- Autonomy – self-determination
- Education
- Quality insurance
A total of 26 people work in the Senate and more than 500 people work in its committees. That so many members of the university are involved shows the importance given to the respective tasks.
Interesting Details
In addition to my responsibilities in research and teaching, I like working in the Senate as it is a central tool for the self-determination of the university and ensures freedom in science and teaching by bringing together all members of the university. As chairperson, I particularly work to ensure frank discourse and transparency in all decision making processes and warmly invite all members of TU Graz to attend the public part of our senate meetings.
Contact
Senate of TU Graz
Rechbauerstraße 12/I
8010 Graz
Eva-Maria SCHMIDT-HASEWEND
Senate's Office
Phone: +43 316 873 6080
e.schmidt-hasewend@tugraz.at
Please register at the Senate's Office if you would like to take part in the public part of a senate meeting.
Senate of TU Graz
Members of the Senate
The Senate of TU Graz is made up of 26 members from individual groups of university members.
- University professors: 13 members
- Mid-level staff: 6 members
This group is made up of all academic personnel who are not university professors: Extraordinary university professors, associate and assistant professors, senior scientists, assistants with and without doctorates, and university teachers. - Students: 6 members
- Administrative personnel: 1 member
Student members are delegated by the TU Graz Student Union. All other members are elected by the respective group for a 3-year term of office.
Senate Meetings
Academic year 2017/18
- 9 October 2017
- 6 November 2017
- 11 December 2017
- 29 January 2018
- 12 March 2018
- 7 May 2018
- 25 June 2018
Please register at the Senate's Office if you would like to take part in the public part of a senate meeting.
Members of the Senate
Chairperson and Deputies
Chairperson:
1st Deputy:
2nd Deputy:
3rd Deputy:
Associate Professors and Academic Personnel in Research and Teaching
Administrative Personnel
Scope of Duties
Autonomy – Self-determination
The Senate plays an important role in making autonomy and self-determination of the university a reality:
- Organisation of the other two managerial bodies: members of the University Council are appointed by the Senate together with the Federal Government; the University Council appoints members of the Rectorate in a joint procedure together with the Senate.
- The Senate is the
legislative assembly
of the university. It legislates the statute of the university, which defines important regulations, such as study regulations or measures for the advancement of women, and which are constantly being adapted to the changing legal and social frame conditions.
Education
- The Senate regulates cooperation between students and teaching staff by means of relevant parts of the statute.
- The Senate has organised a TU Graz Student Ombudsperson to provide support in exceptional circumstances.
- Degrees and university certificate programmes: Working groups for particular degree programmes define and structure degrees into curricula – educational aims, qualification profiles and detailed provisions on individual courses. The two curricula committees of the Senate manage this process and then decide on the curricula. They focus on quality standards for the whole university, and on balancing the ability to study with teaching capacity and vocational training with academic education. Over the last few years, it has become increasingly important to balance our interests with those of our partners in inter-university studies.
Quality Assurance - Strategic
The Senate ensures quality on a strategic level:
The Senate authorises committees who are responsible for quality assurance when employing professors with an open end contact and awarding the venia docendi. Appointment of university management and selection of management personnel is made strategically and in accordance with the quality standards of the whole university.
Central strategic documents, such as the Development Plan (in German) or Organisation Plan, are drafted by the operative bodies and submitted to the Senate. The Senate approves the documents if they meet the quality criteria required from a strategic perspective.
Quality Assurance - Operative
- The Senate’s deliberative way of working makes an important contribution to the quality of the decisions made by the Senate and its committees. Based on expertise and appraisals, the open discourse between people represented in the committees creates an environment where the best argument wins – a method that can be seen as shaping the entire scientific culture.
- The Senate sets up the Working Group for Equal Opportunitiesr, which ensures openness to diversity and mutual appreciation in all university matters.
- The Awards Committee of the Senate rewards quality everywhere where our exceptions are exceeded.
- Election of members of University Council and changes to size of University Council
- Approval of advertisement for the position of Rector and the creation of a shortlist of three candidates for the election of a Rector.
- Statement on suggestions for Rector regarding Vice Rectors: Number, working hours, proposal of candidate
- Involvement in dismissing members of University Council, the Rector and Vice Rectors.
- Statement before people are allocated to individual organisational units
- Establishing a Working Group for Equal Opportunities
- Nomination of a female and male main member and deputy member for the Arbitration Committee.
- Adoption and changing Statute on the suggestion of the Rectorate.
- Adoption and changing of the curricula for full degree programmes and university certificate programmes.
- Approval of the draft of the development plan (complete strategy for TU Graz) created by the Rectorate as well as the draft of the organisational plan, which describes organisational units and their tasks.
- Involvement in habilitation procedure (Link) and appointment procedure (Link)
- Determination of academic degrees and titles for graduates of university certificate programmes
- Appraisals at complaint procedures on study matters
- Appointment of collegiate bodies (Link), such as habilitation committees, appointment committees and curricula committees as well as adoption of directives (Link) for their tasks.
Bases
These bases form the foundation of the Senate’s work.
University Act
The Senate is organised in accordance with § 25 University Act.
Rules of Procedure of the Senate
The Rules of Procedure of the Senate (in German: Geschäftsordnung des Senates) stipulate how the Senate works, how the meetings proceed and which cases the chairperson of the Senate can deal with independently.
Statute of TU Graz
The Statute of TU Graz regulates aspects such as electoral regulations for members of the Senate.
Directives
The following directives of TU Graz are decided upon by the Senate:
- Directive for Appointment Procedure: Richtlinie für das Berufungsverfahren
- Directive for habilitation procedure: Richtlinie für das Habilitationsverfahren
- Directive for establishing degree programmes: Richtlinie für die Einrichtung von Studien
Committees
- Curricula Committee of the Senate for Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree Programmes
- Curricula Committee of the Senate for Doctoral Programmes and Certificate Programmes
- Work Groups for Study Committees
- Appointment Committee according to § 25 (8) 2 University Act
- Habilitation Committee according to § 25 (8) 1 University Act
Degrees and University Certificate Programmes
The documents mentioned are available for designing and changing curricula.
For Bachelor’s, Master’s and Diploma Degree Programmes
- Checklist for submitting curriculae: Checkliste für das Einreichen von Studienplänen
- Example curricula for TU Graz bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes:
Mustercurricula für TU Graz Bachelor- und Masterstudien - Master curricula for NAWI Graz degree programmes: Mustercurricula für NAWI-Graz Studien
- Directives for English language master’s programmes for strengthening internationalisation: Richtlinien für englischsprachige Masterstudien zur Stärkung der Internationalisierung
For Doctoral Programmes
- To Curricula for Doctoral Programmes
- You can find the Statutes for the Doctoral Schools on the page of each Doctoral School.
For University Certificate Programmes, University Courses, Courses and Seminars
- Directives on establishing university courses: Richtlinie zur Einrichtung von Universitätskursen
- University certificate programmes’ directive on example curriculum: Universitätslehrgänge Richtlinie zum Mustercurriculum
- Curricula for university certificate programmes: Mustercurriculum Universitätslehrgang
Cooperation in Austria
Conference of Senate Chairpersons at Austrian Universities
This is attended by chairpersons of senates and their deputies from public universities in Austria.
Conference of Senate Chairpersons at Austrian Universities: Die Konferenz der Senatsvorsitzenden
Österreichischen Hochschulkonferenz (Austrian University Conference)
Members of the Senate participate in the Austrian university conference and its work groups.
To Austrian University Conferende: Österreichische Hochschulkonferenz
