1. Centralisation versus
decentralisation and student
participation
Antoon Boon
Rector’s Office + Educational
Policy Unit
Rector’s Office
29/11/2005

2. Institutional background
• K.U. Leuven: process towards
decentralisation since 2001 :
- central level : responsible for general
policies;
- new decision making and coordination
level : groups of faculties;
- executive level : faculties/departments
Rector’s Office
29/11/2005
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3. Legal background
• Decree (= Law) of 19 March 2004
concerning students’ rights, participation in
higher education and…
• Each institution has to choose between
one of the following models :
- co-decision;
- concertation.
Rector’s Office
29/11/2005
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4. Legal background
• Co-decision model :
(representatively elected) students have
the right to be a member in each body
taking decisions concerning :
1° strategic policy of the institution :
a) enlargement, scaling down or closing of institution or important part thereof;
b) closing of cooperationships with other institutions; devolution of competencies to
other institutions or organisation of decentralised structures.
c) the programming of educational programmes ;
2° the general educational policy, in particular educational innovation and
improvement;
3° research policy ;
4° internationalisation policy ;
5° policy concerning allocation of budgets.
Rector’s Office
29/11/2005
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5. Legal background
• Co-decision model :
(representatively elected) students have
the right to be a member in each body
taking decisions concerning in particular :
1° regulations concerning students’ rights and the educational and
examination regulations;
2° the levels of student fees and the spending proposals;
3° initiatives of student counseling;
4° regulations of international student mobility;
5° organisation of academic year, including holidays.
Rector’s Office
29/11/2005
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6. Legal background
• Concertation model :
a) university/institution has the obligation to consult with
representatives of the student body concerning the same
topics as determined for codecision at least once a year;
b) for the more specific topics (second list above) formal
concertation has to be done between university
management and student body;
c) for the more general topics student body has the right
to formulate advise; university management has to reply
formally and motivate if it doesn’t take advise into
account
Rector’s Office
29/11/2005
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7. Organisational chart
central level
Founding authority
Board of Management
University Hospitals
Executive Bureau
Rector
General Manager
Vice-rector Kortrijk
Vice-rectors Groups
Vice-presidents
Academic Council
Rector’s Office
29/11/2005
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8. Organisational chart
central level
Board of Management = Executive Bureau + Persons not
belonging to the university (2005 onwards : + representatives
of students)
Academic Council = Executive Bureau + Deans +
Representatives of professors, assistents, students and
administrative personnel
Executive Bureau : rector, general manager, vice-rectors (4) and
vice-presidents (at most 3) (2005 onwards : + representative
of students)
Rector’s Office
29/11/2005
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9. Organisational chart
relation central-decentral before 2005
Board of Management
- Academic Council
- Executive Bureau
Faculties
- Council (i.e. general parliament with all professors;
representatives of assistents, students)
- Bureau (dean, small selection of professors, possibility to
invite assistents or students for matters concerning them)
- Departments (with council and bureau) coordinating research
matters;
- Permanent educational committees (with programme director)
Rector’s Office
29/11/2005
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10. Organisational chart
central-decentral since 2005
Board of Management
- Academic Council
- Executive Bureau
Groups
- Executive Committee (vice-rector, deans of faculties and
small selection of professors (elected or because of their
function); representatives of assistents and students
- Council (dean; representatives of professors (heads of
departments or elected), assistents and students) : controlling
function
- If need be : General assembly (dean, all professors,
representatives of assistents and students) : controlling
Rector’s Office
29/11/2005
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11. Organisational chart
central-decentral since 2005
Group executive committee
- Council
- General assembly
Faculties (responsible for education; research in humanities) and
departments (responsible for research in exact and
biomedical sciences)
- Executive bureau
- Eventually council (with reduced power : controlling agency)
- Permanent educational committees (with programme director)
Rector’s Office
29/11/2005
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12. Working principles : e.g. education
•
Academic Council :
- central policies (e.g. : bachelor-master reform; quality assurance
system; flexibilisation of curricula);
- final approval of concrete programme proposals by faculties (until
2005); final approval of programme proposals by groups (from 2005
onwards);
• Group executive committee :
- proposals for educational programmes (over faculties and groups)
(from 2005 onwards);
- approval of concrete proposals by faculties (from 2005 onwards);
• Faculties :
- proposals for educational programmes
- concrete implementation
Rector’s Office
29/11/2005
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13. Organisation : administrative
support (e.g. education)
Vice-president teaching
Educational Policy Unit
Teaching support office
Rector’s Office
Study Advice Centre
AV-Net (Audiovisual
Services/Distant Teaching)
29/11/2005
Institute for Teacher Training
13
Continuing Education Office

14. Organisation : advisory structures
(e.g. education)
Vice-president teaching
Educational Council
Advisory Council for
ict and education
Standing committee for
reform of educational
programmes
Committee for marketing
Committee for flexibilisation
of study programmes
Steering committee for
bachelor-master reform
Task force Quality
Assurance
Task force
Tenure
Task force
Study guidance
Committee for projects of
Innovation in education
Rector’s Office
29/11/2005
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15. relation central and decentral
new “external factor”
• K.U. Leuven
association
General meeting
1/3 “hogescholen”
1/3 university
1/3 co-opted members
Board of directors
K.U. Leuven
Rector’s Office
29/11/2005
Board of directors
Hogeschool 1
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Board of directors
Hogeschool n

16. relation central and decentral
influence association
• Central level :
- policy making (e.g. agreement on profiles
of programmes serving for students willing
to start academic masters after
professional bachelor programmes);
- approval in concrete situations :
(e.g. approval of new educational
programmes must be agreed on within
association)
Rector’s Office
29/11/2005
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17. relation central and decentral
influence association
• decentral level :
- policy making (e.g. development of new
programmes : influence of partners);
- approval in concrete situations :
(e.g. negotations on content and size of
step up programmes through working
committees)
Rector’s Office
29/11/2005
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18. Organisational chart
conclusions
• One university
• One central policy
• Many realities
Rector’s Office
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19. Organisational chart
- student participation
• University and students have chosen for codecision model (less bureaucratic)
• Students are represented by elected
representatives at each level of the university
(board of management -> academic council ->
group structures -> faculty level)
• As co-managers students have agreed upon
discretion concerning personal matters
Rector’s Office
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20. Organisational chart
- student participation
• Two “exceptions” on co-decision practice :
- in agreement students can decide not to
participate on certain person-related decisions;
- for each decision body, other members
(students excluded) can decide to prepare
meeting separately
Rector’s Office
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21. Organisational chart
conclusions student participation
• Leuven was lagging behind in student
participation :
a) state organised universities : participation was
already obligatory;
b) “free” universities (although subsidised
equally) : freedom of organisation guaranteed by
constitution, but most had already implemented
participation at most levels
• From 2005 onwards students are full members
at all important decision levels
Rector’s Office
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