Elections at SU spring 2026

In spring 2026, elections will be held for representatives of temporary academic staff to the Faculty Board and to elected bodies at the departments (department board/extended leadership group) at the Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences (SU). The election period runs from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027. In addition, by-elections will be conducted for other voter groups at ILU and IPS.

Norsk versjon: Valg ved SU

Information about by-elections for permanent academic staff at ILU and IPS can be found further down in the text.

Important dates

• Election to the Faculty Board: 11–13 May
• Department elections: 1–3 June
• Deadline for nominating candidates to the Faculty Board: 20 April
• Deadline for nominating candidates to department elections: 18 May

Eligibility

To be eligible for election, the candidate must have an employment contract covering the full election period, at minimum until 30 June 2027.

Candidates must also have excellent proficiency in Norwegian, equivalent to the requirements for admission to Norwegian-language study programmes and permanent academic positions. The language requirement is described in more detail in the election regulations.

The following persons are not eligible:

• Persons who have held the relevant position continuously for eight years
• Persons in leadership positions covered by § 4.3 of the election regulations
• Members of the election committee

One representative and one deputy representative shall be elected. To fulfil the election regulations’ requirements for gender balance, these must be of different genders. Elections can only be held when there are at least two nominated candidates of different genders.

More information

• Representatives for temporary academic staff are elected annually for a one-year term.
• Other members are elected for four years.
• One representative and one deputy representative for temporary academic staff are elected to the Faculty Board and to elected bodies at the departments.
• As a representative on the Faculty Board, you will also be a member of the faculty’s Appointment Committee (AU) and Research Committee (FU). The AU approves job descriptions and appointments for professorships, university lecturer, and associate professor positions.

Compensation

PhD candidates and postdoctoral fellows elected to positions at the faculty or department receive compensation. The main rule is paid extension of the employment period. If the candidate has remaining required duties (“pliktarbeid”), it may be agreed with the department that the elected position is included as part of this. Such positions may account for a maximum of three months of required duties.

For the Faculty Board:

• Representative: four weeks paid extension
• Deputy representative: two weeks paid extension

Details are described in a separate Dean’s decision.

For elected positions at the departments, the Supplementary Guidelines to the NTNU Regulations on Required Duties for PhD Candidates apply, recommending two weeks of compensation. Contact your department for further arrangements.

Nominate candidates

Do you know someone who would do a great job? It is the voters who must nominate candidates for the election.

Send proposals to valg@su.ntnu.no, including the following information:

• The candidate’s full name
• Which election the candidate is nominated for (Faculty Board or the relevant department)
• Which voter group the candidate represents

It is possible to run as a candidate both for the Faculty Board and for one’s department.

Each proposal must be supported by three people. The proposal must be submitted by one of the proposers, with the other two in copy (cc). The candidate must also be copied.

Employees standing for re-election, or for department elections, may submit their own candidacy.

Voter register

The voting system updates the voter register daily from NTNU’s personnel system. Check your registration by logging in to valgweb and clicking on your name.

You are eligible to vote in the voter group and unit where you hold your main position (at least 50%). If you are registered incorrectly, you must immediately contact your personnel manager, who will send updates to the personnel system.

Once you have cast your vote, it is registered according to your affiliation at the time. Votes already cast cannot be changed.

By-elections

The following by-elections will be held with the same election days and deadlines as the election for temporary academic staff:

ILU:

• 2nd and 3rd deputy representative for permanent academic staff (both must be male)
• Deputy representative for technical and administrative staff (primarily a male)

IPS:

• 3rd deputy representatives for permanent academic staff (primarily a male)

The representatives assume the position immediately and serve the remainder of the term, ending 31 July 2029.

Roles and responsibilities

Faculty Board

The Faculty Board is the highest governing body of the faculty. The Board is responsible for setting goals and strategies for the faculty and making priorities within the framework set by regulations and decisions at higher levels.

Elected bodies at the departments

At NTNU, different models exist for elected bodies at the departments. At the SU Faculty, the departments have the following:

• IGS: Extended leadership group
• ILU: Department board
• IPL: Extended leadership group
• IPS: Department board
• ISA: Department board
• ISS: Department board

The extended leadership group is an advisory body to the Head of Department, while the department board makes decisions within the authority delegated to the department. Since the department board’s decision-making authority is relatively limited in practice, its advisory role is also the most important.

Election committee

The election committee ensures that the election is conducted in accordance with the election regulations and consists of:

• Ann Kristin Alseth, university lecturer, Department of Social Work (ISA)
• Eirik Ringen Hammarstrøm, PhD candidate, Department of Education and Lifelong Learning (IPL)
• Mari Ertzaas Sørlie, senior consultant, Department of Teacher Education (ILU)

Contact information

Kenneth T. Kjelsnes, senior adviser at the faculty administration, is the election administrator for the SU Faculty.

Questions about the elections may be directed to valg@su.ntnu.no.

Governing documents

• NTNU Governance Regulations: Describe organisation, authority, and distribution of responsibilities
• NTNU Election Regulations: Regulate elections to NTNU’s Board, the Faculty Boards, and elected bodies at the departments, as well as other elections resulting from decisions by NTNU’s Board