Role and objectives

Staff

History

Location and facilities

Management and administration

Internal quality management programme

Procedural regulations

Management and administration

Hólar University College operates pursuant to the Act on Agricultural Education, no. 57/1999, with subsequent amendments. The University is under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture.

The following organisational chart shows the administrational structure of Hólar University College. Please use mouse-click for further information.

The administration of Hólar University College is assigned to the Board of Directors and the Rector.

The Board of Directors sets policy for instruction and research and shapes the University’s organisational structure. Decisions pertaining to the organisation of the University’s professional departments and the arrangement of its work are made by the Board of Directors.

The Rector of Hólar University College is the University’s highest-ranking representative vis-à-vis persons and institutions, both within the University and outside it. He or she is appointed for a term of five years, is the supervisor of the University’s administration, and is responsible for the preparation of work schedules and operational plans, and he or she ensures that these are approved by the Board of Directors. The Rector is in charge the University’s activities and takes the initiative in ensuring that the Board of Directors formulates overall policy in University affairs. The rector appoints all personnel.

The University’s Management team carries out daily operations and co-ordinates the work of divisions and departments. The Rector, the heads of the various departments, and the director of operations sit on the Management team.

At Hólar University College, there are three departments, each of which is responsible for the programmes of study and the educational and research projects within the department concerned.

The programmes of study across departments comprise the Universities division of academic affairs. The Rector appoints a divisional director for a term of two years. The director oversees the co-ordination of programmes of study. The employees of the division of academic affairs oversee student registration and academic records, assist the departments in admissions and the organisation of instruction, prepare curricula, and assist instructors. An academic committee is appointed by the Rector. The director of academic affairs is the chair of this committee. The academic affairs committee is responsible for quality management of studies and decides on improvements as needed, in co-operation with the senior administrators of the University. The academic affairs committee handles curricula for individual programmes of study, formulates rules on registration and monitoring of academic progress, and sets rules concerning admission requirements, academic evaluation, and assessment of other education. The academic affairs committee also oversees affairs related to technical aspects of study and handles affairs concerning collaboration with other university-level institutions. The academic affairs committee rules on matters of disagreement that may arise concerning the execution of teaching or academic evaluation.

The departments’ research activities constitute the division of research of the University. The Rector appoints a divisional director and a research committee for a term of two years. The committee oversees the co-ordination of research. The role of the research division is to provide assistance with applications and the management of research projects.

The study programmes at the Master’s and doctoral level form the division of graduate studies. The co-ordination of graduate studies within the University is in the hands of the director of the division of graduate studies, who is appointed by the Rector for a term of two years. Within the division is a graduate studies committee, which comprises one representative from each department, an expert from outside the University (who is appointed by the Rector), a representative of the graduate students, and the director of the division, who chairs the committee. The role of the graduate studies committee is to guarantee connections with other educational institutions and to take the initiative in co-ordinating academic programmes. The committee is also responsible for quality management as it relates to the various academic programmes.

The division of operations and service is supervised by the director of operations. This division includes, among other things, general office functions, human resources, finance, real estate administration, and the operation of support units such as, for instance, the library.

The Gudbrandur Thorláksson Institute is an independent research and educational institution of Hólar University College. It operates in parallel to the University’s divisions. The objective of the Institute is to enhance the level of knowledge in various scholarly fields, particularly theology, history, literature, archaeology, ethics, printing, ecclesiastical art, music, and visual art, as well as the natural science fields represented at both the University of Iceland and Hólar University College. The Institute is also the sponsor of vigorous musical and cultural activities at Hólar.

General Information

Aquaculture
and Fish Biology

Equine Science

Rural Tourism

Collaborators