Notices

Calendar

24 November, Monday. Ballot of the Regent House, voting opens at 10 a.m.

29 November, Saturday. End of third quarter of Michaelmas Term. Congregation of the Regent House at 10 a.m.

3 December, Wednesday. Ballot of the Regent House, voting closes at 5 p.m.

5 December, Friday. Full Term ends.

9 December, Tuesday. Discussion by videoconference at 2 p.m. (see below).

Discussions (Tuesdays at 2 p.m.)	Congregations (at 10 a.m. unless otherwise stated)
9 December	29 November

Discussion on Tuesday, 9 December 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, 9 December 2025 at 2 p.m. The following items will be discussed:

1.Joint Report of the Council and the General Board, dated 19 November 2025, on exchanges of Professorships (p. 118).

2.Report of the Council, dated 19 November 2025, on removal of the membership of the University Centre (p. 119).

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.

For general information on Discussions see the Reporter website at https://www.reporter.admin.cam.ac.uk/discussions.

Election to the Board of Scrutiny

13 November 2025

The Vice-Chancellor announces that the following candidates have been nominated in accordance with Statute A VII 3 for election to the Board of Scrutiny, and that it has been certified to her that the candidates have consented to be nominated:

Class (c)(ii): members of the Regent House

Dr Francesca Patricia Louise Moore, HO
nominated by: Dr D. Trocmé-Latter, HO, and Dr S. Annett, R

Professor Michael Thomas Roberts
nominated by: Professor C.-B. Schönlieb, JE, and Professor J. H. F. Rudd

Dr Connor Purcell Wood, CL
nominated by: Dr T. G. Chesters, CL, and The Revd A. E. Strauss, T

There will be an election to select one member of the Regent House from among the three candidates. The person elected will serve with immediate effect until 30 September 2029. Voting will open at 10 a.m. on Monday, 24 November and close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, 3 December 2025 (voters will receive an email when voting opens).

Syndicates, Committees and other bodies: Appointment

Further to the Notice published as part of Reporter Special No 1 on 1 October 2025, the Vice‑Chancellor announces that, in accordance with Statute C III 7(b), the following appointment has been made:

Managers of the Martin C. Faulkes Bell Fund: Dr Timothy Keith Dickens, PET

Report of the General Board on the Herchel Smith Professorship of Biochemistry: Notice in response to Discussion remarks

The Council has received the remarks made at the Discussion on 7 October concerning the above Report (Reporter, 2025–26: 6796, p. 14; 6799, p. 48. The General Board has been consulted in the preparation of this response.

The Report proposes that Professor Miska be permitted to exchange the Herchel Smith Professorship of Molecular Genetics for the Herchel Smith Professorship of Biochemistry, now that he is Head of the Department of Biochemistry. Professor Miska, Professor Simons and Professor Russell provide additional information in support of this proposal, including the endorsement of the Managers of the University trust funds supporting the two Professorships. Professor Russell notes that the appointment to the vacancy the proposal would create in the Herchel Smith Professorship of Molecular Genetics would be made by a Board of Electors in the normal way.

Professor Evans suggests that no case is made for not requiring Electors in this instance. The case is that Professor Miska has already been appointed to a Professorship in a related field, he is now Head of the Department of Biochemistry, and Biochemistry is the field of the Professorship to which it is proposed that he be appointed, and that there is support for the exchange from the Head of the School, the Heads of Department and the Managers concerned.

Professor Evans suggests that Professor Miska would need to resign from his current Professorship in order to be appointed to a different Professorship. The Council agrees, but it also notes that it would not be prudent for him to do so before approval of the proposed exchange. As the recommendation of the Report indicates, the appointment is to take effect from the date of Professor Miska’s resignation from the Herchel Smith Professorship of Molecular Genetics, so that the exchange and the resignation are simultaneous.

The Report proposed that this exchange of Professorships should be approved by the Regent House as an exception to Section 1 of Part B of Special Ordinance C (vii). Both Professor Evans and Dr Astle express concern about being able to make an exception to a provision in Special Ordinance. Such an exception is permitted by Order under Statutes A II 1 and A X 2(a). However, since publication of the Report, it has become apparent that this scenario, where an exchange of Professorships is sought, is rare but more common than originally thought. The Council and the General Board have agreed to propose an amendment to the relevant section, to give the General Board the ability to approve such an arrangement in the future. As this would entail an amendment to Special Ordinance, a new Report has been published to present this amendment for approval (see p. 118). To separate out the proposal for a change of process from the proposal concerning an individual, a Board of Electors will be appointed in accordance with Part B of Special Ordinance C (vii) to enable Professor Miska’s election to the Herchel Smith Professorship of Biochemistry to be considered. The General Board has therefore withdrawn this Report.

Report of the Council on the proposed disposal of land and buildings at 1–3 Hills Road: Notice in response to Discussion remarks

The Council has received the remarks made at the Discussion on 4 November on the above Report (Reporter, 2025–26: 6800, p. 73; 6803, p. 113).

Professor Evans notes the government’s announcement of significant investment for the ‘growth corridor’ between Oxford and Cambridge and the grant towards a large-scale innovation hub in the centre of Cambridge. The Council welcomes this announcement. Professor Evans queries the differences between the recommendations of this Report, which ask for the Finance Committee to be authorised to approve the terms of the disposal, and others she cites (the Faculty of Music extension and a new building for the Department of Engineering). They are different because those other Reports were seeking approval for University building projects and this Report proposes the granting of a lease of the site for more than 60 years to a joint venture partnership between the University and prospective development and investment partners in order to develop an innovation hub. The proposal therefore requires approval by Grace in accordance with Regulation 2(a) of the Ordinance for Financial Matters (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 1053). As the Report explains, the site requires significant expenditure to bring it into a usable condition and the expectation has been that the site would be disposed of. This investment from the government will enable the site to become an innovation hub that will benefit both the University and the region. The proposal has the support of the Council on the recommendation of the Estates Committee, the Property Board and the Finance Committee.

The Council is submitting a Grace (Grace 1, p. 121) for the approval of the recommendations of this Report.