Council Regulations 17 of 2002

1. The terms of reference, powers, and duties of each divisional board shall include the following, and such other powers and duties as may be assigned to it by Council by regulation or otherwise:

(1) the oversight of the organisation, development, and delivery of curricula (with an equal focus on graduate and on undergraduate studies) in collaboration with the colleges, societies, and Permanent Private Halls, and oversight and development of the general context of research, in the broad subject area covered by the division concerned, in close consultation with the units of academic administration in the division (referred to in these regulations as 'sub-units');

(2) the development and proposal, in collaboration with the colleges, societies, and Permanent Private Halls, the sub-units, and the academic services sector, of comprehensive and detailed strategic five-year plans and one-year operating statements covering academic, financial, information and communications technology, physical resource, and staffing issues, bearing in mind the particular needs of small units and interdisciplinary activities;

(3) within the context of approved plans and statements, and of overall university policies, the general oversight of and responsibility for all matters concerning budgets, space, syllabus, and staffing, across the sub-units of the division, in consultation with the colleges, societies, and Permanent Private Halls, as thought appropriate by the board; save that day-to-day operational responsibility for these matters shall be devolved to the sub-units, in the context of local plans and budgets delegated for that purpose, and that the board shall monitor the work of the sub-units against those plans and budgets;

(4) the periodic strategic review of particular sub-units;

(5) the approval of appointments and reappointments of academic staff made by the sub-units (but excluding appointments which are made by electoral boards established by statute or regulation), and of appointments of heads of department, the consideration of proposals from the sub-units on the payment of salaries within the incremental scale for university lecturers, and the keeping under review of the general terms and conditions of employment of academic staff in the broad subject area;

(6) the settling, subject to ratification by a joint university/collegiate panel under the aegis of People Committee, of collegiate associations for new and vacant academic posts, on the recommendation of the sub-units following liaison with colleges, societies, and Permanent Private Halls;

(7) the maintenance of educational quality and standards in the broad subject area;

(8) the consideration of reports of examiners, including external examiners, on the advice of the relevant sub-unit or sub-units;

(9) the oversight of relationships between the sub-units, and the consideration (for detailed and balanced recommendation to Council) of any proposals to reorganise the sub-units;

(10) the division's relations with the colleges, societies, and Permanent Private Halls at the strategic and the broad subject levels, and in cases in which individual problems cannot be resolved between the colleges, societies, and halls and the University at the sub-unit level;

(11) the division's relations with the other divisions on matters of common interest;

(12) the division's relations with the Continuing Education Strategic Management Board on matters of common interest and in all cases in which planned developments relate to part-time provision, outreach, or other continuing education activities;

(13) the division's relations with the Committee for Education on matters of common interest;

(14) the division's relations with the academic services sector at the broad subject level;

(15) the division's relations with external funding agencies, subject to overall university policies and practice;

(16) the oversight of fund-raising in the broad subject area, subject to overall university policies and practice;

(17) the regular review of the scope for further delegation of authority from the centre to the divisions, and from the divisions to the sub-units.

2. Each board shall make an annual report to Council on the activities of its division in the preceding academic year, measured against the division's agreed operating statement.

3. In addition to the functions and powers of divisional boards laid down under regulation 1 above, the Medical Sciences Board shall:

(1) consider questions of medical policy affecting the relations of the University with NHS bodies within the region, and make recommendations, where appropriate, to Council and the committees of Council after such consultation as may be necessary with the NHS body concerned;

(2) promote work in the field of medical research by the allocation, through a Medical Research Fund Committee, of that part of the annual income of the Nuffield Benefaction for the Advancement of Medicine approved for that purpose by the Trustees of the Benefaction, together with any other contributions or donations for general medical research purposes.

