Notices

Calendar

24 September, Wednesday. First ordinary issue of the Reporter in the 2025–26 academic year.

1 October, Wednesday. Michaelmas Term begins. Congregation of the Regent House at 9.55 a.m.: Election and admission of the Proctors. Annual address by the Vice-Chancellor (see below).

7 October, Tuesday. Full Term begins. Discussion by videoconference at 2 p.m. (see below).

12 October, Sunday. Preacher before the University at 11.30 a.m., The Revd Dr Kate Bruce, Chaplain, Royal Air Force (Select Preacher).

Discussion on Tuesday, 7 October 2025

The Vice-Chancellor invites members of the Regent House, University and College employees, registered students and others qualified under the regulations for Discussions (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 111) to attend a Discussion by videoconference on Tuesday, 7 October 2025 at 2 p.m. The following item will be discussed:

1. Report of the General Board, dated 24 September 2025, on the Herchel Smith Professorship of Biochemistry (p. 14).

Those wishing to join the Discussion by videoconference should email UniversityDraftsman@admin.cam.ac.uk from their University email account, providing their CRSid (if a member of the collegiate University), by 10 a.m. on the date of the Discussion to receive joining instructions. Alternatively contributors may email their remarks to contact@proctors.cam.ac.uk, copying ReporterEditor@admin.cam.ac.uk, by no later than 10 a.m. on the day of the Discussion for reading out by the Proctors,1 or may ask someone else who is attending to read the remarks on their behalf.

In accordance with the regulations for Discussions, the Chair of the Board of Scrutiny or any ten members of the Regent House2 may request that the Council arrange for one or more of the items listed for discussion to be discussed in person (usually in the Senate-House). Requests should be made to the Registrary, on paper or by email to UniversityDraftsman@admin.cam.ac.uk from addresses within the cam.ac.uk domain, by no later than 9 a.m. on the day of the Discussion. Any changes to the Discussion schedule will be confirmed in the Reporter at the earliest opportunity.

Election and admission of the Proctors and address by the Vice-Chancellor: Wednesday, 1 October 2025

The Vice-Chancellor reminds members of the University that she will deliver an address to following the Congregation on Wednesday, 1 October 2025 for the election and admission of the Proctors (as required by Statute C IV and the Special Ordinance made under it) and after swearing in the University Constables under the Universities Act 1825.

The election is to be held at 10 a.m. Members of the Regent House and other members of the University community who wish to be present are therefore asked to be seated in the Senate-House by 9.50 a.m.; proceedings are expected to end by 11 a.m.

Tickets will not be issued and refreshments will be served afterwards. Matriculated members of the University community attending should wear academical dress (black gowns, hoods not required).

Grace 1 of 30 July 2025 (Injunctions): Notice of a ballot

8 August 2025

The Vice-Chancellor has received a request signed by 61 members of the Regent House for a vote to be taken on Grace 1 of 30 July 2025 concerning injunctions (Reporter, 6795, 2024–25, p. 771). The names of the signatories are listed in the Annex below.

The vote will be conducted in accordance with the Single Transferable Vote regulations in the Michaelmas Term 2025.

Annex

A vote has been requested by the following members of the Regent House:

Grace 2 of 30 July 2025 (Guild of Benefactors): Notice of a ballot

8 August 2025

The Vice-Chancellor has received a request signed by 41 members of the Regent House for a vote to be taken on Grace 2 of 30 July 2025 concerning the Guild of Benefactors (Reporter, 6795, 2024–25, p. 771). The names of the signatories are listed in the Annex below.

The vote will be conducted in accordance with the Single Transferable Vote regulations in the Michaelmas Term 2025.

Annex

A vote has been requested by the following members of the Regent House:

Elections to the Nominating Committee for External Members of the Council

12 August 2025

The Vice-Chancellor announces that the following have been elected to serve as members of the Nominating Committee for External Members of the Council in class (d) (members of the Senate elected by members of the Regent House) for four years from 1 October 2025:

Ms Catherine Beale

Mr Timothy Harvey-Samuel, TH

Details of the poll and the transfer of votes under the Single Transferable Vote regulations (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 121) in the election are shown below.

Number of valid votes cast: 1,013 (no invalid votes) (Quota: 338)

Notice of a benefaction

24 September 2025

The Vice-Chancellor gives notice that she has accepted with gratitude donations amounting to approximately £150k in total to date, which have been contributed by donors in response to an appeal launched by the Faculty of Law in 2023. Those donors include Mrs Lovedy Cornish, whose contribution of £50k initiated the appeal in memory of her late husband. The donations have been given to establish a Bill Cornish Memorial Fund ‘to offer financial support to students to research intellectual property law at the University of Cambridge, ideally by way of full and partial studentships’.

