KPSYCH

Committee for the Academic Psychology Programs at Swiss Universities KPSYCH

As a standing committee of the Swiss Psychological Society KPSYCH aims to ensure the quality of the bachelor and master programs with a major in psychology at Swiss universities. It particularly has the following duties:

• Coordination of all matters related to programs between Swiss universities
• Monitoring and yearly reporting of quantitative characteristics of psychology programs at Swiss universities, in particular with regard to entries, duration of studies, completions or dropouts as well as the mobility between universities
• Development and implementation of measures to assure the thematic, structural and procedural quality of psychology programs at Swiss universities, and in particular the thematic and structural establishment of requirements for obtaining the bachelor´s or master´s degree in Switzerland
• Elaboration of foundations to ensure the mobility between Swiss universities, in particular the coordination in case of a university change between universities (bachelor to master)
• Elaboration and communication of statements on professional policies.

KPSYCH consists of full and associated members. Every university appoints one full and usually one associated member.

Full members are generally academic deans, directors of institutes and programs at Swiss universities according to the Higher Education Act.

Associate members are generally heads of student deaneries and program coordinators.

The Board decides upon the admission of new members. The decisions will be announced by all members and come into force unless some ordinary members object to the decision until 4 weeks after the announcement. In such cases admission needs to be decided upon at the next General Assembly.

A rejection by the Board does not require justification, and there is no possibility of legal recourse.

At the General Assembly, every full member has the right to vote as well as the right to active and passive elections.

Associated members may participate in the General Assembly in an advisory capacity; however, they may not vote or elect.

Membership ceases through resignation.

A resignation must be submitted to the Board in writing no later than 3 months before the end of the fiscal year. The resignation comes into effect at the end of the fiscal year.

The General Assembly is the highest body of KPSYCH. It will be carried out once a year. Place and time of the General Assembly will be communicated to the members at least 4 months prior to the assembly. Email invitations are valid. Individual proposals and requests for the agenda by the members must be submitted to the chair at least four weeks before the respective General Assembly. Agenda items will be sent to the members at least two weeks before the scheduled date of the General Assembly. Upon the request of one fifth of all full members or upon the decision of the Board an extraordinary General Assembly can be called any time with a notice period of three weeks.

The General Assembly

• a) Elects the chair and other members of the Board
• b) Decides upon appealed memberships
• c) Mandates the exclusion of Committee members
• d) Approves the Annual Report of the Board
• e) Determines the Committee´s accession to other national or international bodies
• f) Decides upon any modification of the statutes as well as upon the dissolution of KPSYCH

The General Assembly has a quorum regardless of the number of members present. It can only decide upon items on the agenda.

Votes and elections require a simple majority of the given votes.

General Assembly resolutions are passed with a simple majority of given votes insofar as the statutes or the law do not require otherwise. A second vote will take place in the event of a tie vote.

The chair decides in case of a repeated tie.

Votes and elections follow the raised hand principle. Upon request of a member, a secret ballot will be carried out.

Votes and elections will be recorded in written and delivered to all members.

The Board consists of at least three full members, among them the chair as well as a representative of the universities and universities of applied sciences. If possible, all language regions shall be represented in the Board.

The Board will be elected by the General Assembly. The Board member term is 2 years. A re-election is possible. Board members can only be re-elected twice successively.

The Board takes care of ongoing operations, which are not explicitly reserved for the General Assembly or other bodies. This involves in particular:
 

• Calling and preparing the General Assembly
• Drafting the agenda items in consideration of the requests by the General Assembly
• Appointing those individuals who will represent KPSYCH externally and in other committees
• Appointing and dissolving working groups

The Board will generally meet two to four times a business year at the invitation of the chair. Upon a written request of at least two Board members, an extraordinary meeting can be called within 20 days.

The written invitation stating all agenda items and including additional material for decision-taking if applicable takes place with a notice of 10 days.

The Board decides with a simple majority of the present members. It has the quorum if the majority of Board members are present. In case of a tie vote, the chair decides.

Decisions can also be taken by mail ballot.

The statutes can only be amended by resolution of the General Assembly if at least 2/3 of the present voting members decide.

These statutes were approved by the SPS General Assembly on September 10th, 2019.