{"id":97051,"date":"2019-11-20T14:38:29","date_gmt":"2019-11-20T13:38:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/?p=97051\/"},"modified":"2019-11-21T09:32:48","modified_gmt":"2019-11-21T08:32:48","slug":"more-vip-influence-in-the-ucph-board-yes-but-how","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/more-vip-influence-in-the-ucph-board-yes-but-how\/","title":{"rendered":"More VIP-influence in the UCPH board \u2013 YES!\u00a0 But how?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Universities in the turmoil of a rapidly changing world<\/h3>\n

Students have occupied the Deans office at the UCPH Faculty of Humanities for weeks. The lectern was taken over by a student at the UCPH Annual Celebration. Not since the youth revolt in 1968 has the University experienced similar expressions of dissatisfaction with the low level of student influence. The youth revolt led to the University Order of 1970, securing democratic elections to all levels of decision at UCPH.\u00a0 These rights were curtailed with the University Order of 2003. The ongoing student actions should remind politicians that the current order is now 16 years old, and society, values and norms have developed enormously in that period of time. It is time the University order gets a major overhaul with particular focus on employee inclusion and influence, an issue already appreciated by the Rectorate in the Strategy 2023!<\/p>\n

Unfortunately this does not seem to be high on the agenda of recently appointed Minister of Higher Education and Science Ane Halsboe-J\u00f8rgensen. In her speeches<\/a> so far she focuses on the green-research billion (please do not take the 260 million from the free national research funds for this!), the abolition of the re-prioritization contribution and the education ceiling, renewal of the enrolment system and the grades scale, as well as stress among students. These are generally positive trends, but if the Minister is serious about \u2018the societal responsibility of the Universities<\/a> \u2026 to secure novel, independent and credible knowledge \u2026 that can be communicated freely and unfiltered \u2026 and that our democracy depends on the critical and curious view on society\u2019, it follows that democracy has to be developed on the Universities, and that the outdated University Order deserves revision.<\/p>\n

More influence on decisions affecting the university core functions \u2013 how?<\/h3>\n

Waiting impatiently for political attention on these critical issues, we have to face realities and work to seek the best possible ways to influence university decisions on issues that affect the core product of the universities: research, research-based educations, research dissemination and service to public institutions<\/em>. The VIPs<\/secret> deliver these core products, but to do so it is vital that the operations of the universities are constantly trimmed to provide optimal opportunities for the VIP staff to deliver their professionalism \u2013 after all, that was what we were hired for!<\/p>\n

So there is little disagreement among VIP staff that they join the students in their wish for more influence on decisions that seriously influence their abilities to do what they are supposed to do. The question is how this influence is accomplished.<\/p>\n

The list More VIP-influence! strongly believes that democratic improvements require democratic means. Screaming in a megaphone from one corner of the board meeting room will bring little more than antagonism. The toolbox we will bring in to the board work to represent all UCPH VIP staff contains dialogue, arguments developed by consultation with our support base<\/secret>, an open and listening attitude \u2013 and hard work in preparing for the meetings, studying the meeting material, and contributing with careful reading and commenting of the minutes \u2013 which is where the decisions become manifest.<\/p>\n

Board work in the real world<\/h3>\n

Many will say: \u2018What does it matter? The board consists of 11 members, only 5 of which are internal. We can always be majorized\u2019.<\/p>\n

To that we say: \u2018Well, it is not a law of nature that the 6 external members are against the internal. In fact, in the current board, 3 members represent industry, 2 members serve the public education system, either at a Danish Gymnasium or a Scandinavian University, and 1 is Director of the Academics trade-union AC. So actually, the majority of the current board represents the public sector and we find it highly likely that alliances on many topics can be generated\u2019. This requires an open and collaborative approach to the board work – but it also requires that mutual confidence is built in the new board, and this one of the first and most critical tasks: to build a functional board.<\/p>\n

Our core values<\/h3>\n

Once the board is functional, we will contribute to the work with our core values: highest academic standards, openness, democracy, internationalization and innovation.<\/p>\n

Highest academic standards<\/strong>. Our key objective is to develop UCPH core products research, research-based educations, research dissemination and service to public institutions to the highest international level. We consider these products equal and will work for equal merits for fulfilling these functions.<\/p>\n

Openness<\/strong>. Universities are the intellectual cradles of the knowledge generation in society, and for that reason need to have freedom to \u2018communicate freely and unfiltered\u2019 with society, as emphasized by our Minister. We will work for an open two-way communication between VIP staff and society, and against restrictions in the right to debate academic issues in public fora, a function we consider an obligation and part of the dissemination duty.<\/p>\n

Democracy<\/strong>. We will work to develop democracy at UCPH, for a revision of the University Order, but until this is possible within the existing legal framework \u2013 with democratic means.<\/p>\n

Internationalization<\/strong>. We will work to truly implement internationalization at UCPH: international open postings, transparent criteria for qualifications and career development communicated on our web site and international platforms, development of our International Office to facilitate settling in of international VIPs in UCPH and exchange, implementation of bi-lingual (DA\/ENG) generation of all relevant documents and webtexts, so that international staff and applicant can easily find understandable information, international accreditation of all our core products, etc.<\/p>\n

Innovation<\/strong>. We will work to develop public-private partnerships to ensure exchange of staff between the sectors to strengthen employability of UCPH candidates and cross-fertilization of data and competences developed in both sectors. In contrast to our neighboring countries like Sweden where the inventor owns both patent and rights to commercial exploitation, the latter right is owned by the institution of the inventor in Denmark. This is severely impeding on spin-out of inventions at Danish higher educational institutions and we will work to generate pressure from the Board to the political level to revisit Danish patent laws. At UCPH, the TechTransfer Office functions need to be streamlined to better serve VIP needs, and should not be an administrative barrier against innovation.<\/p>\n

Our attitudes<\/h3>\n

In brief our main attitudes are summarized here.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We will work for:<\/strong><\/p>\n