St Chad's College - Status

Status

St Chad's is a "recognised college" of Durham University, but it is not maintained or governed by the university (St John's College has the same status). This is an unusual arrangement and it means that, though students at the college are registered for degrees at Durham University, the college itself remains a separate legal entity. A limited company and registered charity in its own right, it is financially autonomous, independently staffed and entirely self-governed. The Governing Body includes, among others, college staff and students, representatives of Durham University, of the Archbishop of York and of the Bishops of Durham, Newcastle and Carlisle. All external representatives are appointed by the Governing Body itself (even if they are nominated by external bodies). All governors are legally obliged to further the interests of the college and they cannot privilege the interests of the bodies that nominated them. One way of understanding the college's status is to appreciate that being "recognised" has more to do with the students than with the college itself, as this means that the statutory requirement of Durham students to be a member of a college can be satisfied by being a member of St Chad's College. To put it the other way around, St Chad's is accredited by the university for the admission of students to the university.

In contrast, the university's "council colleges" do not have a separate legal identity and are actually owned, managed and governed directly by the university itself. The relationship between the two recognised colleges and the university proper is unique to Durham and is for that reason often misunderstood. In contrast, Oxford and Cambridge colleges are generally constituent parts of the university via Royal Charter, as are the various colleges and institutes of the University of London.

The university's council (its governing body for non-academic matters) is forbidden by statute from having any 'property in or financial responsibility for' the college. As the college no longer receives any direct public funds, it is entirely reliant on its own ability to raise funds. Thus the generation of research income by resident research staff, the generation of conference income, and the support of alumni are crucial for the college. As a consequence of this status, any formal or financial relations between the college and the university are effectively governed by agreements and contracts. Goods and services provided by the university to the college are charged for by the university; similarly, goods and services provided to the university are charged by the college. That said, much of this occurs behind the scenes, and the relationship runs very smoothly and most often completely transparently to those receiving the services.

Notwithstanding its independence, the relationiship between the college and the university is very symbiotic. The university's council approves the appointment of the college's principal (this is chiefly because the Principal is usually an ex officio member of Senate). If pressed, this would effectively amount to a veto, but short-lists are invariably constructed in dialogue with the university. Again, though the university council does not have the power to approve or disapprove of any changes to the college's constitution, the college, in accepting recognition by the university, agrees to notify the university of any such changes. If those changes unfavourably affect the college's status in the university, recognition can be withdrawn, which is to say the college would remain but it would no longer be able to admit students to the university.

The college has a subsidiary trading arm, through which the college manages its non-academic activities. The status of the various institutes attached to the college varies, with some being wholly owned by the college, and others being partnerships or joint-ventures with outside bodies.