Court

Dates of future meetings are available here.

Clerk of the Court: Mr Bruce Purdon
Telephone: 01224 272093
Fax: 01224 273984
Email: b.purdon@abdn.ac.uk

Composition and Remit

Composition: The composition of the Court is formally set out in Ordinance 133, approved by Her Majesty in Council on 26 June 1996. It may be summarised as: the Rector, the Principal, two assessors nominated by the Chancellor and Rector respectively, Vice-Principals (to a maximum of three), two assessors nominated by the City of Aberdeen Council and Aberdeenshire Council respectively, four assessors elected by the University's General Council, six assessors elected by the Senate, the President of the Students' Representative Council, up to eight co-opted members, with other Vice-Principals in attendance.

While members of the Court are drawn from five different "constituencies" - Officers, Senate Assessors, General Council Assessors, Local Authority Assessors, and Co-opted Members - no member of the Court is present as a "representative" of any particular sectional interest. Mandates are not recognised but, of course, each member brings his or her particular background and expertise to the work of the Court. All members are equal and free to express an opinion or cast a vote in the best interest of the institution as a whole.

Remit: A detailed remit for the Court does not exist. The various Acts of Parliament conferring powers and responsibilities on the Court do not set out specific duties in a comprehensive way, although most of the legislation relevant to the University is contained in a single text, The Acts, Ordinances and Resolutions of the University of Aberdeen, 1858-1990, which may be consulted on application to the Clerk to the Court.)

The main functions of the Court, however, can be broadly summarised as follows:

to administer the whole property and revenues of the University
to make appointments
to fix fees charged by the University
to receive representations and reports from the Senate and the General Council
on the recommendation of the Senate, to prescribe regulations for degree courses
to review on appeal any decision of the Senate

Some powers of the Court are exercised by making an Ordinance or approving a Resolution.

In each case, consultation with the Senate, General Council and the wider public (by means of publishing the draft Ordinance or Resolution on University notice boards for a stipulated number of weeks) is required. A Resolution can take effect as soon as it is approved by the Court following the required consultation; an Ordinance can take effect only from the date on which it is passed by Her Majesty in Council.

Legally, the University Court is a body corporate, with perpetual succession and a common seal.

Defintions of Court Terms

As a body corporate, the Court is recognised in law as owning a legal personality separate and distinct from the personality of its members, and hence as capable of owning property, entering into contracts, employing staff, and suing and being sued.

Perpetual succession signifies the Court's power to appoint its own members (subject to statute) without further reference to any external authority.

The Common Seal represents the Court's authority to secure or guarantee its undertakings. The University Seal, together with signatures of Court members continues to be used to endorse formal legal documents on behalf of the University.

An Ordinance is a further definition or stipulation of existing powers, as prescribed by Acts of Parliament - for example, amendment of the composition of Court, Senate, etc. This requires the consent of the Privy Council.

A Resolution represents the elucidation of a power which is within the Court's own competence to enact - for example, the creation of a new Chair.

Membership of the Court

Details of the Court membership can be found on the Strategy and Governance pages

Governor Role Description

Responsibilities

Each governor is responsible, collectively with fellow governors, for the effective leadership of the University in all its aspects. That translates into more specific responsibilities of which the following are key:

To play an appropriate part in furthering the values of higher education and the mission of the University of Aberdeen in particular;
To ensure that the Court exercises efficient and effective use of the resources of the University, maintains its long-term financial viability, and safeguards its assets, and that proper mechanisms exist to ensure financial control and for the prevention of fraud;
To exercise oversight in respect of the academic, corporate, financial, estate and human resource functions delegated to the authority of the Principal as chief executive;
To ensure that Court conducts itself in accordance with accepted standards of behaviour in public life, embracing selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership. Members must at all times regulate their personal conduct as members of the Court in accordance with these standards;
To establish constructive and supportive but challenging working relationships with the University employees with whom they come into contact, whilst recognising the proper separation between governance and executive management;
To act fairly and impartially in the interests of the University as a whole using independent judgement and maintaining confidentiality as appropriate;

Governors may also be asked to serve on Committees of Court or University and complaints and appeals panels by mutual agreement, and to play a role in liaising between key stakeholders and the University and in fund raising.

Governor roles are unremunerated but expenses are paid. Directors and Officers Liability Insurance is in place.