The Napier University (Scotland) Order of Council 1993

The Court

3.—(1) The Court shall be the governing body of the University, and shall administer it for the objects of providing education, carrying out research, and promoting teaching, research and general scholarship.

(2) The Court shall consist of the following persons:

(a) one person to be appointed by the Chancellor who shall act as Assessor to the Chancellor;

(b) the Principal and Vice-Chancellor referred to in article 5;

(c) any Vice-Principal or Vice-Principals referred to in article 9 provided that their numbers shall not exceed two. In the event of there being more than two Vice-Principals at any time, the Principal and Vice-Chancellor shall nominate the two Vice-Principals to serve on the Court;

(d) four members of the staff of the University to be appointed as follows:

(i) two who shall be appointed by the Academic Board from the members of the full-time academic staff of the University who are members of the Academic Board, at least one of whom shall be below the level of Head of Department;

(ii) one who shall be elected by the full-time academic staff of the University from among such staff; and

(iii) one who shall be elected by the full-time non-academic staff of the University from among such staff;

(e) the President of the Students' Association and one other office-bearer of the Association to be selected by that Association as referred to in article 7;

(f) one person to be appointed by the Graduates' Association referred to in article 8; and

(g) such other persons appointed by the Court reflecting a variety of different interests and experience, including those with experience in the provision of education, local government, industrial, commercial or employment matters or the practice of any profession, being not less than 12 nor more than 16 persons as the Court may from time to time determine.

(3) It shall be competent for the Court from time to time to vary the numbers of persons to be appointed under any of paragraphs 2(c) to 2(g), provided that no category there referred to shall cease to be represented on the Court. In any such variation those persons appointed under paragraph 2(g) shall remain in overall majority in the Court, and no variation shall be effective unless determined by a two-thirds majority of the whole members of the Court.

(4) Other than those members of the staff of the University appointed to the Court under articles (2)(b), (c) and (d), no members of staff of the University shall be eligible for appointment to the Court.

(5) The functions and powers of the Court shall be as set out in Schedule 1, and shall be exercised without prejudice to any person on grounds of gender, race, religion or other belief and in a manner which promotes academic freedom.

(6) No failure or defect in the appointment of any member of the Court and no vacancy in the office of a member of the Court shall prevent the Court from acting in the execution of its functions, nor shall any act or proceeding of the Court or of any Committee appointed by it be invalidated or be illegal by reason of or in consequence of any such vacancy or of any such defect in the appointment of any member of the Court.

(7) No person other than an ex officio member shall be appointed to the Court for a term of office of more than 4 years; and no person other than an ex officio member shall be appointed to the Court where his term of office, if aggregated with any previous terms of office, whether served before or after the coming into force of this Order, would cause him to serve for more than 12 years on the Court.

(8) A person who has attained the age of 70 years shall not thereafter be eligible to take office, whether for a first or subsequent term, as a member of Court; provided that nothing in this article shall prohibit a person who attains the said age during a term of office from continuing as a member of Court until the expiry of that term.