Organisational Structure
Berliner Institut für Islamische Theologie (Berlin Institute for Islamic Theology) will be established as a Central Institute at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Following the opening of the Institute by a faculty, it will take independent responsibility in carrying out appointment processes, drafting course and examination requirements, and awarding academic degrees.
The Central Institute will initially be established with four professorships. In addition, application has been made to the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for two further professorships and two junior research groups. Approval of the application is still pending. Per paragraph 29 of the statutes of the HU (VerfHU), professorships from other faculties can be associated with the Central Institute by way of a secondary appointment.
Founding/ Appointment Committee
Doctoral Process and Habilitation
Three associations (Die Islamische Gemeinschaft der schiitischen Gemeinden Deutschlands e.V., der Zentralrat der Muslime in Deutschland e.V. und die Islamische Föderation in Berlin e.V.), instead of five – as originally planned – are represented in the Advisory Board of the Berlin Institute for Islamic Theology. Per the rules of the Cooperation Agreement, the inclusion of other associations is possible.
With regard to the Advisory Board of the Institute, it was determined that, per § 3 sec. 6 of the Cooperation Agreement, the voting members of the Advisory Board and their representatives are appointed by the member of the Senate responsible for higher education. Needless to say, no persons will be appointed who are known in the past, for example, to have taken positions that are incompatible with Germany’s Basic Law and its free and democratic fundamental order.
Founding/ Appointment Committee↑
The joint Founding/Appointment Committee is set up by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and the appointment process for the four – or, in the case of a positive outcome of the application to the BMBF, six – professorships is carried out by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. Among others, the Appointment Committee should include members of those faculties in which appointed professors will have a secondary appointment. The attribution of a secondary appointment of the professors to a faculty will take place with the setting up of the Appointment Committee following discussions with the faculties in question. Per paragraph 29 of the Berlin Higher Education Act (BerlHG), following adoption of the lists by the Faculty Board of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, a decision is to be obtained from the Faculty Board of the faculty in which a secondary appointment is to be made.
In the case of later appointments, after the first four (six) professorships have been filled, per paragraph 74 of the Berlin Higher Education Act (BerlHG), joint appointment committees will be set up by the Central Institute Board and the Faculty Board of the faculty to which the professorship or junior professorship is supposed to be attributed.
Four of the members of the Founding-Appointment Committee are faculty members associated with the Central Institute by way of a secondary appointment and constitute the faculty representatives on the Institute Board for the start-up phase.
The Institute Board will be composed of four professors, as well one person each from the membership groups of academic staff, students, and service, technology and administrative staff with positions at the Central Institute. The members from each group are to be elected. In the start-up phase, the members from the groups of academic staff, students, and service, technology and administrative staff are named by the representatives of the member groups of the Faculty Board of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities on the recommendation of the Founding Commissioner.
Together with the Strategic Planning Commission (EPK), a committee under the leadership of the Founding Director will elaborate statutes. The statutes will be adopted by the Institute Board of the Central Institute formed during the start-up phase. The statutes provide for the election of the members of the Institute Board after the four professorships have been filled.
In order to make it possible for classes to start in the winter semester 2019-20, the aim is to have first course requirements (in particular, for the bachelor’s programme) elaborated by a committee under the direction of the Founding Director, together with external specialists in the discipline. The Teaching and Learning Commission (LSK) will be involved in the elaboration of the course requirements. The Institute Board formed in the start-up phase will adopt the course requirements.
Doctoral Process and Habilitation↑
In keeping with the White Paper, students should be provided the possibility to obtain the doctorate degree by way of an individual process; per paragraph 83 of the Berlin Higher Education Act (BerlHG) in conjunction with paragraph 71 of the BerlHG, the Central Institute (ZI) is the holder of the right to confer the doctorate and the right to confer the Habilitation. The Concilium Decanale will come to an agreement on the doctoral title to be confered, as well as on the basic process. Since the entry into force of the 20 May 2011 Law on the Modernisation of Access to Higher Education and on Quality Assurance in Studies and Examinations, doctoral requirements no longer have to be approved by the Senate administration, but rather by the President’s Office of each university. Following their adoption by the Institute Board of the Central Institute (ZI), the doctoral requirements will be submitted to the Research and Young Academics Commission (FNK) for its opinion. If the opinion of the FNK is positive, the draft will be presented to the President’s Office for approval.
Given the size of the Central Institute and the particularities that arise from its theological orientation, the possible drafting of doctoral requirements should only take place after the four (six) professorships have been filled by the Institute and the Institute Board has been elected. Per paragraph 29 sec. 2, a secondary appointment of members of other faculties gives the appointees all rights to participate in the academic self-management of the Central Institute. The same applies also for the Habilitation requirements.