Mission statement according to the Organisation Plan of the University of Vienna § 7:
(1) At each faculty, a faculty conference has to be set up as an advisory body. The faculty conference has the following responsibilities:
1. giving advice and opinion regarding the establishment and change of the internal structure;
2. giving advice and opinion regarding the establishment of research platforms and research
centres;
3. giving advice and opinion regarding the draft Development Plan presented by the dean;
4. giving advice and opinion regarding planned decisions by the dean in important matters, especially major personnel structure changes or the allocation of resources within the faculty. The dean informs the faculty conference about these matters in advance;
5. making a proposal concerning the appointment of the members of the scientific advisory board of the faculty by the Rectorate;
6. giving advice and hearing regarding the appointment of the directors of studies;
7. giving advice regarding the faculty’s international activities;
8. making a proposal concerning the size of the studies conferences (8, 12, 16 or 20 members), addressed to the director of studies;
9. hearing before the appointment of the deputies to the head of the faculty or centre (section 5, para. 2).
(2) When making his or her decision, the dean takes the opinion of the faculty conference into account. If his or her decision differs from the faculty conference’s opinion, the dean notifies the faculty conference of this fact and, upon request, provides reasons for deviating from the faculty conference’s opinion. The opinions listed under para. 1, numbers 1 to 3 are communicated to the Rectorate in writing (including information about the pertinent discussion).
(3) The size of the faculty conference is specified by the dean in consideration of the size and the internal structure of the faculty. The faculty conference consists of at least nine persons and is composed of:
1. representatives of the university professors;
2. representatives of the associate professors as well as of the other academic staff working in research or teaching, half as many as the number of representatives of university professors;
3. students representatives half as many as the number of representatives of university professors;
4. one representative of the general university staff.
(5) The students' representatives are delegated according to the stipulations of the union of students act (Hochschülerinnen- und Hochschülerschaftsgesetz, HSG 2014). The representatives of the university professors, the representatives of the associate professors as well as of the other academic staff members working in research or teaching, as well as the representatives of the members of the general university staff are elected. When making election proposals, a reasonable representation of early stage researchers as well as university lecturers has to be taken into account. A reasonable representation of the faculty’s subunits has to be taken into account.
(5a) The electoral regulations of the University of Vienna (elections into the Senate), University Gazette UG 2002, number 5, 13 November 2003, apply with the following specification:
1. The dean takes the place of the chairperson of the Senate.
2. Section 8, para. 2 and section 10, para. 7 and para. 8 of the electoral regulations of the University of Vienna do not apply.
3. If exceptional circumstances, in particular a pandemic, make it significantly more difficult to hold the election on site, the dean may cancel the election before the (first) election day. The election has to be advertised again; the new advertisement may be published in accordance with para. 5b instead of para. 5a.
(5b) The election may alternatively be held in accordance with the electoral regulations for online elections of faculty and centre conferences pursuant to appendix 1.
(6) The dean specifies the size of the faculty conference and advertises the election for the faculty conference immediately after his or her appointment, with the exception of an appointment according to section 5, para. 4, line 5. In the election advertisement, the dean has to specify whether the election is held in accordance with para. 5a or para. 5b. The term of office of the faculty conference ends when the newly elected faculty conference is constituted.
(7) The faculty conference decides by a simple majority of the votes cast.
(8) The dean as well as his or her deputies are members of the faculty conference as permanent persons providing information without exercising the right to vote. The dean chairs the faculty conference. If he or she is unable to attend, his or her deputy chairs the faculty conference.
(9) If at least one third of the faculty conference’s voting members reasonably request to convene a meeting, the dean convenes a meeting, in addition to the regularly scheduled meetings, within two weeks.
(10) At every meeting, the faculty conference members nominate a secretary from their midst for the meeting at hand. This secretary takes the minutes of the meeting in consultation with the dean.
(11) At every faculty conference meeting, an item on the agenda must be reserved for questions and suggestions from the members. The agenda item has to provide adequate room for addressing questions and suggestions.
(12) A centre conference is established at each centre. The provisions regarding faculty conferences, with the exception of the provision regarding the minimum size, apply accordingly to the centre conferences.
(Source: Organisation Plan of the University of Vienna, §7, "Faculty conferences")