As a civil servant you are required to uphold and promote the legal framework laid down in the legal framework by the Riksdag and the Government. Thus, you are part of the structure of public power.
General requirements to case handling and decision making
Decisions from the University should be easily understood by the recipient. Therefore, it is important that you use an intelligible language in contact with others during the handling of a case as well as when formulating the decision itself. You are also required to aim to handle the case as efficient and cheap as possible, without putting the rule of law or quality of the decision at risk.
The case must be handled objectively and impartially. This means, among other things, that you as a case officer or decision maker must avoid conflicts of interest that might imply that your objectivity can be questioned. Find more information about conflicts of interest at the pages on challangeability, bribery and corruption.
You may collect information and statements from other government agencies yourself when needed. If you receive oral information that is of importance to the matter these must be added to the case through a dated official note that is registered in the case act. Remember that the party to a case has the right to take part of any information that is added to the case. This usually applies even if the information is classified. Find more information on the pages about public documents .
A proposal must be communicated with the affected party before a decision is made. Decisions regarding admission to education and grading are however excluded from this requirement.
Who can make decisions?
The Higher education Ordinance regulates that some types of decisions must be decided by the University Board. The Vice Chancellor is the legal representative of the University and makes decisions in the name of the University. Other employees can be assigned specific legal competence to bind the University through delegation. The nature and extent of delegation is lid down in the rule of delegation. You can find the University's rules for decision making in the local legal framework.
What a decision should look like
A decision must always be made in writing. You are required to document the following information in the decision;
1. what date the decision was made,
2. the content of the decision,
3. who was the decision maker,
4. who was the reporting officer,
5. who participated in the final handling of the case.
Use Umeå University's graphic profile and templates when you write the decision.
Appeal and re-examination
The University may, on its own initiative or upon request by the receiving party, re-examine a decision. An advantageous decision may not be changed, even if it is incorrect.
An appeal instruction must be amended to an adverse decision that can be appealed. Decisions according to the Higher Education Ordinance can only be appealed in the specific matters stated in the ordinance. As a case-officer you are responsible to add such an instruction when communicating the decision.
Find more information about appeal and re-examination in the Procedure for appeals. There you can also find an example of an appeal instruction.
Registration and archiving
All documentation that has been of importance for the handling of a case and decision making must be registered. Find more information on the pages about registration and archives on the department of registry and archive's pages.