Congratulations, you've almost made it! Now the path to your desired committee is not far away.
On this page you can find out everything you need to know about getting involved in university committees.
The Berlin universities regulate their affairs according to the principle of academic self-administration. Self-administration is the right of the university to make its own decisions, uninfluenced by the state and for which the university itself is responsible. There are various committees at the TU Berlin for this purpose. In the committees, university issues are discussed and decided upon democratically.
Did you already know? The committees of the TU Berlin usually meet in public. You can simply drop by, participate as a guest, and get a first impression. If you have any questions, please contact the chairperson or the staff of the committee's office.
Vacant seats
| Committee | Seats vacant | Term of office | Way into the commitee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Election Committee (ZWV) | 1x HL | April 01, 2022 - March 31, 2024 | Membership by election in the Academic Senate Election possible at any time |
| Teaching Committee (LSK) - Substitution - | 1x HL 2x MTSV 2x Stud | April 01, 2022 - March 31, 2024 April 01, 2023 - March 31, 2025 | Membership by appointment to the Academic Senate Nomination possible at any time |
| Structural Committee (SK) | 2x Stud | April 01, 2022 - March 31, 2024 April 01, 2023 - March 31, 2025 | Membership by appointment to the Academic Senate Nomination possible at any time |
| Structural Committee (SK) - Substitution - | 5x HL 1x AM 1x Stud | April 01, 2022 - March 31, 2024 April 01, 2023 - March 31, 2025 | Membership by appointment to the Academic Senate Nomination possible at any time |
| Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) - Substitution - | 1x MTSV The filling of further deputy positions is possible. | April 01, 2023 - March 31, 2025 | Membership by appointment to the Academic Senate Nomination possible at any time |
FAQ committee work
Where can I get involved?
You can get involved in all university committees of the TU Berlin.
There are committees on a central and decentralized level. The decentralized areas cover the faculties with the Faculty Council and Institute Councils and their commissions and committees. At the central level, all members of the TU, i.e. from both the faculties and the Central University Administration (ZUV), come together and elect the central committees that make decisions for the entire university.
Committees are also differentiated according to their decision-making authority. Binding decisions are made in committees with decision-making authority (AS, EAS, KU, FR, IR). Committees without decision-making authority (Commissions & Committees) usually prepare a decision, for this purpose they deal with a specific topic in a professional manner and prepare a comprehensive proposal for a decision. This can be compared with the work of a specialist committee at parliamentary level.
Here you will find a list of the central committees.
Here you will find a list of the decentralized committees (mainly faculty and institute councils).
What is a status group?
The committees are made up of people from different status groups. There are four different status groups. These are:
The university faculty group (HL),
The group of academic employees (AM),
The group of students (Stud),
The group of employees in technology, service and administration (MTSV).
Your affiliation to one of the groups is determined by your relationship to the TU Berlin. Each committee is composed differently from the four status groups. A graphical representation of the composition can be found on this website.
How do I become a member?
There are two ways to become a member of a body.
- Membership by election
There are bodies to which members are elected. Here there is a formalized election procedure bound by deadlines. Members are elected to the following committees by ballot: Academic Senate, Extended Academic Senate, Board of Trustees (TU internal members), Faculty Councils, Institute Councils, Boards of Central Institutes and Central Facilities, Women's Advisory Boards. All members of the status group are entitled to vote. - Membership by appointment
For other committees, membership is by designation. Appointment usually takes place for bodies without decision-making authority. The nomination takes place within the framework of the committee meeting of the higher-level body by its members, for example, the members of the Structural Commission (SK) are nominated by the members of the Academic Senate (AS). A nomination is more informal and can be carried out without an elaborate election procedure. - Special position of the Central Election Board
Members of the Central Election Board (ZWV) are elected by the respective status group in the Academic Senate. What is the difference to the nomination? According to the Berlin Higher Education Act, an election must always be held by secret ballot, whereas the appointment can be made by open ballot.
When is meeting day?
Wednesdays are meeting days! In principle, all committees of the university meet on Wednesday afternoon, in the period from 1 - 5 pm.
Deviating from this, the Board of Trustees always meets on Friday mornings, starting at 9 am.
In addition, the meetings of commissions and committees regularly take place on other days. For example, the Commission for Teaching and Learning (LSK) meets regularly on Tuesday at noon (starting at 2 p.m.).
The committee meetings take place in different ways either in presence, as a pure online meeting, or in hybrid form. The type of meeting will be announced in the invitation.
How does a committee meeting work?
The agenda determines the course of the committee meeting. In the run-up to each meeting, the topics to be dealt with at the meeting are collected and listed as agenda items. The agenda and the associated documents are sent to the members in advance of the meeting. Via the websites of the committees, spectators can also take a look at the agenda in advance and find out about the upcoming meeting.
The meeting is chaired by the chairperson of the committee.
The members of the committee take part in the meeting. In addition, various university representatives such as the Presidential Board, deans, staff representatives, the AStA, the Central Women's and Equal Opportunity Representative or the Representative for Severely Disabled Students have the right to speak and make motions. At public meetings, which are the rule, guests can also follow the meeting in the spectator seats without prior registration.
The committees are usually supported by an office. This office is responsible for taking minutes of the meeting, for organizational preparations (booking rooms, sending out invitations, etc.), and is available to answer questions from members and guests.
Please note that the meetings are held in german.