Who sits on Council?

Ex-officio members

• The Chancellor
• The Vice-Chancellor
• The Deputy Vice-Chancellor
• The Dean of Durham
• The President of Durham Students' Union

Members appointed by Council

• 12 appointed lay members (not being teachers or salaried staff in the University or any of its colleges)
• 7 appointed members of University staff (at least 5 of whom to be academic staff with research and teaching responsibilities - normally taken to mean lecturers, senior lecturers, readers and professors - and none of whom to be serving members of the University's Executive Committee)

The Nominations Committee of the Council is responsible for producing an overall Council membership with a balance between continuity and new blood, and with an appropriate balance and range of knowledge, experience and backgrounds to enable Council to meet its primary responsibilities and to ensure stakeholder confidence.

Chair of Council

The Chairmanship of the Council is a non-executive position held by a lay member of Council. The Chair is responsible for the leadership of the Council and is ultimately responsible for its effectiveness.  Council also appoints its lay members as Vice-Chair(s).

Term of appointment of Council members

The initial term of appointment of all appointed members of Council is 4 years, renewable for a second term of up to 3 years.  Appointment to a third term of up two 2 years is reserved for exceptional circumstances, linked to the sustained high performance of a member and taking into account the strategic needs of Council.  Members should not normally serve a continuous period of more than 9 years.