Statute of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
TITLE II - University bodies and regulations
Art. 12 - Academic Senate
The Academic Senate represents the academic community, coordinates the didactic and research needs of the scientific-disciplinary areas, helps to draw the general lines of the University's cultural policy, and makes proposals to the Board of Directors.
The Academic Senate, on the basis of requests from Departments, University Schools, PhD and Specialisation Schools, Service Centres and Interdepartmental Research Centres, coordinates the various didactic and research realities, promoting the most innovative and rewarding ones, taking care of the distribution of resources to be proposed to the Board of Directors and ensuring that the elaboration of the strategic guidelines of the University respects a possible development plan that enhances the best scientific-disciplinary areas represented in the University.
The Academic Senate:
a) formulates proposals and mandatory opinions on teaching, research and student services, also with reference to the University's three-year planning document, referred to in Article 1-ter of Law Decree no. 7 fo 31 January 2005, converted, with modifications, by Law no. 43 of 31 March 2005;
b) approves the General Regulations of the University, after consulting the Board of Directors;
c) approves, with the favourable opinion of the Board of Directors, the regulations, including those pertaining to the University Departments and Schools in the field of teaching and research, as well as the University Code of Ethics;
d) carries out coordination and liaison functions with the Departments and with the University Schools;
e) expresses a mandatory opinion on the annual and three-year budget and on the final balance sheet of the University;
f) expresses a mandatory opinion to the Board of Directors on the activation, modification or suppression of offices, Departments, University Schools, Service Centres and Interdepartmental Centres;
g) expresses an obligatory opinion to the Board of Directors on the activation, modification or cancellation of Degree Programmes, PhD and Specialisation Programmes and Schools;
h) appoints the members of the Board of Directors referred to in art. 13, paragraph 4, letter d) of this Statute;
i) appoints the members of the Evaluation Unit referred to in art. 15 of this Statute;
j) appoints an effective member of the Board of Auditors, with the functions of President, pursuant to art. 14 of this Statute;
k) expresses mandatory opinion to the Board ofDirectors on the amount of any compensation of the members of the Board of Directors;
l) decides on violations of the Code of Ethics, on the proposal of the Rector, if they do not fall within the competence of the Discipline Board;
m) exercises any other authority being delegated to him/her by the laws, the Statute and the regulations.
The Rector reports to the Academic Senate the news and data of regulatory, economic, patrimonial interest, as well as those relating to research projects and financing of common interest or even of individual scientific disciplinary areas, ensuring that the information is the widest and most timely for everyone. On the basis of these constant reports by the Rector, the Academic Senate ensures the timely transmission of information, of national, regional or local guidelines, or of the respective resolutions of interest of Departments, University Schools, professors and researchers.
The Academic Senate may propose to the electoral body with a majority of at least two thirds of its members a motion of no confidence in the Rector not before two years have elapsed from the beginning of his/her mandate.
The Academic Senate is made up of twenty-six members:
- the Rector, with the functions of President;
- nine representatives of the Department Directors, elected in number of three for each scientific-disciplinary macro-area, as defined by the CUN and specified in paragraph 8 of this article, by the professors and researchers of the respective macro-areas with a vote limited to one preference;
- nine representatives of the CUN scientific-disciplinary macro-areas, three for each macro-area, elected among University professors and researchers of the respective macro-area, one elected among full professors, the other among associates and one researcher. Department Directors are excluded from the passive suffrage;
- three representatives of the technical-administrative staff, elected by the technical-administrative staff of the University;
- four student representatives elected within the same component pursuant to art. 23 of this Statute.
To these are added, without the right to vote, the Pro-rector Vicar, the Pro-rector of Reggio Emilia and the General Director or, in the event of his absence or impediment, the Deputy Director.
For the sole purpose of electing the representatives of the teaching and research staff in the Academic Senate, the professors and researchers of the University, with reference to the Scientific Disciplinary Sector to which they belong, are divided into the three level 1 macro-areas referred to in Annex 1 to the Opinion CUN N.7 of 4 November 2009, Formal and experimental sciences and technologies, Life sciences, Human, political and social sciences. For the CUN areas 03 (Chemical Sciences) and 07 (Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences), whose SSDs are to be included between Macroareas 1 (Formal and experimental Sciences and technologies) and 2 (Life Sciences), each Professor or researcher must opt for a single Macroarea.
The members of the Academic Senate who do not participate continuously in the sessions of the body, being absent from more than half of the meetings convened during an entire calendar year, lose their authority in accordance with the procedures established by the internal regulations of the body.
The elected members of the Academic Senate remain in office for three academic years and are renewable consecutively only once. Student representatives remain in office for two years and are renewable once.
