Regulations for the Botanic Garden

Council Regulations 3 of 2003

Made by Council on 27 February 2003
Approved with effect from 13 November 2003 (Gazette Vol. 134, p. 351, 27 November 2003)
Amended on 17 November 2005, 22 March 2007, 15 January 2009, 16 February 2012 and 21 June 2012

Purpose

1. 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.

Governance

2. The Visitors of the Botanic Garden shall be:

(1) a chairman who shall be appointed by the Vice-Chancellor;

(2) the Pro-Vice-Chancellor with responsibility for Academic Services and University Collections;

(3) one of the Proctors or the Assessor as may be agreed between them;

(4) the Sherardian Professor of Botany, who shall be called Keeper of the Botanic Garden;

(5) a person appointed by the Department of Plant Sciences;

(6) a member of Congregation elected by Congregation;

(7), (8) two persons appointed by Council, who need not be members of Congregation.

3. (1) The Visitors may co-opt up to three additional members, who need not be members of Congregation.

(2) The period of office for appointed, elected, and co-opted members shall be three years, and no appointed, elected, or co-opted member shall serve more than two consecutive full terms of office. Casual terms of office shall not count towards this limit.

(3) Notwithstanding regulation (2) above, in the case of appointed and co-opted members, the General Purposes Committee of Council may determine that one further consecutive period is permitted in an individual case.

4. The Director of the Botanic Garden shall be the secretary to the Visitors, except that the Visitors may require him or her to withdraw from any meeting.

5. In fulfilment of their responsibilities, under Council, for the safe keeping, preservation, orderly administration, finance, and general policy of the garden, in accordance with section 8 of Statute VIII, the Visitors:

(1) shall appoint, or delegate the appointment of, all staff in the garden in accordance with procedures set out in standing orders;

(2) shall prepare annually a report on the activities of the garden.

6. The Visitors shall have authority, under Council, to make such other arrangements by standing order as are necessary to fulfil their responsibilities.

7. In carrying out their responsibilities the Visitors shall co-operate with the Committee for the Museums and Scientific Collections in facilitating co-ordination between the University's museums and scientific collections, particularly with respect to planning, allocation and use of resources, and the development, care, and promotion of the collections as national and international resources both for teaching and research and for public access.

Keeper of the Botanic Garden

8. The role of the Sherardian Professor of Botany as Keeper of the Botanic Garden in relation to the garden and the Visitors shall be set out in standing orders made under regulation 6 above.

Director of the Botanic Garden

9. The Director of the Botanic Garden shall be the first officer of the garden, and shall act for and be responsible to the Visitors in the exercise of their powers.

10. The Director shall be responsible under the Visitors for all strategic aspects of the operation and well-being of the garden, including:

(1) the allocation and development of space and other resources;

(2) the distribution of support and other facilities;

(3) acquisitions policy;

(4) the conservation and study of the collections, and their display and publication; and

(5) the participation in, and fostering of, scholarly work and public education within the garden.