Rector proposes merger into two super faculties

Staff and students have been given only one day to digest a proposal by university management to merge four faculties into two.

The deans of the four faculties; Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Sciences, Life Sciences and Science; are to present to staff tomorrow Tuesday a structural reform that will reduce their number, and which constitutes a major reform of university administration and research areas.

Rector Ralf Hemmingsen’s plan, which was given the green light by the University’s Board last week, and which was released on the University’s intranet KUnet today Monday, is to be carried out by 1 January 2013. The move comes after the University’s Danish competitor, Aarhus, also recently concentrated its organisation into fewer, new faculties.

Reduce overlap of research, teaching

The aims are to simplify the structure of the University and to improve the quality of education and research, according to the Rector’s Office. A multidisciplinary approach is required to face the main global challenges, like for example climate change and health diseases, management says.

A larger natural science faculty will be the result of a merger between Life Science and Science, and a new Faculty of Medicine from the union of Pharmaceutical Science and Health Science.

The reform will reduce the number of overlapping research and teaching areas, the Rector’s Office explains.

Rector: Staff and students key role

»The faculties have a tendency to work as independent silos, where the barriers against cooperation are larger than the will to look for short cuts,« says Rector Half Hemmingsen.

Staff and students will have a key role in improving the draft presented by the deans tomorrow before it is further processed, he assures.

Read the press release on Kunet here (needs log-in).

uni-avis@adm.ku.dk

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