UB hosts a LERU seminar on organizational restructuring of European universities
In recent years, some European universities have set up processes to reorganise their structures. This was the main question analysed on the seminar “Organizational structure of LERU universities”, which took place yesterday, 12 January, at the University of Barcelona (UB). The seminar, organised by the League of European Research Universities (LERU), was chaired by the rector of the UB, Dídac Ramírez, and the president of LERU, Alain Beretz. The minister for Economy and Knowledge of the Government of Catalonia, Andreu Mas-Colell, was the invited speaker.
In recent years, some European universities have set up processes to reorganise their structures. This was the main question analysed on the seminar “Organizational structure of LERU universities”, which took place yesterday, 12 January, at the University of Barcelona (UB). The seminar, organised by the League of European Research Universities (LERU), was chaired by the rector of the UB, Dídac Ramírez, and the president of LERU, Alain Beretz. The minister for Economy and Knowledge of the Government of Catalonia, Andreu Mas-Colell, was the invited speaker.
Moreover, the seminar was attended by the secretary general of LERU, Kurt Deketelaere; the secretary for Universities and Research of the Government of Catalonia, Antoni Castellà; the director general for Universities, Lluís Jofre, and vice-rectors, deans, professors, students and members of the administrative and service staff, who participated in the discussions. The meeting was also attended by rectors and representatives of the Imperial College London (United Kingdom), the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands), the University of Leuven (Belgium), the University of Strasbourg (France), the University of Helsinki (Finland), Leiden University (Netherlands), the University of Milan (Italy), the University of Oxford (United Kingdom), the University of Paris-Sud (PSUD, France), the Pierre & Marie Curie University (UPMC, France), and the University of Zurich (Switzerland).
Mas-Colell highlighted that universities compete for drawing student and teaching staff. In this sense, the Catalan minister affirmed that universities need firm structures that enable them to improve their position in international rankings and to optimise their work. Nowadays, there are three Catalan universities planning an organizational restructuring: the University of Barcelona, the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and the Pompeu Fabra University.
Jordi Alberch, vice-rector for Research, Innovation and Transfer, also emphasized the need to have more competitive universities at the international level.
The case of the UB
David Vallespín, delegate for Governance, UB Statute Reform and Legal Affairs of the UB, pointed out the main actions of the organizational restructuring designed by the University. Vallespín argued that universityʼs present structure matches a model thought twenty years ago that meets a social and economic reality and some functions that are very different from current higher education features and challenges.
New student profiles and the need to internationalize and to have a more flexible basis led to the on-going discussion of a reform proposal. The main objective of restructuring is to increase international competitiveness in academic and scientific fields, improve its effectiveness and maximize resources and collaborations.
Complete restructurings and merges
The seminar included the presentation of two experiences of reorganizational merges that took place within European higher education. Alain Beretz, rector of the University of Strasbourg, described the process that led to the creation of the University in 2009. It was the result of merging three centres: Louis Pasteur (Sciences and Health), Marc Bloch (Humanities) and Robert Schuman (Law and Economics). Wim van den Doel, dean of the Faculty of Humanities at Leiden University, explained the merging process carried out at the institution.
Collaborations within and outside the university
The seminar included several presentations of collaborative experiences which can be helpful for those LERU universities that have already set up reform processes.
For example, Ralph Wijers, from the University of Amsterdam, presented the project Amsterdam Science; Koenraad Debackere, general manager of the University of Leuven, described the project set up by the network Associatie KU Leuven; Jacques Bittoun, rector of the PSUD, presented the collaborative project París-Saclay, and Jean Chambaz, rector of the UPMC, explained the collaboration with the Sorbonne University.