Members / Contact

 

Term of office: 1 Oct. 2024 – 30 Sep. 2026 (student members: 1 Oct. 2024 – 30 Sep. 2025)

Deputy chairperson: Prof. Dr. Hinnerk Wißmann

 

Members

University professors

Prof. Dr. Marion Bönnighausen
Prof. Dr. Tobias Brandt
Prof. Dr. Heike Bungert
Prof. Dr. Alfons Fürst
Prof. Dr. Harald Hiesinger
Prof. Dr. Michael Klasen
Prof. Dr. Johannes Roth
Prof. Dr. Michael Schäfers
Prof. Dr. Petra Scheutzel
Prof. Dr. Christine Thomas
Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Timm
Prof. Dr. Hinnerk Wißman

Academic staff:

Dr. Eva Baumkamp
Ludger Hiepel
Prof. Dr. Philipp Lenz
Dr. Svenja Knopf

Students:

Wiebke Grunthal
Ronja Reese
Katarina Schütte
Hannah Wirtz

 

Technical and administrative staff:

Christina Maria Bertram
Astrid Heitmann
Lisa Mohr

 

Contacting your Senate representatives

The Senate of the University of Münster is comprised of various staff groups whose members and spokespersons are available for questions and suggestions regarding Senate decisions and activities.

If you are interested in participating in a Senate committee, or even a Rectorate committee, please contact the respective group spokesperson. New committee members are generally elected at the end of the term of office or during the first Senate session at the beginning of the new term of office. You can find the terms of office for each committee on its respective webpage and the dates of the upcoming Senate meetings on the Senate webpages.

Please send your emails, questions and petitions regarding Senate matters to the Office for Committee Support, Academic Affairs and Elections (Dept. 1.1):

Coordination/Administrative contact

Lena Mörtenkötter, Dept. 1.1
Tel: +49 251 83-21431
Schlossplatz 2, 48149 Münster

Meeting protocols

You can download the protocols of the public part of the Senate meetings here.

Dates of the upcoming Senate meetings /  Editorial plan for the submission of meeting documents

§ 20  Rules of procedure [de] of the Senate:
The Senate meetings – as subject to § 21 – are open to the public insofar as seating is available.

Wednesday, 09 October 2024, 2 pm Senatssaal
Wednesday, 11 December 2024, 2 pm Senatssaal
Wednesday, 29 January 2025, 2 pm Senatssaal

Wednesday,  09 April 2025, 2pm Aula des Schlosses
Wednesday,  04 June 2025, 2pm Aula des Schlosses
Wednesday,  16 July 2025, 2pm Aula des Schlosses

Wednesday, 15 October 2025, 2 pm Aula des Schlosses
Wednesday, 10 December 2025, 2pm Aula des Schlosses
Wednesday, 28 January 2026, 2pm Aula des Schlosses

 

 

 

 

Senate committees

The Senate has the authority within its scope of responsibilities to establish committees to carry out tasks which are limited in focus and duration. The composition of these committees should correspond to that of the Senate. Deviations of this rule may be permitted by the Senate if approved by the majority of the members of all groups.
The staff groups make suggestions on how the committees should be comprised.

 

 

General information

 

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the Senate are specified in the Higher Education Act and the statutes of the University of Münster. In accordance with §22 sect. 1 of the Higher Education Act, the Senate is responsible for the following matters:

  1. confirming the election of members to the Rectorate and making recommendations to the University Council regarding their dismissal
  2. issuing a statement in response to the annual report of the Rectorate
  3. enacting and amending the University statutes (constitution), framework ordinances and University regulations insofar as these do not conflict with provisions of the Higher Education Act
  4. making recommendations and stating positions on the Higher Education Development Plan and the target agreement, evaluation reports, the annual budget, the principles of allocating personnel and material funding to the faculties, central academic facilities, central business units and the medical facilities

The public part of the Senate meetings is open to the members, staff and employees of the University of Münster, press and broadcasters insofar as seating is available.

Composition

The Senate is comprised of 23 voting members (Art. 7 of the statutes of the University of Münster). These include:

  1. twelve representatives of the group of professors
  2. four representatives of the group of academic staff
  3. four representatives of the group of students
  4. three representatives of the group of technical and administrative staff

The following non-voting members are permitted to participate in the Senate meetings:

  • members of the Rectorate
  • heads of the faculties
  • Equal Opportunity Officer
  • Representative of the Severely Disabled
  • chairpersons of the Academic and Non-Academic Staff Councils
  • chairperson of the General Students' Committee (AStA)

Term of office

University professors, academic staff and non-academic staff in technical and administrative units are instated for two years (1 Oct. 2024 – 30 Sep. 2026) and student representatives for one year (1 Oct. 2024– 30 Sep. 2026).

Senate committees

The Senate has the authority within its scope of responsibility to establish committees to carry out tasks which are limited in focus and duration. The composition of these committees should correspond to that of the Senate. Abrogrations to this rule may be permitted by the Senate if approved by the majority of the members of all groups.
You can find a list of the current committees under the menu heading "Senate committees".
The staff groups make suggestions on how the committees should be comprised.

Legal framework

Higher Education Act of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia
Statutes [de] of the University of Münster
Rules of Procedure [de] of the Senate