Statutes of the Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences

APPROVED by the Rector of the University of Tartu
Decree no. 39 of 3 September 2015
(effective as of 1 January 2016)

AMENDED by the Rector of the University of Tartu
Decree no. 17 of 15 June 2018
(effective as of 15 June 2018)

AMENDED by the Rector of the University of Tartu
Decree no. 8 of 30 April 2020
(effective as of 30 April 2020)

Based on clause 15 (2) 8) and subsection 24 (1) of the Statutes of the University of Tartu, adopted by the Senate of the University of Tartu Regulation no. 11 of 21 July 2014 and approved by the Council of the University of Tartu Resolution no. 18 of 29 July 2014, I approve the Statutes of the Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences.

I.    General provisions
1.    The Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences (‘institute’) is an institute in the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Tartu (‘university’), operating under the Higher Education Act, the University of Tartu Act, the statutes of the university, the statutes of the institute and other legislation. [effective as of 30 April 2020]
2.    The main task of the Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences is to conduct teaching, research and development activities and provide services for the society in biology, earth sciences and environmental sciences and the related disciplines.
3.    To perform its main task, the institute
3.1.    organises research activities and builds a technological and material basis for that purpose; [effective as of 30 April 2020]
3.2.    organises teaching and study at all levels of higher education under the terms and in the volume established by the university;
3.3.    organises applied research and development activities;
3.4.    participates in the training of teachers of biology and geography;
3.5.    organises conferences and seminars; communicates scientific achievements to the public;
3.6.    participates in national and international programmes;
3.7.    performs other tasks that contribute to the achievement of the university’s objective;
3.8.    cooperates with other research institutions, development centres and organisations in Estonia and abroad.
4.    The name of the institute in English is Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences.

II.    Governance
5.    The institute has a council, the composition of which is approved by the dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology (‘dean’) on the proposal of the director of the institute. The council chair is the director of the institute.
6.    The council comprises the director of the institute, heads of departments and the head of the centre as ex officio members. The council also comprises three representatives of academic staff from each department and student representatives who must make up one fifth of all council members. One member is appointed by the council. [effective as of 30 April 2020]
 
7.    Academic staff members of the departments of the institute whose work load in the department is at least 20 hours a week elect three representatives of their department to the council from among themselves. The representatives of academic staff are elected to the council by secret vote every three years in May. The director of the institute announces the elections and the deadline for the submission of candidates at least two weeks before the elections. At least three working days must be given for submitting candidates. Candidates may be submitted by the director, heads of departments, ordinary professors of departments and jointly by at least three academic staff members. Each voter has three votes. The election results are approved in the form of ranking lists by departments. If multiple candidates receive an equal number of votes, the ranking is determined by drawing lots. [effective as of 30 April 2020]
8.    The mandate of the elected representatives starts at the beginning of July. The mandate of the representatives of academic staff runs until new representatives take office. If a council member is unable to participate in the work of the council, the dean, on the proposal of the director of the institute, may appoint the next candidate in the ranking list to substitute for the withdrawn council member until the withdrawn member returns but no longer than until the next elections.
9.    The conditions and procedure of electing or appointing student representatives are provided in the Statutes of the Student Body. Student representatives are elected or appointed to the council for one year. The mandate of student representatives starts at the beginning of July and is effective until the new representatives take office. [effective as of 30 April 2020]
10.    The council of the institute
10.1.    determines the development priorities of the institute;
10.2.    makes decisions on matters related to teaching, research and development activities in the institute;
10.3.    oversees the implementation of the institute’s budget;
10.4.    decides the awarding of doctoral degrees based on the curricula approved by the senate following the rules established by the university;
10.5.    elects lecturers, assistants, teachers, senior research fellows, research fellows and junior research fellows of the institute;
10.6.    forms an opinion on candidates to the positions of professors, associate professors and research professors of the institute;
10.7.    initiates the opening, changing and closing of curricula of the institute;
10.8.    coordinates teaching related to disciplines listed in clause 2;
10.9.    establishes its rules of procedure;
10.10.    is responsible for implementing the quality management principles in teaching, research and development and submits the quality monitoring report of the institute to the council of the Faculty of Science and Technology;
10.11.    performs other tasks imposed on the council of the institute by legislation.
11.    Council meetings are convened by the chair as needed, but at least four times a year. The council chair also convenes a council meeting at the request of at least one third of the council members. The council has a quorum if more than half of the council members are present at the meeting. A decision is adopted if more than half of the members present at the meeting have voted in favour, unless otherwise provided in these statutes.
[effective as of 30 April 2020]
12.    To decide urgent matters, the council may hold an electronic meeting. A decision of the electronic meeting is adopted if more than half of the council members have voted in favour.[effective as of 30 April 2020]
13.    The institute is managed by the director, who is elected for a term of three years by the council of the institute from among the employees of the institute who hold a doctoral degree or an equivalent qualification. The director of the institute performs the duties of the head of the institute as an additional assignment.
 
