The academic staff
The academic staff is one of five status groups of the university; grouped according to their function. The four other status groups at the Ulm University are: professors, doctoral candidates, students and other employees.
As the university is largely self-governing, there are various bodies which make the main decisions on the structure of the University, the organisation of teaching, research and study and the internal organisation. These bodies, together with certain offices, are summarised under the umbrella term "academic self-administration".
In accordance with the Landeshochschulgesetz, the professors always have a slight absolute majority in the individual bodies and the remaining seats are divided between the other status groups.
An overview of the bodies and a brief description can be found further down on this page. Thus, the status groups are primarily relevant for the elections of the bodies.
Who is the academic staff?
The academic staff is the most diverse status group at the university. It includes all employees who are not professors, students, technical or administrative staff.
The academic staff is officially made up of employees under private law and civil servants who are bound by instructions (i.e. not self-determined in terms of time, place and type of work) to fulfil tasks in the area of science, research, teaching and further education at the university in accordance with their specific job description.
This includes staff in permanent positions, qualification positions, third-party funded positions and staff with activities on a honorary basis or short-term contracts.
These positions include, for example, academic (senior) councillors, physicians, senior physicians, chief physicians (if not professors), student councillors, temporary academic and artistic staff, doctoral candidates (if not assigned to the status group doctoral candidates - see explanation under doctoral candidates), academic assistants (doctoral candidates), doctoral assistants (doctoral candidates), doctoral assistants (doctoral assistants), doctoral assistants (doctoral assistants), doctoral assistants (doctoral assistants), doctoral assistants (doctoral assistants), doctoral assistants (doctoral assistants): (doctoral staff in post-doctoral positions), post-doctoral fellows, associate professors, assistant doctors, private lecturers, temporary academic councillors, lecturers and academic assistants (with Master's or Diplom degrees).
- Professors
Professors and junior professors, except for extraordinary professors.
- Doctoral candidates
In principle, all persons who have been accepted as doctoral students and are enrolled at the university. However, accepted and enrolled doctoral candidates with an employment contract have the choice of whether they are assigned to the status group doctoral candidates or academic employees. All accepted doctoral candidates who are not enrolled are assigned to the status group of academic employee.
Regardless of their status group, the Promovierenden Konvent (ProKo) represents all accepted doctoral students, i.e. all accepted doctoral students are eligible to vote in the ProKo elections (further information at the ProKo web pages).- Students
This group includes all persons enrolled at the university who are not registered as doctoral students. More information is available from the Student Council.
- Other employees
All employees who work in the university's technical, secretarial and administrative departments and are not classified as academic staff.
Participation of the academic staff in the bodies of the university
The main bodies of the university are
- the board (called rectorare (Rektorat) in the Landeshochschulgesetz (LHG)),
- the senate and
- the university council (called Hochschulrat in the LHG).
The acdemic staff is represented permanently in the senate and alternately with the status group of other employess in the university council.
At faculty level the main bodies are
- the Deanery and
- the faculty council.
The academic staff at this level is represented in the faculty council only.
There are a number of further bodies and committees where the academic staff ist represented:
Participation in the bodies
- Senate - 4x
(members of arbitrary faculties, elected for one year) - Senate committee for teaching - 2x
- Internal Accreditation commission - 1x
- kiz-Ausschuss - 2x
- Commission "Responisibilty in the conduct of Science" - 1x
- Equality commission - variable number
- Ethics committee - variable number
- Faculty councils - 1x
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(depending on the faculty, elected for one year) - Gender equality officers of the faculties - 0 bis 1x , , ,
- Study commission (SK) - 2x , , ,
- Examination boards (PA) - 1x bis 2x , , ,
- Appointment committee (BK) - 1x , , ,
- Doctoral committees - 0x bis 1x , , ,
Representatives, voted in by all members of the academic staff (doctoral candidates of the academic staff may choose to vote either in the status group of academic staff or in ther status group of doctoral candidates). Term of office is one year.
All other representatives are appointed by office or by other bodies. Terms of office are set down in in the statues and regulations of the bodies.
See get active.
- Composition
The senate consists of 46 members, 35 of whom have voting rights (overview of the composition of the senate). The President, the Chancellor and the Gender equality officer are ex officio members of the senate. The vice president(s) and the dean(s) are represented in the senate as advisory members. The elected members are 18 professors, 4 students, 4 academic employees, 2 representatives from the doctoral candidates and 4 other staff members.
- Tasks
The senate is the highest body of the university and deals with the following issues: appointments of new lecturers, statutes and regulations, the establishment and dissolution of institutes, the university budget, the awarding of (extraordinary) professorships, appointments to committees and bodies (e.g. the senate committee for teaching), matters relating to teaching, study and research and other current issues. Proposals for changes to the statutes, etc. can also be made here. The senate meets once a month on Wednesdays during the lecture period.
- Convention of the academic staff
The convention takes place on Tuesdays at 16:00 h before each senate meeting. At this meeting, the topics of the respective senate meeting (as long as they are not subject to secrecy) are presented and discussed by the representatives of the academic staff. Other concerns can also be raised here. If you would like to be invited to the convention, please subscribe to the Mittelbaukonvent mailing list.
- Election
The 4 voting members of the academic staff of the senate are elected each year in the summer semester for a one-year term.
- Current members (alphabetical order)
Dr. Andreas Borchert
Dr. Jonas Kuppler
Dr.-Ing. Margarita Puentes-Damm
apl. Prof. Dr. Ulrich Ziener
- Composition
The faculty council of each faculty is composed of 15 members (overview of the composition of the faculty councils). The ex officio chairperson is the dean of the faculty. Other elected members are 8 professors, 3 students, 1 representative of the doctoral students, 1 representative of the academic employees and 1 other staff member. The exception is Medicine, where the elected members consist of 14 professors, 6 students, 1 representative of the doctoral students, 4 representatives of the academic staff and 1 other staff member.
- Tasks
The faculty council decides/advises on the use of financial and material resources, personnel, rooms, etc. of the faculty. The faculty council's approval is required for the caculty's structural and development plans; the formation, modification and abolition of faculty institutions; and the faculty's study and examination regulations. The latter two require the approval of the relevant study commission. In addition, the faculty council decides on appointment lists.
- Current members
Engineering, Computer Science and Psychology: Dr.-Ing. Margarita Puentes-Damm
Mathematics and Economics: Bennet Ströh
Medicine: apl. Prof. Dr. Anja Böckers, apl. Prof. Dr. Marko Kornmann, Dr. Angelika Rück, Dr. Fabienne Schochter
Natural Sciences: Dr. Sabine Vettorazzi- Further information
Faculty council Enigneering, Computer Science and Psychology
Faculty council Mathematics and Economics
Faculty council Medicine
Faculty council Natural Sciences
Further bodies with representatives of the academic staff
- State level
Landesvertretung Akademischer Mittelbau Baden-Württemberg
- University level (informationen on all central bodies)
Internal Accreditation commission
kiz committee
Commission "Responsibility in the Conduct of Science"
Equality Commission
Ethics committee- Faculty-/Subject level
Gender equality officers
Study commission
Examination board
Appointment commission
Doctoral Committee
Further information is available on the respective web pages of the faculties: