Elections Office: Congregation

Elections, 8 June 2006

Notes

	Vacancy	Retiring members	Period from MT 2006
Benefices, Ecclesiastical, Delegates for the Nomination of Candidates for	Two (members of Convocation)	The Revd P.J.M. Southwell, Wycliffe Hall (not re-eligible) The Revd J.D. Maltby, Corpus Christ (not re-eligible)	6 years 6 years
Botanic Garden, Visitors of the	One (member of Congregation)	Dr S.J. Gurr, Somerville	3 years
Buildings and Estates Subcommittee	One	Professor T.P. Softley, Merton	3 years
Council	One (from members of Congregation, not necessarily being members of any division and not in any case being nominated in a divisional capacity)	Professor T.P. Softley, Merton	4 years
Council	One (member of Congregation from members of the faculties in the Humanities and Social Sciences Divisions)	Dr R.L. Judson, Christ Church	4 years
Curators of the Sheldonian Theatre	One	Professor D.A. Hills, Lincoln	6 years
Visitatorial Board Panel	Three (members of Congregation)	Professor D.J. Womersley, St Catherine’s Professor T.P. Softley, Merton Dr J.F. Iles, St Hugh’s	4 years 4 years 4 years

Nominations in writing for the election on 8 June, by four members of Congregation other than the candidate will be received by the Head of Student Administration at the University Offices, Wellington Square, up to 4 p.m. on Thursday 11 May 2006.

Council has decided that nominations should show for each signatory the name and college or department in block capitals. Any names which are not so shown may not be published. At least one nomination in respect of each candidate must be made on an official nomination form. Copies of the form are obtainable from the Elections Office (elections.office@admin.ox.ac.uk) at the University Offices, Wellington Square.

In the event of a contested election, a brief biographical note on each candidate will be published in the Gazette dated 25 May 2006, and voters may wish to wait until they have read these notes before returning their ballot papers (which will be sent out to members of Congregation as soon as possible after the closing date for nominations, and which, after completion, must be received by the Head of Student Administration not later than 4 p.m. on 8 June 2006).

Notes on the bodies concerned

The Delegates of Benefices are responsible: (a) for selecting, subject to the approval of Council, the priests to be offered presentation to vacant benefices in cases in which the University becomes entitled to exercise the right of presentation; and (b) for advising the Vice-Chancellor on the appointment of suitable representatives of the University in connection with the exercise of presentation to vacant benefices, as required under the Patronage (Benefices) Measure 1986.

The Building and Estates Subcommittee of the Planning and Resource Allocation Committee is responsible, under Council’s Planning and Resource Allocation Committee, for proposals for the strategic development of the University’s functional estate, taking account of institutional plans and environmental, planning, and heritage issues; the acquisition, leasing, disposal, and allocation of functional land and property; and all proposals for capital building projects for functional use, including the initiation and management of the design and construction of all major projects. The subcommittee has control of a substantial budget.

Council is the University’s chief executive body, with statutory responsibility for the administration of the University (both academic and other) and for the management of its finances and property, as well as dealing with the relationship between the University and all external bodies. Council submits legislative proposals and resolutions to Congregation for approval, and has the power to make regulations (which may be opposed in Congregation). Council meets three times a term, and twice in the Long Vacation. It has a number of committees (including Education Policy and Standards, General Purposes, Personnel, and Planning and Resource Allocation), on which its members are expected to serve if invited to do so.

The Curators of the Sheldonian Theatre are responsible, under Council, for the Theatre and for making arrangements for the conduct of business at the Encaenia. They also make the building available for other academic and non-academic purposes. The curators have control of the Theatre’s budget, except in respect of the maintenance of the fabric of the building (which is the responsibility of the Buildings and Estates Subcommittee).

The Visitatorial Board is responsible for making recommendations to the Vice-Chancellor (or other appropriate officer) on serious disciplinary cases involving members of the academic or academic-related staff. (It does not have responsibility for dealing with incapacity on medical grounds or complaints against the Vice-Chancellor himself of herself.) Four members of the board, as from time to time constituted to consider an individual case, are selected by lot from a panel of twelve persons selected by Congregation. The board is chaired by a person with professional legal experience who is appointed by the High Steward of the University. Under the provisions of Council Regulations 36 of 2002, as amended on 27 June 2003 (Gazette Supplement (1) to No. 4630, 24 June 2002; Vol. 133, p.1465, 27 June 2003) candidates for election to the Visitatorial Board Panel may be nominated by Council as well as by members of Congregation.

The Visitors of the Botanic Garden are responsible, under Council, for the safe keeping, preservation, orderly administration, finance, and general policy of the garden. The purpose of the Botanic Garden is to assemble, maintain, and exhibit the University’s collection of plants at the Botanic Garden, the Glasshouses, and Harcourt Arboretum, and to promote research, teaching, conservation, and public education based on the garden’s collections.