14.    The dean announces the election of the director of the institute at least two weeks before the elections. Candidates may be submitted by the dean, jointly by at least five academic staff members of the institute, and by the student council of the Faculty of Science and Technology. The director of the institute is elected by a secret vote following the university’s regulations for secret votes. The results of the election of the director of the institute are approved by the dean. A person cannot hold the position of the director of the institute for more than three consecutive terms of office. If no candidates who meet the requirements are submitted to the position of the director of the institute or if the none of the candidates is elected, the dean appoints an acting director of the institute until the election of the director of the institute but for no longer than one year.
15.    The director of the institute
15.1.    manages the institute and ensures that its activities follow the development priorities of the institute, these statutes, the statutes of the university, and other legislation;
15.2.    is responsible for the general situation in and the development of the institute and the lawful and proper use of its funds;
15.3.    chairs the council of the institute;
15.4.    to ensure purposeful organisation of work, forms work organisation units in the institute and determines their tasks and persons in charge;
15.5.    may form committees, panels and working groups to solve problems in the organisation of work, determining their tasks, area of competence and members;
15.6.    establishes the prices of paid services provided by the institute;
15.7.    resolves other matters placed within his/her competence by legislation and matters related to the institute that have not been placed within the competence of anyone else by legislation.
16.    The director of the institute has the right to sign the following on behalf of the university, within the limits of the budget of the institute and to perform the main task of the institute, taking into consideration the terms and procedure established by the university:
16.1.    contracts for the supply of services to provide services to natural persons; [effective as of 15 June 2018]
16.2.    [repealed as of 15 June 2018]
16.3.    [repealed as of 15 June 2018]
16.4.    contracts for use to take into use movable property;
16.5.    licence agreements to take into use intellectual property that is protected by copyright;
16.6.    practical training agreements to organise practical training in the curricula managed by the institute; [effective as of 15 June 2018]
16.7.    learning agreements with students going to study abroad, and with foreign universities; [effective as of 15 June 2018]
16.8.    grant agreements with the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, the Estonian Ministry of Culture, local governments and associations of local governments; and to sign applications and other documents, incl. reports and requests for payment, submitted in connection with these agreements. [effective as of 30 April 2020]
161. The right of the director of the institute to sign contracts on behalf of the university for buying movables and ordering services that are necessary for the institute is provided in the Procurement Rules. [effective as of 15 June 2018]
17.    The director of the institute reports to the dean and to the council of the institute.
18.    The council of the institute may express no confidence in the director of the institute if the director of the institute violates the law, the statutes of the university or other legislation governing the activities of the university, or is unable to perform the duties of the director of the institute. A motion to express no confidence may be submitted to the council of the institute by at least eight members of the council of the institute in a joint statement, or by the dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology in an address. The vote of no confidence is decided by the council of the institute by secret vote by a majority of at least 2/3 of the members. If the vote of no confidence has been decided, the dean of the Faculty of Science
 
and Technology releases the director of the institute from office and appoints an acting director of the institute until the election of the director of the institute but for no longer than one year.
19.    If the position of the director of the institute becomes vacant before the end of the term of office of the director of the institute, the dean appoints an acting director of the institute until the election of the director of the institute but for no longer than one year.
20.    During his/her absence, the director of the institute is substituted by an academic staff member of the institute holding a doctoral degree or an equivalent qualification, appointed by the directive of the dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology based on the proposal of the director of the institute. [effective as of 30 April 2020]

III.    Structure
21.    The institute comprises the following departments and centre:
21.1    Department of Botany;
21.2    Department of Geography;
21.3    Department of Geology;
21.4    Department of Zoology;
21.5    Centre of Natural Science Education.
22.    For the unit listed in clause 21, the director appoints a head who organises the work of the unit.
[effective as of 30 April 2020]

IV.    Implementing provisions [effective as of 30 April 2020]
23.    Until the elections of the director of the institute, the director of the Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences of the University of Tartu performs the functions of the director of the institute. The elections of the director of the institute take place in December 2017 at the latest. The university employee who is the director of the Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences of the University of Tartu as at 31 December 2015 cannot be elected as the director of the institute for more than three consecutive terms of office.
24.    The mandate of the academic staff representatives elected to the research council of the Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences of the University of Tartu is effective until 30 June 2017.
25.    Student representatives are appointed by the student council of the Faculty of Science and Technology by 30 November 2015 at the latest, making sure that students of all levels of study are represented. The mandate of student representatives starts on 1 January 2016 and is effective until 30 June 2016.
26.    The Statutes of Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences of the University of Tartu adopted by the Council of the University of Tartu Regulation no. 24 of 22 June 2007 and amended by the Council Regulation no. 13 of 30 October 2009 and the Rector’s Decree no. 18 of 14 June 2012 are repealed.
27.    The statutes take effect on 1 January 2016.