KTH responds to Swedish Higher Education Authority
The KTH University Board at a special meeting on 24 August finalised its response to the Swedish Higher Education Authority’s (UKÄ) questions about the handling of a call to appoint a professor at KTH. A further matter taken up at the meeting was the work to review regulations and administrative processes for teacher recruitment, which was previously decided by the board.
It is of utmost importance for KTH to ensure the strategic competence supply of teaching and research personnel from an overall perspective, the Board states in its response.
“Competence supply is of paramount importance for KTH’s development, and the Board takes very seriously the viewpoints that have come forward,” says Board Chair Pia Sandvik. “Internal development work has begun which requires broad anchoring across the organization.”
Regulations and processes to be reviewed
The statement to UKÄ responds to a number of questions that the authority posed to KTH. It gives an account of national and local regulations on the subject of nominating professors, the handling of the case in question and the measures that KTH has taken.
Prior to summer, the University Board ordered an inquiry into the process for nominating professors at KTH. Against that background, including among other things the information gathered in the inquiry, the University Board stated that there is a great need to take a closer look at the process for calling for the appointment of professors in relation to other opportunities for employment as, or promotion to, professor at KTH. The board therefore decided that work should begin to review the internal regulations and the handling processes for teaching appointments at KTH.
The University Board decided also at the 24 August meeting that the ongoing work with reviewing the appointments procedure, and the practice thereof, should ensure that scientific and pedagogical skills are taken into account in accordance with the national regulations.
“The case highlighted an obvious need to review the appointments procedure and the recruitment processes at KTH. The board decided on such a task already before summer and the Board will closely follow the work, which will become a standing point at our meetings going forward,” Sandvik says.