The Council, on the recommendation of the General Board and the Faculty Board of Law, is proposing regulations to govern the new fund (Grace 5, p. 15).

Election of student members of the Council and of the General Board

Following the approval of changes to the student membership of the General Board,1 the Vice-Chancellor gives notice that, in the elections held from Monday, 24 February to Thursday, 27 February 2025, the following persons were elected as the student members of the Council and the General Board in class (d):

Council

Category (i) – President (Undergraduate) of the University of Cambridge Students’ Union:

Copeman, Matthew, F

Category (ii) – President (Postgraduate) of the University of Cambridge Students’ Union:

Denis, Augustin, W

Category (iii) – one student elected by and from among the students in the University:

O’Reilly, Darragh, Q

General Board

At least one and no more than two of the sabbatical officers of the University of Cambridge Students’ Union who have been elected to hold the portfolio or portfolios for matters concerning undergraduate and postgraduate education ex officio.

Asiedu-Kwatchey, Jessica, CHR, elected Vice-President (Education and Widening Participation) of the University of Cambridge Students’ Union

Denis, Augustin, W, elected President (Postgraduate) of the University of Cambridge Students’ Union

Environmental sustainability

24 September 2025

In July 2024, the Council confirmed its aim for the University to have an agreed approach to environmental sustainability which is sector-leading.1 There would be two stages to realising this ambition. Stage 1 would involve the assessment of the work done to date across the University, with recommendations for improvement. Stage 2 would require the recruitment of an individual to provide operational leadership, with specific responsibilities for the implementation of the recommendations made in the Stage 1 assessment and for the development of an operational environmental sustainability strategy and plan for the University. The Council is now reporting on progress made over the last year towards these goals.

In June 2025, the Council received and endorsed a report from external consultants Eunomia concluding the Stage 1 assessment. The report notes significant progress in embedding environmental sustainability within the University’s operations. Nevertheless, there are areas where the report suggests that further action is warranted, to align the University’s approach with best practice. The report makes both overarching recommendations and suggestions broken down by environmental theme (biodiversity, carbon, transport, waster and water). These include, for some themes, doing more to define and communicate policy, and developing action plans towards achieving the University’s sustainability goals. Areas in which the report suggests the University could play to its strengths include working with specialists to remove the barriers associated with the allocation of funding for sustainability works.

At the same meeting, the Council agreed to recruit an individual with expertise in delivering stretching environmental sustainability objectives in complex organisations for a fixed term of up to two years in the first instance. The person appointed will report to the Vice-Chancellor and work closely with the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Environmental Sustainability, their counterpart providing academic leadership in this area. Funding for the appointment will come from the RMC Priorities Fund. The Council also expanded on the objectives of the individual, to include reviewing the governance around operational environmental sustainability to ensure it is fit for purpose, and evaluating the resource currently deployed, making recommendations on the University’s anticipated needs in the near future. The individual appointed will also be asked to assess and prioritise the Eunomia report’s recommendations, including an assessment of the costs of their implementation.

The Council will provide a further update in its annual report.

Change to process for seeking Regent House approval of building projects

24 September 2025

The Council gives notice of a change to the two-stage process normally used to seek approval from the Regent House for building projects. The changes take effect from 1 October 2025.

Under Statute F II 3, the approval of the Regent House by Grace is required for the erection of a new University building or for the demolition or substantial alteration of an existing University building. Some projects are sufficiently straightforward that Regent House approval by Grace is only sought once, and sometimes without prior publication of a Report. However, because details of a building project will usually be made public as part of the planning process, a two‑stage process exists to seek in-principle approval from the Regent House prior to seeking planning permission, and then final approval before works begin. This involves the publication of a Report, followed by a Discussion and then the submission of a Grace at the first and second stage.

Previously, the Estates Division did not go out to tender for a building project until after obtaining Regent House approval at the second stage. Under current procedures, discussions with contractors start much earlier, with the advantage that cost estimates are firmer. However, that means there are additional costs incurred if works do not start in accordance with a timetable agreed with contractors when finalising the tender.

As a result of these changes to the timing of the tender process, the Council has agreed to make changes to the process for obtaining Regent House approval for building projects falling within the scope of Statute F II 3. The default will still be a two-stage process involving publication of a Report and a Grace seeking in-principle approval before planning permission is requested. At the second stage, however, the Council expects to publish only a Notice and Grace if there are no material changes to the project. If the Council decides to publish a second-stage Report, it may not be possible for the relevant committees to have approved the full business case for the works before publication of the Report. In such cases, the Report’s recommendations will seek approval for the works subject to approval of the full business case.

The Council will remind Regent House members about the change to the process when publishing Reports concerning building projects during 2025–26.