The recruitment process for the next Chair of Governors at St Chad’s College is being coordinated by the Vice-Chair of Governors, Paul Chandler.
Welcome
Mark Woodruff has been Chair of Governors since December 2017, and has indicated that he intends to stand down early in 2025. We are therefore seeking applications for this important post, which is responsible for the good governance of the college, working closely with the Principal to ensure the College flourishes, serving its students and other members in line with its foundational objectives.
Our hope is to be able to make this appointment in September 2024, enabling a period during which Mark’s successor can become familiar with the workings of the College before becoming Chair when Mark stands down.
A role description and candidate specification for the Chair of Governors can be found below along with the College Strategy, the Memorandum and Articles of Association and College Statutes, and other documents relevant to the role. There is of course much other useful material about the College on our website.
The College is currently in a good position, financially solvent and regularly over-subscribed for undergraduate and postgraduate places, with a vibrant values-led culture that enables its students to achieve high levels of academic success and personal development. Over the next few years, the Chair will help guide the College through the following challenges:
- Refreshing the College’s strategic plan, building on the foundations of the successful implementation of our current plan.
- Continuation of a major programme of refurbishment of the college buildings, which will require significant funds to be raised.
- Maintaining the current positive relationship with Durham University, at a time when there are strong financial and recruitment pressures within the higher education sector.
- Sustaining the College’s commitment to widening participation in its recruitment and outreach programme, and to equality, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of its life and culture.
- At some point during the next Chair’s term of office it is very likely there will be a need to recruit a new Principal.
Paul Chandler – Vice-Chair of Governors
About St Chad’s College
St Chad’s is one of the oldest colleges in Durham, situated in one of the city’s most beautiful locations. Established in 1904 as an Anglican foundation, and aiming to live out its Christian ethos with integrity and imagination in the 21st century, St Chad’s College today welcomes students of all faiths and beliefs to study for the whole range of Durham University degrees. We aim to attract a diverse cohort of students and especially welcome students from under-represented backgrounds. We have a wide range of scholarships, bursaries and financial support to ensure full participation for all our students in the rich variety of opportunities that College life has to offer. With over 450 undergraduate and around 150 postgraduate students, we are a hospitable, human-sized community where students are both challenged and supported. Our students tend to have high levels of engagement in their academic and extra-curricular life, and regularly achieve outstanding academic results.
Associated Documents
Job Description
Click here to view the job description for the role of Chair of Governors
More information
College Strategy
This section includes details of our College strategy including our vision, mission and values.
More information
Additional Governance Information
Click here for details of our governance structure, financial documents and other relevant items.
More information
Meet the Governors
Information is provided here about the current member of the governing body.
Click hereApplications are welcomed
Applications should take the form of a Covering Letter with accompanying CV, explaining why candidates are interested in the position and highlighting how they meet the criteria set out in the candidate specification. Candidates should also provide the details of two referees whom we can contact if they are short-listed. These documents should be sent to the College’s Company Secretary, Alistair Jenkins at chads.bursar@durham.ac.uk arriving no later than 10.00 am on Friday 16 August.
If you wish to talk to someone before making an application please contact our Vice Chair of Governors, Paul Chandler, who is leading the recruitment process, at paul.g.chandler@durham.ac.uk
Final interviews for short-listed candidates will take place at the College on 6 September 2024.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) along with widening participation are key aspects of the College’s Strategy and we strive daily to live by our values. It is important to us that all members of staff and governors are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI. Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential. We seek to celebrate and support the contributions of all our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force and amongst our governors including people with disabilities, women and those of global majority heritage. We believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our student population and the North East region of which we are proud to be a part.
We are also proactive in our desire to recruit candidates who share our commitment to safeguarding. We therefore apply robust recruitment and selection procedures to ensure that the people selected are right for the job. This includes a self-declaration which confirms that you are not on the DBS Children’s Barred List or disqualified from working with children or adults at risk.