No 6827
Wednesday 3 June 2026
Vol clvi No 32
pp. 505–521
8 June, Monday. End of third quarter of Easter Term.
16 June, Tuesday. Discussion by videoconference at 2 p.m. (see below).
|
Discussions (Tuesdays at 2 p.m.) |
Congregations (at 10 a.m. unless otherwise stated) |
|
16 June 30 June 14 July |
24 June, 2.45 p.m. (Honorary Degrees) 1, 2, 3 and 4 July (General Admission) 23, 24 and 25 July |
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, 2024, p. 111) to attend a Discussion by videoconference on Tuesday, 16 June 2026 at 2 p.m. The following items will be discussed:
1.Report of the Council, dated 3 June 2026, recommending the budget and allocations from the Chest for 2026–27 (p. 510).
2.Report of the Council, dated 3 June 2026, pursuant to Special Ordinance A (ii) 7 (exchanges of Professorships) (p. 513).
Those wishing to join the Discussion by videoconference should email Discussions@admin.cam.ac.uk 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 Discussions@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 Director of Governance and Compliance, 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.
1Any comments sent by email should please begin with the name and title of the contributor as they wish it to be read out and include at the start a note of any College and/or Departmental affiliations held.
2https://www.scrutiny.cam.ac.uk/ and https://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/reporter/regent_house_roll/.
The Vice-Chancellor gives notice, in accordance with Special Ordinance A (ii) 2, and the regulations for General Admission to Degrees, that Congregations will be held on the following days in the academic years 2026–27, 2027–28, 2028–29 and 2029–30.
CONGREGATIONS OF THE REGENT HOUSE (on Saturdays unless otherwise stated)
|
Michaelmas Term 2026 Full Term: 6 October – 4 December |
Lent Term 2027 Full Term: 19 January – 19 March |
Easter Term and Long Vacation 2027 Full Term: 27 April – 18 June |
|
1 October (Thursday), 9.55 a.m.1 23 October (Friday), 10 a.m. 28 November, 10 a.m. |
29 January (Friday), 2 p.m. 27 February, 10 a.m. 3 April, 10 a.m. 10 April, 10 a.m. |
1 May, 10 a.m. 21 May, (Friday), 10 a.m. Honorary Degrees: General Admission: 22 July (Thursday), 10 a.m. |
|
Michaelmas Term 2027 Full Term: 5 October – 3 December |
Lent Term 2028 Full Term: 18 January – 17 March |
Easter Term and Long Vacation 2028 Full Term: 25 April – 16 June |
|
1 October (Friday), 9.55 a.m.1 22 October (Friday), 10 a.m. 27 November, 10 a.m. |
28 January (Friday), 2 p.m. 26 February, 10 a.m. 25 March, 10 a.m. 1 April, 10 a.m. |
29 April, 10 a.m. 19 May, (Friday), 10 a.m. Honorary Degrees: General Admission: 20 July (Thursday), 10 a.m. |
|
Michaelmas Term 2028 Full Term: 3 October – 1 December |
Lent Term 2029 Full Term: 16 January – 16 March |
Easter Term and Long Vacation 2029 Full Term: 24 April – 15 June |
|
2 October (Monday), 9.55 a.m.1 20 October (Friday), 10 a.m. 25 November, 10 a.m. |
26 January (Friday), 2 p.m. 24 February, 10 a.m. 24 March, 10 a.m. 7 April, 10 a.m. |
28 April, 10 a.m. 18 May, (Friday) 10 a.m. Honorary Degrees: General Admission: 19 July (Thursday), 10 a.m. |
|
Michaelmas Term 2029 Full Term: 2 October – 30 November |
Lent Term 2030 Full Term: 15 January – 15 March |
Easter Term and Long Vacation 2030 Full Term: 23 April – 14 June |
|
1 October (Monday), 9.55 a.m.1 19 October (Friday), 10 a.m. 24 November, 10 a.m. |
25 January (Friday), 2 p.m. 23 February, 10 a.m. 23 March, 10 a.m. 30 March, 10 a.m. |
27 April, 10 a.m. 17 May, (Friday) 10 a.m. Honorary Degrees: General Admission: 18 July (Thursday), 10 a.m. |
1Election and admission of the Proctors.
