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a : Introduction
The University of Cambridge is a loose confederation of faculties, Colleges, and other bodies. The University works with a relatively small central administration, and with central governing and supervisory bodies consisting of, and mainly elected by, the current academic personnel of the Faculties and Colleges. An unusually large part of Cambridge's day-to-day administration is carried out by teaching staff on behalf of their colleagues, and the University's legislative structure is in practice unusually open to consultation and participation. The procedural rules are embodied in the University's Ordinances, which prescribe in some detail the formal administrative practices. These rules are made in most cases by the University itself, within a framework set by the Statutes, which can only be changed with the approval of The Queen in Council. The University's volume of Statutes and Ordinances, published triennially with annual supplements, is readily available throughout the University, and contains the basis of its constitution, procedures and practice. Full details of the membership of all the academic and administrative bodies described in this booklet are given in a special October issue of the University's weekly official journal Cambridge University Reporter, with subsequent changes noted in ordinary issues.
To understand how the 'Cambridge' structure operates, it helps to keep the historical origins in mind. The University was established in about 1209 to examine and to confer Degrees. The first Colleges, each autonomous and independent with its own Governing Body and Charter, were established later, from 1284, principally to teach and house students at all levels. Today, the Colleges are mainly concerned with the teaching of their undergraduates and the academic support of both graduate and undergraduate students, and of scholars and research workers of outstanding merit. In this century the role of the University has hugely expanded through the provision of facilities, such as teaching and research laboratories, which it is practically possible only to provide centrally. The University employs Professors, Readers, Lecturers and other teaching and administrative staff who provide the formal teaching (lectures, seminars and practical classes). The Colleges supplement their teaching with supervisions, given by Fellows or others appointed by the College, and each College also provides library and other learning resources exclusively for its own members.
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