EGM Wednesday 16th January 2013

APUL – The Association of Professors of the University of Luxembourg

Minutes from the Extraordinary General Meeting

Wednesday, 16th January 2013,
room D.017 “Salle des Conseils” Kirchberg

Present: Raymond BISDORFF, Markus HESSE, Michel PAULY, Peter RYAN, Johan VAN DER WALT, Emil WEYDERT.
Excused: Sabine EHRHART, Olivier FRANCIS, Andreas HADJAR, Ute KARL, Pierre PICARD, Philippe POIRIER, Gian Maria TORE.
Very bad weather conditions: -6° and 15cm of fresh snow.

The meeting starts at 17h10

Agenda

A) Discussion of the current version of the UL Law revision as implied by the last modification project 6283-8 11.10.12

The revised text of the UL Law is presented and discussed. Inconsistencies, that remain in the text are highlighted. Several colleagues have commented the actual version of the UL law:

  1. Arthur LIMBACH-REICH is concerned with disabilities at Luxembourg University. The discussion leads to the conclusion that this issue should best be taken into account by the University Council when refactoring the UL studies regulations.
    It is decided to send in time an APUL letter in this sense to the University Council.
  2. Raymond BISDORFF recalls the Luxembourg leasehold regulation in view of a possible, regretful abandon of the Campus Kirchberg.
  3. Andreas HADJAR is concerned with the planned redefinition of the UL academic positions. A long discussion, continuing in the next agenda item, was devoted to the problematic Lecturer and Associate-Professor careers’ definitons.
  4. Raymond BISDORF commented the recent judgment of the Court of Appeal concerning the validity of all UL CDDs for academics and researchers (see here)

B) Preparation of an APUL position text concerning eventual amendments

Michel Pauly proposes a draft of a letter to be sent to the Parliament Members in order to make them take notice of the unsatisfactory definition of the UL academic positions.

After a thorough discussion, it is decided:
(1) to send a letter to the Parliament members with following revised content:
a) Add the inconsistencies that would remain in the UL Law revision with the actual version 8 of revision project 6283;
b) Abandon the original APUL request to drop the actual Associate-Professor position in favor of a unique category of Professor position divided in A (earkly stage) and B (senior) positions.
c) Instead, focus on reducing, when ever opportune, all inefficient competence discrimination between Professors and Associate-Professors that is forseen in the forthcoming UL Law revision.
d) Furthermore, let evolve lecturers, respectively associate-professors positions automatically into associate, respective full professors position after some years and appropriate scientific achievements.
(2) to circulate the draft of this letter project via the APUL website for comments to all colleagues before sending it out to the Parliament members.

The meeting ends at 18h30 in a frozen meeting room.