Elections to Council

Call for Nominations – Senate

Eligibility

Academic Staff members of Senate

In line with our Ordinances, to be eligible to stand for election, you must:

• be an Academic Staff member of Senate for the period in question (from 1 January 2027)
• have a contract of employment that commenced on or before 25 September 2026 (at least 20 working days prior to the call for nominations on 23 October 2026)
• have a contract of employment which extends to at least 31 July 2028

In addition, in line with our commitments to good governance through the Higher Education Code of Governance and under our obligations to the Office for Students, you must:

• be free from any conflicts of interest that might preclude you from serving as a governor and trustee of the University and meet the Office for Students' test of being a fit and proper person
• if you have not already done so, agree to complete all of the How We Work at Essex essential training modules and additional training modules for University Committee members within four weeks of being appointed or prior to attending your first Council meeting or event, whichever occurs first
• agree that you will, on appointment, accept the Code of Conduct for Governors (.pdf)

The Ordinances state that the four Academic Staff members of Senate on Council must include:

• At least two Heads of Department at the time of election
• At least one member of the Senate who is not a Professor at the time of election

The current composition of Academic Staff members of Senate continuing in post on Council are:

• One Head of Department who is not a Professor
• One Professor who is not a Head of Department

Nominations

Please download the guidance for Academic Staff members of Senate (.pdf), which includes further information on the short forms that need to be completed as part of the pre-appointment process.

Submission

You will need to download and complete the following:

• Nomination form, including nominee declaration and personal statement (.docx)
• Fit and proper persons declaration (.docx)
• Fit and proper persons test (.pdf)
• Register of interests declaration (.docx)
• Equality and diversity monitoring form (.docx)

Next steps

The nomination form will need to be signed by two Academic Staff members of Senate, one of whom must be from a different department or school to you.

All completed documents must be submitted to the Governance Office by 12pm (midday) on Friday 6 November 2026, using this secure Box submission link. Please also email elections@essex.ac.uk to confirm your nomination has been submitted. All nominations will be acknowledged.

The fit and proper persons declaration form and test will be reviewed by the University Secretary, or their nominee, and assurance provided to the Nominations Committee.

Election

Should an election be required for the appointment of the Academic Staff members of Senate, members who are eligible to vote will receive confirmation by email to their Essex email address. If an election is necessary, it will take place in early November 2026.

Further information

Council normally meets in person, a minimum of four times a year, with at least one additional away day, and also holds a joint meeting with Senate each July.  Additional Special Meetings may also be scheduled. An induction day for new members is normally held in the Autumn Term.

You can find the meeting dates for Council and its committees in the annual diary of meetings, which is published each year.

Informal queries can also be submitted to the Governance Office, by emailing elections@essex.ac.uk