Press release: Senate passes motion to vote out the President

No. 142 - 02.10.2024

On 2 October 2024, the motion to vote out the President, Professor Metin Tolan, was submitted at a special meeting of the Senate of the University of Göttingen. The senators present voted in favour of this dismissal with the necessary majority. Prof Tolan said: "I am very much disappointed by the Senate’s decision and in particular that the Senate was not prepared to engage in a process of conciliation. The personal attacks have also hurt me and should be dealt with afterwards. I am grateful for the great support I have received in recent weeks from our supervisory bodies, the Ministry and a large number of people inside and outside the University."

The Senate's proposal for dismissal will only take effect if it is confirmed by the University Foundation Committee. In the event that the latter does not agree, the Senate and the University Foundation Committee must attempt to reach an agreement at a joint meeting. If no agreement is reached, the Senate alone will make the final decision on the proposal. The University's Basic Statute and the Higher Education Act stipulate that the President remains in office until this point.