The Academic Council is an important organisational structure for decision-making in the management of the Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution’s activities, in accordance with the responsibilities outlined in the Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution (HEI) Statute. The Academic Council represents the academic community of Kauno kolegija HEI – students and academic staff (both lecturers and researchers), and its decision-making voice creates very important initiatives that have a significant impact on the quality of the Kauno kolegija HEI’s activities and its future prospects.
Dr Inga Stravinskienė, the new Chairperson of the Academic Council, shares her insights on the new Academic Council, its main responsibilities, and the importance of close cooperation with other governing bodies in ensuring the success of the Kauno kolegija HEI.
What is the role of the Academic Council in the management of Kauno kolegija HEI?
According to the Law on Science and Studies, the Academic Council is one of the three governing bodies of Kauno kolegija HEI, two of which are collegial – the Council and the Academic Council, as well as the Director as a sole governing body. All three of these governing bodies have a term of office of five years.
The last term of the Academic Council was five years, due to the reorganisation when Alytaus kolegija Higher Education Institution was merged with Kauno kolegija HEI. At that time, under the instruction of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, we were preparing for the election of new collegiate governing bodies and now we have a newly formed Academic Council consisting of 38 members, including the academic community of the Alytus Faculty.
It is encouraging that we have 9 students in the Academic Council – their position is very important and weighty in the work of the Academic Council. However, as Chairperson of the Academic Council, I would like to see more student involvement in the new term. Especially since the issues of the quality of studies, the accessibility of studies, and the individualisation of studies are at the heart of the content of the Academic Council’s activities. Students, who represent all the students of the Kauno kolegija HEI in the Academic Council, must raise these issues of studies and actively participate in decision-making, thus creating the conditions for the provision of high quality studies through the regulating provisions that will be ‘enshrined’ in the relevant documents.
What are the responsibilities of the Academic Council?
While the Council is responsible for the strategic affairs of the Kauno kolegija HEI, the Academic Council is responsible for the academic affairs of the institution. One of the core functions of the Academic Council is to decide on the curriculum package and its quality assurance. Based on the quality assurance system established by the Academic Council, new study programmes are approved and ongoing study programmes are closed, i.e. decisions are taken on what the study programme package should be and what strategic direction is being pursued. It is therefore very important that the content of these issues submitted to the Academic Council for discussion is prepared in a responsible and high-quality manner. Only then can responsible decisions be taken.
It is also important to note that it is not only study matters that are the responsibility of this Council. This governing body is equally responsible for making decisions relating to applied research, experimental development and artistic activities. Considering the demands that will be placed on the sector in 2028, when the expert comparative evaluation of science and the arts will take place, and it is the results of this evaluation that will not only determine the ‘stepping up’ to a certain ‘qualitative bar’ in terms of the possibility of carrying out professional master’s studies and thus acquiring the right to be called a ‘university of applied sciences’ as of 2029, but above all, it is also the results that will show whether we are even capable of carrying out the professional bachelor’s degree studies that we are currently doing. Each degree programme will have to be based on a certain level of applied research and experimental development. The unity of study and research and its achievement is now more than obvious and of particular importance in the sector.
Another crucial element in the Academic Council’s work is the qualification requirements for lecturers and researchers, both in terms of competition for posts and attestation. It is the Academic Council that approves these requirements. And, as we know, adequate, competent academic staff is perhaps the most important condition for the development and quality of studies and research. Infrastructure issues through sustainable management and project initiatives are nowadays quite qualitatively ensured. It is important that the need for a proper, reasoned demand for research infrastructure comes from researchers. Thus, the responsibility of the Academic Council, together with the Director’s team and the Kauno kolegija HEI Council on relevant issues, in shaping and making decisions in the areas of studies and research is very high.
How do you see the work of the new Academic Council?
