The governance of higher education is relatively diverse, and reflects the fact that all higher education institutions are legally autonomous bodies. They are therefore substantially different in legal status from most public sector bodies. Almost all institutions have boards of governors (Oxford and Cambridge are exceptions). The names of such boards vary and this can cause confusion, with the main terms being: governing body, board of governors, council, or court in Scotland (but this means a different thing elsewhere in the UK).
The governing body should be unambiguously and collectively responsible for the oversight of all the institutions's activities.
More information about the Responsibilities and Duties of Governing Bodies
More information on the Accountability of Governing Bodies and individual governors
Since the 1980s there has been increasing external interest in higher education governance, in particular in the Second Report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, chaired by Lord Nolan, of 1996, the Report of the Dearing Committee of 1997, and in 2003 the Treasury established the Lambert Review of University-Business Collaboration whose remit included some aspects of corporate governance. The Lambert Report largely exonerated institutions from criticism and referred to a number of examples of good practice in governance. It did, however, call for the introduction of an overriding governance code for the sector, to mirror the Combined Code for the business sector, and this has now been developed by CUC and adopted by most universities and colleges.
The Current and Future Challenges facing Governing Bodies in Higher Education, Sir Andrew Cubie CBE, Chair of the Leadership Foundation