Tartu University Council Proposes Reform Options
The University of Tartu council has endorsed a plan to restructure the institution by creating four major faculties, but has come up with suggestions for maintaining their historic identity.
Kersti Kaljulaid, The chairman of the council, told ETV on Monday that the council decided to endorse the reform as described in the statutes project but asked to solve the issue of names to preserve the identity of the faculties.
The council made four proposals. First, a faculty could contain faculties, i.e., a subunit of the faculty could also be called a faculty. The second option would be to lengthen the names of existing faculties, for example, creating the Faculty of Law and Social Sciences.
The third option would be to rename larger units as domains, and the fourth would be to create larger faculties, and found one for social sciences and humanities.
Kaljulaid said all members of the council agreed a reform is necessary.
However, member of the council and professor of civil law Paul Varul was critical of the plan, telling ETV that the reform is aimed at simplifying the management structure, but it does it not address essential issues.
The senate will hold another meeting on Friday and will probably discuss the options put forward by the council. The rector of the university Volli Kalm did not say that the faculties of law, theology, mathematics and IT will not be restructured.