Ask to save even more:

SU faculty budget

Making people redundant is essential to curbing teacher education salary costs, writes SU faculty dean. The rector requests that more money be allocated to the faculty budget, which the SU faculty disagrees with.

Hiring freezes and budget cuts have proven insufficient to contain the financial situation of the SU faculty and teacher education department.

In documents for next week's faculty meeting, the dean admits that in the worst-case scenario, it would be necessary to fire people.

– Related instruments are skill development, transfer to other posts in NTNU, gift pension or severance packages. Laying off employees may also be appropriate, board documents say.

Chrono Case papers have been mentioned earlier.

Faculty dean Tine Arntzen Hestbek writes in an email to Universitetsavisa that the pressure on finances at SU is hitting ILU particularly hard. Turns out you haven't had time to change as much as you thought.

He says that elimination is used only when all else fails.

– In a case presentation for the faculty board meeting at SU on February 28, the situation at SU and how we intend to work in the future are described. In this restoration work, we will follow the guidelines of NTNU and use the available tools. Any layoffs may be necessary first to gain control over wage levels if other measures are insufficient, Hestbeck writes.

Very high labor costs

It is written in the context of the author's adoption of the budget for 2024, the long-term budget and personnel plan.

As Universitetsavisa previously noted, teachers have already tried to cut large sums. ILU had to cut the most. Costs are high here too.

A major challenge in the teacher education sector is that the cost of salaries is very high. In 2024, they are up to 102.4% of the teacher subsidy. With the implementation of Dean in Workforce programs, this rate is set to be gradually reduced to 92.1% by 2027.

Part of the challenge is also renting the expensive campus at ILU Calvskinnet. Additionally, there is some academic overlap in teaching. The authors write that in the future they need to figure out how different organizations can collaborate in such cases.

The plan to reorganize the company is in its infancy. The goal is that by 2027 you will be stable and well positioned to operate.

Teachers disagree with NTNU's top brass about what is a realistic room for maneuver this year in terms of rules.

Provisions in the financial or accounting context refer to funds or resources set aside to cover future liabilities, expenses or possible losses. It is a way to ensure financial stability and accountability by anticipating and planning for future financial needs.

Rector asks teachers to save more

In an award letter dated February 8, the chancellor demanded that the allocation curves in the university be leveled and the level of activity adjusted to the quota. In 2024, provisions at SU should not be less than 9% of the grant, with a maximum limit of 10%, the Rector wishes.

Because NTNU's saved funds have gone faster than planned.

The Vice-Chancellor's order means that teachers will have to save an additional NOK 41.2 million in 2024. Hence it is in addition to the measures already implemented in the workforce plan.

– Irregular process from Rector's office

The Faculty Committee asks the Dean to follow the target of 5% allocations by 2027, similar to the plan in Long Term Budget Round 2.

– Making too many large savings in these items can also have negative consequences for commitments within professional societies. Based on this, the Dean feels that it is not possible to meet the requirement of 9% quota by 2024 and at the same time provide dedicated teaching and research to faculty. Therefore, the committee advises teachers to continue with the plans already laid out, the documents state.

According to the minutes of a meeting of the local cooperation committee at the SU faculty, this was considered an irregular act. It states that the award letter is not set up for good participation.

It says that level one does not understand that the ILU is difficult to become a large unit and that the Rector's demand is not realistic. In the Collaboration Committee, it was also suggested that the Dean should be associated with previous projects rather than following what the Rector says in the award letter.

It said SU had earlier made it clear that the 9% provision level could not be achieved at the first level meeting and the Dean had requested an extraordinary meeting with level 1 on the matter.

Hestbeck writes for Universitätsavisa and has a good conversation with Level One.

Updated on 21/02/2024 10.28 with comments from Dean Tine Arntzen Hestbek.

Universitetsavisa has contacted Ingfrid Thowsen, head of department at ILU, who mentions his dean.

The Acting Rector at NTNU Tor Grande is yet to respond to our inquiries.