(3) The Medical Research Fund Committee shall comprise:

(a) the Head of the Medical Sciences Division or his or her nominee, who shall chair the committee;

(b) - (g) six persons appointed by the Medical Sciences Board from among the members of the Medical Science Division;

on condition that at least three of the six persons appointed under (b) - (g) shall be members of the Faculty of Clinical Medicine.

4. (1) There shall be a standing committee of the Medical Sciences Board for the regulation of arrangements for the validation of the Oxford Doctoral Course in Clinical Psychology.

(2) The committee shall consist of two representatives of the Medical Sciences Board and two representatives of the Course Directorate.

(3) The committee shall have such powers and duties in respect of the Degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology as may from time to time be laid down by the Medical Sciences Board.

(4) The representatives of the course shall have the right to attend any meeting of the divisional board for any item concerning the course.

5. (1) The Medical Sciences Board shall be responsible for maintaining a University Medical Students' Register of students admitted to work in Oxford for the First Examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine, and shall make such regulations as it shall deem necessary for the discharge of this responsibility.

(2) No person shall be admitted to the First Examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine unless his or her name is on the register.

6. (1) The Medical Sciences Board shall also maintain a Clinical Students' Register of students admitted to work in Oxford for the Second Examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine, other qualifying medical examinations, or the Preliminary Examination in Medicine, and shall make such regulations as it shall deem necessary for the discharge of this responsibility.

(2) No person shall be admitted to the Second Examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine unless his or her name is on the register.

(3) The Medical Sciences Board is empowered to remove any name from that register (in the case of a student member or former student member of the University, after consultation with the student's college, society, or Permanent Private Hall).

(4) The grounds and procedures for removal and the associated regulations, if not previously approved by Council, and amendments to the grounds, procedures, and regulations previously so approved, shall be subject to the approval of the General Purposes Committee of Council.

7. The Secretary to the Medical Sciences Board shall, when required, sign certificates for medical examinations for students who have completed courses satisfying requirements of the General Medical Council and the examining body concerned.

8. The Humanities Board shall consist of:

(1) the Head of the Humanities Division, who shall be chair;

(2) - (11) the chair of faculty board for each of the nine constituent faculties of the Division and the Head of the Ruskin School of Art ex officio;

(12) the Deputy Chair of the Faculty of Classics ex officio;

(13) one person nominated by the English Faculty Board Chair from among the members of the Faculty of English Language and Literature;

(14) the Deputy Chair of the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages ex officio;

(15) the Vice-Chair of the Board of the Faculty of History ex officio;

(16) the Deputy Chair of the Board of the Faculty of Music ex officio;

(17) the Vice-Chair of the Board of the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern ex officio;

(18) the Vice-Chair of the Board of the Faculty of Philosophy ex officio;

(19) the Deputy Chair of the Board of the Faculty of Theology and Religion ex officio;

(20), (21) two persons appointed, for a three-year term, under the procedures of the Conference of Colleges. They shall have appropriate experience and understanding of academic policy and finance and be familiar with the subject areas concerned, but should not hold a salaried teaching or research post within the division.

9. The board may co-opt up to four additional members, who may be internal or external, on condition that the board shall always ensure by the use of its power of co-optation that the overall range of activities and concerns in the division is as fully represented within the total membership of the board as is reasonably practicable.

10. The Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Board shall consist of:

(1) the Head of the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division, who shall be chair;

(2) - (10) the Heads of the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Sciences, Engineering Science, Materials, Mathematics, Physics, and Statistics;

(11), (12) two persons elected by and from among the members of the Faculty of Biology;

(13), (14) two persons elected by and from among the members of the Faculty of Chemistry;

(15), (16) two persons elected by and from among the members of the Faculty of Engineering Science;

(17), (18) two persons elected by and from among the members of the Faculty of Physics;

(19), (20) two persons elected by and from among the members of the Faculty of Mathematics;

(21) a person elected by and from among the members of the Faculty of Computer Science;

(22) a person elected by and from among the members of the Faculty of Earth Sciences;

