Membership and Function

1  There shall be an Academic Board which shall consist of the following persons as eligible voting members, namely:
(a) the Director;
(b) all professors, readers, senior lecturers, and lecturers;
(c) teaching fellows and members of the research staff with substantial and continuing teaching responsibilities;
(d) part-time teachers appointed on a basis equivalent to at least half a full-time post who have been appointed for a tenure of more than one year and who are paid monthly on a proportion of the appropriate full-time salary, upon completion of two years’ service in such a position;
(e) the Secretary and Director of Administration and the Librarian and Director of Information Services;
(f) six students always including the General Secretary of the Students’ Union, the Education and Welfare Officer, the Postgraduate Officer, and three other students, one of whom must be a postgraduate;
(g) such other persons whose presence will contribute positively to the business under consideration, to be co-opted by agreement between the Chair and VCAB.
 

2  Other senior officeholders of the School, including governors, shall have the right to attend Board meetings as agreed between the Chair and the VCAB.

3  Other categories of staff (e.g. library, computer and administrative staff) may attend Board meetings at the invitation of the VCAB.

4  The Council, or a committee to which the Council shall delegate the function, shall from time to time define and where appropriate adjust the definition of membership categories (c) and (d) given in paragraph 1. (Note:The Council has delegated this function to the Academic Nominations Committee)

5  To the Academic Board are brought all major issues of general policy affecting the academic life of the School and its development. The Academic Board shall have the responsibility for monitoring and upholding the academic standards of the School and for regulating teaching.
It shall also have the following specific functions:
- to make periodic reviews of the scope and content of the array of taught degree programmes and component courses and
- to guide its future development;
- to authorise the award of degrees (other than honorary degrees and honorary fellowships), diplomas, certificates and other distinctions to persons who have satisfied the conditions for the award thereof as prescribed in and pursuant to the Bye-laws;
- to prescribe the circumstances in which a student may be required or permitted to withdraw temporarily or permanently and either conditionally or unconditionally from all or any part of his or her programme of study on grounds other than disciplinary grounds;
on what it shall deem to be good cause, to recommend to the Council the revocation of any degree, diploma or certificate or other distinctions conferred on any person (other than an honorary degree or an honorary fellowship);
- to appoint, remove or suspend examiners;
- to endorse for onward transmission to Council matters affecting the School’s academic governance arrangements and academic strategy;
- to endorse for onward transmission to Council recommendations from APRC on the organisation of departments and other academic units;
- to review and make recommendations in relation to academic and pastoral support for students as appropriate;
- to promote research within the School and to require reports from time to time on such research;
- to report to the Council as it may from time to time require on all Bye-laws and Regulations or proposed changes therein.

6  The Director shall chair the Board. The Board shall appoint a Vice-Chair based on a nomination from a committee established for this purpose. The VCAB shall normally serve for a period of three years, and shall chair the Board in the absence of the Director.

 
7  The Secretary and Director of Administration shall make arrangements to appoint a secretary to the Academic Board, subject to agreement by the VCAB.

8  Twenty voting members of the Academic Board shall constitute a quorum. In the absence of a quorum, no business shall be transacted other than the adjournment of the meeting: save that, if a meeting starts and then becomes inquorate, it shall be open to the VCAB to direct that items included on the agenda for note, rather than for discussion or decision, shall be regarded as having been received and should therefore not be carried forward to the agenda for the following meeting.
 

9  The Academic Board shall normally meet seven times in each academic year, including one meeting to receive reports from the Academic Planning and Resources Committee. Further meetings may be called by the Director or by any thirty members of the Academic Board acting together, provided that the nature of the business to be transacted shall be communicated in writing to all members via the Academic Board secretary at least seven days before the date set for the meeting.
 

10  The Academic Board may establish and disestablish such committees, sub-committees and working groups as it shall think fit and shall regulate their memberships, terms of reference and modes of operation. It may delegate to such committees or sub-committees any or all of its powers under paragraph 5.

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