At the beginning of the meeting, the Senate’s work plan for the first half of spring 2021 was adopted. It was decided to amend certain provisions of the Rules of Procedure (SZMSZ). Among the changes affecting the organisational units is the creation of the RDI Business Development Centre, which will be responsible, among other things, for organising the sale of products and services in the field of research, development and innovation. A change serving the standardization of language training is the integration of the Languages for Specific Purposes and and Communications Group of the Faculty of Health Sciences’ Department of Social Sciences of the into the Department of Languages for Specific Purposes, which is a central department. The E-learning and Digital Content Development Directorate of the Centre for Educational Development, Methodology and Organisation will be transformed from a Directorate into a Division as of 1 March, following the modification of a deadline set by a previous Senate decision, and the Property and Premises Management Department will be created within the Property Management Directorate. In addition, the amendment to the Staff Regulations just adopted includes a number of administrative simplifications.
The body decided on the introduction of the elective course “Csontváry on the path of Hungarian culture” in the spring semester. As in the previous semester, 200 Hungarian and 50 international students will be able to take the course. The Ministry of Human Resources’ State Secretariat for Culture is supporting the organisation and coordination of the thematic programme series on Hungarian culture and the participation in the online lectures with HUF 10 million.
The composition of the Workplace and Animal Welfare Committee has been renewed and the amended rules of procedure of this body and of the Quality Development and Assessment Committee have been adopted.
The senators supported the Green University project, initiated by students, which, in line with the objectives of the European Union and the government, aims to make the university an institution that places special emphasis on climate protection and sustainable living, setting an example for other higher education institutions in the country. The development of the project was preceded by a student survey which showed the commitment to the issue. The plans include infrastructure improvements such as the construction of bicycle storage facilities, a backpack system, but also targets such as the installation of separate waste bins and an increase in the number of textbooks available in electronic format.
The Senate also supported the launch of a specialised training course in the Faculty of Health Sciences in the field of health care and prevention, Public Health Supervisor, in English. In Hungary, Semmelweis University was the first institution to provide training for public health inspectors, which has seen a significant increase in interest in the current pandemic.
The Senators were informed about the University’s IT strategic development plan, which aims to develop modern and sustainable IT services for the University’s citizens, in line with the University’s medium-term strategy. As the document points out, there is a need to introduce modern ICT methods and technologies that will facilitate effective teaching and working. The basis for this is the creation of a homogeneous core infrastructure, developed and operated by a central service-oriented organisation, tailored to the specific needs of the organisation. It also addresses the need to increase IT awareness and IT security. The Agile IT Council has been established, in which the faculties, the clinic and the directorates represent themselves, articulating user and professional needs, and students can voice their opinions through the Semmelweis IT Lab.
The annual reports of the faculty standing committees established by the Senate were approved. They decided on the awarding of the Pro Universitate Award and the Semmelweis University Outstanding Teacher awards, and the body also commented on current applications for senior and researcher positions, as well as on applications for the Asklepios Campus Hamburg subject supervisor.
Pálma Dobozi
Translation: Tamás Deme
Photo: Attila Kovács – Semmelweis University
