The University Collegiate Council is the largest elected tripartite organ of the University of Turku. The Collegiate Council has just completed perhaps its most important task during its term: selecting the external members of the new University Board, which will start its term at the beginning of 2026. As the current University Collegiate Council will conclude its work at the turn of the year, now is an appropriate time to evaluate the past four-year term, review the role of the University Collegiate Council as part of the University organisation, and also look ahead.
In addition to selecting the external members of the University Board, the main tasks of the University Collegiate Council include approving the University’s financial statement and annual report, and deciding on the discharge of the members of the University Board and the Rector from liability. The current Collegiate Council has carefully reviewed the financial statement with the support of an external expert and requested additional clarifications where necessary. The Collegiate Council has also received regular reviews of the current financial situation from the University management. In general, the legislator has clearly deemed the role of the Collegiate Council to be of particular importance in situations where a university's finances are deteriorating rapidly, especially if the actions of the Board appear insufficient to address the situation.
Perhaps a less apparent but essential task of the University Collegiate Council is to serve as the voice of the University community in its interactions with the Board and operational management. Ideally, the Collegiate Council is provided with adequate information about the preparation of significant decisions, and, correspondingly, the Board, the Rector and the Vice Rectors gain perspectives from the University community to support their decision-making. Fostering open interaction based on mutual trust is crucial for the University's overall operational environment and dialogue. There are some unfortunate examples of situations in Finland where trust has been broken for various reasons. However, the University Collegiate Council has been very satisfied with its collaboration with the Board and its Chair during the past term.
The University Collegiate Council has organised regular preparatory sessions, to which deputy members have also been invited, in order to ensure that information is communicated as widely as possible within the University community. In June, the Collegiate Council and the Board organised a joint seminar open to all to discuss the future challenges facing universities. External experts also participated in the event, which was live-streamed to the entire University community. The positive feedback received from the seminar will certainly encourage the development of more participatory practices that strengthen the sense of community.
The Collegiate Council also decides on the number of members and terms of office of the Board as permitted by law. The solutions vary greatly between different universities. At the University of Turku, the Board consists of four external members and two members from each of the three groups in the tripartite model. This composition has worked well, and the current Collegiate Council has seen no need for changes. Nevertheless, it would be good to reassess the situation during the next term of office. The Collegiate Council has decided that the Board’s term of office will be four years, as before. The new Collegiate Council should take into account the fact that the four-year term of the Board, starting in 2030, could cause difficulties when it comes to scheduling the selection of the Rector.
The process of selecting external members for the new Board has been keeping the Collegiate Council busy since last autumn. The process has followed the practices and schedule of the previous Collegiate Councils. The Collegiate Council will conduct a self-assessment of the selection process and its other activities so that the new Collegiate Council can use the findings in planning its own activities. It has been particularly gratifying to notice how many influential figures in society have been willing to devote their time and expertise to the University. The University of Turku is clearly widely respected, and its development is considered important for Finland as a whole.
The elections for the new Collegiate Council will be held in November. Ten of the elected members of the Collegiate Council will represent professors, ten will represent other teaching and research personnel and other staff, and ten will represent students. Each member will have a personal deputy. The University elections also elect the representatives of the personnel to the University Board and Faculty Councils. Looking ahead, the large, tripartite University Collegiate Council will continue to have an important role as the voice of the University community at various stages of decision-making.
Jyrki Heino
The writer is the Chair of the University Collegiate Council of the University of Turku.
