STATUTE FOR THE CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 327.442

STATUTE FOR THE CENTRE FOR

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

8th January, 2013

LEGAL NOTICE 7 of 2013.

The title of this Order is the Statute for the Centre for

Environmental Education and Research.

In this Statute, unless the context otherwise requires

"the Board" shall mean the Board of the Centre for

Environmental Education and Research;

"the Centre" shall mean the Centre for Environmental Education

and Research.

The Centre for Environmental Education and Research is

hereby established as an institution within the University of Malta.

The Centre seeks to catalyse change towards a sustainable

society by providing opportunities for environmental education that

empower citizens, irrespective of age, gender and socio-economic

status, to actively participate in environmental decision-making

fora and in initiatives that promote a good quality of life.

The Centre shall serve as a central repository and diffuser

of information and research in the area of Environmental Education

and Education for Sustainable Development, in the Euro-

Mediterranean region. In pursuit of these aims, the Centre shall

(a) carry out and co-ordinate initiatives;

(b) administer and deliver postgraduate courses;

(c) increase the opportunity for research;

(d) undertake to render scientific and technological

research results more widespread and accessible; and

(e) facilitate resource transfer and capacity building in

Malta and in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

The Centre will be structured primarily around the three

main sectors of environmental education: the formal, non-formal

and informal sectors thus ensuring a diverse research pool that is

flexible enough to allow its set-up to respond to a wider range of

current and emerging research needs in the community.

The Centre shall be governed by a Board that shall consist

of the following

(i) Chairman: Rector or his delegate;

(ii) Vice-Chairman: Director of the Centre;

(iii) a person appointed by the Council of the

University;

(iv) a person appointed by the Senate of the

CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

University;

(v)

up to two representatives of the academic staff

lecturing or conducting research within the

Centre;

(vi)

up to two representatives of the students

registered with the Centre; and

(vii)

up to two scholars of repute to be recommended

by the Board and approved by Senate.

The Registrar or his delegate shall act as Secretary to the

All members of the Board, other than those appointed ex

officio, the two representatives of the academic staff and the two

representatives of the students shall be appointed for a period of

one year, renewable for up to four years. A retiring member will be

eligible for re-appointment.

The function of the Board shall be

(a) to govern the affairs of the Centre, subject to the

provisions of these statutes and of such regulations,

policies or directions as may from time to time be

approved by the Council and the Senate;

(b) to decide the policy of the Centre, to supervise its

activities and administration, and without prejudice to

the generality of the foregoing, the Board may

(i)

approve business plans and annual estimates of

revenue and expenditure of the Centre for

consideration and approval by the Council;

(ii) with the written concurrence of the Rector, enter

into agreements with third parties for funding of

the Centre or of particular activities;

(iii) publish an annual report;

(iv) enrol the Centre in associations or institutions

sharing similar aims and interests;

(v) propose Regulations and Bye-Laws to the

Senate;

(vi) require from staff members of the Centre the

production of reports on academic matters,

including the curricula of courses of study,

qualifications for admission to courses,

examinations, and certificates of attendance or

qualification;

(vii)

recommend to the Council the creation or

abolition of academic and non-academic posts in

the Centre;

(viii) propose for approval to the Senate, Boards of

Studies and Examiners for postgraduate courses.

The Centre shall have a Director and staff as follows

(a) the Director of the Centre shall be appointed according

to the procedure for the appointment of Directors of

CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

Institutes and Centres as approved by the Council of

the University, for a duration of one year, with the

possibility of renewal annually subject to established

performance criteria, the needs of the Centre and the

needs of the University, for a total period not

exceeding four (4) years; and

(b) the staff of the Centre shall be appointed by the

University according to usual practice.

