Nominations are now open for colleagues who wish to play a leading role in the University's academic governance.

This year, elections will be held for:

elected membership of Senate
Chair of Academic Assembly

These roles provide an opportunity to contribute to the University's strategic development, academic governance and decision-making processes.

Senate

About Senate

Senate is the University's principal academic authority.

It is responsible for overseeing the University's academic affairs and exercises authority delegated by Council in relation to academic matters. Through collective discussion and decision-making, Senate considers issues including:

academic strategy
education and the student academic experience
research and knowledge exchange
academic quality and standards
academic regulations and policies
academic governance and assurance

Members of Senate bring expertise and perspectives from across the University, while exercising independent judgement in the interests of the institution as a whole.

Why stand for election?

As an elected member of Senate, you will:

contribute to collective decision-making on major academic matters
share responsibility for the oversight of the University's academic affairs
influence academic strategy, policy and priorities
provide scrutiny, challenge and constructive debate
work with colleagues from across disciplines and professional areas
gain insight into the University's strategic opportunities and challenges

Further information is available in the Member of Senate Role Description.

Senate Vacancies

The following vacancies are available for the term 1 August 2027 to 31 July 2030:

Three Professorial Members of Academic Assembly
One Non-Professorial Member of Academic Assembly

In accordance with Ordinance 6.1.2, Senate membership must maintain appropriate professorial and non-professorial representation across Faculties and Schools. This election must therefore return:

at least one Professor from the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences
at least one Professor from the School of Management

Eligibility

Both professorial and non-professorial academic staff who are members of Academic Assembly are eligible to stand, subject to the University's electoral regulations.

Enquiries

For an informal discussion about the vacancies, please contact the Governance Team via senate-elections@bath.ac.uk

Chair of Academic Assembly

A key academic leadership role

The Chair of Academic Assembly plays an important role in ensuring that Academic Assembly remains an effective forum for communication, discussion and engagement across the University's academic community.

The role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the University's governance and strategic direction.

Importantly, the Chair is an ex officio member of both Senate and Council, connecting Academic Assembly with the University's principal academic authority and governing body. Through these memberships, the Chair helps ensure that perspectives from the wider academic community are heard in institutional discussions and decision-making.

What does the Chair do?

The Chair:

chairs meetings of Academic Assembly
works with the Governance Team to help shape agendas and meeting content
encourages constructive discussion and engagement across the academic community
helps ensure that issues raised by Academic Assembly are appropriately considered within the University's governance structures
serves as an ex officio member of both Senate and Council

Why stand for election?

This role provides an opportunity to:

contribute to discussions at the highest levels of the University
influence both academic and institutional decision-making
promote effective engagement between the University's governance bodies and the wider academic community
gain insight into strategic issues facing the University and the higher education sector
develop leadership and governance experience within a complex academic institution

Eligibility

The Chair must be elected from amongst the membership of Academic Assembly.

Term of Office

The Chair is elected for a three-year term commencing on 1 August 2027.

Enquiries

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Sabina Gheduzzi via academic-assembly-chair@bath.ac.uk

How to Submit a Nomination

To stand for election, candidates must submit:

a nomination form
a supporting statement of no more than 150 words
the names of two supporters who are members of Academic Assembly

Supporting statements will be circulated to eligible voters if an election is required.

Submit your nomination.

Standing for More Than One Role

Members of Academic Assembly may submit nominations for both:

election to Senate; and
election as Chair of Academic Assembly.

However, candidates may only take up one role if elected.

As the Chair of Academic Assembly serves as an ex officio member of both Senate and Council, a candidate elected to both positions would be required to choose which role to accept. Any resulting vacancy would be filled in accordance with the University's electoral procedures.