(23) a person elected by and from among the members of the Faculty of Materials;

(24) a person elected by and from among the members of the Faculty of Statistics;

(25) - (26) two persons appointed, for a three-year term, under the procedures of the Conference of Colleges. They shall have appropriate experience and understanding of academic policy and finance and be familiar with the subject areas concerned, but should not hold a salaried teaching or research post within the division;

(27) a person appointed, for a three-year term, under the procedures of the Oxford Research Staff Society (OxRSS) from among its members, being members of a department in the division. Attendance at meetings by the OxRSS member shall be subject to similar arrangements as for student members, as set out in regulations 37–39 below.

11. The board may co-opt up to four additional members, who may be internal or external, on condition that the board shall always ensure by the use of its power of co-optation that the overall range of activities and concerns in the division is as fully represented within the total membership of the board as is reasonably practicable.

12. The Medical Sciences Board shall consist of:

(1) the Head of the Medical Sciences Division, who shall be chair, ex officio;

(2) the Regius Professor of Medicine, ex officio;

(3) an individual appointed by the South Central Strategic Health Authority or any successor body, ex officio;

(4)-(9) six persons from among the members of the Faculty of Biochemistry, the Faculty of Clinical Medicine, the Faculty of Physiological Sciences and the Faculty of Psychological Studies elected jointly by the members of the Faculty of Biochemistry, the Faculty of Clinical Medicine, the Faculty of Physiological Sciences and the Faculty of Psychological Studies of whom there shall be no more than one from each of the following six groups of departments: the Department of Biochemistry and the Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine; the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, the Department of Experimental Psychology, the Department of Pharmacology and the Department of Psychiatry; the Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health, the Department of Oncology and the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences; the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences and the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology; the Department of Paediatrics, the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences and the Nuffield Department of Population Health; the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics and the Radcliffe Department of Medicine;

(10) the Deputy Head of Division, nominated by the Head of Division, ex officio;

(11), (12) two of the Associate Heads of Division nominated, for a three-year term, by the Head of Division;

(13) one person from among the externally-funded research staff who are members of the Faculty of Biochemistry, the Faculty of Clinical Medicine, the Faculty of Physiological Sciences and the Faculty of Psychological Studies, elected jointly by the members of the Faculty of Biochemistry, the Faculty of Clinical Medicine, the Faculty of Physiological Sciences and the Faculty of Psychological Studies;

(14) one person from among the members of staff who are not Heads of Department or statutory professors who are members of the Faculty of Biochemistry, the Faculty of Clinical Medicine, the Faculty of Physiological Sciences and the Faculty of Psychological Studies, elected jointly by the members of the Faculty of Biochemistry, the Faculty of Clinical Medicine, the Faculty of Physiological Sciences and the Faculty of Psychological Studies;

(15) one external person nominated, for a three-year term, by the Head of Division and approved by the Board;

(16) one member of the faculties in the Division of Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences, nominated, for a three-year term, by the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Board and approved by the Medical Sciences Board;

(17)-(18) two persons appointed, for a three-year term, under the procedures of the Conference of Colleges. They should not hold a salaried teaching or research post within the division.

(19) a person appointed, for a one-year term, under the procedures of the MSD Research Staff Forum from among its members, being members of a department in the division.

13. The board may co-opt up to four additional members, who may be internal or external, on condition that the board shall always ensure by the use of its power of co-optation that the overall range of activities and concerns in the division is as fully represented within the total membership of the board as is reasonably practicable.

14. An elected member of the divisional board, who has served two consecutive full terms of office, shall not be eligible to serve as an elected member of the divisional board until a full term of office has passed from the end of his or her period of service.

