Resources Division

Investment Oversight and Appraisal Office

Academic Planning and Related Operations

Academic Division

Governance and Legal

Governance and Compliance Division

Legal Services Division

2. (a) Under the provisions of Special Ordinance C (iv), within the Unified Administrative Service the head of Operations shall be the Chief Operating Officer, the head of Academic Planning and Related Operations shall be the Academic Secretary, and the head of Governance and Legal shall be the Registrary.

(b) Under the direction of the Council, the Chief Operating Officer, the Academic Secretary and the Registrary shall manage their staff within University Offices and their staffing, funding, space, and other resources provided to the Offices by the Council. It shall be the duty of the Chief Operating Officer, the Academic Secretary and the Registrary to ensure that arrangements for the quality assurance of the services provided by the Offices are presented to the Council and are implemented as agreed by the Council. The Chief Operating Officer, the Academic Secretary and the Registrary shall make such reports on the work of the University Offices to the Council as that body may require.

(c) The Chief Operating Officer, or a University officer appointed by the Chief Operating Officer, shall be the Establishment Licence Holder for facilities regulated by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

3. With the exception of the Academic Division, within each Division of the Unified Administrative Service there shall be the University office of Director (or such other title as may be determined from time to time by the Council) who shall be head of the Division and whose duties shall include the management of the Division, under the overall responsibility of the Registrary or the Chief Operating Officer.

[6.] (c) (i)the Chief Operating Officer if the appointment is in an Operations Division, the Academic Secretary if the appointment is in the Academic Division or the Registrary if the appointment is in a Governance and Legal Division (or a deputy appointed by the relevant officer);

(ii)the Director of the Division in which the appointment is to be made (except where it is the Director of the Division who is to be appointed or reappointed);

[7.] (a) Appointments and reappointments to the offices of Director, Deputy Director, Assistant Director, Principal Assistant Registrary, Principal Assistant Operating Officer, Principal Assistant Planning Officer, Principal Assistant Treasurer, Senior Assistant Registrary, Senior Assistant Operating Officer, Senior Assistant Planning Officer and Senior Assistant Treasurer shall be made by the Standing Appointments Committee on the recommendation of an Appointing Committee, the membership of which shall be approved by the Chair of the Standing Appointments Committee, which shall consist of the Registrary if the appointment is in a Governance and Legal Division, or the Academic Secretary if the appointment is in an Academic Planning and Related Operations Division, or the Chief Operating Officer if the appointment is in an Operations Division (or a deputy appointed by the relevant officer), the Director of the Division in which the appointment is to be made, an appropriate senior academic-related officer, a senior academic with experience and interest in what the role of the office entails, and a member of the Standing Appointments Committee in class (b).

(ii) by inserting ‘Information Services Division’ in the list of Divisions in Regulation 1 under the heading for ‘Operations’;

(iii) in Regulations 4 and 8 by inserting ‘, Assistant Operating Officer, Assistant Planning Officer’ after ‘Assistant Registrary’, in Regulation 8 by inserting ‘, Academic Secretary and Chief Operating Officer’ after ‘the Registrary’, and in Regulation 11 by inserting ‘, Academic Secretary and Chief Operating Officer’ after ‘the Registrary’ in two locations.

Work to improve access to the Sedgwick Building

23 July 2026

The Sedgwick Building on the Downing site is one of two principal buildings used by students and staff in the Department of Earth Sciences; it also hosts the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, which is visited by 85,000 members of the public each year, and 2,000 children on organised school trips.

Access to and vertical transportation within the Sedgwick Building is very poor. The existing lift serving the Department is not adequate for an average-sized wheelchair or mobility scooter; unreliable when in service; and out of service for long periods, with the consequence that students and staff with accessibility needs may be unable to access teaching, library and laboratory facilities on the upper floors of the building.

The Sedgwick Museum is located on the first floor and is accessed principally from the grand Bison and Bear staircase. Those requiring assistance must use the lift described in the previous paragraph, which for visitors is difficult to locate within the Department of Earth Sciences. Anyone needing to use the lift must call for assistance via an external intercom to access to the ground floor lobby area and – with a member of staff in attendance – travel through the student common room to the lift. Once visitors access the first floor there are two further platform lifts to access the change of floor heights within the gallery areas.

The Sedgwick Building is Grade II listed and in the heart of Cambridge’s central conservation area. Substantial and extended engagement, dialogue and negotiation with the Conservation and Planning teams at Cambridge City Council has achieved agreement on a scheme for which planning and listed building consents were granted in 2025.

The proposed scheme would provide step-free access to all public areas of the Sedgwick Museum and to the Department of Earth Sciences by means of a new external passenger lift, landscaping and ground-floor access. The scheme would also make improvements to the congested car parking area to the front of the Sedgwick Building. Internal layouts would be altered to allow access to the proposed lift, and some display cabinets in the Museum would be removed and relocated.

