Academic Council

What is Academic Council?

The Charter of the University of Dundee states that:

"There shall be an Academic Council of the University which shall consist of the Principal, the Vice-Principals, if any, the Professors, Readers, Senior Lecturers, Lecturers, Assistant Lecturers, Librarian and all other full time members of the Academic Staff and such other members of the University as shall be designated by the Senatus*. The Principal shall be the Chairman of the Academic Council. The powers and functions of the Academic Council and all other matters relative thereto which it may be thought proper so to regulate shall be as prescribed in the Statutes or Ordinances."

* Senate has designated all members of the Academic Related staff as members of the Council.

Information on Academic Council can also be found in Ordinance 27 and Statute 15. Regulations regarding elections to Court and Senatus Academicus by the Academic Council can be found in the Senate Regulations. (Note: Regulations made under Ordinance 18).

Meetings of Academic Council

Since May 1997, Academic Council meetings have been announced electronically and the Agendas and Minutes are available to members of staff one week before the meeting.

Representation on the Court and Senatus

Two representatives of the Council are elected from time to time to serve on the Court and the Senatus. The Council's current representatives on both bodies are Professor Rami Abboud and Dr Angela Roger.

Academic Council Standing Committee

As stated in Ordinance 27, "There shall be a Standing Committee of the Academic Council consisting of fifteen members, of whom, at the conclusion of each annual election, six shall be and nine shall not be members of the Senatus Academicus". The current membership of the Standing Committee can be found here.

The Ordinance also states that "The functions of the Standing Committee shall be as follows:

(a) to prepare the agenda for meetings of the Academic Council;
(b) to advise concerning the calling of Special Meetings of the Academic Council under Statute 15(3) and on the calling of meetings of the Academic Council outside term time;
(c) such other functions as the Academic Council may from time to time determine."

Regulations regarding the election of Academic Council Standing Committees can be found in the University Calendar. These regulations were made under Ordinance 27.

Dr I K Francis
Academic Secretary and Secretary to the Council