The Senate is responsible for all fundamentally important matters affecting the entire university, unless otherwise stipulated by the University Act of Rhineland-Palatinate or the Charter of the University. Its tasks include:
- Issuing the Charter of the University and adopting additional university statutes
- Making decisions about the establishment, modification, or discontinuation of degree programs
- Making decisions on fundamentally important research issues
- Approving the faculties’ proposals for the appointment of professors
- Deciding on the awarding of central university honors
- Electing the president, the chancellor, and the vice presidents
- Appointing the university’s equality commissioner
- Determining the university’s overall development plan
Further responsibilities arise from section 76 subsection 2 of the University Act of Rhineland-Palatinate.
for JGU members
The Senate may form committees and then charge them with deliberating and deciding on individual tasks in accordance with section 72 subsection 1 of the Rhineland-Palatinate University Act. According to section 72 subsection 2 of the University Act, the committees with decision-making power must include a majority of faculty members and at least one student, one academic staff member, and one employee from the administration or the technics department.
The students’ term is 1 year; the other members have terms of 3 years unless otherwise stipulated by the University Act or the Charter of the University in accordance with section 40 subsection 2 of the University Act.