UCPH One Planet<\/em>, says Katherine Richardson.<\/p>\n\u00bbI do not see it as malice or as a personal attack on me. But it is a real shame that it ends with all our activities shutting down while UCPH takes time to think,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n
An unrealistic plan<\/h3>\n
The University Post has asked UCPH management why they did not choose to continue SSC\u2019s activities under the new UCPH One Planet<\/em>, which in the future will be anchored at the Faculty of Science.<\/p>\nIn a written response, Dean Bo Jellesmark Thorsen states:<\/p>\n
\u00bbWe will transfer almost all of SSC\u2019s content to UCPH One Planet\u2019s<\/em> upcoming portal. We hope it will be ready by the summer at the latest \u2014 preferably sooner, depending on the resources available in the new administration,\u00ab he writes, adding:<\/p>\n\u00bbThis means that all the fantastic content that Katherine and SSC have built up over the years will be incorporated into the new UCPH One Planet<\/em> portal. This includes sustainability mapping in education and research, MOOCs and video lectures, teaching materials, and more.\u00ab<\/p>\nThe dean also emphasises that Katherine Richardson will continue to offer STIMULUS workshops in 2025.<\/p>\n
All the fantastic content that Katherine and SSC have built up over the years will be incorporated into the new UCPH One Planet portal.<\/p>\n
Bo Jellesmark Thorsen, Dean, Faculty of Science<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The UCPH One Planet<\/em> portal is to serve as the communication hub for all UCPH\u2019s sustainability activities. There are also plans to establish a new climate council where students and researchers can contribute ideas on how UCPH can strengthen its sustainability efforts.<\/p>\nKatherine Richardson regrets, however, that the university plans to start new, similar activities instead of building on what SSC had already developed in the field of sustainability.<\/p>\n
\u00bbIt takes a lot of time to get initiatives like MOOCs up and running. In my view, it is unrealistic that this will be ready by summer. It takes months, years, to establish what we had in place,\u00ab she says, continuing:<\/p>\n
\u00bbAnd as I see it, they are starting from scratch, which means that UCPH\u2019s sustainability activities will be in limbo for a long time. Right now, UCPH is only staffed with future intentions.\u00ab<\/p>\n
A personal project<\/h3>\n
According to Richardson, SSC has been both well-known and recognised in Denmark and internationally.<\/p>\n
\u00bbLast year, SSC appeared in the media 92 times. I also had a milestone birthday, so that certainly helped \u2014 but I still think it shows that our activities have been highly successful and received significant attention,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n
She acknowledges that it has been a disadvantage that the centre has often been personally associated with her.<\/p>\n
\u00bbSome may have seen it as my personal project, even though that was not the case. Perhaps people just find it hard to imagine that a random professor would spend so much time and energy building something up on behalf of the university and not for themselves,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n
It is disappointing also, according to Katherine Richardson, that the UCPH ambition to integrate sustainability into its core activities now only continues as an initiative on funding earmarked as strategic.<\/p>\n
\u00bbI do not think this demonstrates a genuine commitment to integrating sustainability into the university\u2019s core activities. But I remain cautiously optimistic, and I do not take the closure personally.\u00ab
\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Under Katherine Richardson\u2019s leadership, SSC has worked to develop UCPH\u2019s sustainability profile. Now, the centre is closing, and the task is being centralised. The problem, Richardson argues, is that UCPH is currently staffed with nothing but \u00bbfuture intentions.\u00ab<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":173893,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-173892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science","expression-news_article"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n
After 12 years, University of Copenhagen pulls the plug on sustainability centre \u2014 University Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/after-12-years-university-of-copenhagen-pulls-the-plug-on-sustainability-science-centre\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"After 12 years, University of Copenhagen pulls the plug on sustainability centre \u2014 University Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Under Katherine Richardson\u2019s leadership, SSC has worked to develop UCPH\u2019s sustainability profile. Now, the centre is closing, and the task is being centralised. 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Richardson is Professor of Biological Oceanography. She has set up, and led the Sustainability Science Centre for a decade."},{"acf_fc_layout":"Standfirst","subject":"Closure","text":"This is a story about what will follow","use_post_excerpt":true},{"acf_fc_layout":"Byline","is_author":true,"contributors":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>\u00bbDo you want the long and sad story?\u00ab asks Katherine Richardson.<\/p>\n<p>I called her because University Post was recently contacted by a reader who wondered why the Sustainability Science Centre (SSC), which Richardson has led for 12 years, was suddenly shut down with no explanation other than a brief note on the website:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbDue to structural changes at the University of Copenhagen, the university has decided to close SSC and reallocate its resources,\u00ab it says in the centre\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/sustainability.ku.dk\/about\/\">\u2018About\u2019 section<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>According to Professor of Biological Oceanography Katherine Richardson, this structural change means that the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) now wants to consolidate and <em>mainstream<\/em> its sustainability initiatives instead of allowing them to exist in separate satellite units, such as SSC.<\/p>\n<p>The new sustainability initiative will be called <em>UCPH One Planet<\/em>, but according to Richardson, the name mainly represents future intentions, whereas SSC\u2019s many real and ongoing initiatives have been stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI think the intention is really good. But the reality right now is that all our activities have been halted, and as far as I know, there is neither a plan, a website, nor a completed strategy for the new <em>UCPH One Planet<\/em>,\u00ab she says, adding:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbSo far, I have kept the SSC website open and continued some of the centre\u2019s tasks, such as registering UCPH researchers for the COP international UN climate conferences. I think it would be extremely damaging to the brand that we have built up over 12 years to simply disappear into the void.\u00ab<\/p>\n<h3>\u00bbA real shame\u00ab<\/h3>\n<p>Throughout its existence, SSC\u2019s mission has been to facilitate and coordinate research and education on sustainability across faculties at UCPH.<\/p>\n<p>The centre has received a DKK 1 million annual grant from UCPH, which has been used to support a small team of permanent staff responsible for administrative work like applying for external funding, Katherine Richardson explains.