This is an “election year” at the university. New Faculty Boards and Academic Area Boards will be elected, and Deans and Deputy Vice Presidents will be appointed by the President after an advisory election. The Consultative Assembly will also elect new teacher representatives to the University Board. The external members of the University Board were already appointed earlier this spring, which has hardly escaped anyone’s notice given the debate following the Government’s decision to shorten their terms of office this time from three years to just 17 months, reportedly for security reasons.
Meanwhile, the process of finding a new President is about to begin, since there is just a year and a half left in my term.
Alongside our recruitment decisions, appointing people to different management positions is one of the most important decisions we make as academic leaders at different levels. There are a number of myths surrounding these processes. One of the most common misunderstandings concerns the appointment of Heads of Department, with staff in a number of departments expressing the belief that they choose their Head of Department. In all actuality, it is the President who makes the decision based on a proposal from the Dean. How the Dean goes about identifying suitable candidates for the position of Head of Department varies from one department to another. In some cases it is quite simple, with a willing and suitable candidate who has the support of many colleagues. But often it is much more complicated than that. It is not uncommon for the Dean to speak with the department’s teachers individually, or otherwise invite them to submit comments, and in this way form an opinion about the most suitable candidates for Head of Department and Deputy Head of Department. The Dean then submits their proposal to the Department Board, which is allowed to comment, and then to the President for a decision. This is not a mere formality, but is usually preceded by several discussions between the Dean and the President.
But what happens with collegiality in this? The fact is that it is largely protected when an appointment process is conducted thoroughly, with consultation of the staff. At the same time, there is line management, where the President makes far-reaching delegations of their decision-making powers to the Dean/Vice President, who in turn often delegates further to the Heads of Department. This requires that the person receiving the delegation has the confidence of the delegating manager. Suitability for the task, as both Dean and Head of Department, is therefore a crucial criterion. We are in times of turmoil and change. Good leadership is crucial – leadership with a holistic view, responsiveness and courage.
This article is written by Astrid Söderbergh Widding, President of Stockholm University. It appears in the section ”Words from the University’s senior management team”, where different members take turns to write about topical issues. The section appears in News for staff which is distributed to the entirety of the University staff.