Rectorate

§ 4 Responsibility and competences

1. The following matters shall be dealt with jointly by the members of the Rectorate:

a) creating a draft of the university statutes, as well as drafts of changes to statutes, to be submitted to the Senate;
b) creating a development plan and an organisational plan for the university, to be submitted to the Senate and the University Council;
c) creating a draft of the performance agreement and the configuration agreement, to be submitted to the University Council;
d) creating an estimated budget to be submitted to the University Council,  as well as forwarding the same to the Senate for information purposes;
e) passing a resolution in the case of proceedings pursuant to section 21 (14) Universities Act concerning the dismissal of a member of the University Council;
f) ongoing development and operation of the quality management system;
g) instigating evaluations and the publication of evaluation results;
h) establishment and discontinuation of degree programmes, opinion on the curricula, interdiction of the curricula, or changes thereto for reasons as laid out in section 22 (1), clause 12;
i) supporting international relations and cooperation arrangements;
j) representing the university at committees and other meetings; this is done by the responsible member of the Rectorate, in accordance with these rules of procedure. Deputies shall be determined by mutual agreement among the members of the Rectorate, in deviation from section 7.
k) performing all tasks pursuant to section 22 (1) Universities Act, second clause, which are not assigned to another body by the Universities Act (general competence), provided that they are not transferred to one or two members of the Rectorate by these rules of procedure. At the decision of the Rectorate, certain tasks of this type can be assigned for handling to one or several members of the Rectorate; this shall be announced in the university bulletin.

2. The members of the Rectorate are to execute the following tasks individually in accordance with section 22 (6) of the Universities Act 2002:

2.1 By the Rector:

a) appointing and dismissing the heads of organisational units;
b) agreeing targets with the heads of the organisational units, as well as budget allocation, including determination of staffing structures, either with the agreement of or in collaboration with the other members of the Rectorate, depending on the respective areas of responsibility;
c) assigning members of the university to the individual organisational units (section 94 (2), clauses 2 to 6);
d) advertisement of professorships in accordance with section 98 (2) of the Universities Act 2002;
e) appointing university professors in accordance with section 97 et seqq. of the Universities Act 2002 and executing all personnel matters regarding university professors (this includes carrying out staff evaluations);
f) issuing guidelines for the the authorisation of university employees, in accordance with section 28 (1) of the Universities Act 2002;
g) establishing an accounting and reporting system (with the exception of the intellectual capital statement);
h) establishing a planning and reporting system that ensures full compliance with the reporting obligations imposed upon the universities by the legal provisions and the requirements stipulated by the Federal Minister of Finance with regard to the establishment of a system for investment controlling and financial controlling;
i) setting deadlines and substitute performance measures where bodies default, in accordance with section 47 (1) of the Universities Act 2002;
j) negotiating and concluding the performance agreement and the configuration agreement with the Federal Minister, and then promptly informing the University Council of the result (section 23 (1), clause 4 of the Universities Act 2002);
k) formal preparation of the financial statement;
l) determining the reimbursements of costs and decision on their use, in accordance with sections 26 (3) and 27 (3) of the Universities Act 2002;
m) organisation and execution of internal and external communication and of alumni activities;
n) granting authorisation to teach (venia docendi) in accordance with section 103 (1) in conjunction with 103 (9) of the Universities Act 2002.

2.2 By the Vice-Rector for Research:

a) overall responsibility for the research and development matters, including securing good scientific practice;
b) overall responsibility for all Doctoral programme matters insofar as they fall within the competence of the Rectorate (including Doctoral programme admissions;
c) creating the intellectual capital report;
d) evaluating research;
e) undertaking all legal transactions in research matters, in particular concluding national and international research cooperations;
f) interdiction of research projects in accordance with section 26 (1) in conjunction with section 26 (4) of the Universities Act 2002;
g) withdrawal of authorisation, in accordance with section 27 (1) of the Universities Act 2002
h) granting and withdrawal of project authority, in accordance with section 27 (2) of the Universities Act 2002;
i) overall responsibility for all matters relating to the use and exploitation of intellectual property and the exercise of the right of recourse to service inventions (section 106 (3) Universities Act 2002).

