University Bodies

The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich represents the broader context within which our university policy operates. LMU is a public corporation, meaning it consists of various groups of individuals, such as students or professors.

In its decision-making structures, LMU is largely a group university: professors, academic staff, students, and other staff each form a group that sends representatives to university bodies, albeit in different numerical weights (often professors are in the majority). Other members of the university, such as lecturers or private lecturers, do not have this right - unless they additionally belong to one of the aforementioned groups.

Academic and other staff as well as students also have their own representative structures that support their representatives in the university bodies.

Thus, university policy processes take place on three levels:

• Central Bodies
• Faculty Bodies
• Student Representation

These are the organizational basic units of the university; they fulfill the tasks of the university regardless of the overall responsibility and competences of the central organs of the university for their area. However, these levels are also connected in numerous ways, exchange information, and are interdependent. Students are represented in most bodies, although usually not on a parity basis.

Central Bodies

University Management
The university management consists of the president, the four vice presidents, and the chancellor. They manage the ongoing business of the university, unless it is assigned to other institutions. In addition, there is the extended university management, which primarily serves as an advisory body and includes deans, a representative of academic staff, a representative of other staff, a representative of students, and the women's representative.

The president represents the university and implements the decisions of its bodies. He is elected by the university council and must demonstrate several years of experience in administration, economics, or science. He is represented by the vice president appointed by him. Legal and administrative matters are represented by the chancellor.

Senate

The Senate, alongside the university council, is the highest decision-making body of the university. It consists of ten representatives of professors, two representatives each of academic staff, other staff, students, and the women's representative of the university, as well as their permanent deputy. Members of the university management attend Senate meetings as advisors, and the two student deputies attend as guests.

The Senate decides, among other things, on matters of fundamental importance for research and the promotion of young academics, as well as for fulfilling the gender equality mandate. It decides or advises on:

• University statutes
• Proposals for the academic offerings
• Appointment procedures
• Fundamental questions of the library system and the allocation of students to Fachschaften.

In addition, it fills or elects, in accordance with the basic regulations, the permanent central committees, the board of trustees, and the university council, whereby it elects the university members itself and can confirm or reject the proposal for non-university members.

University Council

The new university council largely takes over the tasks of the previous extended senate. Unlike the latter, which consisted of the senate, deans, and additional group representatives, the university council is composed of half university members elected by the senate (including a student representative). The other members are proposed to the ministry of state for appointment through a complex procedure and must be personalities from science, culture, economics, and professional practice.

The university council is responsible for:

• The election of the president and the vice presidents
• Amendments to the basic regulations and
• Fundamental decisions in matters of science, study, and budget.

In case of a tie, the vote of the non-university chairperson of the university council is decisive, giving representatives from science, culture, and economics significant influence.

Central Student Contribution Commission

Twenty-five percent of the revenue generated by the university each semester through student contributions flows into a central commission. There, decisions are made on the financing of central measures such as the university library, central student advisory services, technical classroom equipment, and construction measures.

The Central Commission for the Allocation of Student Contributions is composed as follows:

• 1 representative of academic staff
• 1 representative of non-academic staff
• 1 women's representative
• 3 representatives appointed by the university management
• 6 students

The students are appointed in the winter semester by the Assembly of Fachschaften.

Faculty Bodies

Dean / Vice Dean / Student Dean
The dean, elected by the faculty council, represents the faculty to the extent that it is partially legally capable, implements the decisions of the faculty council, and manages the ongoing affairs of the faculty as well as matters assigned to it by the faculty council. The dean is particularly responsible for chairing the faculty council and the faculty student contribution commission. He is represented by the vice dean. In addition, each faculty elects one or more student deans, depending on its subject structure. They are responsible for evaluating courses, teaching reports, and organizing study matters.

Faculty Council

The faculty council of the Faculty of Language and Literature (Faculty 13) consists of 12 representatives of professors, four representatives of academic staff, two representatives of other staff, four representatives of students (one from English Studies), and the women's representative of the faculty. It decides on all matters of the faculty, unless they are assigned to another organ. It is particularly responsible for electing deans, vice deans, and student deans, filling faculty committees, giving opinions and conducting habilitation and appointment procedures, and adopting statutes concerning the faculty and matters of fundamental importance. Although it has lost some of its competencies with the introduction of departments, it is still almost solely responsible, for example, for:

• Promotion and habilitation procedures
• Appointment procedures
• The final enactment of study and examination regulations.

Departments / Department Management

A department constitutes a scientific operational unit. The Faculty of Language and Literature (Faculty 13), to which English Studies belongs, consists of three departments: A department manages all material, financial, personnel, and other resources assigned to it. For this purpose, offices are set up within the departments, led by an office manager / executive (in English Studies, this is Mrs. Schruff).

The highest decision-making body is usually the collegial management (or department management), which usually includes all professors. The management decides on all department matters, unless they are assigned to the office manager, the board, or individual departments. The department management elects an executive director to represent the department.

Unlike in most other departments, Fachschaften (student councils) are not represented in the department management of the Department of English and American Studies.

Faculty Commission on Student Contributions

The Faculty Commission on Student Contributions (FKS) decides on the use of student contributions allocated to the faculty according to its number of students. It is chaired by the dean of the faculty. The commission consists of six student representatives, a representative of the women's representative, a representative of academic staff, a representative of other faculty staff, a representative appointed by the professorial staff, the dean, and the student dean of the faculty. The commission meets several times per semester under the chairmanship of the dean.

Student Representation

Student Representation / Assembly of Fachschaften
The Assembly of Fachschaften is the "student parliament." It consists of representatives from all student councils of the university and meets every two weeks. Discussions focus on topics that affect all students at LMU. A central task of the Assembly of Fachschaften is to represent the interests of students to the public, university management, politics,