BGHS

Statues

Notice.: This English translation is made for the convenience and information of our international members. It is not meant to be the legal equivalent of the original German version. In case of conflict the German version shall prevail .

Constitution of the Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology of the University of Bielefeld

In accordance with Article 2 section 4 and Article 29 of the Universities Act of the State of North-Rhine Westphalia (HG) of 31 October 2006 (GV.NRW. S. 474), as amended on 13 March 2008 (GV. NRW. S. 474), the Faculty of Sociology and the Faculty of History, Philosophy and Theology have passed the following constitution:

Article 1
Nature

The Graduate School is an academic institution under the responsibility of the Faculty of Sociology and the Department of History at the Faculty of History, Philosophy and Theology of the University of Bielefeld and shall be known as the "Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology" (BGHS).

Article 2
Aims and Functions of the School

1. The central function of the BGHS shall be the training and education of doctoral students in the framework of a structured PhD programme of the highest professional standard and excellent supervision by professors and other academic staff of the participating institutions of the University of Bielefeld.
2. To implement this function, the BGHS has in addition resolved to create an interdisciplinary environment which is not only conducive to research work beyond disciplinary boundaries but also stimulates the PhD students of individual disciplines to reflect critically on categorial decisions, theoretical premises and the methods of their own disciplines in the scholarly debate with a different discipline.
3. The BGHS aims to promote the international orientation of its doctoral students, for the purposes of which it will increase the participation of international students. Above all, time spent abroad, participation in international meetings and publications in international journals are intended to become a day-to-day feature for German doctoral students. International students, on the other hand, will be helped to become acquainted with the German academic system. The BGHS offers English-language courses and supports international doctoral students where necessary in their efforts to learn German.
4. A further aim of the BGHS shall be to prepare its graduates for a whole range of occupations after graduation, both inside and outside academia.
5. As innovative scholarly work thrives best in a creative atmosphere, the BGHS has made it its aim to create a supportive working environment. For this reason, the establishment of smaller working groups with individual supervision is supported as well as the promotion of a multifaceted culture of social interaction within the circle of the doctoral students, who will be supported by the BGHS to find a satisfactory balance between their scholarly work and their family life.

Article 3
Organs

The organs of the BGHS shall be:

• the Members' Meeting
• the Directorate, and
• the Director.

Article 4
Members

(1)The members of the BGHS shall be:

• by virtue of their office, all members active in the BGHS from the group of professors as well as all members of the other academic staff attached to the BGHS from the Department of History at the Faculty of History, Philosophy and Theology and the Faculty of Sociology;
• all other non-academic employees attached to the BGHS;
• all doctoral students that have been admitted since 1 April 2006 to the International Doctoral Programme in Sociology or the International Doctoral Programme in History, as well as all post-doctoral fellows.

(2)Other scholars of the University of Bielefeld intending to work at the BGHS for a longer period of time can be given the status of advisory member by the BGHS Directorate (upon application). The member shall acknowledge and accept at the start of her/his membership all rights and duties associated with her/his membership. Membership shall cease with the end of the member's work at the BGHS.

(3)Scholars from other universities and non-university or industrial research institutions; visiting professors funded by and working at the BGHS as well as other visiting scholars who co-operate with the BGHS in the framework of a co-operative project may be co-opted as advisory members. Their co-optation shall be effected upon resolution by the Directorate.

(4) Membership of the BGHS shall cease

1. in the case of students, usually after a successful performance in the oral disputation, or after a maximum period of 5 years;
2. when supervision of the doctoral student by his or her supervisor is terminated - preferably by mutual agreement - before time ;
3. through written letter of termination to the management of the Graduate School;
4. through termination of employment or work relationship at the BGHS;
5. upon exclusion of the doctoral student for violation of her/his rights and duties according to Article 5, sections 1,4 and 5 of this Constitution. The decision on exclusion is taken by the Directorate of the BGHS.

