Division Human Movement and Education cuts 3.6 million in total
- The division Human Movement and Education (B & E) is taking steps to get out of negative numbers before September 1st
- Most important step is reducing the size of the research centre
The division’s unit participation council has agreed to the proposed budget cuts as drawn up by interim-director Bert Meijer. In it, the shortage of 3.6 million is to be cleared before the start of the summer vacation.
The size of the research centre has grown a lot, aimed at the cooperation with Hogeschool Utrecht. Now – in one fell swoop – it is being reduced to the size of other research centres within Windesheim. With this reduction an estimate of six hundred thousand euros is to be saved. In addition to that, a change in policy concerning doctoral candidates should save over two hundred thousand euros, plus another two hundred thousand to not extend the professorship of Pedagogical Quality in Education.
Many external and temporary assignments to the research centre will be terminated. Other employees are being placed in other educational or business parts of the division. Other divisions have also been asked to pitch in on the subject of positions for researchers.
Aside from the expenses saved in the research department, the division wants to save another six hundred thousand in general expenses. Examples of these are the costs for: training, administration, catering and travel expenses. At the Distance learning study programmes the rental and service contracts with external locations are to be cancelled, amongst which are the test locations in The Hague and Zeeland.
Budget cuts will also affect the employees. The number of surveyors will be reduced by half, the management team will be reduced by one fulltime employee and the administration office will be cut down on. Furthermore, it is being looked into whether or not older employees would voluntarily step down. This senior settlement would save up to five hundred thousand euros.
The division has chosen to retain all study programs in its portfolio. There will be budget cuts on division-wide minors and division-wide projects. Some new projects will be starting even though, due to their importance to the division, such as the Teachers College, Flexibilisation and the new teaching concept.
The division will also be requesting central funding from the University of Applied Science for division parts that are important to the higher level of Windesheim. These concern the teacher education programs and the professorship of Theology, the professorship Education Innovation and ICT (which includes the Lab21 facility) as well as start-up investments for several new master courses.
The budget cuts will be implemented in three ‘waves’ (time frames) of which the first will be made around the time of spring break, the second until the May break and the final one until the summer break. (EM)
