Vice-rector posts, law degree funding and distribution of research fellow positions

The meeting was a two-day session, where day one was devoted entirely to dialogue meetings with the five faculties and the Teacher Education Unit. Dialogue meetings are a way for the University Board to gain insight into the developments in and priorities of the faculties and also the challenges that the faculties face. The School of Businesses and Law at UiA will hold its dialogue meeting in connection with the next board meeting.

Strategic distribution of recruitment positions

Once a year, the University Board allocates 10 recruitment positions to various strategic initiatives. Recruitment positions are doctoral fellows and postdoc positions. The board adopted the following:

• The offshore wind initiative - 3 positions divided between the areas of technology, law and energy policy
• Centre for research on public health and living conditions - 2 positions
• Psychology, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences – 1 position
• Projects/environments with impact in competitive funding rounds - 4 positions:
  • Bridges 5.0 (School of Business and Law at UiA)
  • FAME (Faculty of Social Sciences)
  • ReMeD (Faculty of Humanities and Education)
  • SFU CreaTeME (Faculty of Fine Arts)

A proposal to put the distribution of positions up for consultation with the faculties in the future was voted down by 10 votes to 1.

In the autumn, the university director will present a proposal for how recruitment positions should be distributed. 

The Annual Report 2022 was adopted

Every year an overall annual report is produced with an overview of the university's development. Some key points from the 2022 Annual Report are:

• The throughput of students has increased and is above the sector average
• The proportion of exchange students on the Erasmus+ programme has increased
• Our students spend about the same amount of time on their studies as before
• More funding from the EU and the Research Council
• The proportion of women in professor roles is increasing
• More and better arenas for collaboration
• The development agreement: positive results within all three objectives
• Overall good control and management of the business
• Somewhat declining number of applicants and student numbers

The draft Annual Report is now being adjusted, and the final Annual Report will be posted on uia.no when ready. Among other things, a tribute from the board will be included for staff who deliver solid results in many areas. 

Vice-rector positions announced

Following the election of Sunniva Whittaker and Hans Kjetil Lysgård as rector and prorector respectively for the term beginning August 2023, the rectorate will be completed with the addition of vice-rectors.

The University Board decided that from this summer UiA will have two vice-rectors, one for education and one for external relations and innovation. Incoming prorector Lysgård brings with him the portfolio he currently holds as vice-rector for research and interdisciplinary projects.

It has been made clear that the vice-rector for education will primarily have an internal focus on developing the learning environment, new forms of learning and assessment and flexible forms of education, while the vice-rector for external relations and innovation will be more externally oriented and focus on the relevance of our programmes and the needs of society.

In the board meeting, the relationship between the salaries of the vice-rectors and the deans was the subject of a principled discussion. By 6 votes to 5, it was decided that a vice-rector at UiA should have a higher salary than a dean.

Rector was authorised to adjust the text of the announcement with the proposed changes that came up in the meeting. The positions will be announced shortly. 

Other items at the meeting

• The board adopted a regulation that gives the faculties the opportunity to postpone the deadline for submitting grades in connection with movable holidays and public holidays
• The board approved the university's financial statements and the management accounts for 2022. The operating result for 2022 was a surplus of NOK 7.2 million
• A number of reports from 2022 were considered:
  • The work environment survey
  • Health, safety and environment
  • Equality, diversity and inclusion
  • The student ombudsperson
  • The Learning Environment Committee
  • The Appeals Committee
  • The Research Ethics Committee
  • The data protection officer
  • The Language Policy Committee

 All agenda documents for the University Board meeting on 8 March 2023 (Norwegian only)