The Election and the Process

The Election Process

There are two governing documents that regulate the election process: the SLU Board's delegation of authority and the decision of the vice-chancellor made in connection with the current election year. The delegation order describes, among other things, how often elections should take place, how the composition of the boards and nomination committees should be, and who is eligible to vote.

The vice-chancellor's decision regarding the election to the boards outlines how the actual election should be conducted, including the electoral procedure and scrutineers. Since 2015, the election has been conducted electronically.

Certain parts of the process leading up to the actual election may vary slightly between faculties, but the overall progression from start to a finished result looks like this:

1. Nomination/proposal of members to the nomination committees.
2. Decision on the composition of the nomination committees.
3. The nomination committees work to put forward proposals for members of the faculty boards.
4. Election period: This is where the actual voting takes place, and before that, hearings are conducted, allowing candidates the opportunity to present themselves.

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The primary task of a faculty nomination committee is to propose members, including a chair (dean) and deputy chair (deputy dean), as well as two substitutes, for the faculty board. Therefore, a nomination committee needs to have a good understanding of the faculty's operations and the crucial role of the board.

The nomination committee should invite all eligible voters in the faculty to nominate individuals for the board. Based on these nominations and their own assessments, the committee should present a complete proposal to the faculty board. In addition to the committee's recommendations, eligible voters can also make their own nominations.

Faculty nomination committees consist of five or seven members, including a chairman and vice-chairman. Each member also has a personal substitute. Members and substitutes are appointed through an internal process within each faculty, where eligible voters can nominate individuals.

The nomination committees must take office no later than 1 June the year in which the faculty boards are to be elected.

The fundamental regulations for the election of faculty boards are outlined in the SLU Board's delegation authority. This document defines, among other things, who is eligible to vote in the election.

In the election of faculty boards, the following individuals have the right to vote:

• Those who are part of the electoral assembly.
• Those who have obtained a doctoral degree and are employed at a faculty, with the employment involving work for at least half-time and being of indefinite duration or for a certain continuous period, totaling no less than two years.

To be part of a faculty's electoral assembly, employment must involve work for at least half-time and be of indefinite duration or for a certain continuous period, totaling no less than two years. The employment should pertain to the following positions:

• Professor
• Senior Lecturer
• Associate Senior Lecturer
• Researcher, including those referred to as researchers FLK
• Environmental Assessment Specialist
• Postdoctor
• Lecturer
• Analyst
• Research Group Leader
• Experiment Group Leader
• Field Mycologist
• Field Pathologist

The number of members of the boards varies between 7 and 11 members, including substitutes. Among the regular members, the dean and deputy dean are also appointed.

Those eligible for election as members must meet the following criteria:

• The majority of those elected to the board must belong to the electoral assembly.
• A faculty board may have at most one member and one alternate who do not belong to the electoral assembly.

The primary purpose of a faculty board is to make decisions that promote education, research, and development within the faculty. This includes:

• Deciding on tasks and resource allocation to institutions and other units.
• Deciding on the subject areas to be included within the faculty.
• Ensuring that operations are tailored to maintain high-quality education, research, and environmental analysis and that resources are used efficiently.
• Deciding on the organisation of the faculty, including the division into boards, committees, etc.
• Deciding when the recruitment of a professor should take place and, in connection with that, establishing the employment profile.

Using one's vote in the faculty board election means having the opportunity to influence the development of the faculty's activities.

A detailed description of the missions of the faculty boards can be found in the board's delegation order.