Governance

Westfield House is the educational institution of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCE), which is governed by its Synod. The synod is comprised of member congregations and between annual synodical meetings its affairs are administered by an elected Executive Council of seven members.

Day to day management of Westfield House is delegated to the Principal, who is elected and appointed by the church body through its Executive Council. The Principal is the primary liaison between Westfield House and the Executive Council. The Principal serves as the lead fund-raiser, and as the key representative of Westfield House and its academic community to external partners, institutions and agencies. The Principal is responsible for the accounting records, financial reporting, protection of assets, and the establishment and maintenance of adequate internal controls. The Principal oversees the development, maintenance and improvement of the assets and facilities as well as all aspects of student recruitment, welfare and alumni development.

The tenured dean of the faculty of Westfield House bears the historic title Preceptor and, as the chief academic officer, is responsible for the creation and implementation of the academic vision, priorities and programmes of Westfield House and works closely with the Principal to ensure that the allocation of resources will support these priorities. The Preceptor works closely with the faculty and staff to provide the highest possible quality of education for all students. The Preceptor is responsible for recruiting, retaining, encouraging and supporting all teaching faculty, ensuring that they make positive contributions to Westfield House and its historic Lutheran ethos and aims through their teaching, research and service.

Policies

The current Westfield House Policy Manual provides a complete summary of these and other policies and procedures of Westfield House and is accessible to all faculty, staff and students via Hedwig.

Any employee or student who is dissatisfied or has a grievance may consult the Policy Manual and in particular the Policy on Grievances and Complaints. Formal students with unresolved complaints may further consider the British Accreditation Council Complaints Procedure.

In addition to following Westfield House’s own policies, all students on courses throughout the Cambridge Theological Federation need to follow Federation policies and procedures. Copies of these policies, including the complaints procedure and the student protection plan, can be found on the Federation’s website at www.theofed.cam.ac.uk/policies