Statutes and Ordinances of the University of Cambridge
SPECIAL ORDINANCES UNDER STATUTE C
pp. 90–91
UNIVERSITY OFFICES AND EMPLOYMENT IN THE UNIVERSITY

SPECIAL ORDINANCE C (x):
Selection Committees
(Special Ordinance under Statute C XIII 2)

1. Save to the extent expressly set out below, and unless expressly excluded by the provisions of any trust for the time being binding on the University, the process for the appointment of established academic officers (other than Professors) in each School shall be determined by the Council of the School, and responsibility for overseeing compliance with that process shall rest with the Head of that School.

2. The selection for appointment for every established academic office (other than Professorships) shall be made by a Selection Committee at which a minimum of five members and normally a maximum of nine members are present, unless the Head of the School has determined that the maximum number of members shall be higher in an individual case.

3. The constitution of the Selection Committee shall be determined by the process established under Sections 8 and 10 below, but the majority must be established academic officers in the University and at least one member must be external to the institution in which the appointment is being made.

4. Notwithstanding the minimum of five members specified in Section 2, if notice has been given that a member will be absent from a meeting of a Selection Committee for good cause and that absence would bring the number present below the specified minimum, the Head of the School shall have authority to appoint another person to serve as a member of the Selection Committee for that meeting provided all other requirements of this Special Ordinance C (x) for the constitution of the Selection Committee are met.

5. Those responsible for the constitution of Selection Committees shall endeavour to ensure that there are as nearly as possible equal numbers of men and women on any Selection Committee and consideration should be given to the racial and ethnic diversity of the Committee.

6. Decisions of a Selection Committee shall be made by a two-thirds vote of members (rounded up to the nearest integer) unless unanimity is prescribed for any decision by the process in any School. The Chair shall not have a casting vote.

7. Each member of a Selection Committee shall seek to ensure that the selection process has been conducted fairly and complies with the required procedure and the Recruitment Key Principles. Any member can raise a concern with the Chair of the Committee, orally or in writing, if that member considers that it is not being conducted in accordance with the required procedure or the Recruitment Key Principles as adopted by the University from time to time. In the event that the member’s concern is not satisfactorily answered, the member shall be entitled to refer the matter to the Head of the School, who shall have discretion to resolve the matter as the Head of the School considers appropriate. This shall not affect any remedy available to a candidate affected by any defect in process.

The University members of a Selection Committee shall normally have undertaken recruitment training and training in equality and diversity matters as specified from time to time by the General Board. Where a Head of School is not satisfied that a Selection Committee has made a decision fairly, transparently, or in accordance with the required procedure or the Recruitment Key Principles as adopted by the University from time to time, the Head of the School may remit the decision back to the Selection Committee citing concerns and asking that remedial action be taken. In exceptional circumstances, where the Head of the School remains dissatisfied, the Head of the School may veto the making of an appointment, but in those circumstances a full report shall be made to the Council of the School.

8. The process to be established pursuant to Section 1 shall specify at least the following:

  1. (a)The method and criteria for the appointment of members to a Selection Committee;
  2. (b)How the chair of the Selection Committee shall be appointed;
  3. (c)Whether there shall be an ad hoc Selection Committee(s) and if so, in what circumstances a Standing Selection Committee(s) may be established, if any;
  4. (d)The process to be adopted for advertising the appointment, and the procedure for short-listing, interviewing and final selection by the Selection Committee;
  5. (e)The training requirements for members of Selection Committees within the School.

The above information shall be published by the Schools on their respective websites. The memberships of individual Selection Committees shall also be published on the Schools’ websites or on the websites of the institutions concerned.

9. For appointments and reappointments to a University office of Clinical Lecturer, the relevant School under Section 1 shall be the School of Clinical Medicine, in consultation with the School in which the Clinical Lectureship is established.

10. The Council and the General Board shall, by Notice issued from time to time, specify the Selection Committee and process to be adopted in the appointment of established academic officers in institutions under the direct supervision of the Council or the General Board, or of certain officers whose duties concern more than one School or institution.