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbOver the years, we have brought in around DKK 20 million in external grants, and it is this funding that has made it possible to finance our initiatives aimed at developing the UCPH sustainability profile,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>It is a real shame that it all ends with all our activities shutting down while UCPH takes time to think.<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Katherine Richardson, former head of SSC<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Among the centre\u2019s activities were MOOCs \u2014 Massive Open Online Courses or international online lectures \u2014 on sustainability. The centre was also responsible for coordinating sustainability-related courses and initiatives across UCPH and hosting international sustainability congresses with UCPH as the main organiser.<\/p>\n<p>Katherine Richardson also ran the so-called STIMULUS workshops for students across universities.<\/p>\n<p>The decision to close SSC was made in connection with UCPH\u2019s 2030 strategy, <a href=\"https:\/\/about.ku.dk\/strategy-2030\/\"><em>Creating benefit for more people<\/em><\/a>, which was adopted at the end of 2023. The strategy stated the ambition that sustainability should be integrated across UCPH\u2019s core activities.<\/p>\n<p>And this is the direct reason why the management has now chosen to close SSC in favour of the new <em>UCPH One Planet<\/em>, says Katherine Richardson.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI do not see it as malice or as a personal attack on me. But it is a real shame that it ends with all our activities shutting down while UCPH takes time to think,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<h3>An unrealistic plan<\/h3>\n<p>The University Post has asked UCPH management why they did not choose to continue SSC\u2019s activities under the new <em>UCPH One Planet<\/em>, which in the future will be anchored at the Faculty of Science.<\/p>\n<p>In a written response, Dean Bo Jellesmark Thorsen states:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbWe will transfer almost all of SSC\u2019s content to <em>UCPH One Planet\u2019s<\/em> upcoming portal. We hope it will be ready by the summer at the latest \u2014 preferably sooner, depending on the resources available in the new administration,\u00ab he writes, adding:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThis means that all the fantastic content that Katherine and SSC have built up over the years will be incorporated into the new <em>UCPH One Planet<\/em> portal. This includes sustainability mapping in education and research, MOOCs and video lectures, teaching materials, and more.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>The dean also emphasises that Katherine Richardson will continue to offer STIMULUS workshops in 2025.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>All the fantastic content that Katherine and SSC have built up over the years will be incorporated into the new UCPH One Planet portal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Bo Jellesmark Thorsen, Dean, Faculty of Science<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The <em>UCPH One Planet<\/em> portal is to serve as the communication hub for all UCPH\u2019s sustainability activities. There are also plans to establish a new climate council where students and researchers can contribute ideas on how UCPH can strengthen its sustainability efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Katherine Richardson regrets, however, that the university plans to start new, similar activities instead of building on what SSC had already developed in the field of sustainability.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIt takes a lot of time to get initiatives like MOOCs up and running. In my view, it is unrealistic that this will be ready by summer. It takes months, years, to establish what we had in place,\u00ab she says, continuing:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbAnd as I see it, they are starting from scratch, which means that UCPH\u2019s sustainability activities will be in limbo for a long time. Right now, UCPH is only staffed with future intentions.\u00ab<\/p>\n<h3>A personal project<\/h3>\n<p>According to Richardson, SSC has been both well-known and recognised in Denmark and internationally.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbLast year, SSC appeared in the media 92 times. I also had a milestone birthday, so that certainly helped \u2014 but I still think it shows that our activities have been highly successful and received significant attention,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<p>She acknowledges that it has been a disadvantage that the centre has often been personally associated with her.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbSome may have seen it as my personal project, even though that was not the case. Perhaps people just find it hard to imagine that a random professor would spend so much time and energy building something up on behalf of the university and not for themselves,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<p>It is disappointing also, according to Katherine Richardson, that the UCPH ambition to integrate sustainability into its core activities now only continues as an initiative on funding earmarked as strategic.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI do not think this demonstrates a genuine commitment to integrating sustainability into the university\u2019s core activities. But I remain cautiously optimistic, and I do not take the closure personally.\u00ab<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"ArticleEnd"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Newsletter","lang_select":"en","identifier":"Newsletter","headline":"Get an email with our top stories","button_text":"Sign up here","class":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"OtherStories","headline":"","hand_picked_posts":false,"references":false,"category":false,"theme":false,"number_of_posts":"4","style":"default"}]},"taxonomyData":{"category":[{"term_id":46,"name":"Science","slug":"science","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":46,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":831,"filter":"raw"}],"post_tag":[],"post_format":[],"expression":[{"term_id":15,"name":"News Article","slug":"news_article","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":15,"taxonomy":"expression","description":"","parent":0,"count":11485,"filter":"raw"}],"translation_priority":[{"term_id":5468,"name":"Optional","slug":"optional-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":5468,"taxonomy":"translation_priority","description":"","parent":0,"count":672,"filter":"raw"}]},"featured_media_url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/katherine_richardson2_0.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/99"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=173892"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173892\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":173963,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173892\/revisions\/173963"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/173893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=173892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=173892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=173892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}