Standard rules of procedure for Academic Councils

Section 1.-(1) In accordance with section 22(2) of the bylaws, the academic council must be comprised of a a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 22 members, in addition to the dean. The council also includes observers representing technical/administrative staff. The academic council is thus comprised of the dean and ..........members elected from among the faculty’s academic staff, including employed PhD students, and .....members from among the faculty’s students. In addition, there are three observers who participate in meetings, elected from among the faculty’s technical/administrative staff.

Subsection (2) Each academic council elects one of its members as chair.

Subsection (3) The vice-deans participate in the council’s meetings as observers, as needed.

Subsection (4) The academic council can invite other non-members to participate, to an extent to be specified, as observers at the meetings of the committee.

Subsection (5) Observers have a right to speak, but do not have voting rights.

Section 2.-(1) The student members of the academic council are elected to one-year terms. However, postdocs and assistant professors/researchers*) as well as employed PhD students who represent academic staff are elected to two-year terms. The other members of the academic council are elected to four-year terms.

Subsection (2) At the first meeting after newly elected student members have taken office, the chair briefs members on the work of the academic council, and a meeting schedule is set.

Section 3.-(1) Cf. section 23(1) of the by-laws, the tasks of the academic council are:

1. Ensuring the development of ideas, quality, transparency and legitimacy in all decisions on academic questions.
2. Participating in the recommendation of members of advisory groups in connection with the appointment of the rector, pro-rector, deans and vice-deans.
3. Appointing members of cross-university advisory forums. Such appointments may not be performed by the chair and the dean alone, but must take place with the involvement of the academic, technical/administrative, PhD and student members of the academic council.
4. Advising the dean on budgetary priorities.
5. Making statements to the dean concerning the internal distribution of grants.
6. Making statements to the dean on key strategic research questions and educational areas, and plans for knowledge exchange.
7. Making recommendations to the dean on the composition of expert committees to assess applicants for academic positions.
8. Awarding PhD and higher doctoral degrees.

Subsection (2) Through regular and timely involvement, the dean must ensure the academic council co-determination with regard to academic questions generally speaking. The dean must therefore discuss important issues within research, talent development, knowledge exchange and education with the council.

Subsection (3) The academic council may make statements on all academic issues of substantial relevance to the activities of the university, and has a duty to discuss academic matters presented by the rector or dean for consideration.

Subsection (4) The academic council has the right to make statements to the senior management team.

Section 4.-(1) The academic council can appoint advisory committees, but these committees may not be assigned any independent powers.

Section 5.-(1) The chair must prepare an agenda for the council’s meetings together with the dean.

Subsection (2) The chair and the dean are responsible for drawing up an annual schedule and a plan for regular meetings to ensure that all relevant issues are discussed as planned and in due time.

Subsection (3) The academic council’s annual schedule should cover:

1. The faculty’s strategy.
2. Thematic discussions of questions of principal.
3. Budget.
4. Hiring and recruitment policy.
5. Professor policy.

Section 6.-(1) The academic council conducts its business at meetings: normally six and a minimum of four annually, cf. however section 8. Ordinary meetings are held at the university............. although not during the period 15 July-15 August.

Subsection (2) The chair sends out an agenda or a notice cancelling the meeting to the members no later than four working days prior to each ordinary meeting. At the same time, the agenda or the cancellation must be published on the university’s website or in another suitable manner. A supplementary agenda setting out additional items to be considered may be sent out no later than two days before the meeting.

Subsection (3) If, no later than one week prior to an ordinary meeting, a member requests that a matter be considered, the chair must include the matter as an item on the agenda for the meeting in question.

Subsection (4) The chair ensures that the information required to consider the matters at hand is provided to the members. If this material is not sent to the members along with the agenda for an ordinary meeting, members must be told when they can expect the material to be sent or distributed to them.

Section 7.-(1) Extraordinary meetings are held when the chair or the dean finds it necessary. Extraordinary meetings must also be held if so requested by one-third of the members of the academic council. The meeting must be held no later than one week after such a request.

Subsection (2) Invitations to extraordinary meetings must be sent at least 24 hours in advance. The items on the agenda must be stated in the invitation, along with the information members need to consider the matters at hand.

Section 8.-(1)   If all members agree, routine matters for decision may be considered in writing without holding a meeting. A proposal for decision with the information required for the consideration of the matter for decision is distributed as a basis for consideration. The members must indicate whether they can accept the procedure for the consideration of the matter and if so, whether they agree with the proposed decision. In the event that a member is unable to accept the consideration of the matter in writing, the matter must be included as an item on the agenda for the next meeting of the academic council.

