University Governance
As of January 2012, the University of Tartu adopted a new structure of governance (see the University of Tartu Act) which involves external partners in the work of the university. The university's new governing bodies include the Council (whose powers have been modified) and a Senate.
See the structure map of the University of Tartu
Council
The highest decision-making body of the university is the eleven-member University Council, which holds responsibility for the university's economic activities and long-term development, adopts the university's statutes and approves its budget.
The council comprises 11 members, of whom five are nominated by the Senate (the members for the first new Council were nominated by the previous University Council), one by the Estonian Academy of Sciences (whose nominee can not be an employee of the University of Tartu) and five by the Minister for Education and Research (who is under a duty to seek public advice on his/her nominations and whose nominations should seek to ensure that a majority of council members are not employees of the university).
The members of the Council are approved for a term of five years by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Estonia upon a proposal of the Minister for Education and Research. The Cabinet of Ministers approved the nominees for the first Council on 22 December 2011.
See council members.
Senate
The senate is the university's academic decision-making body which is responsible for teaching and research and development work at the university and which should ensure high quality of work in those areas. The senate adopts the statutes of the university and submits these to the council for approval. The senate has the power to exercise a one-time veto in respect of a council resolution by which the university's budget is adopted.
The senate is composed of the Rector as its chair and of up to 21 members who are elected by members of the university and of whom at least 1/5 must be students. In the first senate elections (held 17-21 October 2011), the 21 Senate positions were divided as follows: the university's teaching and research staff elected 16 members and the UT Student Council 5 members. Four members were elected by the teaching and research staff to represent each principal research domain of the university - humaniora, medicina, realia et naturalia and socialia.
See senate members.
Rector
The Rector manages the university's day-to-day activities, is responsible for the lawful and expedient use of the university's funds and exercises the highest administrative and disciplinary authority in the university within the limits of his or her powers and pursuant to determinations of the Council and the Senate. The Rector represents the university and conducts transactions in the name of the university to the extent of the authority vested in him or her by the law and the Statutes of the university. The Rector may exercise a one-time veto in respect of a regulation or resolution of the Senate.
The Rector is elected for a term of up to five years by members of the Council and the Senate and by other persons specified in the Statutes of the university pursuant to the procedure established in the Statutes. Since 1 July 2012, the Rector of the University of Tartu is Professor Volli Kalm .
The Rector appoints the university's vice rectors and administrative director, each with a specific sphere of responsibilities. The Rector, Vice Rectors, Administrative Director, Head of Finance and Academic Secretary make up a six-member committee which is known as the Rector's Office.
See members of the Rector's Office.
Other Governing Bodies
In addition to the Council, the Senate and the Rector, work in various units of the university is managed by councils of faculties and councils or research councils of institutes, councils of university institutions, councils of consortia, councils of centres of excellence and councils of programmes of study, whose tasks are determined by the constitutive regulations of the respective faculties, the charters of the respective university institutions and by other university bylaws.
University Board
The Rector appoints the University Board, an advisory body. The Board is chaired by the Rector. Its members are:
• the Vice Rectors
• the Deans of all faculties
• the Chair of the Student Council
Area directors (the Head of Finance, the Administrative Director) and the Academic Secretary participate in meetings of the Board with the right to speak.
See members of the University Board.
Strategy Committee
The tasks of the Strategy Committee are to oversee fulfilment of the university's Strategic Plan (including implementation of the corresponding measures specified in the Operational Plan) and to prepare other documents required for steering the university' development.
Additional information: Ivar-Igor Saarniit, Academic Secretary, ivar [dot] saarniit [ät] ut [dot] ee