Participation at the University Level
Executive Board
The University of Groningen is governed by the Executive Board (CvB). The Executive Board is ultimately responsible for the affairs of the entire university.

University Council
The Executive Board is supervised and advised, both solicited and unsolicited, by the University Council. Both staff and students participate in this official participation body. Student members are members of SOG, Lijst Calimero, or De Vrije Student.

Participation at the Faculty Level
Faculty Board
The University of Groningen comprises ten faculties. Each faculty is governed by a Faculty Board, comparable to the Executive Board at the university level. This board consists of the Dean (who also holds the Research portfolio), the Vice-Dean (who also holds the Education portfolio), and a Resource Portfolio. In addition, the Faculty Board has an advisory student member, the Student Assessor, who attends the Faculty Board meetings each year. Dorien Lekkerkerk is the student assessor of the Faculty Board. She represents the interests of all GMW students on the Faculty Board. Dorien Lekkerkerk also provides information to all other student representatives within the faculty (OCs, FRs, study associations). Because the advisory student member attends board meetings, she has extensive background knowledge of matters discussed by the Faculty Council and the program boards. This background knowledge allows her to help students from other participation bodies place issues within a broader context. This position thus serves as a bridge between the students and the faculty board.

Faculty Council
The participation body at the faculty level is the Faculty Council. It fulfills a role similar to the University Council. The Faculty Council consists of nine students and nine staff members. These members are elected by their own constituents during the Faculty Council elections, which take place annually in May. The student representative for each program within GMW has a contact person who maintains contact with the students of that program. The Faculty Council discusses a wide range of matters relating to education, research, human resources, and finances. There are several recurring topics, such as the Education and Examination Regulations (OER), but members can also contribute their own ideas on matters affecting the entire faculty.

Every month, the Faculty Council holds an official meeting with the Faculty Board and the Faculty Board’s student advisor. These meetings are open to the public and can be followed by anyone interested.

In addition, the student representatives often have two or more working groups. These working groups focus on a specific topic within the faculty, such as “Education,” “Communication,” or “Internationalization.” They carefully prepare initiative proposals or agenda items for the main meeting and undertake other activities related to the working group’s topic. The working groups may vary from year to year.

Participation at the Program Level
Program Director
The Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences (BSS) is organized into three programs: Psychology, Sociology, and Educational Sciences. Each program is managed by a Program Director. The program director, also known as the educational director, of Educational Sciences is Matthijs Warrens. He is responsible for day-to-day operations.

Program Committee
Each program also has its own participation body: the Program Committee. The Program Committee (OC) is legally appointed and aims to monitor the quality of the program. Within the OC, students and lecturers discuss education together. The OC has 12 members: 6 lecturers and 6 students. The members are a good representation of those involved in the program. The term of office for the student members and lecturers is a maximum of 2 years and begins on September 1st. The chair of the OC is appointed by the lecturer section. The student section appoints a vice-chair each year. This student also chairs their own section.

To promote the quality of education, the OC can issue informal and formal recommendations. Such advice from the OC is legally required when the Faculty Council establishes the Education and Examination Regulations (OER). The OC has been granted the right of approval on several matters of the OER. Furthermore, the OC discusses the course evaluations of negatively assessed courses taught during each block and advises the Director of Studies on the approach. During this discussion, both the results of the evaluation forms and the annual reports are considered. Finally, the OC decides on which aspects of education it wishes to issue formal advice. These recommendations are addressed to the Director of Studies or the Faculty Board.

Yearly Representations
Within each program, there is a Yearly Representation for a number of years. These Yearly Representations are not an official participation body, but nevertheless play a significant role in the participation process. Unlike other participation bodies, the Yearly Representations consist solely of students. The Yearly Representations resolve issues in the courses in their respective year and write evaluations of each course. These evaluations are discussed with the relevant lecturer(s), the Director of Studies, and the Program Committee. We have a Yearly Representation for Years 1, 2, and 3 of Educational Sciences, a Yearly Representation for Years 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the AOLB, and a Yearly Representation for the Masters in Special Education and Educational Sciences. The junior members contact the instructor several times per block, allowing for proper discussion of the evaluation and any minor adjustments made earlier in the course. So, if you have any complaints or comments about a course or instructor, the year representative is a good source of information!

Other Bodies
Examination Board (EC)
The Examination Board monitors the correct application and compliance with the regulations. The board consists of several examiners from the program and is appointed by the Faculty Board. There is an Executive Board (DB), consisting of the chair and secretary. This DB meets weekly, except for a few weeks around Christmas and a few weeks in July and August. The Examination Board assesses requests for exemptions, recognition of electives and courses taken abroad, and applications for the final examination.