2 Associ
of Commonwealth Universities
Royal Charter
(including the Statutes)
Royal Charter
(granted by Warrant under the Queen's Sign Manual on 17 June 1963 and amended by the Privy Council on 23 October 1973 and 12 April 1976)
ELIZABETH THE SECOND by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Our other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.
To all to whom these Presents shall come, Greeting!
WHEREAS a Petition has been presented unto Us by the Chairman of the Association of Universities of the British Commonwealth and others* praying Us to grant a Charter of Incorpor- ation for the purpose of constituting a Corporation with the object among others of acquiring and taking over the properties and liabilities of the said Association and of carrying on and developing its work under such regulations and with such powers as to Us might appear meet and expedient: AND WHEREAS We have taken the said Petition into Our Royal Consideration and are minded to accede thereto:
NOW THEREFORE KNOW YE that We by virtue of Our Prerogative Royal and of all other powers enabling Us so to do of Our especial grace, certain knowledge and mere motion have granted and ordained and by these Presents do for Us, Our Heirs and Successors grant and ordain as follows:
The Association of Commonwealth Universities
1. The Corporations whose names are set forth in the First Schedule hereto and all such Corporations as may hereafter become members of the Body Corporate hereby constituted shall for ever hereafter be one Body Corporate and Politic by the name of 'The Association of Commonwealth Universities' and by that name shall and may sue and be sued, plead and be empleaded in all Courts whether of law or equity and shall have perpetual succession and a Common Seal which may be changed or varied by them at their pleasure.
Definitions
2. In this Our Charter unless the context otherwise requires: 'The Association' shall mean 'The Association of Common- wealth Universities'.
'The Old Institution' shall mean the said existing Association known as 'The Association of Universities of the British Com- monwealth'.
'Our United Kingdom' shall mean 'Our United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'.
'The Council' shall mean the Council of the Association. 'Members' shall mean members of the Association. 'Representatives' shall mean the individuals nominated by the Members to act as their respective representatives. 'The Statutes' shall mean the Statutes of the Association for the time being in force.
Words importing the singular number only shall include the plural number and vice versa, words importing the masculine gender only shall include the feminine gender and words importing persons shall include Corporations.
Objects
3. The objects for which the Association is incorporated shall be:
(i)
(ii)
To acquire and take over the property, trusts and liab- ilities of the Old Institution, or of any person held or incurred for the purposes of the Old Institution;
To collect and distribute information from time to time on matters of interest to the Universities of the Common- wealth;
(iii) To arrange conferences and congresses and otherwise to facilitate communication and the interchange of information between the said Universities and between them and the Governments and other public bodies, learned institutions and societies of the Commonwealth and the Governments, Universities and corresponding bodies in foreign countries;
(iv) To facilitate the interchange of students and teachers between the said Universities and between them and the Universities of foreign countries;
(v) To establish and maintain a central office in London which may serve inter alia as a secretariat for the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals of the Universities of Our United Kingdom and for any other Committees which may by Statute or by the Universities from time to time be appointed;
(vi) To establish and maintain offices in any other parts of Our United Kingdom or any other country within the Commonwealth or in any foreign country or state to form centres and secretariats for the work and activities of the Association;
(vii) To print, publish and circulate handbooks, periodicals, circulars, leaflets and other publications with a view to making known and to furnishing and disseminating infor- mation about and encouraging interest in the objects, work and activities of the Association in any part of the world, and generally in connection with the carrying out of its objects;
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(viii) To invite and collect subscriptions and donations to the
funds of the Association by any lawful means;
(ix) To undertake, execute and perform any trusts or con- ditions affecting any property of any description acquired by the Association by gift, devise, bequest or otherwise and to act as trustee of any such property held for pur- poses connected with the objects of the Association; To co-operate with other associations having similar objects with a view to the promotion of the objects of the Association;
(x)
(xi) To invest the moneys of the Association not immediately required for the purposes of the Association in or upon such investments or securities and in such manner as the Council may from time to time think expedient; (xii) To do all such other things as may be thought calculated to promote the interests and well-being of the Universities of the Commonwealth or any of them; (xiii) To do all such acts and things as are or may be deemed incidental or conducive to the attainment of any of the purposes of the Association or the exercise of any of its said powers.
Membership requirements
4. All Members, Associate Members and Additional Members shall be incorporated and shall be situate within the Common- wealth. The requirement of incorporation shall be satisfied by incorporation in accordance with the law of that part of the Commonwealth where such Member, Associate Member or Additional Member is situate.
Members
5. The Members shall be
(i)
the Corporations named in the First Schedule hereto; and (ii) such other Universities as may from time to time be admitted to membership by the Council in accordance with such regulations as may from time to time be made by the Council for this purpose.
Associate and Additional Members
6. Subject to and in accordance with the provisions of the Statutes, the Council may admit to such privileges and benefits of the Association as may be determined by the Council, excepting always the right to vote at general meetings of Members,
(i)
(ii)
University Colleges and Colleges of Universities as Associate Members; and
Other institutions of higher education as Additional Members.
Loss of qualification
7. Any Member, Associate Member or Additional Member, which shall cease to have the academic status appropriate thereto, or to be incorporated, or to be situate within the Commonwealth shall forthwith and without notice cease to be a Member, Associate Member or Additional Member as the case may be.
General Meetings
8. There shall be held a General Meeting of the Association once in each calendar year (hereinafter called 'the Annual General Meeting') and Special General Meetings at such times as may be necessary or desirable, in every case in accordance with the provisions of the Statutes.
