Massive Layoffs Hit University of Copenhagen

jones_supa writes: University of Copenhagen is cutting deep into its staff to cut operation costs. Even though a great deal of the savings are aimed at administration and service, they are expected to affect the quality of education and research many years ahead. More than 500 teachers, researchers and employees in service and administrative jobs will be leaving. This corresponds to 7% of all staff. 209 employees can anticipate being laid off, while 323 jobs are either discontinued or terminated via voluntary redundancy. In addition to this, the university will have to reduce its PhD intake by 10% in the coming years. This is the outcome of the government's 2016 budget which imposes huge savings on research and education. As you might remember, we just heard about a similar situation in University of Helsinki in Finland.

Comments

Re:About time

[paradigm82]

This! It used to be only the brightest of a class that got offered PhD's but thanks to the more than tripling of PhD's over the past 10 years you routinely see very "ordinary" students who study PhD. In fact, it seems to even be an attraction to some of the lazy ones so they can hang around with their friends at uni at 3-4x the income they had as students, compared to - say - going to the private sector where the salary might be higher, but the actual productivity requirements even more so. The Danish PhD instutition is a disaster - having a PhD in Denmark is at best a neutral indicator of ability, and probably bordering on the negative.

Re: Doesn't need to be the end

[Frankzy]

uuuuhuh... Only one problem though, Europe isn't christian, the wast majority of our population is either atheist or agnostic. Nowadays anyone claiming to be a real believing and devout christian is regarded as being a little "funny"

Re:The end

[benjymouse]

The Nordic welfare states are dropping like flies.

Eh? By "the Nordic welfare states" I'm assuming you mean Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland?

Let's examine that claim. Sweden is doing great, Denmark almost as great. Norway has the oil (and a *lot* of it) and has had the god foresight to save oil money from the good times to insulate against poorer times. Norway is doing exceptionally great. Which leaves Finland. Sure, Finland has challenges which can be attributed to a disrupted monoculture. But they are not dismantling the welfare state by any means. They're innovating. None of the Nordic countries are about to "drop" like a fly.

I don't know why you would try to paint a picture of the Nordic welfare states failing. They're not. Not by any stretch of imagination. Do you live in a place where successful welfare states would be an inconvenient counterpoint to your political point of view?

Yes - there's challenges in the Nordic elfare systems, like with any other model. Right now the Nordic welfare states (and the German welfare state) are under pressure because a lot of migrants would like to live in a place with generous social benefits, free education (and at least in Denmark you will even receive full state-paid scholarship all the way through college), free healthcare, retirement welfare etc.

Other countries have other challenges. In the US the average middle-class income has stagnated sinde the 1970ies. The wealthy are getting wealthier, the middle-class is struggling and the poor has gotten even more poor. US social mobility has degraded to a level where "the American dream" is but a distant fantasy.

Re:Proposed solution

[benjymouse]

Just send all the Muslim refugees to college for free.

Oh, we will. You can count on it.

If they are accepted as refugees, after a few years they will be eligible for the same benefits as other citizens. Danish education - including college education - is free. Not only that, but we will even pay students scolarships of around DKK 5100 a month (apx $9200 per year) to cover living costs.

Universities have admission criteria, however. You'll have to be accepted. Most citizens with muslim background seeking higher education tend to go for the types of education that traditionally have high status in their culture: Law, medicine, dentists etc.

I have a high wage. I pay a *lot* of taxes. Do I mind that refugees seek education in Denmark and receive benefits? No, I do not. Any qualified young man or woman seeking higher education is *exactly* what we need. If they're qualified, I'm happy with paying my taxes so that they can receive an education even if they come of circumstances very unlike mine.

Right now we're receiving both refugees and migrants. We are well aware that the generous welfare systems in the Nordic countries and the economic opportunities (and welfare system) in Germany is attractive. Obviously, the Nordic countries cannot open the borders and let in every needy person in the world.

Bit the ones we *do* let in considered needy. And they *will* be eligible for the same benefits as the rest of us. And I'm kind of proud of that. And yes, I pay my high taxes with pleasure. Makes me feel good about it.