The duties of the Vice-Chairman/Director shall include

(a) promoting the development and implementation of the

Centre’s curricula and research programmes;

(b) compiling and submitting to the Registrar of the

University by not later than January of each academic

year, an updated comprehensive prospectus of the

content descriptions of all current and projected study-

units offered by members of the Centre as per

guidelines established by the Programme Validation

Committee;

(c) ensuring that the study-units offered by the staff

members of the Centre are delivered in accordance

with the advertised programme of studies; the Director

must ensure that lecturing staff under his remit deliver

all lectures, seminars and tutorials assigned to them

respectively, at the time and venue advertised in the

official timetable, and that any deviations thereof are

formally registered, and the students duly notified in

good time;

(d) delivering and implementing the strategic plan of the

Centre;

(e) administering the Centre in full consultation with the

members; monitoring and approving requests for leave

of absence of members of the Centre; the Director is

expected to maintain records of all leave taken by

members and to pass on these records to the Director

of Human Resources Management and Development

upon request;

(f)

promoting students’ academic and personal welfare,

providing first-line support to students with any

difficulties they may encounter during their studies

related to the activities of the Centre;

(g) monitoring the running of examinations in the Centre

and ensuring that all assessment and examination

results are submitted to the Registrar’s office as

follows

•

January session - by the end of March;

•

May/June session - final year results by not later

than two working days prior the final year

degree classification board but in any case not

later than end of July, other results as early as

possible but not later than the end of July;

CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

•

September session - by the end of September;

(h) encouraging and facilitating co-operation with other

universities and other institutions;

(i)

chairing meetings of the Board in the absence and with

the permission of the Chairman;

(j)

ensuring and facilitating the further development and

training of academic and non-academic staff;

(k) participating at any meeting of the University

congruent with the post;

(l)

representing the Centre during official functions of the

University;

(m) compiling and submitting to the Secretary of the

University by the end of September of each academic

year, an annual report outlining the activities of the

Centre for the outgoing year, which should include,

amongst others, information that may be requested by

the Secretary: a comprehensive list of recent

publications of all members of the Centre; a synopsis

of all projects involving members of the Centre which

are wholly or partially externally funded; a list of all

conferences/seminars/meetings attended abroad by

members of the Centre during term time; and an

outline of the Centre’s collaboration with third parties

including local industry, Government or civil society

at large;

(n) compiling and submitting to the Director of Finance of

the University by not later than end of May of each

academic year budgetary estimates for the following

year including a manpower plan for the Centre, to

cover the projected teaching, research and

administration workload of the Centre, and based on

the projected workload for each Resident Academic

member of the Centre and Visiting Teaching Staff;

monitoring the performance of the non-academic staff

attached to the Centre;

(p) authorising the Centre’s procurement of equipment;

ensuring that the resources assigned to the Centre -

whether human or other - are utilized fully and

efficiently;

(q) performing other duties which may be assigned by the

University from time to time.

The Director moreover

(a) is to report directly to the Chairman of the Board

governing the Centre and shall collaborate with all

senior administrative officers of the University;

(b) shall normally be a Resident Academic engaged with

the University on a full-time basis for the duration of

his tenure as Director. If the Centre is engaged in

undergraduate or postgraduate taught programmes of

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study then the Director must be engaged with the

University as a Resident Academic on a full-time

basis;

(c) should not be engaged in any other activity outside the

University which may be in conflict with, or distract

him from, his duties at the University;

(d) is expected to be present on campus or any designated

University of Malta site at least during normal office

hours from Monday to Friday throughout the year

subject to the exigencies of an academic in accordance

with the University’s practices and needs and subject

to normal leave entitlement and public holidays as

provided for at law; should his absence be necessary

and justified he must ensure that he is immediately

contactable through the secretarial staff of the Centre;

(e) shall not give access to any information to any third

party that is not associated with the University of

Malta, about any work or data that relates to tasks

conducted at the University of Malta without the prior

approval of the University of Malta; all work carried

out within the Centre must be treated according to

Maltese data protection legislation;

(f)

is to abide with the statutes, regulations and policies of

the University of Malta, which are in force now or will

become effective in the duration of his tenure.

The Director of Finance of the University shall be the

Treasurer of the Centre.