A university council may be the executive body of a

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

's governance system, an advisory body to the university president, or something in between in authority. In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and many other countries, the council is responsible for all financial matters, the buildings and the appointment of the

vice-chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth of Nati ...

. Academic affairs are the business of the university senate. In some cases the senate and council have equal status under the legislation that established the university. In other cases, such as Australia, the senate is technically responsible to the council, although the council is normally reluctant to enter into a discussion on academic issues. The membership of university councils consists of people from outside the university, often appointed by governments, along with some staff and, in some cases, students. The council is chaired by the university

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

or a pro-chancellor or deputy chancellor.

United Kingdom

In most pre-1992 universities in the United Kingdom, Council is the governing body. (In post-1992 universities this is the Board of Governors; in the

Ancient universities of Scotland The ancient universities of Scotland () are medieval universities, medieval and renaissance universities that continue to exist in the present day. Together, the four universities are the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, ol ...

this is the

Court A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...

.) According to the Higher Education Code of Governance, the primary responsibilities of Council include appointing the executive head of the institution (normally titled the

), delegate powers of management to them, and monitor their performance. The council is also the principal financial and business authority and the legal authority of the university, and the members of Council are the trustees of the university, thus Council may sometimes also be known as the Board of Trustees (e.g. the

University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a public university, public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Br ...

). Council will normally have an independent chair and (except for Oxford and Cambridge) a majority of "lay" members, not employed by the university. There is also "an expectation" in the Code of Governance that Council will contain representatives of staff and students (often the President of the Student Union) in addition to the lay members and the university's senior management. At some universities there are external ''ex officio'' members, reflecting their institutional history (e.g. the Dean of Durham at

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

). In the

Ancient Universities of Scotland The ancient universities of Scotland () are medieval universities, medieval and renaissance universities that continue to exist in the present day. Together, the four universities are the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, ol ...

, the General Council is the consultative assembly of the graduates and academic staff, created by the Scottish Universities Act (1858). These are completely different from the governing body Councils of other British universities, being equivalent to the

Convocation A convocation (from the Latin ''wikt:convocare, convocare'' meaning "to call/come together", a translation of the Ancient Greek, Greek wikt:ἐκκλησία, ἐκκλησία ''ekklēsia'') is a group of people formally assembled for a specia ...

s of the Universities of

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

and Durham and the Senate of the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

United States

In the United States, the university council takes the form of a board of regents or trustees.

University of Pennsylvania

A different model is provided by the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

. Its ''Bylaws of University Council'', revised February 28, 2007, say "The University Council of the University of Pennsylvania is a deliberative and representative forum which exists to consider the activities of the university in all its phases, with particular attention to those matters that affect the common interests of faculty, staff, and students. It shall recommend general policies and otherwise advise the President, the provost, and officers of the university. It is authorized to initiate policy proposals as well as to express its judgment on those submitted to it by the administrative officers of the university and its various academic divisions. It is also empowered to request information through appropriate channels from any member of the university administration. "In its deliberative role, as it undertakes to reach collective decisions on policies initiated or evaluated for recommendations to officers of the University, an important function of the University Council is to transform the interests of its various constituency groups into forms congruent with the interest of the University as a whole. In such a case, a majority decision should be articulated in terms of the University's general welfare and constructed to advance this welfare. In its representative role, an important function of the University Council is to inform officers of the University--as well as the citizens of the University at-large--of the views and strength of views held by members of the University community. In this public expression of a heterogeneity of views, without their resolution into an agreement for action, may serve the University Council's advisory purpose authentically, and especially when such a diversity of discourse increases understanding among constituencies in addition to revealing the breadth of considered opinion as a ground for accommodation in subsequent University decision-making.... "Membership on the Council requires a readiness to attend meetings of the Council regularly and to participate fully in its business, including the work of its committees. It is the continuous obligation of the members of the Council to report to the members of their constituencies about the discussions, the decisions, and recommendations of the Council and to solicit questions and suggestions for presentation to the Council." The President of the University of Pennsylvania is the presiding officer of the University Council. The President, or in the absence of the President, the provost, turns the conduct of the meeting over to a moderator, who is a Presidential appointee and a non-voting member of the council. The President also appoints a Parliamentarian, in consultation with the Steering Committee. The Secretary of the university shall be the Secretary of the Council and the Secretary of the Steering Committee. Members of the University Council include forty-five members of the executive committee of the Faculty Senate, one full-time lecturer, one full-time member of the research faculty, eleven administrative officers of the university, fifteen graduate and professional students, fifteen undergraduate students, two representatives of the Penn Professional Staff Assembly, one representative of the Librarians Assembly, two representatives of the Weekly-Paid Professional Staff Assembly, and one representative of the United Minorities Council. All representatives are elected by their respective constituencies except for the eleven administrative officers, who are appointed by the President.

References

{{Reflist

External links

*http://www.upenn.edu/secretary/council/bylaws.html Academic terminology Councils University governance

United Kingdom

United States

University of Pennsylvania

See also

References

External links