Gå til hovedinnhold
0
Jump to main content

Rector and pro-rector election to be held in February

Starting in August 2023, the University of Agder will for the first time be formally governed by a team made up of a rector and a pro-rector. 

UiA Campus Grimstad og Campus Kristiansand (photo)

NEW RECTORAL PLATFORM: UiA's elected rectoral platform will from August 2023 consist of both a rector and a vice-rector. The image shows the university's campuses in Grimstad (top) and Kristiansand.

The election of the new rectoral platform will take place in the period 20 - 26 February. The deadline for promoting candidates is 22 January.

This was made clear after the university's election board announced the election of a rector and pro-rector for the period 1 August 2023 to 31 July 2027. The current rector at UiA is Sunniva Whittaker, who took up the position in August 2019.

A new rectorate platform

Earlier this autumn, the university board agreed to change the platform on which the rector is elected, from one to two – that is, from the election of a rector alone to the election of a rector-team consisting of a rector and a vice-rector. The team is elected by the university's staff and students.

The new rectorate model was chosen after a lengthy debate internally about how UiA should be led when the current rector's term expires in August next year.

Better defined electoral platform

Veslemøy Rabe (photo)

The arguments for a new electoral platform are, among other things, that it will be easier to bring external candidates into teams with an internal candidate, and it may be clearer what the rectorate wants to achieve during its term in office.

"This is the first time we have had a rector election like this, and I would like to believe that this will be one of the most exciting elections we have ever had, says the head of the election board", Veslemøy Rabe (bildet).

Candidate deadline 22 January

The deadline for proposing candidates is 22 January 2023. To stand for election, the candidate team must be proposed by a group of at least 10 employees and/or registered students.

See the full announcement on the university's election pages.

Candidates must also meet these requirements:

• Formally qualify for employment at associate professor/professor level

• Document leadership experience as a dean or head of department from an academic institution, or from another leadership position in or outside higher education or research institutions that include financial and personnel-related follow-up and responsibility.

• Master a Scandinavian language in writing and orally (Norwegian, Danish or Swedish).

The run-up to the election follows this timetable: 

• 28 November: The election is formally announced

• 2 - 22 January: Period for promoting candidates

• 23 January – 7 February: Election campaign period

• Week 6: The candidates are formally presented at UiA

• 20 – 26 February: First round of voting

• March 6 – 10: If needed, a second round of voting