Current state of affairs Yantai

Lately, a lot has happened concerning Yantai and it will be no different this summer. Therefore, we provide you with an update of this large-scaled project of the UG.

The AMVB (order in council)
In February, a law has passed that makes it possible to offer transnational education. In order to open the branch campus in Yantai, the UG has to apply formally at the minister. Before they can request this, however, the University has to wait for the AMVB (order in council) that explains the new law regulation. We have been told that the final version of the AMVB is expected no sooner than Spring 2018.

Internet consultation
At this moment, a draft of the AMVB is online that can be used for Internet consultation. This means that all Dutch citizens can read the AMVB and add comments or suggestions. In case you want to read the draft of want to add comments, you can read it here: https://www.internetconsultatie.nl/internetconsultatieamvbtne. The Internet consultation takes six to eight weeks. Subsequently, the Council of Ministers will adjust the draft if necessary.

Trajectory AMVB
Once the advice has been processed, the AMVB will be discussed in the second and sirst chamber. This is an inspection procedure in which the chambers can give comments but cannot vote anymore. After this inspection, the AMVB is proposed to the Council of State. They have three months to respond and to establish the AMVB. Once the AMVB has been established, the RUG can request permission for their plans, so this will probably happen during Spring 2018. Then, the Minister has sixteen weeks to respond to the application. The Minister will ask several authoritative sources for their advice. It will take about a year before the UG will really have a “go” for Yantai. Another issue is that the Dutch cabinet formation takes a long time and therefore we still don’t know who will be the new Minister of Education. This could also influence the process.

Decision-making process in China
Once we received the “go” from the Netherland, the Chinese ministry also has to approve the plans. Approval of the University and relevant faculty councils of the UG could help in getting a preliminary approval in China. Then, the project can be continued and Yantai will provide resources for further development of the project.

Consent faculty councils
Last month, the Board of the University sent a letter to the faculty board of FSE and FSS to request their cooperation for UGY. This is not possible without consent of the respective faculty councils. In July, the faculty councils of FSE and FSS will vote on the cooperation of the faculty. This will happen on July 6th and July 18th respectively.

Consult University Council
The draft version of the AMVB states that the University Council has right of consent on the formal application. This application can only be handed in once the AMVB is finalized. Yet, we will be asked for our consent in August. The Board of the University wants this for the following two reasons. Firstly, the Board wants that the vote with the current members of the Council. The University Council has discussed about Yantai on a regular basis and the new Council will inevitably lack some of this knowledge at the begging of the year. Secondly, our consent will lead to a preliminary approval in Yantai which will consequently lead to resources provided by Yantai to further develop the project. This will decrease the chances of further delay.