Six new administrators appointed to the board of the University of Mons

The Government of the French Community appointed, by decree of October 9, 2026, six representatives from economic, social, and political circles to the Board of Directors of the University of Mons, including Georges-Louis BOUCHEZ. The act, signed by Minister-President E. DEGRYSE, is published in the Belgian Official Gazette (Moniteur belge) of October 29, 2026 (2nd edition, reference C − 2026/007918, p. 58353-58354). The mandates are for four years and end on September 30, 2030.

The legal basis of the appointment

The decree is based on the Law of April 28, 1953, regarding the organization of university education by the State, specifically Article 8, 7°, which reserves the designation of members of the boards of directors of universities organized by the Community to the government. It also invokes the Decree of the Government of the French Community of April 3, 2014, establishing the procedure for the designation of these members, specifically Article 22.

The act was taken upon the proposal of the minister in charge of Higher Education, following government deliberation. It replaces the Decree of October 13, 2022, regarding the appointment of members of the same board of directors, which is repealed by Article 3. Article 4 specifies that the decree takes effect as of October 9, 2026, the day of its signature in Brussels, with the publication in the official journal occurring twenty days later.

The six designated personalities

Article 1 of the decree lists, in order, the members appointed as representatives of economic, social, and political circles:

• Jean-Philippe DRAYE
• Dorothée GOSSELIN
• Bruno CAGLIOSTRO
• Philippe LESNE
• Fanny DE BROUCKERE
• Georges-Louis BOUCHEZ

The same list appears identically in the Dutch translation of the text, published subsequently in the same issue under the title “Besluit van de Regering van de Franse Gemeenschap tot benoeming van de leden van de Raad van bestuur van de Université de Mons”.

Duration of the mandate and scope

Article 2 sets the duration of the mandates at four years, “ending on September 30, 2030.” This wording aligns the deadline with the end of the academic year, a standard practice for the governance bodies of French-speaking universities.

The text specifies neither the individual duties of the six directors within the board, nor the distribution of seats among the economic, social, and political categories, nor any potential allowances. Furthermore, it contains no detailed justification for the choice of individuals, as the statement of reasons is limited to a reminder of the procedural norms.

Elsewhere in the same issue

The Belgian Official Gazette (Moniteur belge) of October 29, 2026, also publishes, in the same section for the French Community, a decree of October 16, 2026 (C − 2026/007938) extending Jean-Paul LAMBERT in his duties as president of the Academies for Research and Higher Education (ARES), from October 1 to December 31, 2026, following ARES opinion 2026-20 issued on September 22, 2026.

A ministerial decree of October 19, 2026 (C − 2026/007879) furthermore renews all members of the Commission for the equivalence of higher education titles, diplomas, and certificates issued abroad, with several professors from the University of Mons serving in the sections “Languages, Letters and Traductology,” “Economic and Management Sciences,” “Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences,” “Sciences,” and “Engineering Sciences and Technology.”

What this changes

For the University of Mons, the decree of this Thursday, October 29, 2026, opens a new governance cycle: the board of directors is entirely reconstituted in its external component and fixed until September 30, 2030, which covers the majority of a regional legislature and secures the management of the institution over four budget years. The presence of Georges-Louis BOUCHEZ among the six representatives illustrates the eminently political dimension of this type of appointment, where the government arbitrates alone, upon ministerial proposal, without the published text documenting the criteria used.

Official source: Belgian Official Gazette (Moniteur belge), October 29, 2026, 2nd edition, decree of the Government of the French Community of October 9, 2026, regarding the appointment of members of the Board of Directors of the University of Mons, ref. C − 2026/007918, p. 58353-58354.