Search for new president, strategic program, evaluation of Human Rights Advisory Committee, and change of student members

As you may have heard, the Council decided that the proposed Board Integration with the Academic Hospital was not in the best interests of our university. However, the Council is fully aware that good cooperation between the university and the hospital is absolutely crucial for both institutions and is very happy that the Executive Board has chosen to focus on improving the strategic and operational collaboration between the two under the current governance structure.

The University Council is also actively involved in the search for our new president, advising on the profile, participating in the selection committee with two members, one of whom is a student, and having the right of advice on the final choice. Moreover, the Council is already in conversation with the Executive Board about the process of making our next strategic plan.

During recent meetings, the Council has discussed the university’s efforts to enhance social safety, the digitization strategy, how the university aims to facilitate the use of artificial intelligence in education, and the outcome of the catering tender. I was particularly delighted by how carefully our student members looked at the updated rules of procedure for the Appeals Board on Examinations. They were able to suggest numerous improvements for students that were incorporated into the final regulations, improving the process for students.

Over the next few weeks, the Council will consider the analysis colleagues from the Law faculty made of the right to protest in the university, as well as the evaluation of the pilot year of the Human Rights Advisory Committee, which considers potential collaborations with partners in areas that are affected by gross human rights violations. We will also have the usual end-of-year topics, such as the annual report, the budget update, and various education-related documents, such as the enrollment provisions and the distribution of board months.

Lastly, the elections took place recently, so we will have new student members. Many thanks to the electoral office, the communication student assistants, and the parties and candidates who made this possible. We will introduce the new members to the Council so they can make a flying start, and of course, thank the outgoing members for their service.