Council Regulations 6 of 2019

1. The purpose of the Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum is to assemble, maintain, and exhibit the University’s collection of plants at the Botanic Garden, the Glasshouses, and Harcourt Arboretum, and to promote research, teaching, conservation, and public education based on the garden’s collections.

2. The Visitors of the Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum shall be:

(1) a chair who shall be appointed by the Vice-Chancellor;

(2) the Head of Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM);

(3) one of the Proctors or the Assessor as may be agreed between them;

(4) the Sherardian Professor of Botany, who shall be called Keeper of the Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum;

(5) a person appointed by the Department of Biology;

(6) the Director of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History;

(7)–(10) up to four persons appointed by Council, ensuring a balance of representation from across the four academic divisions.

3. (1) Ensuring that the number of external Visitors is not greater than the number of internal Visitors, the Visitors may co-opt up to five additional members, who may be internal or external, and who need not be members of Congregation to provide specific skills not covered by existing appointments.

(2) The period of office for appointed and co-opted members shall be three years, and no appointed or co-opted member shall serve more than two consecutive full terms of office. Casual vacancies shall be filled either for the remainder of the period of office of the person being replaced or, at the discretion of the appointing body, for a further full period.

(3) Notwithstanding regulation (2) above, in the case of appointed and co-opted members, the General Purposes Committee of Council may determine that one further consecutive period is permitted in an individual case.

4. The Director of the Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum shall be the secretary to the Visitors, except that the Visitors may require him or her to withdraw from any meeting.

5. In fulfilment of their responsibilities, under Council, for the safe keeping, preservation, orderly administration and general policy of the Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum and within the approved budget reported to them, in accordance with section 8 of Statute VIII, the Visitors:

(1) shall delegate the appointment of all staff in the Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum in accordance with procedures set out in standing orders;

(2) shall prepare annually a report on the activities of the Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum via GLAM Board.

6. The Visitors shall have authority, under Council to make such other arrangements by standing order as are necessary to fulfil their responsibilities.

7. In carrying out their responsibilities the Visitors shall co operate with the GLAM Board in facilitating co ordination between the University’s museums and scientific collections, particularly with respect to planning, allocation and use of resources, and the development, care, and promotion of the collections as national and international resources both for teaching and research and for public access.

The Management Team may attend the meetings of the Visitors and may speak (but not vote) on any matter affecting their respective responsibilities, except that the Visitors may require them to withdraw from any meeting. The Visitors may also choose to invite the Chair, or member of the Directors of the Friends of Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum to attend meetings.

8. The role of the Sherardian Professor of Botany as Keeper of the Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum in relation to the garden and the Visitors shall be set out in standing orders made under regulation 6 above.

9. The Director of the Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum shall be the first officer of the Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum, and shall act for and be responsible to the Visitors in the exercise of their powers.

10. The Director shall be responsible under the Visitors for all strategic aspects of the operation and well being of the garden, including:

(1) the allocation and development of space and other resources;

(2) the distribution of support and other facilities;

(3) acquisitions policy;

(4) the conservation and study of the collections, and their display and publication; and

(5) the participation in, and fostering of, scholarly work and public education within the garden.