The Faculty Leadership Team postpones decision following sharp criticism
The decision to shut down the PhD administration at Arts as an independent unit has been postponed until November. The faculty leadership team notes that greater involvement is needed.
In brief
The Faculty Leadership team at Arts wants to reorganise the Arts Administration Centre (ACA) and the Dean’s Office. The reason is that “the balance between teaching and research is shifting in recent years, and this calls for adjustments to the ACA’s administration.”
The leadership team believes that education will play a lesser role and research a greater one, and that this should be reflected in the administration. Consequently, the leadership team intends, amongst other things, to establish the new Arts Research unit; conversely, the PhD administration at Arts will be disbanded as an independent unit, and its responsibilities and staff will be transferred to the new Arts Research unit and to Arts HR.
The decision has been submitted for consultation to the Faculty Liaison Committee (FSU) and the local liaison committee (LSU) at the Administration Centre Arts (ACA), with a deadline of 13 March. However, neither the PhD Committee at the Faculty of Arts nor the eight PhD programme directors were included in the consultation.
They have protested against this. The same applies to over 140 PhD students.
The Faculty Management at Arts has reached a final decision on the future organisation of the Administration Centre Arts (ACA). The decision was taken on Thursday, and following discussions in the faculty-level cooperation committees and within the ACA, it was communicated to staff in an email on Friday.
“As you will see, the decision has been split into two stages due to concerns raised in the consultation responses regarding the implications for the PhD school/PhD administration,” Head of Administration Ulla Gjørling writes to staff.
Part of the reorganisation of the Administration Centre Arts has involved discontinuing the PhD administration as a separate unit. This led to sharp criticism from PhD students, PhD committees, PhD supervisors and PhD programme directors alike.
Employees protest against intended decision by the management team at Arts
THE MANAGEMENT HAS RESPONDED
“In light of the numerous and concerned responses to the consultation, we have slightly altered the order. Of course, it takes time to work out who should do what in the administration centre. Our plan was to implement the organisational changes first and then discuss the tasks afterwards. Now let’s do it the other way round, so we discuss the tasks first and the organisation afterwards. We’ve had to start by discussing assignments because of the unrest that’s been going on,” says Maja Horst, dean of Arts.
Instead of a single decision on the future of the Administration Centre Arts, the decision has been split into two. Part of the reorganisation will be implemented immediately. Among other things, this means that Arts IT Support will become an independent unit and be renamed Arts IT.
Awaiting evaluation of the PhD programme
However, the faculty leadership team has also noted that further consultation is required “before responsibilities, task allocation and prioritisation are finalised in connection with the establishment of Arts Research and the reorganisation of Arts HR,” the leadership team writes in the response document accompanying the decision.
The leadership team also acknowledges the point made in several consultation responses that it’s inappropriate to change the PhD school’s administration at a time when the PhD school is undergoing evaluation.
As a result, the final decision on whether to close the PhD administration as an independent unit has been postponed until November. The ongoing evaluation of the PhD school is therefore awaited; this will now be part of the process, alongside the involvement of the staff concerned.
COMMITTEE CHAIR IS SATISFIED
Professor Anders-Christian Jacobsen is chair of the PhD Committee at Arts. He is pleased that the faculty leadership team is now finding a way forward that is similar to what the committee had called for.
“I think the process now resembles the one we’ve been calling for all along.” It’s important to wait for the evaluation of the PhD school so that there is clarity regarding the tasks that need to be addressed before reorganising the structure. “It will be fascinating to see how many people actually get involved in the process the management is setting out,” Anders-Christian Jacobsen says.
PhD STUDENT REMAINS CRITICAL
Dina Winther, a PhD student in the Department of the Study of Religion and a member of the PhD committee, is slightly less optimistic.
“I’m annoyed that I have to hear the news from Omnibus.” “If they really want to listen to us and take our concerns on board, I find it strange that the management continues to communicate so poorly,” says Dina Winther, referring to the fact that the leadership team hasn’t informed the PhD students of the decision to postpone parts of the decision.
As a PhD student, Dina Winther still doesn’t believe that the leadership team has addressed these concerns.
“I still believe that the management has yet to address the concerns we as students have. We have tried to speak to management, and there has been a lot of talk about us. But, in my view, management still doesn’t acknowledge the key points of our criticism and has yet to respond to them,” she says.
Looking back, Dean Maja Horst would, of course, have preferred to have been spared the turmoil and criticism.
“My takeaway is that we haven’t managed to explain the purpose of this organisational change. This is being done in response to calls from the research communities for improved research funding and to ensure equal treatment for all in terms of HR. “I wish we, as the faculty leadership team, had been better at explaining that,” Maja Horst admits.
This text is machine translated and post-edited by Lisa Enevoldsen.