The new lineup of the board of governors of the Tallinn University of Technology (TTU) is scheduled to meet on Thursday, July 30, and the items on the agenda of the meeting include election of the chairman of the board of governors, endorsing rector-elect Jaak Aaviksoo in the office or appointing a caretaker rector for up to one year, as well as making proposals as regards the TTU development plan for 2016-2020.
The government last week endorsed Anneli Heinsoo, Ulo Jaaksoo, Vaino Kaldoja, Robert Kitt and Gunnar Okk as members of the 11-strong board of governors following the resignation of four members of the board and recalling of one member.
Ardo Kamratov, vice chairman of the board of governors, said that in the new lineup of the board there are four members of the Academy of Sciences and nine current or former members of the academic staff of TTU, including seven current or former professors.
"I dare say that all members of the board of governors represent either through their day-to-day activity or connections specific areas of activity of the university and interest groups," Kamratov said. "Thus the processes taking place in connection with the election of the rector represent struggle within the university that is characteristic of an academic institution. I hope that in the future also speculations concerning political bias and use of political and economic influence will be lifted," he added.
The previous lineup of the board of governors on May 22 elected Jaak Aaviksoo, member of the Academy of Sciences, rector of TTU with eight votes.
Following allegations by four members of the board that they had voted against Aaviskoo, which if true would have meant that Aaviksoo did not garner he required majority of votes, four government-appointed members of the board of governors -- Sandor Liive, Toomas Luman, Anneli Heinsoo and Robert Kitt -- resigned at the beginning of July. As a result of the resignations the endorsement of Aaviksoo in the new job became impossible.
On the proposal of Minister of Education and Research Jurgen Ligi, the government at its Cabinet sitting last week accepted the resignation of Heinsoo, Kitt, Liive and Luman, and recalled a fifth member of the board, Heiti Haal. It then reappointed Heinsoo and Kitt as members of the board of governors and appointed Ulo Jaaksoo, Vaino Kaldoja and Gunnar Okk to fill the three remaining seats.
Of the 11 members of the TTU board of governors the council of TTU appoints five members and the Academy of Sciences one member. The remaining five members are appointed by the minister of education and research after the two former have announced their appointments.