By Lea Laursen Pasgaard, AAU Communication and Public Affairs
File photo: Personal. Graphics: Søren Emil Søe Degn

The Dean's Office at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) at AAU has presented a plan to close a number of student places as a consequence of the national reform of the Master's programmes. 

This has led to protests from students, staff and local politicians, who believe that the closures of the specific degree programmes will weaken the university's profile as an "entire university". 

See also: Pro-rector: We will continue to be a broad and strong university

Union representative calls for greater employee involvement

Frederik Hertel, Associate Professor and union representative for the Danish Association of Masters and PhDs at SSH, calls the prospect of new programme closures unfortunate. He is concerned about the consequences for the psychological working environment at the faculty:

"The proposal is just the latest in a long line of changes that the faculty has undergone in recent years. Many staff members are very affected by the situation, and the relationship between management and some staff groups is challenged," he says.

Frederik Hertel acknowledges that management is tasked with prioritizing and indeed has a responsibility to prioritize, but he would have liked to have seen 'ordinary employees' involved in the discussions about the education landscape of the future much earlier in the process. The discussions should not only be reserved for councils and boards, he believes.

"I would have liked to have seen a different type of process and involvement of our colleagues. I’m not seeing a shared vision for the main areas and especially the humanities, which with the proposed programme closures seem to be significantly smaller than it is today," says Frederik Hertel.

Recognizes student and staff engagement

Dean Rasmus Antoft acknowledges that the past few years have offered many reforms and changes at the faculty, and that this can naturally create concern among employees.

"I know that it is not just numbers and structures that we work with, but people's everyday lives, professional identity and community that are at stake. I fully understand that the proposal for programme closures arouses strong emotions, and as dean, I am proud that we have passionate students and staff who are happy with their degree programmes," says the dean.

A difficult task

Rasmus Antoft emphasizes that the proposal to close degree programmes at SSH has not been taken lightly.

"However, we have been given a fixed task from the Danish Parliament, so we have to relate to the national framework, including the reform of the Master’s programmes. At the same time, we must ensure that SSH can continue to offer strong and viable degree programmes," says the dean.

He adds that the process has emphasized key figures such as application, admission, drop-out rates and unemployment, but also focused on creating a coherent portfolio that supports a good study and education environment and the university's overall profile.

Final decision will be made in November

According to Rasmus Antoft, the dean's office has endeavoured to create as much transparency as possible about the decision-making process – among other things by inviting dialogue through consultations in boards of studies, department councils and other relevant forums. 

"I want as much openness as possible about the choices we face, and I invite everyone to contribute with their perspectives. We read all consultation responses carefully, listen to the collegiate bodies, and of course we do not reject anything in advance. But in the end, we are forced to close down degree programmes, and it cannot help but hurt, because all our educations have meaning and value," says Rasmus Antoft.

Next steps

The proposal underwent a comment period in the study boards, department councils and other relevant bodies at the faculty. The next step is for the plan to be discussed in the Academic Council and the Faculty Consultation Committee before the Dean's Office makes a final decision on its recommendation to the university's Executive Management which will consider the matter on 19 November.