15. The Social Sciences Board shall consist of:

(1) the Head of the Social Sciences Division, who shall be chair;

(2) - (15) the head of department/chair of faculty board for each of the 14 constituent units of the division ex officio;

(16) - (18) three persons elected on a rotational basis by and from academic members of the following units of the division, with each person serving a two-year period of office:

(a) the Department of Economics;

(b) the Department of Education;

(c) the Faculty of Law;

(d) the Department of Politics and International Relations;

(e) the School of Geography and the Environment;

(f) the Saïd Business School;

(19),(20) two persons elected on a rotational basis by and from academic members of the following units of the division, with each person serving a two-year period of office:

(a) the Department for International Development;

(b) the Oxford School of Global and Area studies;

(c) the Department of Sociology;

(d) the Oxford Internet Institute;

(e) the Department of Social Policy and Intervention;

(f) the School of Anthropology;

(g) the Institute of Archaeology and Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art;

(h) the Blavatnik School of Government;

(21)-(25) the Associate Head of the Social Sciences Division (Education), the Associate Head of the Social Sciences Division (Research), the Associate Head of Division (People), the Associate Head of Division (Doctoral and Research Training) and the Associate Head of Division (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) ex officio;

(26), (27) two persons appointed, for a three-year term, under the procedures of the Conference of Colleges. They shall have appropriate experience and understanding of academic policy and finance and be familiar with the subject areas concerned, but should not hold a salaried teaching or research post within the division;

16. The board may co-opt up to four additional members, who may be internal or external, on condition that the board shall always ensure by the use of its power of co-optation that the overall range of activities and concerns in the division is as fully represented within the total membership of the board as is reasonably practicable.

17. Save as is provided elsewhere in these regulations, elected and co-opted members of the divisional boards shall serve for four years and shall be re-eligible.

18. If an elected or co-opted member shall cease to belong to the category of persons from among whom he or she was elected, his or her seat shall immediately be vacated.

19. (1) The elections to the divisional boards, other than the elections by the Conference of Colleges and the elections under regulations 31-9 below, shall be held annually in Trinity Term, and on such other occasions as may be necessary to fill casual vacancies, on days to be fixed by the Vice-Chancellor.

(2) The Registrar shall give, in the University Gazette, at least forty-nine days' notice of the day of election, and shall at the same time give notice of the constituencies by and from among which the members are to be elected, of the number of vacancies in each constituency, and of the latest days on which nominations of candidates must be delivered at the University Offices.

(3) The forty-nine day period referred to in paragraph (2) above must fall within a single Full Term.

(4) An election to fill a casual vacancy shall be subject to the regulations of this Part.

20. No candidate shall have votes reckoned to him or her at any election, unless he or she has been nominated in writing not later than 4 p.m. on the twenty-eighth day before that fixed for the election by no fewer than four members, and no more than ten members, other than the candidate, qualified under these regulations to vote for his or her election.

21. (1) All nominations, dated and signed, shall be delivered to the Registrar within the times laid down above, and in such form as shall be prescribed by the Vice-Chancellor, and shall be published by the Registrar in the University Gazette as soon as possible.

(2) Each candidate for election shall be invited to prepare a written statement, of no more than 250 words, setting out his or her reasons for standing and qualifications for the office being sought. In the event of contested election to the vacancies in question, these statements shall be published in the University Gazette and on the official Council Elections Web site. The Registrar shall be responsible for ensuring that the length of such statements does not exceed the stipulated 250 words, and in the event that they do, or of any other questions arising about the content of such statements, shall refer to the Vice-Chancellor and Proctors for a determination of how to proceed.

22. If the number of candidates duly nominated for election as members of any board does not exceed the number of places to be filled on that board, or if a candidate withdraws or candidates withdraw after having been duly nominated so as to leave that number, the Registrar shall declare the candidates nominated, and not having withdrawn, to be duly elected as members of the board.

23. If the number of candidates duly nominated for election to any board, and not having withdrawn, exceeds the number of places to be filled on that board, the procedure of the election shall be as follows:

(1) The Registrar shall send to every elector, not later than the fourteenth day before the day fixed for the election, a voting paper which shall list the names of those nominated and on which shall be specified the latest time by which, after having been signed by the voter, it may be received at the University Offices.

