Policies and Corporate Publications
View our policies and reference documents.
Royal Charter and governance structure
The Council
The Council is the University's governing body and meets at least four times during each academic year. It sets the University's strategic direction, ensures compliance with statutory requirements and approves constitutional changes. The Council is ultimately responsible for managing the University's estate, finance and staff, with much of the detailed work falling to sub-committees. A broad representation of lay members, drawn from commercial, community and professional organisations, provide the Council with a valuable perspective. The primary responsibilities of the Council are set out in Ordinance A2 Statement of Primary Responsibilities of the Council, Powers of the Council.
More information can be found on our Governance Zone webpage.
Senate
Senate is the University’s main academic administrative body. Reporting to the Council and meeting at least four times a year, Senate advises on areas such as student entry, assessment and awards. With around 100 members, Senate comprises Deans, Heads and elected representatives of Schools, as well as professional staff and students. University Boards responsible for developments and innovation in research, teaching and learning report to Senate.
University Executive Board (UEB)
The University Executive Board consists of the Vice-Chancellor, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, the Pro-Vice-Chancellors, the two Heads of Service, the Senior Financial Officer, and the University Secretary. It meets fortnightly throughout most of the year and deals with all aspects of academic management, including finance. It also advises the Strategy and Finance Committee on the allocation of resources. The University Executive Board reports to Senate and to the Strategy and Finance Committee.