Council
9. There shall be a Council of the Association consisting of the Chairman, the Vice-Chairman, the Honorary Treasurer, the
Royal Charter 3
Honorary Deputy Treasurer, the Immediate Past Chairman and such number of ordinary members as may from time to time be prescribed by the Statutes. The ordinary members shall be representatives of Members or of Associate Members nomin- ated for constituencies as prescribed by the Statutes and elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Association or at a meeting specially called for the purpose. The first Council of the Association shall comprise the persons whose names appear in the Second Schedule hereto.
Income and property
10. The income and property of the Association whencesoever derived shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the objects of the Association set forth in this Our Charter.
11. Subject to the provisions of this Our Charter and of the Statutes, the Council shall have the management and control of the Association and the administration of all the property and income thereof, with power to delegate all or any of their powers to committees or sub-committees from amongst their own number or otherwise appointed for the purpose, provided that no resolution passed at a meeting of a committee or sub- committee shall take effect unless a majority of the persons present at such meeting are representatives of Members or the resolution is confirmed by the Council.
Statutes
12. The Statutes set forth in the Third Schedule hereto shall be the Statutes of the Association until the same shall be amended in manner hereinafter provided.
Amendment of Statutes
13. The Council shall have full power but subject always to the provisions of this Our Charter to make and when made to amend Statutes touching the government of the Association, the appointment and removal of all persons employed in or in connection with the Association and any other matters what- soever relating to the administration and management of the Association.
Provided that no such Statute or amendment thereof shall have any force or effect unless and until the same shall have been approved by a resolution in that behalf passed by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the representatives of Members present and voting at a General Meeting of the Association convened by notice specifying clearly the substance of the proposed Statute or amendment nor until it shall have been allowed by the Lords of Our Most Honourable Privy Council of which allowance a Certificate under the hand of the Clerk of Our said Privy Council shall be conclusive evidence.
Audit of accounts
14. True accounts shall be kept of the income and expenditure of the Association. There shall be an audit of the accounts of the Association made every year by one or more duly qualified Auditors to be appointed by the Association in General Meeting. The Auditors shall make a report a copy of which shall be circulated to Members together with a copy of the audited accounts not less than 21 days before the Annual General Meeting at which they are to be approved. If more Auditors than one be appointed the continuing Auditor or Auditors shall have power to act notwithstanding any casual vacancy. No person shall be qualified for appointment as Auditor unless he is a person who would be approved under the law of the Realm as an Auditor for a public company with limited liability.
4 Association of Commonwealth Universities
Dissolution
15. It shall be lawful for the Association with the sanction of two consecutive Special General Meetings thereof called for the purpose to surrender this Our Charter subject to the sanction of Us, Our Heirs or Successors in Council and upon such terms as We or They may consider fit and to wind up or otherwise deal with the affairs of the Association in such manner as shall be directed by such Special General Meetings or in default of such directions as the Council shall think expedient having due regard to the liabilities of the Association for the time being. If upon the winding-up or dissolution of the Association, there remains after the satisfaction of all its debts and liabilities any property whatsoever, the same shall be paid or transferred to an educational charity.
Amendment of Charter
16. The Council may by resolution in that behalf passed at any meeting by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of the Council present and voting (being an absolute majority of all members of the Council) and confirmed by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the representatives of the Members present and voting at a Special General Meeting held not less than one month nor more than four months after- wards amend or add to this Our Charter and such amendment
or addition shall when allowed by Us, Our Heirs or Successors in Council become effectual so that this Our Charter shall thenceforward continue and operate as though it had been originally granted and made accordingly. This provision shall apply to this Our Charter as amended or added to in manner aforesaid.
Favourable construction
17. Lastly We do by these Presents for Us and Our Successors grant and declare that these Our Letters shall be in all things valid and effectual in law according to the true intent and meaning thereof and shall be taken, construed and adjudged in the most favourable and beneficial sense for the best advantage of the Association as well in Our Courts of Record as elsewhere by all Judges, Justices, Officers, Ministers and other subjects whatsoever of Us and Our Successors, any non- recital or other omission, defect or thing to the contrary notwithstanding.
IN WITNESS whereof We have caused these Our Letters to be made Patent.
WITNESS Ourself at Westminster the seventeenth day of June in the twelfth year of Our Reign.
O
Great Seal
BY WARRANT UNDER THE QUEEN'S SIGN MANUAL Coldstream
First Schedule
Member Universities as at June 1963
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
University of Birmingham
University of Bristol
University of Cambridge
University of Durham
University of Essex
University of Exeter
University of Hull
University of Keele
University of Leeds
University of Leicester
University of Liverpool
University of London
Victoria University of Manchester
University of Nottingham
University of Oxford
University of Reading
University of Sheffield
University of Southampton
University of Sussex
University of Wales
University of Aberdeen
University of Edinburgh
University of Glasgow
University of St. Andrews
Queen's University of Belfast
Canada
Acadia University
University of Alberta
Assumption University of Windsor
University of British Columbia Carleton University
Dalhousie University
University of King's College Laval University
McGill University
McMaster University
University of Manitoba
Memorial University of Newfoundland
University of Montreal
Mount Allison University
University of New Brunswick
University of Ottawa
Queen's University at Kingston St. Dunstan's University St. Francis Xavier University St. Mary's University University of Saskatchewan Sir George Williams University University of Toronto University of Waterloo Waterloo Lutheran University University of Western Ontario
Commonwealth of Australia
University of Adelaide
Australian National University
University of Melbourne
Monash University
University of New England
University of New South Wales
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