Article 5
Rights and Duties of Members

1. It shall be the members' duty to promote and support the achievement of the objectives of the BGHS under Article 2 as well as the administration of the School in accordance with this Constitution and to give the BGHS their active support. The rights and duties of the doctoral students, the supervisors and the BGHS will be detailed in a separate supervision contract.
2. Members of the BGHS can at any time submit proposals to the BGHS for activities to be carried out in, and be supported by, the BGHS.
3. Members shall be entitled, within the School's financial framework, to utilize its infrastructure and resources. They may, following an established procedure, take a share in the funds available to the BGHS.
4. Members shall have a duty to submit regular reports to the directorate of the BGHS, the University of Bielefeld and the German Research Foundation. In the case of doctoral students, the submission of the report can take the form of a quality control as specified in the supervision contract. In addition, members are to share in the necessary applications. On leaving or terminating their membership, members that are sponsored by the BGHS have to submit a final report on their scholarly work at the BGHS within 6 months.
5. Members shall be obliged to observe the DFG rules for excellence institutions, especially the rules on publication, economic exploitation, duty to report and good scholarly practice.
6. When leaving the BGHS because of a change of place, members can usually be paid the financial support provided by the BGHS for a maximum of three more months. Office equipment cannot be moved to the new place of work.

Article 6
The Directorate

1. The Directorate of the BGHS shall comprise:
   • 4 members from the group of the professors, who are elected by the faculty meeting of the respective faculty. The Faculty of Sociology and the Department of History in the Faculty of History, Philosophy and Theology shall provide two members each,
   • one member each from the group of professors as representatives of the relevant graduate schools,
   • 2 members from the group of the non-professorial academic staff, who are elected by the faculty meeting of the respective faculty. The Faculty of Sociology and the Department of History in the Faculty of History, Philosophy and Theology shall provide one member each,
   • 2 representatives of the BGHS PhD students, who are elected by the PhD Student Meeting,
   • one member from the group of other staff, who is elected by their group.
2. The term of office of the members of the directorate shall normally be two years. Re-election is possible.
3. The Directorate shall be responsible for all functions of the BGHS (Article 2). In particular, it shall have the responsibility for the following functions:
   • development of the academic programme and the concept of qualification including its coordination and quality control with the university executive;
   • coordination of the integration of external partners;
   • preparation of the report and the overall budget application to the German Research Foundation;
   • decision on the acceptance and exclusion of members;
   • counselling the director in budget matters;
   • advertising of scholarships and selection of scholarship holders;
   • implementation and quality control of the process of the internal allocation of funds;
   • resolving personnel matters of the staff members funded by the BGHS;
   • drawing up and forwarding the annual report to the participating faculties on the work of the BGHS;
   • planning and quality control of measures to secure equal opportunity;
   • cooperation with other scholarly institutions, and
   • public relations.
4. The Directorate shall be responsible, in the framework of these tasks, for all decisions that are not the prerogative of other bodies.
5. The Directorate may resolve a set of rules.
6. The Directorate shall appoint persons responsible for the above list of tasks from among its members.
7. The Directorate shall meet twice a year.
8. A standing invitation shall be extended to the BGHS management. Further guests can be invited if so wished by the Directorate.

Article 7
The Director

1. The Director shall run the BGHS and represent its interests internally and externally. She or he shall be the chairperson of the Directorate and the members' meeting. She or he shall have a deputy.
2. The Director and her/his deputy shall be elected by the Directorate from among its professorial members for two years. Re-election is possible.
3. The functions of the Director shall include in particular
   • taking responsibility for the appropriate allocation of funds and compliance with the overall budget of the BGHS;
   • calling and chairing of meetings of the Directorate and members' meetings;
   • reporting on her/his decisions to the Directorate of the BGHS;
   • informing the members of the Graduate School;
4. The Director shall be supported by the BGHS office.
5. If the Director leaves office early or is unable to carry out the duties of her/his office, the Directorate elects a successor without delay. Until the election, the Deputy Director shall take over as Acting Director. If this should prove impracticable, the Directorate shall appoint a member of the Directorate to take over as Acting Director. Analogous rules shall apply to the office of Deputy Director.
6. The Directorate may remove the Director by electing a successor by a two-thirds majority in accordance with section 2.