(2) An election shall not be deemed to be invalid owing to misdirection or non-receipt of any voting paper.

(3) The Registrar shall be responsible for the counting of the votes, but the Vice-Chancellor shall decide on the validity of any vote which, in the opinion of the Registrar, is in doubt.

(4) If two or more candidates have received an equal number of votes they shall be placed in order of seniority in academic standing.

(5) The result of the election shall be published in the University Gazette.

24. For the purposes of these regulations, academic standing is as defined in Council Regulations 22 of 2002, Part 2: Academic Precedence and Standing.

25. If at the time of election there is a greater number of vacancies than the number of candidates nominated, and not having withdrawn, the Vice-Chancellor and Proctors jointly shall have power to nominate a candidate for each vacancy remaining to be filled, and those candidates shall then be declared to be duly elected.

26. In any election in which vacancies are to be filled for periods of different length, the elected candidates shall hold office so that the tenure of those who receive more votes shall be longer than that of those who receive fewer votes; but if the election is uncontested or if two candidates receive the same number of votes, the candidate senior in academic standing shall hold office for the longer period.

27. If in any election a person is simultaneously elected to fill more than one vacancy, that person shall select the vacancy which he or she shall be deemed to have been elected to fill, and the other vacancy shall be filled by the candidate for that vacancy who has received the next highest number of votes; if there is no such other candidate, the provisions of regulation 24 above shall be applied to the filling of the other vacancy.

28. The elections to the divisional boards by the Conference of Colleges shall be held in such manner as the Conference shall determine.

29. Subject to regulations 8-18 above, any divisional board may at any meeting, by a majority of votes, fill a vacant place for a co-opted member of that board, on condition that notice of the intention to propose such a co-optation and the name of the person to be proposed have been sent through the secretary to all the members of the board fourteen days at least before the day of the meeting.

30. If a co-opted member of a divisional board becomes a member of that board by virtue of holding any office, or an elected member, he or she shall then immediately vacate his or her seat as a co-opted member.

31. Student members shall have the right to be represented at meetings of each of the divisional boards under the arrangements set out in regulations 32-9 below.

32. (1) The student members shall be represented at each board by three members of the Oxford University Student Union who are working in the subject area of the division concerned, and of whom one in each case shall be a member who is registered as an undergraduate student, a member who is registered as a taught postgraduate student, and a member who is registered as a research postgraduate student.

(2) The representatives shall be elected by the appropriate body of the Student Union, as shall be determined by the Council of that union, subject in the case of each such election to ratification by the Council of the union.

33. The representatives shall serve for one year, and shall be eligible for re-election if they remain members of the Student Union who are working in the subject area of the division concerned.

34. If a casual vacancy occurs among the representatives, another person shall be elected under the provisions of regulation 32 above to serve for the remainder of the period of office of the vacating representative, save that not more than one such replacement election may be made during any one period of office.

35. If a graduate representative is or shall become during his or her period of office a member of the University in a category other than that of student member, he or she shall nevertheless be regarded as a student member for the purposes of these regulations.

36. The student members shall be entitled to speak at meetings of divisional boards but not to vote.

37. No student member shall be present for the discussion of reserved business as defined in regulation 8 of the Regulations for Council.

38. The student members shall receive the full agenda paper for the relevant divisional board but not the papers or minutes relating to reserved business.

39. The student members shall respect the conventions of the relevant divisional board as set out in its standing orders.

40. (1) Such officers of the University, including officers of university committees, as Council may from time to time determine shall receive all the papers circulated to each divisional board, and each may attend, or may nominate a deputy to attend on his or her behalf, for the discussion of any item or items at any meeting of any divisional board.

(2) Those officers or their deputies shall be entitled to speak during any such discussion but not to vote on any item.