Standard rules of procedure for departmental councils

1.                  The departmental councils consists of ... (a maximum of 25) … members. The departmental councils consists of the head of department as well as representatives elected among the department's academic staff, including PhD students employed by the university, the department's technical and administrative staff and the department's students.

(2)       The departmental council is chaired by the head of department. The departmental council elects a deputy chairman from among the members elected as representatives of the academic staff. 

(3)       The composition of the departmental council must take into account the size, composition and diversity of the department, and it must be ensured that the academic staff, PhD students, the technical and administrative staff and students are appropriately represented. 

(4)       The number of members and the structure of the departmental council are determined by the head of department, taking into account that the forum must be actually functional. 

2.                  The student members of the departmental council are normally elected for a period of one year. The other members of the departmental council are normally elected for a period of four years.

(2)       The dean may choose a different election period, see Article 3. 

(3)       At the first meeting of the departmental council after newly elected student members have joined the forum, the head of department briefs the departmental council on the forum's work, and the forum schedules its future meetings. 

3.                  The dean approves the size of the departmental council and the term of the elected members.

4.                  The departmental council has the following tasks:

1)      Ensuring ideas generation, quality, transparency and legitimacy in all decisions on academic issues. 

2)      Ensuring the department's academic and social identity and coherence. 

(2)       Through continuous and timely involvement, the head of department must ensure co-determination in respect of academic issues in a broad sense. The head of department must therefore discuss important issues within research, talent fostering, knowledge exchange and education with the departmental council. 

(3)       The departmental council may make statements on all academic issues of substantial relevance to the activities of the department and has a duty to discuss academic issues presented by the dean or the head of department for its consideration. 

(4)       The departmental council has the right to make statements to the dean. 

5.                  The head of department must prepare an agenda for the meetings in collaboration with the deputy chairman.

(2)       The head of department and the deputy chairman are responsible for preparing an annual wheel and for planning regular meetings to ensure that all relevant issues are planned and considered in due time. 

(3)       The departmental council's annual wheel should for example include: 

1)      The department's strategy. 

2)      Thematic discussions of principles. 

3)      Budget. 

4)      Appointment and recruitment policy. 

5)      Professor policy. 

6)      The department's physical and social surroundings. 

7)      Co-determination and development of management structures and management types. 

8)      Study environment and well-being. 

6.                The departmental council holds regular meetings, normally 2-4 annual meetings. 

(2)       The head of department distributes an agenda or a notice cancelling the meeting to the members no later than four working days prior to each meeting. Agendas must also be published on the department's website or in another suitable manner. 

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

(4)       The head of department must ensure that the information required to assess cases is presented to the members. 

7.                  Extraordinary meetings must be held as and when deemed necessary by the chairman. Extraordinary meetings must furthermore be held if so requested by one-third of the members of the departmental council. The meeting must be held within one week of such request being made.

(2)       Extraordinary meetings must be convened subject to a notice of no less than 24 hours. The notice must specify the items on the agenda and must contain the information required to assess the cases. 

8.                  The meetings of the departmental council are public. The departmental council may decide, however, that meetings will be held behind closed doors during the consideration of individual items on the agenda if deemed necessary by the departmental council.

9.                The departmental council has an advisory position vis-à-vis the head of department.

(2)      The head of department presides over the meetings of the departmental council. The head of department decides in all matters relating to the conducting of the meetings. Cases are normally considered at meetings in the order in which they are listed on the agenda. 

(3)      During its meetings, the departmental council may 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 cases in another order. 

10.              Where a member is absent for a long period of time, a substitute may be called in. If no substitutes have been elected, an election may be held in accordance with the same rules as those applying to the original election (vote or uncontested election) if deemed necessary.

11.            The chairman is responsible for ensuring that minutes of the departmental council's meetings are prepared. The minutes are submitted to the departmental council's members in writing for approval no later than eight days after the meeting.

(2) The head of department ensures that the viewpoints and recommendations of the departmental council are included in the subsequent work. 

(3) Approved minutes of the departmental counsil's meetings are published on the department's website or in a similar manner. 

(4) The head of department is responsible for actively communicating the work of the departmental council. 

12.              These Rules of Procedure enter into force on 1 November 2012.