Faculty Board column: A new direction
The Faculty Council issued a favourable opinion regarding the Faculty Board’s proposal to withdraw the research master’s programmes in African Studies and Latin American Studies. This was not a proposal we were eager to put forward, but unfortunately it was necessary, in view of the problems we are facing. We understand that this raises questions, since more is clearly needed in order to achieve financial health. We would like to share our thoughts with you, and also our direction – as the new Faculty Board – for a sustainable future.
An end point and starting point
Much has happened in recent months. Our starting point six months ago was to assess the viability of a number of study programmes, with the expected outcome that some would need to be phased out and discontinued. However, on the basis of financial calculations, we looked carefully at how the costs of study programmes might be reduced by restructuring their curricula. As a result of these insights, combined with a clear assessment of the academic and societal importance, we could gradually shorten the list of study programmes faced with withdrawal.
We are very aware that when a programme has been withdrawn, it is far from easy to bring it back. The input of programme chairs was essential in this process. Their proposals were convincing and thought-provoking, and especially: their assistance made alternatives possible. Our wish is naturally to introduce the changes for and with the faculty community, and not against it. We have therefore decided to adopt a different strategy: instead of withdrawing programmes, we are now aiming to restructure their curricula and make savings in other areas.
What is the situation, then, with the research master’s programmes in African Studies and Latin American Studies? There is no doubt about the high quality and value of these programmes, but their withdrawal does not mean that a discipline disappears from our faculty; we will continue to offer the regular master’s programmes. Students will also have the same opportunities after completing their master’s, even if they wish to follow a PhD track.
The proposal to withdraw these research master’s programmes marks the end of the investigation into discontinuing study programmes (with what we know at present). At the same time, the Faculty Board sees this as a new starting point: towards a more flexible form of education, where we retain the study programmes but not all the specialisations within them (the research master’s programmes could also be seen as specialisations), and secure our broad knowledge and expertise within a cohesive curriculum.
Towards the future: action lines
With this current understanding, our focus for saving on staff deployment has shifted towards changes within existing study programmes. The Faculty Board will concentrate on the following action lines.
We will continue to aim for a reduction in courses across the board. This will involve reducing the range of courses offered not only by study programmes with a low student intake but by all Humanities programmes. Many of them have already taken significant steps to streamline their offering and work together on providing more shared courses. This line will be continued, and we expect it to also release new energy. We will give particular attention to our largest BA programme, International Studies, where a process of curriculum restructuring will have to be introduced. We are pleased that Joost Augusteijn, who knows the programme well and can represent its interests, while also being aware of the faculty’s needs, is willing to work on a plan for this and to act as the interim programme chair after the summer. We greatly appreciate this, and likewise the efforts of all those who are now working on their programmes with so much dedication and initiative.
We will also be looking carefully at the master’s education. We started with the bachelor’s programmes, but in the months ahead we will additionally give more attention to our master’s programmes. At present, students can choose from a wide range of specialisation tracks, some of which have a low intake. Our aim is for programmes to introduce more focus and cohesion in this regard. Although this may mean that students have slightly less freedom of choice on certain points, it will often be possible to find a different way of integrating the expertise of specialisations that are no longer offered as separate tracks.
At the same time, we are examining other possibilities to organise staff deployment more carefully, for instance in the range of minors and in language education.
We also see opportunities to save by combining committees, with the aim of using time, resources and support more efficiently. The core group of programme chairs is working with the programme directors to develop a plan for putting this into practice. In addition to reducing required capacity and – ultimately – costs, the Faculty Board expects that clustering will enhance cooperation and communication within the faculty. We further hope to give a more permanent basis to the representation of the study programmes at the faculty level, which the core group now fulfils temporarily.
Meanwhile, the Faculty Office has also been working hard on a proposal aimed at reducing both staff deployment and material costs in a future-oriented manner, in line with the faculty-wide approach. A proposal is now in place outlining a set of control measures concerning the future provision of services by the Faculty Office. This proposal will soon be discussed with various stakeholders within the faculty community.
With this new direction, we are working towards a more financially healthy faculty, without damaging the academic core of our study programmes. Yet while it may be a relief that we are no longer looking at withdrawing study programmes, we should not forget that other difficult choices will be unavoidable in the months ahead. In making these choices, we will sustain our efforts to work closely together, with a shared focus on the future of our education, research and the faculty as a whole.
The Faculty Board,
Henk te Velde
Jeroen Touwen
Jos Schaeken
Saskia Goedhard
Nova Verkerk