Since 2022, the academic mid-level has had its own representation on the Board of the University Association. You can find the current representative on the following website: MOL Representatives.

What is the University Association?

The University Association was founded in 1997 with the purpose of representing the idea of a University of Lucerne towards politics and society. With the clear approval of the University Law by the Lucerne electorate in 2000 and the associated transformation of the previous college into a university, the University Association achieved its first major success.

After the university was founded, the work of the University Association shifted to creating the most advantageous conditions possible for research and teaching at the University of Lucerne. An important success in this regard was the approval of the loan for the conversion of the former post office building into the current university location in 2006.

The University Association was also significantly involved in the vote on the revised University Law in 2014, which enabled the establishment of the Faculty of Economics. At that time, another revision of the University Act was pending. This included the expansion of the university to include a Faculty of Behavioural Sciences and Psychology. In addition, the existing Department of Health Sciences and Medicine was transformed into a faculty. Here, too, the University Association lobbied for the expansion plans.

Another focus of the association's activities is financial support. On the one hand, the University Association is involved in lobbying third-party funding sources and the state (especially the sponsoring canton) for sufficient financial resources for teaching and research. On the other hand, the association can also provide some funds itself if necessary. For example, the University Association has co-financed the bridging fund for students (Corona hardship fund). Some of these funds are also currently benefiting students from Ukraine.

Members of the academic mid-level are probably also familiar with the University Association through the Dissertation Prize, which is awarded annually per faculty. The dissertation prizes are ceremonially awarded on the occasion of the Dies Academicus.

Who makes up the Executive Board?

According to the statutes, the Executive Board consists of seven to eleven members, currently there are ten. The term of office is generally four years. The only stipulation in the statutes is that the board must include the rector and a representative of the students. This made it possible for the University Association to include a representative from the Mittelbau for the first time after a representative from the professorial body had left. The corresponding candidate could be elected by all members of the Mittelbau and was then proposed to the General Assembly of the University Association, which elected him or her to office at the last General Assembly.

Participation in the University Association

You don't have to be a board member to be involved in the University Association! The University Association currently has about 1,200 members. Anyone who is interested can become a member of the association, so all members of the Mittelbau can join the university association at any time. The membership fee is currently very low at CHF 25/year for individual members. As a member of the association, you can also take part in the annual general assembly. The General Assembly is always accompanied by an exciting lecture. In 2022, for example, Federal Judge Prof. Dr. Julia Hänni spoke about the work at the Federal Supreme Court. In addition, the general assembly is followed by an aperitif, which is an ideal opportunity to exchange ideas with the other members of the association.

Membership of the University Association thus not only offers the opportunity to champion the University's concerns, it is also an ideal platform for making interesting contacts in Central Switzerland and networking with personalities from science, civil society, politics and culture. The MOL representative will therefore increasingly advertise for association membership among academic mid-level members in the coming years.

Further links:

Website of the university association on the Unilu homepage
Statutes of the association
Membership form