Appointment of Vice-Chancellor and Senior Officers
Council Ordinance 12
Appointment of Vice-Chancellor
12.1 Council shall appoint a Selection Committee to oversee the process for the selection of a successor to the Vice-Chancellor and to recommend to Council a candidate for appointment. The Selection Committee shall also, if appropriate, recommend to Council the appointment of a person to serve as Acting Vice-Chancellor.
12.2 The Selection Committee shall comprise:
Chair of Council (Chair)
Not less than 5 members of Council, selected by the Chair so as to be representative of the composition of the Council.
12.3 The Secretary to Council shall be the secretary to the Selection Committee. The Selection Committee may appoint Advisers as appropriate.
12.4 The Selection Committee shall have freedom to determine the most appropriate way to conduct its business, but issues relating to the remuneration and terms and conditions of the Vice-Chancellor are the responsibility of the Remuneration Committee.
Appointment of Acting Vice-Chancellor
12.5 In the absence or on the resignation of the Vice-Chancellor the Council shall normally appoint the Vice-Principal as Acting Vice-Chancellor until further notice.
Appointment of Vice-Principal
12.6 Statute 6 applies.
12.7 The period of Office of the Vice-Principal shall normally be three years, renewable thereafter for periods not exceeding three years.
12.8 The Vice-Chancellor may delegate to the Vice-Principal any or all of his or her powers in a manner and for such periods of time as are agreed with the Chair of Council.
Appointment of Pro-Vice-Chancellors
12.9 Statute 7 applies.
12.10 The period of office of each Pro-Vice-Chancellor shall normally be three years in the first instance, renewable thereafter for periods not exceeding three years.
12.11 The Vice-Chancellor shall propose to Council a specific role and functions for each Pro-Vice-Chancellor, which shall be reflected in their title. The title shall be subject to approval by Council.
Appointment of Heads of Schools, Senior Officers and Senior Managers
12.12 All posts reporting direct to the Vice-Chancellor shall be advertised.
12.13 An independent member of Council shall normally serve as a member of the appointment board for any post reporting direct to the Vice-Chancellor. An independent member of Council shall also be a member of the appointment board for the following (or their equivalent) whether they report direct to the Vice-Chancellor or not: managing director, head of operations, head of administration, head of finance, head of human resources, head of estates, head of computer services, head of library services, head of marketing and head of enterprise.
12.14 Statute 8 governs the appointment of academic staff, including heads of Schools, Faculties and Academic Departments.
Termination of Appointment of Vice-Principal or Pro-Vice-Chancellor
12.15 Under Statute 6 and Statute 7, the Vice-Principal and Pro-Vice-Chancellors may be removed from office by Council after consideration of a report from a Committee constituted for the purpose by Council and comprising three members of the Council at least two of whom shall not be staff or students of the University.
12.16 The Chair of the Committee shall normally be the Deputy Chair of Council.
12.17 The Committee shall consider a report from the University setting out the reasons for the proposed termination. The Vice-Principal/Pro-Vice-Chancellor(s) shall have the right to respond to the report.
12.18 The Committee may call a hearing, at which the Vice-Principal/Pro-Vice-Chancellor(s) and any representative and all other parties and their representatives shall be entitled to be present.
12.19 All proceedings of the Committee, all evidence placed before it and its report shall remain confidential and shall not be published outside the University by any party to the Committee's proceedings unless all parties and the Council agree.
12.20 The decision of Council shall be final.