2.3 By the Vice-Rector for Education:

a) overall responsibility for all matters relating to academic teaching (with the exception of Doctoral programmes);
b) conducting teaching evaluations;
c) conducting evaluations of degree programmes;
d) student admissions (including all further Rectorate agendas, in accordance with sections 60 to 71 of the Universities Act 2002) with the exception of Doctoral programme admissions;
e) levying university fees at the legally determined level (including decisions and instruments in accordance with section 92 of the Universities Act 2002, in budgetary alignment with the Rector);
f) promoting student mobility (incoming and outgoing);
g) granting scholarships (for social scholarships in cooperation with the social fund).

2.4 By the Vice-Rector for Human Resources and Facilities:

a) overall responsibility for all personnel matters, personnel management and personnel development for the general and academic university staff (not including university professors), with the exception of the areas that fall under the responsibility of the Rector, as laid out in section 23 (1) of the Universities Act 2002;
b) conducting staff evaluations, with the exception of those for university professors, as laid out in section 97 et seqq. of the Universities Act 2002;
c) undertaking the allocation of posts and releasing posts to be filled (in budgetary alignment with the Rector), advertising of job posts and recruitment, with the exception of those of university professors;
d) executing the agendas for equality, for the advancement of women and for protection against discrimination, in agreement with the other members of the Rectorate, depending on the respective areas of responsibility;
e) representing the university vis-à-vis the Equal Opportunities Working Group and the works councils with regard to personnel matters (with the exception of the matters stipulated in section 23 (1) clause 7 of the Universities Act 2002).

3. The following tasks will be executed jointly by two members of the Rectorate:

3.1 By the Rector and by the Vice-Rector for Education:

a) representing the university in international associations and partnerships;
b) establishing university certificate programs, appointing directors for said programs and determining the program fees, in accordance with section 91 (7) of the Universities Act 2002.

3.2 By the Rector and by the Vice-Rector for Human Resources and Facilities:

a) concluding works agreements with the works council for academic and general personnel;
b) overall responsibility for all matters relating to campus development and infrastructure.

3.3 By the Vice-Rector for Research and by the Vice-Rector for Human Resources and Facilities:

a) promoting the mobility of academic staff;
b) promoting the next generation of academic staff.

4. Where there is any doubt about responsibility within the meaning of section 22 (6) of the Universities Act 2002, then it falls to the Rectorate to make a decision.

§ 5 Decisions in economic matters

1. Decisions made with regard to economic matters shall be handled using the four-eyes principle. Economic matters are to be decided by the Rector, together with at least one of the Vice-Rectors, in accordance with section 22 (6) of the Universities Act 2002, unless two members of the Rectorate share the responsibility, in accordance with these rules of procedure.

2. Decisions within the meaning of section 15 (4) in conjunction with section 21 (1) clause 12 of the Universities Act 2002 require the agreement of the University Council if

a) the university enters into a commitment of more than €250,000 either through a one-off legal transaction or through multi-year contracts over a period of a maximum of three years,

b) or for multi-year contracts whose three-year amount is less than the limit of lit. A, if the legal transaction could give rise to a commitment (in particular within the framework of a continuing obligation) which cannot be settled unilaterally by the university of more than €250,000 in total.

3. This excludes (1) the conclusion of contracts of employment and (2) legal transactions which are concluded on the basis of sections 26 and 27 of the Universities Act 2002, provided that the incoming project funding or third-party funding is expected to exceed the university’s expenditure.

4. The establishment of, and participation in, companies and foundations similarly requires the permission of the University Council, in accordance with section 21 (1) clause 9 of the Universities Act 2002.