Appointment of the Chancellor of the University

Aston Webb buildingSir Dominic Cadbury will retire as Chancellor of the University of Birmingham on 31 December 2013. The University Council has established an Appointment Committee which will undertake the process of identifying his successor as the University's seventh Chancellor.

It is anticipated that the Committee will make a recommendation to Council during the 2012-13 session.

The role of the Chancellor

The Chancellor acts as the ceremonial figurehead of the University. The formal responsibilities of the Chancellor are set out in the University’s Legislation. He/she chairs the Annual Meeting of the University Court; he/she presides at Degree Congregations and confers degrees of the University.

The Chancellor also has an important ambassadorial role for the University, working with the Vice-Chancellor and the Pro-Chancellor to represent the University in the external community. He/she is an advocate of the University working to raise the University’s profile and advance its interests nationally and internationally.

It is expected that the Chancellor will be appointed for a period of five years in the first instance.