School assemblies introduced at KTH's schools

Last week we had the first management group meeting of the year at CBH and we had invited Dean Anders Forsgren to discuss the establishment of School faculty assemblies at each of KTH's five schools. In accordance with KTH's rules of procedure, the Faculty Council has overall responsibility for collegial influence and the Council shall design an appropriate structure or body to ensure this.

The Faculty Council will also create good conditions for collegial exchange across the subject boundaries regarding both educational and scientific development as well as basic academic values. These two overall goals for collegial influence at KTH, the Faculty Council aim to achieve with the introduction of School assemblies.

CBH's timetable is that the election at the institution level will take place no later than March 12, 2020. Prior to the election, every colleague should receive a request if he or she is willing to run for the assembly, and this will take place in February. I hope that a lot of people want to get involved and we will ensure that we also get a link to CBH's strategic council by, for example, adjunct School assembly members at the meetings.

/Mikael

In summary, this means for the School faculty assemblies  

• The School assembly shall have elected members. The term of office for elected members is two years. However, the first term of office last until 2022.
• Everyone with a teacher position (the different teacher positions can be found in the employment scheme at KTH) as well as those employed as researches (also here according to the employment scheme at KTH), in both cases with an employment of at least 50 per cent, are eligible for the School assembly. This group is hence referred to as colleagues.
• Before the election, every colleague should be asked if he or she wants to stand for election to the assembly.
• The assignment as elected member of the School assembly is not compatible with assignments as head of school, deputy head of school or head of department.
• The number of elected members per institution should be two at ABE, CBH and ITM and four at EECS and SCI.
• Equal representation is particularly important among the elected members. Therefore, among the elected members, there should be as many men as women from each institution, except in cases where the under-represented gender is absent among the eligible or doesn’t get any votes.
• The School assembly is led by a chair and a vice chair, both of whom must be permanent employees with employment as a professor or as a lecturer. These are appointed from among the elected members of the dean and vice dean in consultation with the elected members. The vice chair can replace the chair. The chair and the vice chair should be appointed with equal representation.
• The School assemblies meet at least twice per semester. The chair calls all elected members to the meetings, which are also open to all colleagues who want to contribute and participate in the discussions.
• Agenda and memo notes should go out to all the school's colleagues and meeting times should be posted on the school's website.
• The language of the School assemblies shall be Swedish, but it is possible to post in English.
• The chair of the School assembly is a collegial link between the teachers and researchers at the school, the Faculty Council and KTH's management. The dean and vice dean must summon all the chairs for regular meetings.
• The school's PhD Council shall be summoned to the School assembly and a representative of theirs shall be entitled to be adjunct to the assembly.

In summary, this means for KTH's collegial forum  

• KTH's collegial forum should be held at least twice per semester.
• The forums are open to the entire KTH faculty and there they will be given the opportunity to discuss important issues for research, teaching and collaboration both nationally and internationally.
• The dean and vice dean are responsible for planning and conducting these meetings.
• The elected members of the School assemblies have a special responsibility to also get involved in KTH’s collegial forum.
• The language for KTH’s collegial forum shall be Swedish, but it is possible to post in English.
• The schools' PhD councils and the PhD student chapter at THS shall be summoned KTH's collegial forum and a representative from each of these bodies has the right to be present at the meeting.

Timetable

• Voting list proposed on February 3 and approved on February 7
• Prior to the election, each colleague should receive a request if he or she is willing to run for office. The inquiry goes out to colleagues on February 10
• The colleagues will respond by February 21st
• The election at the institutional level will take place on March 12, 2020