Requirements for Appointment

Rector

 Rector is the highest academic authority of higher education institution and she/he is the legal representative for academic and protocol issues in compliance with the present law provisions. The rector has a four-year long mandate. He serves in office for one mandate, with the right of re-election for one additional mandate. After the mandate ends, she/he continues to be part of the basic unit staff where she/he carries out her/his academic activity.

The President of the Republic decrees the higher education institution rector of in compliance with the current law provisions.

In the case when a public university is created, the President of the Republic appoints its rector for a one-year mandate during which she/he is on charge for organizing and conducting the general elections of that institution within that mandate. In the case when one rector leaves for legitimate reasons or fails to fulfil the mandate, the minister responsible for education appoints one of the vice rectors as acting rector for a maximum term of six months with the purpose of organizing elections in the institution.

Dean

The main unit head is the faculty dean, the director of scientific research institute, when the institute meets the standards of a main unit, and director of higher vocational education college, in cases when the latter is created in affiliation with the higher education institutions of a university or college.

The head is the highest academic authority of the main unit and its representative. She/he coordinates the basic unit activities, the main unit collective bodies and settles their disputes.

In public higher education institutions, she/he is elected by the assembly of the academic staff of the main unit and its students. The students’ votes in the election process for the unit head are awarded a 10% share in the total number of votes. The respective HEI statute stipulates the specific selection criteria for the running candidates.

The unit head mandate lasts four years. She/he serves in office for one mandate, with the right of re-election for one additional mandate. After the mandate ends, she/he continues to be a member of the basic unit where she/he conducts her/his academic activity. In public higher education institutions, the rector appoints as the main unit head the candidate who wins the elections.

Department Head

The basic unit head is the head of department or of scientific research centre. She/he represents the governing academic body of that unit. In public higher education institutions, she/he is elected by the academic staff assembly of the basic unit. In non-public higher education institutions, she/he is elected or appointed pursuant to the terms provided by the institution statute.

In public higher education institutions, the main unit head appoints as the basic unit head the candidate who wins the elections. In the case when a new basic unit is createdin a public higher education institution or in the case when a new higher education institution is created, its head is appointed by the dean for a mandate that lasts until elections for the basic unit head are conducted.

The candidates for the basic unit head are required to be academic staff of ‘Professor’ category or holders of the scientific ‘Doctor’ (‘Ph.D.’), a degree received in a OECD member State or EU country universities. In the case when there are no such candidates, the lector is allowed to run for the head position when she/he holds the ‘Doctor’ scientific degree. The respective HEI statute provides for the specific selection criteria of running candidates. The basic unit head may serve in office for a four-year mandate, with the right of re-election for one additional mandate. After the end of the mandate, she/he continues to be a member of the academic staff of the basic unit where she/he conducts her/his academic activities.

6.2 Service Conditions

Each higher education institution provides separately the further details on managing bodies’ selection, dismissal, responsibility and other service conditions in its statutes and regulations.

All the information above is taken based on law no 80/2015 "On higher education and scientific research in higher education institutions in the Republic of Albania"