Effective organisation

Institutional organisation
Financial health

Our institutional organisation assumes a high degree of subsidiarity and operates within a diverse range of activities and disciplines, although this also brings with it a danger of compartmentalisation and fragmentation. In a large organisation like the university, there are inevitably tensions between the central level of administration and the places where core activities are carried out. We want to reconnect the university's different units more closely through a number of adjustments. For instance, we should be able to benefit from economies of scale when some processes happen in a similar way everywhere and knowledge acquired in one place can be used even better in other places. At the same time, we do not all walk at the same pace; we must dare to choose to roll out pilot projects that can mean a crucial leap for one specific group if such an initiative contributes to our mission and vision.

• The deans are best placed to identify opportunities or threats academically, and to anticipate the possible consequences of central policy decisions. We plan a much more frequent structural meeting between rector and deans to discuss major strategic plans even during the conceptual stages.
• For the distribution of resources between faculties, we propose a system that starts from the current allocation model but where additional resources are not automatically diluted according to that key, but are deployed where they can have the greatest effect, where there is a great acute need or for the realisation of policy choices. This is then always a joint proposal by the rector and the College of Deans.
• In the past, service education has helped create an ingrained connection between faculties. We continue to look for a good way to encourage this, where neither the receiving nor the supplying faculty feel that it is not worth the effort.
• Central services have a multi-faceted role:
• They have a supporting role to carry out the core tasks, which are fulfilled in the faculties, and they do so customer-focused and with great commitment, but mutual expectations could be better aligned here and there.
• They have an expert role within their domain, which is not always appreciated. Even if they are not the ones conducting research or teaching, for example, they do have a good view and broader perspective on the policy around it, and the opportunities or threats that arise. On the other hand, it is the academics in the faculties who ultimately have to realise the core tasks and who, already overburdened, get the feeling that additional initiatives are constantly being forced upon them.
• They also have a protective role. They have to ensure that the university, and thus the decentralised units, operate within the (very complex) regulations. This is often perceived as a hindrance by the decentralised units.

These roles can only be performed qualitatively if there is good and careful communication, mutual understanding and solution-oriented thinking on both sides. We need to work on restoring the connection between the central services and the researchers and lecturers in the faculties.

• The Board of Governors approved an ambitious plan for the digitalisation of the university that will make a lot of processes more compatible. We will monitor this closely so that this process can continue in a targeted manner with permanent adjustments where necessary.
• We must ensure that the search for efficiency gains in administration does not result in its partial transfer to researchers and teaching staff and thus negatively affect the performance of core tasks.
• Artificial Intelligence is not a passing gimmick, but will bring about complete changes in the way we not only work on education and research, but also organise ourselves as an institution. We must not miss that train, in fact we must be ahead of it. Introducing AI systems for e.g. reporting, helpdesk functions or administrative procedures should be done with caution but can give staff more time for substantive work. We foresee the launch of a multidisciplinary task force to arrive at a coherent, integrated policy around the responsible use of AI. The most urgent task is to support teachers, researchers and administrative staff in how to use AI, the most appropriate tools, the opportunities and risks, the ethical aspects... The library as an access broker for knowledge also has a role to play here.

The next step is to help prepare for the role the university will have to play as Artificial General Intelligence develops further and will take over a lot of tasks from knowledge workers.

• We have a very participatory way of decision-making at UAntwerpen with literally hundreds of councils, bureaus, steering committees, working groups, committees and consultation platforms. That brings a lot of workload. We will critically evaluate whether all those levels, often with the same people, could not be organised more simply and efficiently.

 

The financial situation for the coming years poses a number of challenges for the university. Creativity will definitely be needed and new initiatives or investments will only be possible if we simultaneously scale down other initiatives or organise them more efficiently. Efficient organisation also requires that we have a robust data management system as an information base for policy and to continuously adjust the operational functioning of the university.

We also try to avoid savings by increasing revenues. The methods for doing so are not new, but we need to be more explicit about them

• Continue to insist on proper payment of committed public funds, including additional money for the specific metropolitan context with a large proportion of pioneer students (students who are the first from their neighbourhood to take the step to university and who therefore have to overcome additional barriers).
• Targeted student recruitment, with additional efforts from marketing:
• In the wider Antwerp region, with a particular focus on both students who fit directly into honours pathways and pioneering students.
• In the rest of Flanders, build on our general reputation even more than before and focus on the specific strengths of our courses and warm welcome.
• For specific programmes, we also focus on recruiting strong international students.
• An inclusive monitorate to facilitate progression of pioneer students without lowering the level.
• Continue to focus on strong leveraging of research resources, and careful budgeting of the full cost of research projects so that the necessary adjustment from internal university resources for uncovered costs can be limited.
• Greater involvement in key funding programmes and structures at Flemish and federal level: a strong presence in advisory bodies and good relations with political policy are crucial.
• Further expand University Fund (including through stronger alumni outreach).
• Economic valorisation of research findings.