Section 9.-(1) The meetings of the academic council are open. The academic council may decide, however, that selected items on the agenda are to be considered behind closed doors if this is deemed necessary due to the nature of the matters for consideration or circumstances in general.

Subsection (2) If the academic council finds that its deliberations are being disrupted, it may exclude one or more members of the audience from the meeting in question. If necessary, the rest of the meeting can be held behind closed doors.

Subsection (3) Meetings must be held behind closed doors during consideration of matters involving information that must be kept confidential to safeguard public or private interests.

Subsection (4) Any uncertainty as to whether a matter warrants deliberation behind closed doors must be settled behind closed doors if deemed necessary by the chair or a majority of the members.

Subsection (5) The academic council can grant permission for observers to be present during the consideration of matters behind closed doors.

Subsection (6) Members and observers must observe confidentiality in connection with matters considered behind closed doors in accordance with subsection (3).

Section 10.-(1) A quorum exists when at least half of the academic council’s members are present.

Subsection (2) Meetings of the academic council are chaired by the chair. The chair decides all questions regarding how meetings are chaired. Matters on the agenda are considered at meetings in the order in which they are listed on the agenda.

Subsection (3) The academic council can decide to include new items on the agenda, and it may decide to deviate from the original order set out in the agenda and consider matters in a different order.

Subsection (4) Decisions on matters which were not included as individual items on the agenda distributed prior to an ordinary meeting may only be made in the event that none of the members present at the meeting object to this.

Subsection (5) Decisions on matters which were not included as individual items on the agenda distributed prior to an extraordinary meeting can only be made in the event that all the members are present and none of the members object to this.

Section 11.-(1) The decisions of the academic council are carried by a simple majority of votes.

Section 12.-(1) The members have a duty to participate in the meetings of the academic council.

Subsection (2) Members who are unable to attend a meeting must notify the chair thereof before the meeting. The resolution minutes taken for each meeting must state which members were absent.

Subsection (3) Members can only vote at meetings of the academic council if they are personally present at such meetings, see, however, section 8.

Section 13.-(1)  A member must notify the chair of any circumstances which may give rise to doubts about the member’s competence to act. Such notification must as far as possible be provided before the meeting.

Subsection (2) In case of doubt, the academic council decides whether the member can participate in the consideration of the matter in question. In the event that the member cannot participate in the consideration of the matter and an alternate has been elected for the member, the chair calls in the substitute to participate in the consideration of the matter.

Section 14.-(1) In the event that a member is absent due to illness, a study trip etc. for a period of more than two months and is therefore unable to participate in the work of the academic council, the chair calls in the alternate to take the member’s place on the committee during the period of absence. The chair decides whether the conditions for calling in the alternate are met. The Election Secretariat must be informed of decisions regarding the calling in of alternates.

Subsection (2) Where a member is no longer eligible, the member must resign from the academic council. In the event of a leave of absence, the rector can, on the recommendation of the council, decide that the member’s resignation only applies during the period of leave.

Section 15.-(1) In the event of a vacancy on the academic council and where a sufficient number of alternates have not been elected or appointed to ensure that the academic council has the required number of members, the academic council submits a recommendation to the rector on whether the vacant seats should be filled through by-elections or whether the seats should remain vacant until the next ordinary elections.

Section 16.-(1) The academic council's decisions are recorded in resolution minutes, which, as far as possible, are sent out no later than 14 days after the meeting and submitted for approval at the next meeting. All members are entitled to have a minority viewpoint recorded in the minutes.

Subsection (2) The chair expedites the decisions of the academic council.

Subsection (3) Approved minutes from the meetings of the academic council are published on the university’s website provided such decisions are not subject to confidentiality.

Subsection (4) The chair is, together with the dean, responsible for ensuring that the academic council actively reports on its work.

Subsection (5) The deans’ secretariat assists the chair in the performance of his/her duties.

Section 17.-(1) Any questions regarding the interpretation of the rules of procedure are to be settled by the academic council.

Subsection (2) However, any questions regarding the interpretation of the standard rules of procedure or regarding the compliance of the rules of procedure with the standard rules of procedure must be submitted to the rector.

Section 18.-(1) These rules of procedure come into force on 01 March 2012. The rules of procedure can be amended by a simple majority vote in the academic council, in the event that the proposed amendment is submitted no later than fourteen days prior to the meeting at which it is to be considered.

Subsection (2) Any amendments to the standard rules of procedure for the academic council, as laid down by the rector, also apply to these rules of procedure.

Subsection (3) In exceptional cases and within the framework of the by-laws, the rector can grant an exemption from the provisions of these rules of procedure.

*) The by-laws’ provision on separate seats for postdocs and assistant professors/researchers will take effect from the 2027 election.