Academic Section Records Management policy
Procedure document AS04: Court
December 2004
Court function and
responsibilities
The Court of the University
is a formal body, established under
Charter
and Statutes. Its main official function is to provide a forum for the
official receipt of the University's
Annual Review and
Statement
of Accounts, which is done at the annual meeting of the Court in March
or April. The Court is also responsible for the formal appointment of the
Chancellor, the Pro-Chancellors and the Treasurer and for the appointment of
three lay members of the University Council. Court records are managed by
the Court Officer.
Court: Records
Management practice
Individual membership files
Files relating to members of Court are held for the duration of the
period of membership and then destroyed at the end of the academic year of
departure. The files contain general personal information, contact details,
and any other relevant data. The membership is divided into three
categories. (1) Individual members, whose membership are agreed by Council.
Individual files relating to these members are retained until the term of
membership ceases and are then destroyed at the end of the academic year of
departure. (2) Internal and external ex-officio members, who are members of
Court due to the position they hold either within or outside the University.
Individual files exist permanently for these members, but information
relating to a specific individual is destroyed when s/he leaves the post and
replaced with information relating to the successor. (3) Representative
members, who are members of Court as laid out in the
Ordinances. Individual files exist permanently for these members, but
information relating to a specific individual is destroyed when s/he is
replaced by a successor.
The Court Officer also holds an electronic spreadsheet of current Court
members, divided into the three categories of membership. Individual members
are removed when the term of membership ceases, although a record is kept of
the names of former individual members.
Court Meeting papers and minutes
The Court Officer retains permanently the agenda and minutes relating to
the annual Court meetings.
Budget information
The Court Officer manages the financial records relating to Court
activities. These are retained for six financial years after the relevant
financial year.
Attendance analysis
For statistical and monitoring purposes, the Court Officer provides
annual analysis of the attendance rates of the annual meeting of Court. The
analysis is filed by year and held for five academic years after the
relevant academic year.
General file per academic year
The Court Officer holds a general file for each academic year, which
contains general information about court activities for that year. This
includes copies of any information sent out to members of Court during the
year and arrangements relating to the annual meeting. The file is held for
five academic years after the relevant academic year.
Letter templates
The Court Officer holds a copy of templates of standards letters sent out
in relation to the organisation of Court. These are revised as necessary and
no previous copies are retained.
Academic Section
procedure documents
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