A Visitor, in United Kingdom law and history, is an overseer of an autonomous ecclesiastical or eleemosynary institution (i.e., a charitable institution set up for the perpetual distribution of the founder's alms and bounty) who can intervene in the internal affairs of that institution. These institutions mainly comprise cathedrals, chapels, colleges, universities and hospitals.

The British sovereign, the Lord Chancellor, the Lord President of the Council, the Archbishop of Canterbury, peers, and diocesan bishops are the most common Visitors, though any person or office-holder can be nominated. The Queen usually delegates her visitatorial functions to the Lord Chancellor. During the reform of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in the 19th century, Parliament ordered Visitations to the universities to make inquiries and to reform the university and college statutes. Bishops are usually the Visitors to their own cathedrals.

There is a ceremonial element to the role and the Visitor may also be called upon to give advice where an institution expresses doubt as to its powers under its charter and statutes. However, the most important function of the Visitor was within academic institutions, where the Visitor had to determine disputes arising between the institution and its members. Traditionally the courts have been exempted from any jurisdiction over student complaints. There had been much speculation that this contravened the Human Rights Act 1998. However in 2004 the Higher Education Act transferred the jurisdiction of the Visitor over student complaints in English and Welsh universities to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator.

Outside the United Kingdom[link]

The position has also existed in universities in other countries which have followed the British model, although in many countries the Visitor's role in complaints has been transferred to other bodies.

In the Republic of Ireland, the Universities Act, 1997^[1] redefines the appointment, function and responsibility of a Visitor. A Visitor may be appointed by the Government and must be either a current Judge of the High Court or a retired Judge of the High Court or Supreme Court.

The Governor of Victoria is the Visitor to all Victorian universities, but has only ceremonial duties.

The Governor of New South Wales is the Visitor to Sydney Grammar School pursuant to statute.^[2] The Governor is also the Visitor of the University of Wollongong by the University of Wollongong Act 1989.^[3] The Governor of NSW can exercise ceremonial duties only in their role as Visitor; this is mandated under the same Act.

In Canada, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, as a member of the Canadian Royal Family, has served as Visitor to Upper Canada College, in Toronto, Ontario, since 1959. Also in Canada, the Queen's Representative in Ontario, His Honour the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, serves as the Visitor to the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario.^[4] A similar arrangement has the Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador serve as the Visitor to Memorial University of Newfoundland ^[5] On a slightly higher level, the Governor General of Canada automatically serves as the official Visitor of McGill University.^[6] The Anglican Bishop of Montreal is Visitor to Bishop's University in Lennoxville, Quebec.

In the United States, the office of "visitor," from its early use at some colleges and other institutions, evolved specifically into that of a trustee. Certain colleges and universities, particularly of an earlier, often colonial founding, are governed by boards of Visitors, often chaired by a Rector (rather than regents or trustees, etc.). Examples include the College of William and Mary and the University of Virginia.

See also[link]

• Ruthin School whose visitor is Queen Elizabeth II, an example of how the British Sovereign is a Visitor to academic institutions
• Apostolic visitor
• Provincial episcopal visitor

External links[link]

• Privy Council – visitatorial powers
• Reforming the Office of Lord Chancellor – visitatorial powers
• An Example University School Board of Visitors at NJIT SOM

References[link]

This article may contain improper references to self-published sources. Please help improve it by removing references to unreliable sources, where they are used inappropriately. (May 2008)

Danny Bhoy (born Danni Chaudhry on 17 January 1974)^[1] is a Scottish comedian who has performed in New Zealand, the UK, Australia, Canada and the United States. He is half-Indian and half-Scottish.^[2]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Bhoy was born in Moffat, Scotland,^[3] one of four children and attended Lockerbie Academy and all-boys private school Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh.

His humour is observational, often involving his own personal experiences as an international comedian. While he does mention his Indian heritage, it is often a quick reference and never the focus of the show. Despite his stage name, Bhoy is not a fan of Celtic F.C., his favourite team is Newcastle United.^[4]

Career[link]

He began stand up in 1998 after going to see his first comedy show at the Edinburgh Festival. A year later, he won The Daily Telegraph Open Mic Award^[5], Britain's biggest competition for comedy newcomers. In 2001, Danny took his first full length solo show to the Edinburgh Festival, where, within a week, he had sold out his entire three-week run, and added extra shows to cope with the demand for tickets.^[6]

By the spring of 2003, Danny's comedy started to take a different direction. That year he also entered the Australian comedy market, with his first solo show at the invitation-only Melbourne Comedy Festival. This led to various Australian TV appearances on Rove Live, The Glass House, and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala. In November of that year, Danny was invited to perform on the Royal Variety Show.^[6]

In 2005, Danny was invited to take part in the Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, where the Montreal Gazette described him as "the stand out hit of the festival". In November, Danny was invited to take part in the inaugural Las Vegas Comedy Festival. Since returning from his 2007 tour of Australia, Bhoy is back on the road again. In 2009 Bhoy, returned to Australia, for another tour.

Danny appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on 5 March 2010, and the Comedy Network's "Saturday Night Stand-up", which was broadcast on 17 April 2010. He appeared on Comedy Central with his new routine, "Subject to Change: Danny Bhoy", which was broadcast on 22 May 2010, and appeared on Live at the Apollo, broadcast in December 2010.

In early 2011, Danny has been touring around Australia with his show Messenger (Please Do Not Shoot), selling out his shows at the Sydney Comedy Festival. He also sold out all his shows at the Melbourne Comedy Festival, and had to add two separate shows at a different venue to his other shows due to popular demand. These shows were also sold out.^[7]

Stand-Up DVDs[link]

• Live at The Festival Theatre (12 November 2012)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Danny Bhoy at the Internet Movie Database