The General Council of the University of St Andrews is the

corporate body A juridical person is a non-human legal person that is not a single natural person but an organization recognized by law as a fictitious person such as a corporation, government agency, NGO or International (inter-governmental) Organization (suc ...

of all

graduates Graduation is the awarding of a diploma to a student by an educational institution. It may also refer to the ceremony that is associated with it. The date of the graduation ceremony is often called graduation day. The graduation ceremony is a ...

and senior

academics An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

of the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. It was instituted by the

Universities (Scotland) Act 1858 A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

, but its

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...

and

organisation An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from ...

have been considerably altered by subsequent

statute A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs the legal entities of a city, state, or country by way of consent. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. Statutes are rules made by le ...

Role

The business of the Council is to take into consideration all questions affecting the well-being and prosperity of the University, and to make representations from time to time on such questions to the University Court, who shall consider the same, and return to the Council their deliverance thereon. Members may raise any matter bearing upon the University, by reference to the

Convener The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the Business Committee of the General Council, College Gate, St Andrews. The Council elects two Assessors to the University Court. No member of the Senatus Academicus is entitled to vote or take part in the election of any Assessor of the General Council. (The Senate elects its own Assessors to the Court.)

Constitution and rules

The membership of the General Council is governed by

ordinance Ordinance may refer to: Law * Ordinance (Belgium), a law adopted by the Brussels Parliament or the Common Community Commission * Ordinance (India), a temporary law promulgated by the President of India on recommendation of the Union Cabinet * ...

No. 96 of the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

and is as follows:- :"The

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

., all

of the University (including honorary graduates) and holders of the Licentiateship in Dental Surgery, members and former members of the University Court,

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

s and former Professors of the University, Readers and

Lecturer Lecturer is an List of academic ranks, academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. T ...

s who have been in office for more than one year, former Readers and Lecturers who were members of the Council during their tenure of office as such and who continued in the employment of the University until retirement." The

of the University is elected by the General Council and is

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the Council. Under the

Universities (Scotland) Act 1966 A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

, new

Ordinance Ordinance may refer to: Law * Ordinance (Belgium), a law adopted by the Brussels Parliament or the Common Community Commission * Ordinance (India), a temporary law promulgated by the President of India on recommendation of the Union Cabinet * ...

s and

Resolution Resolution(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Resolution (debate), the statement which is debated in policy debate * Resolution (law), a written motion adopted by a deliberative body * New Year's resolution, a commitment that an individual mak ...

s are communicated in draft form to the General Council, whose opinion thereon is taken into consideration.

Standing orders of the General Council

Statutory Meeting A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs the legal entities of a city, state, or country by way of consent. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. Statutes are rules made by le ...

s - The Council shall assemble twice each year, such meetings to be held on the last Saturday in January and the last Saturday in June (subject to alteration from time to time by resolution of the Council with the approval of the University Court). # Special Meetings - Special meetings of the Council shall be called through the

Clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...

either at the request of the Business Committee, made by a majority of all its members, or at the request of not less than fifty members of the Council. #

Quorum A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature) necessary to conduct the business of that group. According to ''Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised'', the ...

- the quorum of the Council shall be twenty. #

Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

- At meetings of the Council, the Chancellor, whom failing the Principal, whom failing the Chancellor's Assessor, whom failing a Council Assessor on Court (in order of seniority), whom failing the Convener of the Business Committee, shall preside; in the absence of all of these, a Chairman shall be elected by the meeting. No member of the Senatus Academicus shall preside at a meeting of the Council during that part of the business devoted to the election of an Assessor on the University Court. In every case the Chairman has a deliberative and also a

casting vote A casting vote is a vote that someone may exercise to resolve a tied vote in a deliberative body. A casting vote is typically by the presiding officer of a council, legislative body, committee, etc., and may only be exercised to break a deadlock ...

. # Committees - The Council shall appoint and determine the duties of a Business Committee. From time to time the Council may appoint other committees to report on any matter remitted to them or to carry out instructions given to them by the Council. # Notice of Motion - Notice of every motion except procedural motions to be proposed at a meeting of the Council shall be given to the Clerk in writing, signed by the member giving it, at least eight days prior to the date of the meeting in question. If the Chairman is satisfied that due notice could not reasonably have been given in respect of a specific item of business, this Order may be suspended, for the sole purpose of discussing the business in question, on the vote of two-thirds of the members present at a meeting of the Council.

Business Committee

The affairs of the Council are conducted by a Business Committee exercising duties determined by the Council in accordance with the Council's instructions. The Constitution and duties of the Business Committee, as determined by the Council, are as follows:- Constitution 1. The Business Committee shall consist of: (a) Members ex officio (b) Elected Members 2. The following shall be members ex officio: (a) The Principal. (b) The Chancellor's Assessor on the University Court. (c) The Assessors of the General Council on the University Court. (d) The Conveners of all other Committees (and standing Sub-Committees) of the General Council. (e) Two of the co-opted members of the University Court who are alumni. 3. (a) The elected members shall be twelve in number. (b) They shall hold office for four years. (c) An elected member shall be eligible to stand for re-election at the end of one four-year term, but having served two consecutive terms shall be ineligible either to stand for a third or to be co-opted on to the committee during the two years before the next round of elections. 4. (a) The election of members shall be by Single Transferable Vote and shall take place every two years by a process of electronic voting agreed by the General Council in 2006 as revised in November 2011 and June 2014. (b) If a vacancy occurs in the membership of the Committee, either because a member has demitted office before their term has expired or because an insufficient number of candidates have stood for election, the committee may co-opt a new member to fill the vacancy, unless they be excluded by paragraph 3(c), and subject to their being approved at the next General Council meeting. The combined number of elected and co-opted members shall not exceed twelve. Such a co-opted member shall serve until the next round of elections, when they shall be eligible to stand as a candidate. Should there be an election for Convener or Vice-convener during their period of service, a co-opted member of the Business Committee shall be eligible to participate as candidate, proposer or seconder, and they shall have a vote. Duties The duties of the Business Committee are to transact business remitted to the Committee by the General Council, to frame the programme of business to be submitted to meetings of the Council, and to act on behalf of the Council, under powers specifically conferred upon the Committee, or in circumstances of emergency.

External links

Official website
{{University of St Andrews University of St Andrews