The Planning and Resources Committee has approved a business case to implement this scheme at an estimated cost of £3.6m. The costs will be met principally from the Investment Fund; initial design development was funded by the Minor Works Fund. The work is expected to commence in the spring of 2027 and will take approximately twelve months to complete.

The Council is submitting a Grace (Grace 5, p. 693) for the approval of this work.

Austin, Balfour, Cockcroft and Phoenix Buildings

23 July 2026

The following Notice is published to advise the University of works which are not considered to be a ‘substantial alteration’ within the meaning of Statute F II 3 and therefore do not require a Report but are nevertheless of interest or consequence to members of the Regent House.

A Report recommending the disposal of the freehold of the Mill Lane North site to King’s College was published on 30 April 2025. The recommendations of that Report were approved by Grace 2 of 29 May 2025. The Report noted that the usual procedures would be followed for determining whether to notify, or seek approval from, the Regent House regarding any building works required as part of the programme to relocate current occupants of the Mill Lane North site by the end of July 2027. Several relocation projects require works to buildings on the New Museums site as summarised in the following paragraphs.

The Mill Lane North Programme Board has endorsed a proposal to relocate the Department of Land Economy from 17 Mill Lane to space in the Austin and Cockcroft Buildings on the New Museums site.

To facilitate this move, the Department of Zoology has consolidated its use of space in the Austin Building. Further reorganisation of the space assigned to Zoology will enable the relocation of the Office of the School of the Biological Sciences from 17 Mill Lane to the Austin Building. The Department of Zoology’s facilities for aquatic research – currently ranged across several buildings on the New Museums site and at Madingley – will be consolidated into a single research facility in the Austin Building. Improvements will be made to the end gable of the Austin Building, which was left in a temporary state following the completion of the Student Services Centre.

Space in the Phoenix Building will be refurbished to accommodate research groups from the School of the Humanities and Social Sciences, also relocated from 17 Mill Lane. A bridge linking the Balfour and Phoenix Buildings will be removed as this no longer provides a suitable means of escape and will be replaced with an external spiral escape stair.

The Programme Board for Education Space has agreed that it would be appropriate to refurbish a vacant area in the Balfour Building as a new venue for teaching and examinations, to be managed alongside the existing education space in the Cockcroft Building. This work is not a direct result of the Mill Lane relocation programme, but the opportunity has been under consideration by the Programme Board for some time and can be achieved most cost effectively if it is undertaken at the same time as the other works itemised in this Notice.

The total estimated cost is £18m. Enabling work commenced during the spring and early summer of 2026; the substantive work to the Austin, Balfour and Cockcroft Buildings is scheduled to commence in August 2026 and conclude in October 2027, although the works necessary to achieve relocations from the Mill Lane site will conclude by July 2027. Planning permission and – where applicable – listed building consent from Cambridge City Council have been achieved.

Regent House membership for retired University staff: 15 August deadline reminder

Under Special Ordinance A (i) (e), retired members of University staff who were previously on the Roll can reacquire Regent House membership (including, for example, those currently working as voluntary Directors of Research). To qualify, University staff:

•will have retired or be about to retire from an office or appointment in the University which previously qualified them for membership of the Regent House; and

•will not be eligible for membership of the Regent House in any other category, e.g. as a Fellow of a College; and

•will need to provide to the Director of Governance and Compliance by 15 August prior to the promulgation of the Roll each year written confirmation from their Head of institution that they are active participants in the University’s affairs.

Further information and an application form are available on the Regent House site at https://universityofcambridgecloud.sharepoint.com/sites/RegentHouse/SitePages/RH-Retirees.aspx. Applications should be sent to the Director of Governance and Compliance by email to UniversityDraftsman@admin.cam.ac.uk by Saturday, 15 August 2026, for inclusion on the Roll from 6 November 2026.

Publication of Faculty membership lists

The process for the publication of Faculty membership lists was revised in October 2025 (see Reporter, 6795, 2024–25, p. 779). Under the new process, the Secretary of each Faculty Board is required to publish preliminary and final lists of members of their Faculty on a dedicated local webpage. A list of the webpages on which the membership lists are published is maintained on the Reporter website, where the relevant deadlines for Michaelmas Term 2026, noted below, can also be found: https://www.reporter.admin.cam.ac.uk/faculty-membership-lists.

Preliminary lists of members will be available by 6 October 2026. Any corrections or amendments should be sent to the Secretary of the Faculty Board concerned by the deadline publicised by the Secretary of the Faculty Board, expected to be on or around 22 October 2026. The final list for each Faculty will be promulgated by the Secretary of the Faculty Board no later than 6 November 2026.

Annual Reports

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

Cambridge University Botanic Garden Annual Report and Accounts, 2024–25:
https://www.botanic.cam.ac.uk/the-garden/annual-report/

Cambridge University Press and Assessment Annual Report, 2025:
https://www.cambridge.org/about-us/annual-report