Academic Centre
Professor Gundars Bērziņš, the dean of the Faculty of Business, Management and Economics (UL FBME) has been elected as the new rector of the University of Latvia (UL). The new rector is to take up his duties on 27 March. His term of office is four years.
Gundars Bērziņš, with the majority of the votes of the UL Constitutional Assembly, surpassed the other candidate for the post of UL rector – the adviser of the current UL Rector Professor Indriķis Muižnieks, UL FBME Professor Signe Bāliņa. The new rector was elected in the second round of elections, where 106 votes were cast for Gundars Bērziņš, and 78 were received against the candidate. One ballot was declared invalid.
In the first round of elections, the new rector received 88 votes in favour, and 96 against his candidature from the representatives of the UL Constitutional Assembly. On the other hand, 84 votes were cast for Signe Bāliņa, and 100 votes against her. Four ballots were declared invalid.
Gundars Bērziņš is a professor, holder of a doctorate in management science (Dr. sc. admin.), leading researcher and corresponding member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences. Bērziņš started his work at UL in 2000 as a lecturer at the UL FBME, in 2003 becoming the executive director of the faculty. Later, from 2008 to 2010, he worked as the director of the UL Department of Finance and Accounting. In 2010, he became the UL chancellor, in 2014 he proceeded upon a path towards professorship, which he obtained in 2018. Bērziņš has been the dean of UL FBME since 2016 and has fulfilled this position until today. From 2019 to 2021, he also chaired the council of AS “Olainfarm”. Since 2023, Gundars Bērziņš has been a freelance adviser to the President of Latvia in the matters of state competitiveness and economic issues, as well as an expert of the Saeima. His CV in greater detail is available on the website dedicated to the rector´s election.
As reported earlier, 24 applications were received for the position of head of Latvia’s national, leading and most influential university in the international call announced by the University of Latvia. Two candidates – Signe Bāliņa and Gundars Bērziņš – were nominated for the further competition for the position of UL rector. The contest of candidates ended with the elections by the UL Constitutional Assembly. It consists of 200 members – UL employees, students and UL academic staff, of which 188 eligible voters were present at the meeting, whereas 185 voted in the second round.
