1. The Council may request its Chair to remove the Vice-Chancellor from office for good cause in accordance with the procedure described in this Annex.
   
   (1) A complaint seeking the removal from office of the Vice-Chancellor for good cause may be made by not less than three members of the Council to the Chair of the Council.
   
   (2) If it appears to the Chair of the Council, on the material before him or her, that the complaint raises a prima facie case and that this could, if proved, constitute good cause for dismissal or removal from office he or she shall request the Council to appoint a Tribunal to hear and determine the matter.
   
   (3) If it appears to the Chair of the Council that a complaint made to him or her under sub-paragraph (1) does not raise a prima facie case or is trivial or invalid, he or she may recommend to the Council that no further action be taken upon it.
   
   (4) When the Council has appointed a Tribunal under sub-paragraph (2) it shall instruct a solicitor or other suitable person to formulate a charge or charges and to present, or arrange for the presentation of, the charges before the Tribunal.
   
   (5) A Tribunal appointed by the Council shall comprise:
   
   
   1. an independent Chair; and
      
   2. one member of the Council, not being a person employed by the University; and
      
   3. one member of the academic staff.
      
      
   (6) Subject to the principles of justice and fairness the Tribunal may determine its own procedure.
   
   (7) The Tribunal shall send its reasoned decision on any charge referred to it together with its findings of fact regarding the charge and its recommendations, if any, as to the appropriate penalty to the Chair of the Council and to the Vice-Chancellor drawing attention to the period of time within which any appeal should be made.
   
   (8) Persons appointed to hear such an appeal shall be persons independent of the University holding, or having held, judicial office or being barristers or solicitors of at least 10 years' standing and the person so appointed shall, subject to the principles of justice and fairness, determine the procedure to be adopted in hearing the appeal.
   
   (9) A person appointed shall send the reasoned decision on the appeal, together with any findings of fact different from those come to by the Tribunal and his or her recommendations, if any, as to the appropriate penalty, to the Vice-Chancellor and to the Chair of the Council.
   
   (10) Where a charge or charges have been upheld by the Tribunal and not dismissed on appeal, the Chair of the Council shall decide whether or not to dismiss the Vice-Chancellor.
   
   
2. Where a complaint is to be referred to a Tribunal under this Statute, the Chair of the Council may suspend the Vice-Chancellor from his or her duties and may exclude the Vice-Chancellor from the precincts of the University or any part thereof without loss of salary.
   
   
3. "Good cause" in this Annex has the same meaning as in paragraph 5 of this Statute.
   
   
4. For the purpose of the removal of the Vice-Chancellor for incapacity on medical grounds, Part IV of this Statute shall have effect subject to the following modifications:
   
   
   1. for references to a member of the academic staff there shall be substituted references to the Vice-Chancellor;
      
      
   2. for any reference to the office of Vice-Chancellor there shall be substituted a reference to the office of Chair of the Council;
      
      
   3. for paragraph 23 there shall be substituted - "23. If the Board determines that the Vice-Chancellor should be required to retire on medical grounds, it shall ask the Chair of the Council as the appropriate officer, to decide whether or not to terminate the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor on those medical grounds."

Submitted by the Editors
on behalf of the the Secretariat.
Last reviewed: 30/08/06
© University of Southampton