The budget cuts on science and education, which the forming coalition parties have announced in their outline agreement, will lead to increased budget cuts of 60 million euros per year. That is eight percent of the yearly 750 million euro budget.
This is laid out in a new policy framework, which Ad Valvas has not laid eyes on. But a draft of it was discussed last week during a meeting between the executive board and the staff council.
The university was already planning for budget cuts. Initially that entailed 25 million. In early May the executive board was prepared for cuts up to 40 million. And now that has increased to 60 million. All faculties and divisions are asked what they are willing to do without, which will inform the executive board’s decisions.
No taboos
The executive board is thinking of measures such as extensification of exams, reducing the amount of electives and increasing lecture sizes, said executive board member Marcel Nollen. All of this, he emphasized, is with the retention of the quality of education. There are also attempts to look into ways to gather funds. For instance by offering courses at companies in the Zuidas. “There are no taboos when it comes to looking at measures”, claims Nollen. For instance, the current collaboration with Twente University is also being looked into.
Forced layoffs seem unavoidable. VU Amsterdam will first reduce the amount of external employees and temporary contracts will not be extended. But some departments will require a social plan, said Nollen. For those, VU Amsterdam will negotiate with involved unions.
“It hurts if we have to discharge colleagues”, states Nollen. He also pointed out that firing people is very costly.
Temporary contracts
The staff council seemed to grasp the inevitability of the major cutbacks, but was also disconcerted. “When are the universities going to tell their financiers: enough is enough?”, a council member wanted to know. The possibility that the intensive seminars will be replaced by big lectures where students “sit and listen” was not received very well either. They also protested over a somewhat inconsiderate formulation by Nollen, who said of external employees and employees with temporary contracts: “You can get rid of those people more easily” (than permanent employees). “I see a chasm”, remarked a council member. “Language creates distance.”
But the executive board doesn’t take the budget cuts lightly. “There’s going to be a democratically elected government that thinks there should be less spending on knowledge”, said rector magnificus Jeroen Geurts. “In that process things will we broken that we cannot rebuild again.” Nollen spoke of “very heavy weather.”