Election year at Karolinska Institutet
Elections to the Riksdag and EU parliamentary election – the super election year 2014 is in full swing. So too at Karolinska Institutet. During spring and autumn, new deans, vice deans and faculty representatives for the boards and the Board of Karolinska Institutet for the 2015-2017 term of office will be elected.
Deans are elected first, then faculty representatives for the Board of Karolinska Institutet and lastly faculty representatives for the executive boards – the Boards for Research, Doctoral Education and Education.
“By then we will already have been able to start the work with identifying good candidates for the boards and we will not need to start over,” says Henrik Grönberg, Professor at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (MEB) and chairman of the Nominations Committee as well as the Nominations College.
In the past, deans were elected last, which meant that a newly elected faculty representative could be elected dean, and then need to be replaced. In preparation for this year's elections, the rules have been revised.
Another difference compared to before is that the 67 representatives from the departments, comprising the Nominations College, elect faculty representatives for the executive boards themselves.
Members of the Board of Karolinska Institutet and deans are elected by all with the right to vote, that is teachers at KI with a doctoral degree and at least half-time employment.
“The Nominations College is a good value indicator regarding KI as a whole. We want a broader representation in the boards in order to, for example, avoid a bias toward Solna or Huddinge, and with that in mind it is better to let the Nominations Collage take responsibility for that,” says Henrik Grönberg.
In addition to nominated candidates, a Nominations Committee itself has identified a number of persons. On 14 April, the main candidates were confirmed by the Nominations Committee, and on 12 May, the Nominations College decides which candidates are electable.
From 27 May to 9 June, it is possible for teachers and researchers with the right to vote to vote for their favourites for the positions of deans or vice deans.
“Seize your chance and vote. These individuals have important tasks ahead of them the next three years,” says Henrik Grönberg.
In the afternoon of 26 May a hearing will be arranged during which each candidate will be able to introduce themselves and state what they want to achieve as dean. All KI's co-workers and students are welcome, and the hearing will also be filmed and posted on the internal website.
Text: Madeleine Svärd