Court

Court serves as a bridge between the wider community and the University. It provides a source of ideas, influence and support from the wider community to assist the University in pursuit of its mission.

Responsibilities and terms of reference

Court is responsible for:

appointing the Chancellor and Pro-Chancellors on the nomination of the Board of Trustees;
appointing 2 members to serve on the Nominations Committee of the Board.

Court may also:

pose questions to the Chair of the Board of Trustees on the activity of the Board in the preceding year and the plans for the year ahead;
pose questions to the Vice-Chancellor and Executive Group on the execution of the strategy of the University;
pose questions to the Board of Trustees on the financial statements;
ask questions and offer comment to the Board of Trustees and the Executive Group on any aspect of the University's business.

See full details of Court’s responsibilities in statutes 6-8 of the University's Statutes.

Membership

Court membership is set out in statute 6 of the University's Statutes and is made up of:

Core Members

Elected

30 Alumni Association Representatives
5 Emeriti

Nominated

20 Members from civic, cultural and community organisations or bodies
20 Members from unions, professional organisations, business community and industry or other knowledge-intensive organisations
5 representatives from elected representatives of the City of Bristol and its surrounding areas

Ex Officio

Chancellor
Pro-Chancellors
Honorary Fellows

Additional Members

The Chancellor may appoint up to 20 Additional Appointed Members as set out in Statute.

Current members of Court

To see a list of current members, download the Court membership 2024-25 (PDF, 144kB)

Diversity monitoring

The diversity of our Court members has been researched periodically since 2020, data for the membership is not available.

Attendees

Statute 6 sets out that the following people can attend Court:

20 university employees, who are elected by university employees
The elected Sabbatical Officers of the Students' Union
Board of Trustees
Vice-Chancellor and President
Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost
Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Students
Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement
Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation
Pro Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean for Science and Engineering
Pro Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean for Arts, Law & Social Sciences
Pro Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean for Health and Life Sciences
Chief Operating Officer & Registrar
Chief Financial Officer
Director of Governance, University Secretary and Clerk to Court

They do not have the authority to make committee decisions and are not eligible to vote in meetings.

Court Secretary

Current post-holder: Michael Flay, Director of Governance and University Secretary
Email: michael.flay@bristol.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0) 117 45 54881