Article 8
Members' Meeting

1. The Members' Meeting is convened and chaired as a rule once a year by the Director.
2. The Members' Meeting has to be convened when at least half the members of the Directorate or a third of the members demand such a meeting.
3. The Members' Meeting
   • advises and supports the Directorate in all matters of importance to the Graduate School;
   • deliberates on the further development of the Graduate School; and
   • initiates if necessary the dissolution of the BGHS.

Article 9
Representation of the Doctoral Students

1. The doctoral students elect once a year two representatives from among themselves to the Directorate of the BGHS.
2. The representatives ensure that through their presence in the Directorate the interests of the doctoral students are represented and that they are consulted in the drawing up of the School's programme. For this purpose, additional members from the group of doctoral students may be elected for specific areas, such as the interests of foreign students or social and cultural matters.

Article 10
The Office

1. The Office shall be in charge of the organisation of the functions of the BGHS and supports the Director, her/his Deputy and the Directorate.

Article 11
Resolutions, Elections and Records

1. The bodies of the BGHS shall form a quorum when, having been properly convened, at least half of the voting members are present. All members are eligible to vote under Article 4, sections 1a-c. In the case of resolutions of the Directorate, the votes of the members of the Directorate shall be weighted in accordance with Article 6, sections 1a-b. If at a meeting a quorum cannot be formed, the quorum is deemed to have been formed at the next meeting to be called irrespective of the number of persons present subject only to the proviso that special attention has been drawn to this circumstance in the convening notice.
2. Unless otherwise stated in this Constitution, decisions by the bodies of the BGHS are taken by simple majority of the votes cast. Abstentions shall be counted as votes not cast. In the event of a tied vote the motion is rejected. On the motion of one member, voting must be by secret ballot.
3. In their standing orders, the members of the Directorate may agree to take decisions by circular resolution.
4. Minutes of the meetings of the bodies of the BGHS shall be kept and made available to the members of the respective body, at the latest when the invitation is sent out for the next meeting. Minutes are considered passed when not appealed against two weeks after receipt.

Article12
Concept of Qualification/Doctoral Degree

1. The BGHS offers a study and research programme oriented towards its objectives (see Article 2), the implementation and quality control of which is in the hands of the Faculties involved. The details are specified in the respective effective doctoral degree regulations.
2. The academic supervision of the doctoral students shall be undertaken by the first and second supervisor. The composition of the supervisors may be changed in the course of the doctoral project for academic and non-academic reasons by mutual agreement of the parties involved and the Directorate.
The rights and duties of the supervisors and the supervised are specified in Article 5, the specifics are detailed in a separate supervision contract. Over and above the academic supervision, the BGHS offers additional measures to further the careers of its students. A special focus is also laid on measures to achieve equality of treatment.
3. The doctoral degree procedure is dealt with in the doctoral degree regulations of the appropriate faculty.

Article 13
Scholarships

1. The BGHS awards scholarships to doctoral students. The decision about the award shall be taken in a transparent selection process by the Directorate. The Directorate may delegate the decision to a committee. Maximum length of tenure shall be 3,5 years. Scholarships shall, as a matter of principle, be advertised internationally.
2. For scholarship students on maternity/paternity leave tenure may be extended.
3. In specially difficult circumstances (e.g. serious illness), scholarship students may have their tenure extended beyond 3,5 years. The length of tenure shall be decided on the merits of each case by the Directorate.

Article 14
Final regulations/Coming into Effect

1. Supplementary provisions and amendments to this Constitution shall be decided upon by the faculty meetings of the Faculty of History, Philosophy and Theology and the Faculty of Sociology.
2. This Constitution shall come into effect on the day after it has been published in the official gazette of the University of Bielefeld.

Executed on the basis of the decisions by the faculty meetings of the Faculty of Sociology and the Faculty of History, Philosophy and Theology of the University of Bielefeld.

Bielefeld, den 2. März 2009

Der Rektor der Universität Bielefeld Universitätsprofessor Dr. Dieter Timmermann