The College Secretary's Office supports the work of the College Council and of the Chairman in particular. It is the main source of advice to Council members and senior staff on all issues to do with good governance and legal compliance.

Who's Who

• Katie Kerr, College Secretary and Head of Governance, is responsible for supporting the work of the College Council.
• James Ackroyd, Governance Officer is the first point of contact for advice on Student Complaints / OIA, Tenders, Contractual, Copyright / Trademark issues, Criminal Records Bureau or other legal concerns.

Council and Committees

The College Secretary’s Office manages the meetings of the College Council and many of its major committees, including the Council Executive Committee; the Audit & Compliance Committee; the Nominations & Honorary Awards Committee; the Risk Management Committee; the Strategic Policy Committee and the Management Co-ordination Group.

It deals with Council and Committee membership and elections for the Council. It also looks after the Committees Handbook and the Calendar of Meetings, as well as maintaining a Register of Interests.

Members of the Council are also Trustees of the Founder’s Endowment Fund – a charity established in 1992 for the benefit of the College. The College Secretary is Secretary to the Trustees.

Governance

The College Secretary’s Office oversees the operation of the College Statutes and Regulations of the Council, by which the College is governed. It works to develop and update many of the College codes, policies and procedures.

It also maintains and advises on the College Risk Register and Value for Money initiatives.

Legal

The College Secretary’s Office is called upon to advise departments across the College on a wide range of legal questions. These include all kinds of contracts and agreements, copyright and trademarks, criminal records bureau checks, complaints, disciplinary and equality issues.  The department is also responsible for the management of deeds and other formal documents and the opening of tenders.

It aims to ensure that changes in the law which impact upon the College are publicised and adopted effectively, and with minimum upheaval to day to day life at the College. It works to resolve internal and external disputes in a practical, timely and efficient manner.

Please contact the College Secretary’s Office to:

• Seek advice on contracts and Memoranda of Understanding.
• Discuss any concerns about copyright or licences
• Notify any concerns about Freedom of Speech
• Discuss any concerns about legal matters affecting the College (please note, the office cannot provide personal legal advice)

• Make a nomination for Honorary Degrees or Fellowships
• Nominate, or self nominate, for staff positions on Council(when an election has been advertised)
• Get in touch with a lay member of Council

• Gain agreement for, or enquire about, a College-wide Code of Practice
• Make arrangements for the opening of a tender www.rhul.ac.uk/For-Staff/Codes-of-practice/tendering-procedures.pdf (please contact the Head of Purchasing for advice on assembling a tender)

• Pass on details of any formal complaints made by students or discuss how to manage informal complaints - visit Students' Complaints Procedure
• Obtain information about the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (see www.oiahe.org.uk)