UCD University Governance Rialachas Ollscoile UCD

Academic Council

The Academic Council (AC) oversees the University's academic activity. This responsibility is defined by statute and includes directing the educational matters of the University such as curriculum, education provision, academic policy and regulatory oversight through approval of Academic Regulations, Student Code and new academic policies.  Academic Council advises and makes recommendations to the University on academic institutional and sectoral initiatives and strategic priorities such as education strategy, HEA policy and other institutional and national initiatives. Academic Council also oversees the academic governance framework which is made up of a number of subcommittees, and has a key role in setting the annual work programme and reporting requirements for subcommittees.

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Update on 20 April, 2021.

On 26 November 2020, the Academic Council Composition Working Group presented its final report and recommendations regarding a revised Academic Council composition to the Academic Council.  Governing Authority approved the recommendations of Academic Council, which include a much simplified and reduced council membership, gender quotas, a larger proportion of elected positions and electronic elections to facilitate the process.

On Thursday 22 April, Academic Council will be provided with an update on the planned elections for faculty positions.  The Registrar, as Secretary to Academic Council and Returning Officer for these elections, will announce the opening of nominations next week, with full information available at that time. 

For each College there are three cohorts:

  1. Professors and Full Professors, elected by Professors and Full Professors
  2. Assistant Professors and Associate Professors, elected by Assistant Professors and Associate Professors
  3. Heads of Subject, elected by All Faculty

You will find key information below regarding the nominations process below to aid your preparation in seeking nomination.

All faculty will be invited to participate in this election. For critical privacy information, including an opportunity to opt out of the elections, please see 'Data Privacy' below.

Full information on the nominations and elections processes will be available on the Registrar's website when nominations are open.

Seeking Nomination

  • Full Professors & Professors​: Only Full Professors & Professors will be able to nominate Full Professors & Professors in their own College​
  • ​Associate & Assistant Professors​: Only Associate & Assistant Professors will be able to nominate Associate & Assistant Professors in their own College​
  • Heads of Subject​: All members of Faculty will be able to nominate Heads of Subject in their own College​

Online process​

  • No physical signatures will be required. Nominators will confirm support via Nominations Portal. ​
  • Each nominee requires four eligible supporters – the person + 3 eligible nominators.​
  • Nominators's names will not be published. Nominators may nominate more than one person.​
  • You may only seek nomination in one constituency in your College.​

Timing of Nomination Window

  • Registrar’s email will announce formal opening of Nominations Portal ​
  • Nominations Portal – open 30 April (planned) and close 17 May (2 weeks)​
  • All nominations returned will be verified using lists from HR and the UCD Subject Register (Heads of Subject)  ​
  • Nominees will be notified of their valid candidacy no later than 5 days after nominations close​
  • Candidate Profiles will go live 1 week after nominations close. Profiles will remain available to voters until elections close (5 weeks incl. election period)

Data Privacy 

The University fully respects your right to privacy and actively seeks to preserve the privacy rights of those who share information with the University. Any personal information which you volunteer to the University will be treated in accordance with Irish and European Data Protection legislation. 

Why and how we will process information for elections to Academic Council.

If you are a member of faculty, UCD will share your personal data for the purpose of conducting elections to the Academic Council on the basis of a public task that has a clear basis in law, as set out in the Universities Act 1997 and Statutes of UCD.   Unless you inform us by email to staff.elections@ucd.ie by Friday 23 April 2021 that you wish to opt out of the process, we will share the following types of personal data with a third party company for the purposes of administering elections to UCD Academic Council and a separate third party company for the purposes of scrutinising the elections:

  1. Your Name
  2. Your Grade (e.g. Full Professor, Professor, Associate Professor, or Assistant Professor)
  3. UCD email address
  4. College
  5. School

Queries: If you have any questions regarding the revised Academic Council's composition or its forthcoming elections, please contact us via staff.elections@ucd.ie  A full privacy statement will be available on the Registrar's website page for AC Elections, once nominations formally open.

University Secretariat
email: univsec@ucd.ie 

The purpose of Academic Council is to:

  1. Direct the educational matters of the University such as curriculum, education provision, academic policy and regulatory oversight through approval of Academic Regulations, Student Code and new academic policies. Oversee and assure the quality and standards of academic matters of Recognised Colleges in general and in particular where programmes and activities lead to the award of degrees and qualifications of the University.

  2. Consider matters of academic governance of the University.

  3. Advise and make recommendations to the University on academic institutional and sectoral initiatives and strategic priorities such as education strategy, HEA policy and other institutional and national initiatives.

  4. Oversee the academic governance framework: constitute, reconstitute and discontinue committees.

  5. Maintain oversight of functions undertaken by subcommittees with a key role in approving an annual work programme for subcommittees and prescribing annual reporting requirements.

 

 

Academic Council Meeting Schedule 2021/22

 

Submission Deadline  Meeting Date
N/A 

Thursday 23 September 2021; 2pm

Welcome/Induction Session
Thursday 28 October 2021 Thursday 25 November 2021; 2pm
Thursday 24 March 2022 Thursday 21 April 2022; 2pm