What Lijst Calimero thinks about the branch campus in Yantai (UGY)

In cooperation with a Chinese partner university , the University of Groningen (UG) wants to establish a branch campus in Yantai, China.  The branch campus is supposed to offer UG-degree programs that will yield a UG-diploma in the end. Upon initiation of Lijst Calimero and the Personnel Faction (PF),  the participation bodies of the UG acquired the right of consent on the application for the branch campus in Yantai in February. The right of consent is an important development in the discussion concerning the opening of UGY. In this statement you can read on why the right of consent is such an important development and how Lijst Calimero will make use of this right in order to make the best decision for students.

Important quality assurances
First of all, the right of consent is an important development, because Lijst Calimero is concerned that UGY will have a negative impact on the quality of education here at the UG and is therefore against the current plans for the branch campus. In our opinion, the value of UG diplomas can never be at risk. The right of consent for faculty councils and the University Council gives us the opportunity  critically evaluate future plans and check whether or not they meet important quality assurances.

An important requirements  that needs to be met before we can give consent for UGY is, that the departure of UG staff can never lead to a decrease in the quality of education here in Groningen.  By now it became clear that the UG has to make enormous efforts in order to realize degree programs in Yantai. The UG would have to recruit a lot of new personnel in order to prevent a  decrease in quality. In practice, the University already faces difficulties to improve the student-staff ratio. It will become even more difficult for the University to hire sufficient staff, if UGY will be opened. The board of the University has to be able to give us a guarantee that they will be able to find sufficient staff in the future before we can give our consent for UGY.

Additionally, it is important that that students and staff of the University support the far-reaching plans for UGY. At the moment, there is no proof for sufficient support. Various faculty councils recently expressed their concerns about the plans for UGY and the way in which they have been involved in the process. After all, degree programs of those faculties will be offered in Yantai and therefore it is important that the faculties support the plans. We think that faculty councils acquiring the right of consent for faculty specific parts of the plans is an important development.

The decision-making process
Our second major concerns has been the decision-making process itself. It has not been transparent and participation bodies have not been involved in an adequate manner for a long time. The board of the University has not been able to take away concern and criticism expressed during University Council meetings. With the newly acquired right of consent, the board of the University now has to proof the benefits of the branch campus in Yantai and in order to convince us, they have to involve the participation bodies in the project and the decision-making process.

At the moment, the legal department is working on the legal framework for the right of consent. Lijst Calimero actively participates and talks to people working in the legal department of the UG so that we can shape the right of consent in way that everyone can support it. We think, that a constructive positioning is important and we will keep asking ourselves whether or not a branch campus in Yantai will be beneficial for  the quality of education and the quality of our diplomas here in Groningen. Only if the board of the University can proof those benefits, we will be able to give our consent for the plans of UGY.