Proper participation in decision-making at all levels of the university is absolutely essential, President of the Executive Board Pauline van der Meer Mohr and University Council President René Karens state, on the day that students at all Dutch universities raise their voices. But these ‘good discussions’ are not held everywhere at Erasmus University yet. Therefore, the University Council, the Executive Board and the deans launch a joint project to improve the participation at all levels.
"A large number of parties - board members, students and lecturers alike - are still insufficiently aware or ensible of what exactly participation in decision-making could or should be. This means that ‘good discussions’ are not held everywhere and that it is difficult to find members of programme committees, faculty councils and university councils who are actually informed and motivated. Finally, the university community is not sufficiently involved in the existing participation structures, which in turn means that participation is not sufficiently representative. This state of affairs can and should be changed", Van der Meer Mohr en Karens say in a <media 2110655>joint statement</media>.
Those actively taking part in a joint project started up today include the University Council, the Executive Board and the deans. The ultimate aim of this project is to raise the degree of participation at all university levels in such a way as to ensure that good discussions are held everywhere between motivated and well-informed lecturers, students and board members who are willing to take their participation input seriously."
According to Van der Meer Mohr and Karens, more can be achieved if we all joined in the nationwide discussion on the future of our universities. "We could do so by expressing our desire to use our public funds to enhance and improve higher education and science and by advocating greater confidence and autonomy and the cutting back of the extensive monitoring and performance contract system; advocating more peace and quiet at the front and less ‘dynamisation’ (conditional granting) of direct funding; advocating sufficient resources to enable us to attain all our policy intentions and advocating appreciation of a heterogeneous and diverse academy where control and participation in decision-making maintain a healthy balance."
Students and staff are very welcome to provide input on reinforcing participation at the university. The University Council and the Executive Board are be pleased to hear their views, through universiteitsraad@abd.eur.nl or Facebook: www.facebook.com/UraadEUR.
Read the full statement <media 2110655>here</media>.
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