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  • Divisional Boards
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Divisional Boards

	Remit, composition and related matters	Membership (oxonly)
Humanities	Composition of the division Composition of the board	Membership
Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences	Composition of the division Composition of the board	Membership
Medical Sciences	Composition of the division Composition of the board, its functions and powers	Membership
Social Sciences	Composition of the division Composition of the board	Membership

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

• the oversight of the organization, development, and delivery of curricula (with an equal focus on graduate and on undergraduate studies) in collaboration with the colleges, 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 (hereinafter referred to as "sub-units");

• the development and proposal, in collaboration with the colleges, sub-units, and 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;

• 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 as thought appropriate by the board; provided 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;

• the periodic strategic review of particular sub-units;

• 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 decree), 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;

• the settling, subject to ratification by a joint university/college panel, of college associations for new and vacant academic posts, on the recommendation of the sub-units following liaison with colleges;

• the maintenance of educational quality and standards in the broad subject area;

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

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

• the division's relations with the colleges at the strategic and the broad subject level, and in cases in which individual problems cannot be resolved between the colleges and the University at the sub-unit level;

• the division's relations with the other divisions on matters of common interest;

• the division's relations with the Continuing Education 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;

• the division's relations with the Committee for Educational Studies on matters of common interest;

• the division's relations with the academic services sector at the broad subject level;

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

• the oversight of fund raising in the broad subject area, subject to overall university policies and practice;

• 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.

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.

The composition of each board shall be determined by Council by decree.

There shall be a head of each division, who shall chair the divisional board, and the arrangements for whose appointment shall be determined by Council decree.

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