This document lays out the ECTE policy and strategy for involving student stakeholders through representation on the ECTE Council as Student Council Members. This takes place in the context ESG 3.1 related ensuring the involvement of stakeholders in the governance and work of quality assurance agencies.
Identification
For the purpose of this document, eligible ‘students’ for the ECTE Council are defined as all those formally enrolled in a tertiary level theology programme. These include:
- Full time and part-time students.
- Students in ECTE accredited member institutions.
- Students who may also cover other roles (e.g. faculty members enrolled in a PhD programme in theology).
- Students in programmes at EQF Level 5-8 or equivalent.
- Students who are preferably involved in the student government of their institution.
Rights and duties
The ECTE has a permanent position for a student representative on the Council. Student Council Members are full members of the Council with voting rights as laid out in the ECTE Statutes. Alongside the general Qualifications for Board Members Policy, the following apply to ECTE Student Council members.
Student Council Members will participate in all ECTE Council meetings, preparing adequately for meetings, participating and voting with student perspectives and interests in mind. They will also normally participate in at least two visitation team during their term on the Council.
Student Council Members commit to prepare for their Council duties by reading the following documents: Introducing the ECTE, Standards and Guidelines for ECTE Accreditation, Criteria and Procedures for ECTE Accreditation, any relevant Guidelines related to Council agenda items.
Student Council Members commit to prepare for their duties as VET members by taking the ICETE Academy training course Occasional Student VETs or the full ECTE VET Training course for listing. The latter training will allow the student to be listed as an ECTE VET and to continue serving on review panels following the two-year term on the Council.
Student Council Members do not receive an honorarium for serving on the Council but have expenses covered as all Council members.
Recruitment and appointment
Student Council Members normally serve on the Council for two years. At each General Assembly the position will rotate according to the dispositions below. The General Secretary will contact institutions in the Spring preceding the General Assembly, asking for nominations. The names will be brought to the General Assembly for election (together with other Council members).
- 2019-21 (serving from Autumn 2019-Autumn 2021): European Nazarene College (Linsengericht), Evangelikale Akademie (Vienna), Biblisch Institut (Zagreb), BTA Wiedenest (Bergneustadt), UETS (Kiev)
- 2021-23 (serving from Autumn 2021-Autumn 2023): ETS Osijek, ETS Freudenstadt-Kniebis, BiblestudienKolleg (Ostfildern), Greek Bible Institute (Pikermi), Tilsley College (Motherwell)
- 2023-25 (serving from Autumn 2023-Autumn 2025): Bibleschule Brake (Lemgo), TSR (Wolmersen), Israel College of the Bible (Netanya), IBEI (Rome)
- 2025-27 (serving from Autumn 2025-Autumn 2027): JETS (Amman), ABTS (Beirut), Tyndale Theological Seminary (Badhoevedorp), Seminario Teologico Baptista (Lisbon)
- 2027-29 (serving from Autumn 2027-Autumn 2029): Cornerstone Centre for Intercultural Studies (Beugen), Orebro School of Theology (Orebro), Haute Ecoe de Theologie (St Legier), STB (Beatenberg).
Candidates should apply using the ECTE Council Student Member Application form.
Should there be no nominations from the rota in any given year, all ECTE accredited institutions will be invited to submit nominations. In the event that the elected student representative should cease to be a student during the two-year term, the position will remain vacant until the next General Assembly.