The current academic members of the Rectorate have been responsible for the operational management of the University of Liechtenstein since May 2020, together with the Administrative Director Markus Jäger. Ulrike Baumöl is stepping down for personal reasons. She would like to devote herself entirely to her academic activities in the field of information management and in particular to the focus on "organizational development in the digital transformation". Together with Ulrike Baumöl, Prof. Dr. Anne Brandl and Prof. Dr. Alexander Zimmermann, who are responsible for the Prorectorates for Research and Teaching, have also resigned from their secondary functions in the Rectorate. In the future, they intend to devote themselves fully to their professorships again.
Acting along strategic priorities
The University Council respects this step and thanks the departing members of the Rectorate for their achievements. Thanks to the chosen timing of the resignation, the interim newly composed Rectorate will be able to set the necessary strategic accents in time and systematically for the decisive key projects that are pending this year for the benefit of the university and the country.
The Rectorate will be reorganized into three areas of responsibility along the lines of the strategic priorities and key issues, which will simultaneously strengthen the Rectorate's ability to act in a targeted manner. The current Deputy Rector, Administrative Director Markus Jäger, will assume the function of Rector until further notice and will also continue to be responsible for the area of "Organization and Resources". As Chairman of the Senate and representative of the highest academic body, Prof. Dr. Stefan Seidel will assume the function of Vice-Rector for the area of "Academic Development," which includes research, teaching, and knowledge and technology transfer. Thirdly, for the upcoming important development phase of the university, the University Council sends its member Prof. Dr. iur. Monika Pfaffinger to the Rectorate as Vice-Rector for the area of "Governance and Culture". During her engagement in the Rectorate, Monika Pfaffinger's functions as a member of the University Council and Stefan Seidel's functions as Chairman of the Senate are suspended.
Focusing the Rectorate on strategic priorities
The management and organizational solution adopted by the University Council is forward-looking with regard to the key university-wide projects of the year, namely for the IT transformation project "unITed", the introduction of Schools as of 1. January 2023, the upcoming accreditations, as well as for the preparation of the performance report for the current funding period and the preparation of the next financial proposal to the state parliament for the period 2023-2027. The four strategic key topics have been presented to the academic bodies - the senate, the professoriate and the mid-level faculty - at the beginning of the year in personal discussions by the president of the university council.
The University Council would like to thank Markus Jäger, Stefan Seidel and Monika Pfaffinger for their high and responsible commitment and sees it very positively that the Senate, as the highest academic body, and the Rectorate, together with the University Council, are taking responsibility for the further development of the University of Liechtenstein.