2General Admission (M.Math., M.Eng., M.Sci., Vet.M.B., B.A., and B.Th. Degrees only).
3General Admission (M.Math., M.Eng., M.Des., M.Sci., Vet.M.B., B.A., and B.Th. Degrees only).
The Council has received two Graces, which have been initiated under Special Ordinance A (ii) 5 by members of the Regent House.1 As both Graces concern the suspension and termination of admissions to courses, the second focusing on admissions to the Vet.M.B. course, the Council is responding to them both in this Notice. It apologises for the delay providing this response.
The Graces purport to create a regulation in Ordinance, and an Order, each of which would, on their terms, be ineffective for reasons set out below. The Council has nonetheless agreed to authorise submission of the two Graces under Special Ordinance A (ii) 7 (Graces 1 and 2, p. 514) on the basis that, if approved, the General Board can decide whether to consider their advice.
The General Board has broad powers vested in it, most notably as set out in Statute A V 1(a), which makes it responsible for the University’s academic and educational policy and for the management of the University’s academic and educational affairs. This wording dates from revised Statutes approved on the recommendation of the Wass Syndicate, which came into force on 1 October 1994. These powers are not delegated; they are directly vested in the General Board in Statute. It is reasonable, and consistent with the wording of the Statute, to infer that a power to suspend or close a course to new admissions is within the scope of the powers described. The proposed regulation in Ordinance and Order are therefore ineffective insofar as they are inconsistent with the position established by Statute, as neither may take precedence over a provision in Statute. Therefore, even if they are approved, the proposals will not be effective, attracting only such advisory status as the General Board deems appropriate in the fulfilment of its own duties.
The General Board’s powers in Statute A V 1(a) are qualified by reference to the powers of the Regent House and the responsibilities of the Council. However, this does not mean that a decision of the General Board to suspend or close a course to new admissions is subject to approval of, or consultation with, either of those bodies. The powers of the Regent House are (in this context) its legislative powers.2
The Council wishes to make some additional observations.
In February, the General Board met to discuss a recommendation to close the Vet.M.B. course to new admissions from October 2027 and received the two Graces in the papers, so the General Board was aware of the views they expressed when considering the matter. The Board had already delayed that meeting so that it could receive the remarks made at the Discussion of a Topic of concern on the same subject. One of the decisions the Board made at the meeting was that admissions to the Vet.M.B. course would continue, having taken into account the strength of feeling in the community on this matter.3
To help the Regent House and others to understand the reasons for the concerns about the future of veterinary education, the General Board plans to share the analyses provided by the School and the Department. The General Board has already acknowledged that it should have been better prepared for the discussion of course closure and has reported on its plan to publish a procedure to govern such an event in the future.4
The General Board stands by the statement of intention reproduced in Statutes and Ordinances. This statement confirms the commitment of the General Board to consult with the Regent House in cases where there is a matter for decision within its powers but which is likely to prove controversial. However, the Council and the General Board recognise that these Graces were prompted in part by apprehension that that commitment would not be upheld. The Council and the Board have therefore agreed to publish an additional Grace (Grace 3, p. 514) creating a new Ordinance to confirm that it will publish procedures setting out the steps leading to the cessation of admissions to a course and other events.
2The Wass Syndicate appears to have included that qualifying wording to reflect the financial responsibilities of the Regent House and the Council. See the Wass Syndicate’s Report published on 19 May 1989 (Reporter, 5399, 1988–89, p. 613), in particular paragraphs 2.3.2 (‘The function of the General Board is to formulate the educational policy of the University and, subject to the powers of the Regent House, to determine the allocation of the resources necessary for the proper implementation of that power’) and 9.3.2 (‘We envisage that in practice the General Board would enjoy virtual independence and would continue to function much as it does at present, though with two important modifications. The first is that, although constitutionally subordinate to the Council, the General Board would in practice be free to take decisions on matters falling within its own sphere of responsibility, without any need to refer those decisions to either the Council or to the Regent House’).
The Council has received the remarks made at the Discussion on 12 May 2026 concerning the above Report (Reporter, 2025–26: 6821, p. 417; 6825, p. 481). It has consulted with the General Board in preparing this response.
