Influence and involvement in the Academic Council
At Tech, the Academic Council meets six times a year to advise the Dean and contribute to the development of the faculty. Here, the Chair of the Council and a regular member share their experiences of the work.
When the 18 members of Tech’s Academic Council convene, some of their key responsibilities include fostering idea development, ensuring quality, transparency, and legitimacy in all decisions related to academic matters, and acting as a sounding board for the leadership on strategic academic issues. The Dean and other representatives from the faculty’s senior management are regular participants at the meetings, ensuring ongoing dialogue and involvement of both staff and students across Tech.
“In the Council, we have the opportunity to put topics on the agenda that concern the conditions for research and research integrity. It’s also a place where we can take a broader university-wide perspective and look beyond the individual departments’ specific interests, as we are broadly represented from all departments within the faculty,” says Anne Jensen, Senior Researcher at the Department of Environmental Science and Chair of the Academic Council.
Anna Elisabeth Kristoffersen, a PhD student at the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, also highlights the Council as an important link between management, students, and staff – including younger members:
“The Academic Council is a great way to be heard and have a voice in relation to management. I’ve found that I’ve been able to contribute a different perspective and considerations than those further along in their careers. And I’ve felt taken very seriously, even though I may be younger than the other Council members and don’t have quite as many stripes on my shoulders.”
The Academic Council does not have formal decision-making authority, which makes it essential that it works with a leadership team that listens:
“To succeed with an Academic Council, you need a Dean who sees the value in dialogue, and here at Tech we have an incredibly good collaboration with the leadership. When you speak with management, you get the sense that they really benefit from the Council’s perspectives and ideas – for example, in terms of improving or implementing various policies at the departments,” says Anne Jensen, and adds:
“At the same time, it’s important to remember that the Academic Council is not a closed forum. We’re always open to good suggestions from the departments, so we can bring the richness and diversity we have at Tech into play.”
Anne Jensen therefore encourages everyone to reach out to their local representative if they have a topic they’d like the Council to address.
“It’s absolutely wonderful to have a Council where the members are engaged, regardless of where in the organisation they come from or what position they hold. So a big thank you to all the members,” she says.
Anna Elisabeth Kristoffersen will soon complete her PhD and will therefore step down from the Academic Council at the end of the year. Hopefully, a new PhD representative will be elected during the autumn university elections. And if you’re keen to influence how things are done, just stand for election – the work gives a lot back, says Anna Elisabeth Kristoffersen.
“My work in the Council has helped build my confidence and reassured me that what I bring to the table is listened to, and that my views are just as valid as those of professors and deans. It has also given me a good understanding of the university I’m part of, the many tasks a university juggles, and the driving forces and visions that shape what we do,” she says.
About the Academic Council for Technical Sciences
The Academic Council can address all decisions related to academic matters, which means meeting agendas cover a wide range of topics. In 2025, the AU Strategy 2030, the Master’s Reform, the annual education report, and the URIS guidelines have all been discussed, alongside issues such as equality and time for immersion.
Tech’s Academic Council has a valuable collaboration with the other four Academic Councils (Nat, BSS, Arts, and Health) across AU, for example through the annual Sandbjerg seminar, major changes (e.g. Master’s reform, research evaluation), and strategic policies (e.g. safeguarding research integrity, DEI, etc.).
Tech’s Academic Council currently consists of 18 members, in addition to the Chair and Vice-Chair (the Dean). Members include academic staff (VIPs), technical-administrative staff (TAPs), students, and postdocs, as well as several observers from the leadership team.
In the upcoming autumn university elections, both PhD representatives and student members will be up for election.