Governance

The Chancellor

The Chancellor acts as a figurehead for the University. The role of the Chancellor includes a range of responsibilities, one of the more public roles being to confer the University’s degrees and other awards at the University’s graduation ceremonies.

The Chancellor also has an ambassadorial role as an advocate of the university, articulating and promoting the mission and the achievements of the University in the public domain.

The Principal and Vice-Chancellor

The Principal of the University is also the Vice-Chancellor. The Principal, who is appointed by the University Court, is the chief academic and administrative officer of the University and is responsible to the Court for the effective working and good order of the University.

University Court

Under the terms of the University Charter, The Court is the governing body of the University and, as such, is responsible for overseeing the leadership, management and administration of the University and its activities. The Court has the ultimate authority and obligation to regulate the affairs of the University in relation to financial and contractual issues, and by review of the actions and decisions of the Senate, also in relation to academic undertakings.

The Court is responsible for safeguarding the reputation of the University and its values and for ensuring that the University is responsive to the interests of its stakeholders, including students, staff, alumni, the wider community and funding bodies.

The Senate

The Senate is the supreme academic body of the University with responsibility for the University’s academic work and standards, both in teaching and in research. Its constitution, powers and responsibilities are defined by Statute. The Principal is the Chair of the Senate, and its membership includes the Vice-Principal, the Deans, the Deputy Principals, Heads of Schools/Institutes, the Librarian, elected representatives of the academic staff from each School/Institute, and two student representatives.

The University Executive

The University Executive (UE) reports directly to the University Court and is the University's primary management decision making body. The remit of the EU is to deliver the mission and the strategic plan of the University, including the relevant financial and other performance measures, to make decisions on matters of operational management and policy; to ensure that the University operates within the relevant legislative and Scottish Funding Council directives; and to assess and manage the risks that the University faces.