Structure

The President is elected by the General Assembly for a period of four years and he/she is eligible for re-election once only. The President of the Association presides over the General Assembly and the Steering Committee and represents the Association in relation with third parties.

The Vice-President acts on behalf of the President in his/her absence, assuming the President’s duties. The Vice-President is designated by the Steering Committee from among its members.

The Steering Committee is the executive body of the Association: it meets at least twice per year, manages the activities of the Association, consults member universities regularly and is responsible for the implementation of the decisions of the General Assembly.

The Steering Committee is composed of the President and of up to five persons elected by the General Assembly, who must be engaged in the higher management of a member university on the day of their election. The Steering Committee is elected for a period of two years and its members may be re-elected twice. The composition of the Steering Committee respects, as far as possible, the geographical balance between the different regions of Europe, as well as gender balance.

The General Assembly is the supreme body of the Association: it determines the policy and takes all decisions concerning the organisation, the activities and the programmes of the UNICA network.

The General Assembly is composed of all the member universities and meets once per year.

Established in 1995, the Group of International Relations Officers usually meets twice per year at the annual UNICA IRO Meetings and at the CPs/IRO meeting during the UNICA General Assembly.

The Coordinator of the IRO Group is elected every 2 years and also assumes the role of IRO Observer to the UNICA Steering Committee: she/he participates in the UNICA Steering Committee meetings and discussions, representing IRO’s voice and reporting to the IRO Group about the decisions taken by the UNICA Board.

Working Groups on selected topics are one of the main instruments of the Network for encouraging the cooperation of Member universities. 

UNICA has currently seven active Working Groups, which organize annual/biennial workshops as well as online events and meetings.

Working Groups’ creation and functioning:

• The creation of a Working Group is decided by the Steering Committee or proposed to the Steering Committee by at least three Member universities.
• Each Working Group elects every two years one or two Coordinators from UNICA member universities, who are responsible for the annual planning and the organization of the activities of the Working Group, in collaboration with the Steering Committee, the UNICA Secretariat and the representatives of the other UNICA members participating in the Working Group.