Department GovernanceHead of Department

Head of Department

 

The Department of Architecture is represented and led by its Head of Department, Professor Susanna Caccia Gherardini, who acts as its legal representative in all respects, safeguards its autonomy and cultural unity, and promotes and coordinates its institutional activities.

The Head, together with the Council and the Executive Committee, is a body of the Department.

In particular, it exercises the following powers: it organises elections for representatives to the Department’s governing bodies; convenes and chairs the Departmental Council and Executive Committee, draws up their agendas and, assisted by the Administrative Officer, ensures that their respective resolutions are implemented; with the assistance of the Head of Administration, prepares and submits for approval by the Departmental Council, for each financial year, the documents and records required by the budgetary cycle at the planning stage, during the financial year and at the final accounts stage, as defined by the University Regulations on Administration, Finance and Accounting; submits a report on the Department’s activities during the previous year to the Council at the beginning of each year, and ensures that it is forwarded to the Vice-Chancellor; is responsible for producing, every two years, a publication on research and knowledge transfer activities, to be posted on the Department’s website; submits the agreements between the Department and the relevant parties to the Council for approval and arranges for them to be concluded; oversees, in general, the smooth running of teaching and research activities; exercises the powers vested in the Dean of the Faculty, pursuant to Decree No. 693 of 27 July 2011 (Ref. 48573) of the Rector of the University of Florence, setting out the «Regulations on incompatibilities and authorisations for paid posts for teaching and research staff»; oversees the operation of facilities and services, not least to ensure that activities run smoothly and that responsibilities are clearly defined;  generally ensures compliance, within the Department, with the law, the Statute and the regulations;  enters into contracts and authorises payments in respect of the Department’s equipment, works and materials, subject to the autonomy of research leaders, research groups and sections, where established, in the management of specifically allocated funds; adopts urgent and unavoidable measures, expressly stating the reasons for their urgency and unavoidability, and refers them to the Council for ratification.

He is elected by the Departmental Council from among the full-time full professors attached to the Department, except in cases provided for by law.

His appointment is made by decree of the Rector.

The term of office is four academic years, and the holder may be re-elected only once in succession.

The Head may appoint, from among the members of the Council, a Deputy Head to assist him or her and to act as his or her substitute in the event of absence or incapacity. The Deputy Head attends meetings of the Departmental Executive Committee, without the right to vote. In the Head’s absence, the Deputy Head acts as his or her substitute, with the right to vote.

Furthermore, the Head may delegate – including for a fixed period – the performance of specific tasks (excluding those referred to in Article 16(2) of the Departmental Regulations) to members of the Council or the Executive Committee, and shall inform the Council of this at the next available meeting.