Mathematics, Computer departments saved - controversial merger scrapped

“A merger like this can’t happen without the support of the staff, and we haven’t been able to get it.”

The words of the Dean of the Faculty of Science John Renner Hansen at a meeting with staff and students of both departments on North Campus Friday 14 November. The meger proposal had been opposed by many scientists, students and staff at the two departments, as well as department heads (both a part of the Dean’s management team) and the Academic Council at Science.

Read our Mathematics and Computer Science merger overview for the ins and outs of the merger plans.

“Management identified a series of challenges – different for both departments – and we believed the best solution was to merge the departments to form a larger, more sustainable department,” says John Renner Hansen. “Now we will find a new way to solve the same challenges”.

New plans in summer 2015

The to-do list includes a high student drop-out rate, relatively low research funding, and industry and business demand for interdisciplinary graduates, which aren’t being met as it stands, he says.

Solving these issues will entail a “consensus understanding on what challenges the departments are facing”. To this end, Faculty management intends to set goals for the departments to work towards.

According to a letter sent to students and staff at the two departments, these goals will be finalised in collaboration with the administrations of both departments in the week starting 29 June 2015.

See a longer version of this article on the Danish language site Uniavisen.dk (in Danish) here.

universitypost@adm.ku.dk

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