I follow a simple rule in management – you can’t get anywhere on your own and without the right competencies in your team, no matter how hard you try. And if you do get there, it won’t be for long. Therefore, the most important thing for the Academic Council is to have a competent team that will help to achieve the goals of the Academic Council in a focused and high-quality way, while implementing the overall strategy of the Kauno kolegija HEI. I am glad that we already have a management team of the Academic Council in place: the Vice Chairperson Aušra Arminienė, the Chairperson of the Study Committee Gelmina Motiejūnė, the Chairperson of the Applied Science and Art Activities Committee Dr Giedrė Jarienė, the Chairperson of the Management and Quality Committee Dr Tomas Makaveckas. We also have an excellent Secretary of the Academic Council – Agnė Girininkaitė.
I very much look forward to a truly constructive, open, collegial and proactive joint work of all three governing bodies in the work of the new Academic Council. Many of the decisions taken by the Kauno kolegija HEI Council are based on the opinion of the Academic Board, i.e. before an issue ‘goes to the Board’ it has to be discussed by the Academic Board, such as the Kauno kolegija HEI’s strategic documents, the pay arrangements, the suitability of the candidates for the position of Director of the Kauno kolegija HEI, etc. These three governing bodies need to work very closely together in their decision-making so that in less than four years we will not only reach the minimum quantitative requirements for the sector, such as the number of full-time lecturers, the appropriate level of scientific output, etc., but also be entitled to offer professional master’s degrees in certain fields.
And there is one more thing I would like to emphasise in the development of a new working culture. The Academic Council is not a governing body made up of individual faculty members to represent faculty-level interests. Nor is it a trade union. It is very important that this Academic Council sees and shapes academic decisions at the institutional level, and deals with common matters of study and research, proactively and qualitatively leading Kauno kolegija HEI towards progress. Unfortunately, they are not always popular. However, this is the job of the governing bodies – to create the conditions to ensure an appropriate and qualitative level of study and research quality and its further development. Decisions have to be taken for the overall academic well-being of the Kauno kolegija HEI. Ultimately, this is what determines the Kauno kolegija HEI we will build together in four years. I therefore congratulate the members of the newly elected Academic Council and wish them a constructive, open, collegial and proactive five-year work.
The Chairpersons of the Academic Council’s Committees of Studies, Management and Quality, and Applied Science and Art Activities share the key priorities for each committee over the next 5-year period.
Gelmina Motiejūnė, Chairperson of the Study Committee:
The activities of the Study Committee have been, are and will continue to be clearly linked to the implementation of the Kauno kolegija HEI’s strategic goals and objectives. The priorities of the Committee’s activities are optimisation of the study programme package, international openness and interdisciplinarity of studies, introduction of innovations into studies, and development of creativity and entrepreneurship of students. It is likely that the 5-year period will also lead to the transformation of study programmes, so the Committee will have activities in this area as well. It is equally important to mention that the Committee’s activities will be directed towards the development of studies oriented towards the needs of learners and towards ensuring access to studies. I wish the members of the Study Committee productive and successful work.
Dr Tomas Makaveckas, Chairperson of the Management and Quality Committee:
The main priorities of the Management and Quality Committee for the next five years would be: to achieve efficiency in the management of Kauno kolegija HEI through the improvement of processes, to ensure the consistency of the strategic direction of the institution, to actively make proposals on the vision, mission, priorities and strategic plan of Kauno kolegija HEI. An equally important priority is the development of the quality of studies by improving the internal quality assurance system and optimising the package of study programmes both in terms of quality and cost-effectiveness. Over the next five years, the Committee is expected to make an important contribution to improving staff performance, with particular emphasis on the qualification requirements for teaching and research posts, the procedures for certification and the organisation of competitions for posts, and the resolution of human resources policy issues.
Dr Giedrė Jarienė, Chairperson of the Applied Science and Art Activities Committee:
The next five years will be intense, creative and full of new opportunities for the Applied Science and Art Activities Committee. New research teams have been formed at the Kauno kolegija HEI in accordance with the newly approved requirements. The directions of Kaunas kolegija HEI’s priority scientific and artistic research are being planned and purified. Development and approval of the evaluation unit strategy. Interdisciplinary as well as international research are formed, and their development and expansion is pending. Preparation and approval of scientific programmes. We are starting with the updating and approval of a very important description for researchers: the description for the management of applied research, experimental development and art activities.