The Council would like to thank those who took part in the Discussion for their comments on the establishment of the Rokos School of Government.
The Council notes the reservations of Professor Bowring, suggesting that there is insufficient information in the Report to explain how the donation is expected to benefit the University. It refers to the comments of Professors Desai, Simons and Peake, who support the plans for the proposed new School, and describe how the donation will enhance and support the core activities of the University. The School within a School nomenclature is already present in the example of the Cambridge Judge Business School. The Council also notes that the University has many Professorships in broad fields of study.
Dr Cowley queries why the funds are to be held in a separate trust. Mr Allen asks for reassurance that the risks associated with the funding arrangements have been thought through. It was a requirement from the donor that the funds be held by an independent charity, governed by an equal mix of University and donor-appointed Directors, who could ensure that the funds were spent in accordance with the donor’s wishes. The Directors have no powers to direct the activity of the Rokos School but will oversee alignment with the Trust’s charitable objectives.
The objects of the RSG Charitable Trust are:
the advancement of education for the public benefit by the support of the School, such School to be a Faculty or equivalent administrative unit of the University and such support to include but not be limited to the provision of and/or grants for premises, academic teaching, research and other academic activities, and funding for students studying at the School.
The trust deed details how the Trust itself will operate and makes clear that the Directors’ powers may be exercised only to further the Trust’s charitable objects, as above, and for no other purpose, and that those powers operate within the normal framework of charity and statutory law. Nothing in the deed gives the Directors power to make decisions on behalf of the University, fetters academic decision making or interferes with academic freedom.
Risks to academic freedom and financial planning have been addressed and mitigated in a donation agreement between the RSG Charitable Trust and the University. In response to Mr Allen’s specific question around planning, the Council notes that general funding will be agreed on a rolling 5-year basis, and all established posts and endowed Ph.D. studentships will be paid in perpetuity.
Both Dr Cowley and Mr Allen ask for the trust deed to be published. While the trust deed itself cannot be shared in its entirety due to its commercial sensitivity, the Council is publishing an extract from the donation agreement with this response (see https://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/reporter/2025-26/weekly/6827/Rokos-additional-information.pdf). That extract provides the clause on academic freedom. A summary of the Trust will also be available from the Charity Commission on registration, and the accounts and annual returns of the Trust will be published on the Commission’s website in due course.
Mr Allen asks for a breakdown of the allocation of the £130m donation (or income accruing from it) between academic posts, studentships, premises, and other running costs. A final allocation has not been set yet, pending the appointment of a Dean (head of institution) for the Faculty. An outline budget model was created that demonstrated how the funding could be allocated to enable the establishment and rapid scaling up of the Faculty. This included 10 established Professorships, 25 affiliated or joint Faculty from across the University, 20 researchers, a core of professional services staff, plus 20+ funded Ph.D. students (on a rolling basis). In addition, the funding will cover the cost of housing the School in the Triangle Building, programmatic budget, and overheads. The allocated funding to the Trust, which will be paid over the next 8 years, will be split between endowment and spend-down. All funding associated with the School will be allocated in full accordance with the University’s usual financial policies, procedures and salary arrangements.
Mr Allen also requests information about the source of the match funding to be provided by the University. The University has committed £26m to match the initial donation of £130m. £20m of this will come from the Investment Fund and was approved by the Planning and Resources Committee in June 2025. Of this, £10m is for endowed Ph.D. studentships, and £10m is for programmatic spend-down. The remaining £6m will come from income from the Vice‑Chancellor’s Endowment Fund. This funding will be spent over the first 5 years of the Faculty’s operation. In addition, the University has agreed to generate up to £60m in additional funding, which will be met by a further donation of up to £60m from the donor.
The Council is submitting Graces (Graces 4 and 5, p. 515) for the approval of the recommendations of this Report and the establishment of a Rokos Professorship of Government.
The Council has approved the appointment of Dr Pieter van Houten to the Cambridge University Endowment Trustee Body (CUETB). The appointment was made on the recommendation of its ad hoc Nominating Committee comprising Mr Mark Lewisohn (Chair of the CUETB), Professor Ella McPherson and Professor Garth Wells (members of the Council).
The appointment takes effect immediately and the initial term runs until 31 December 2026, the remainder of the term of the previous member.