Constitution and Nominations Committee

Constitution and Nominations Committee reports to Council.

Terms of reference

Objectives and outcomes

Constitution and Nominations Committee' primary objective is to ensure the University's constitutional and corporate governance framework is effective.

It also recommends people to Council for honorary degrees and other non-academic honorary awards.

A key outcome of the Committee’s work is to engender confidence on behalf of Council and the Court, to the wider University community, stakeholders and external regulatory and membership bodies (including the Office for Students (OfS) and the Committee of University Chairs (CUC), that transparent, accountable and responsible constitutional and nominations arrangements exist.

Contact us

Chair: Alice Maynard
Chair of Council and Pro-Chancellor

chair-of-council@york.ac.uk

For agendas and minutes: Alice Wakely
Senior Governance & Assurance Officer

alice.wakely@york.ac.uk

Remit

The remit of the Committee under the following core, agenda-aligned headings, is:

(a) Strategic development, planning, performance monitoring and resourcing items for consideration and/or decision

  1. To advise Council on an effective nominations framework and succession and recruitment strategy in relation to the Chair of Council and all independent/external role-holders on Council and Court.
  2. To ensure that Equality, Diversion and Inclusion (EDI) considerations are explicitly designed into recruitment specifications, to ensure the make-up of Council and its committees model and represent the actual and desired diversity of the student and staff body.
  3. To recommend for Council approval new independent/external appointments and re-appointments to Council and its committees (including co-opted committee members who are not Council members), and the Court.
  4. To recommend for Council approval proposed Council committee membership changes in liaison with the Committee Chairs, as well as other University and related bodies to which independent/external Council and committee co-opted members are appointed.
  5. To recommend for Council approval the award of Honorary Degrees and additional non-academic honorary awards by the University.
  6. To oversee current and future skills development needs and the balance of these amongst Council and its committee members, and monitor skills and experience profiles to inform recruitment strategy.
  7. To oversee succession planning, and the search and recruitment governance and (re)appointment for the University Chancellor to recommend to Council for appointment by the Court.
  8. To periodically consider how best to maximise the contributions of honorary degree recipients to champion and advance the interests of University.
  9. To ensure the corporate and specific risk factors associated with the Committee’s membership and non-academic honorary awards nominations and governance portfolio are understood, assessed and managed, from ensuring that corporate risk monitoring features in the terms of reference of Council and its committees, through to reputational implications for the University. 

(b) Policy and regulatory matters

  1. To consider and recommend for Council approval, material changes to the University’s corporate governance and constitutional arrangements, including in relation to amendments to the Charter and Statutes of the University, for onward Privy Council approval.
  2. To consider and recommend for Council approval, material changes to corporate governance and constitutional regulation and policy arising from internal or external effectiveness reviews and other evaluations.
  3. To advise Council on compliance with internal and external corporate governance policy and regulation, including that of the Office for Students (OfS) and its ‘public interest governance principles’, and to ensure that Council’s own size, composition, diversity, skills mix, terms of offices is appropriate and its members are ‘fit and proper’.
  4. To consider and recommend for Council approval changes to the Students’ Unions' Code of Practice and related constitutional matters.
  5. To comply with the University’s Policy on non-academic honorary degrees and fellowships, and seek Council approval for any amendments or variations to it.

Authority

Constitution and Nominations Committee is not usually empowered to take decisions on behalf of Council, given its principal role is monitoring and recommendatory to Council in relation to the matters within its remit.

Ex officio members

Student representation

All of the above plus the following members for meetings which address Honorary Associations

Three members of academic staff appointed by Senate

In attendance

  • Joan Concannon, Director of External Relations
  • Adam Hewitt, University Secretary
  • Alice Wakely, Senior Governance and Assurance Officer (Secretary to the Committee)

Meeting frequency

A minimum of three times per year, with decisions also being able to transacted and recorded by written resolution or, where necessary, Chair’s Action.

Meeting modes

Physical or virtual convening of members and attendees, or meetings which simultaneously enable both modes.

Meeting dates 2024-25

Date Time Deadline for papers
Tuesday 19 November 2024 1.30pm to 3.30pm Monday 11 November 2024

Tuesday 18 February 2025

1.30pm to 3pm Monday 10 February 2025

Wednesday 23 April 2025

1.30pm to 3pm Tuesday 15 April 2024
Wednesday 9 July 2025 1.30pm to 3pm Tuesday 1 July 2025

Reporting to Council

Constitution and Nominations Committee is a committee of Council and reports directly to it:

  • Frequently: through summaries of the minutes and other reports arising from each of its meetings to the next Council meeting, and specific membership recommendations regarding Council and its committees on an ad hoc basis.
  • Annually: through honorary degree and Court (re)appointment or non-renewal recommendations.
  • Periodically: via other policies, reports and membership proposals which it recommends for Council approval within the business cycle and its terms of reference.

Reporting to the Committee

Constitution and Nominations Committee has no subcommittees reporting into it, but may convene task and finish and other groups to discharge time-limited activities (eg Search Committee for University Chancellor).

The Committee advises, and provides and seeks assurance from other Council committees in relation to its remit.

2023-24

The meeting scheduled for 20 February 2024 was cancelled owing to lack of business

2022-23

The meetings scheduled for 22 November 2022 and 16 May 2023 were subsequently cancelled, with a written circulation in lieu of a meeting.

Parent committee

Contact us

Chair: Alice Maynard
Chair of Council and Pro-Chancellor

chair-of-council@york.ac.uk

For agendas and minutes: Alice Wakely
Senior Governance & Assurance Officer

alice.wakely@york.ac.uk