Faculty Board column: Where do we stand now?
Read the latest column from the Faculty Board here, with an update on the faculty's current situation and our next steps.
In recent communications, we have shared the direction taken by the Faculty Board. We have explained the considerations and choices made to ensure a future-proof and financially healthy faculty. Institutes, programme departments, and staff have actively engaged with the strategic lines of action. Significant progress is being made in the clustering of committee work, the development of shared teaching, and the core curriculum. In addition, measures such as the vacancy filter, the hiring freeze, and the reduction of course offerings across all programmes have been in place for some time.
Some of these measures are already resulting in reduced expenditure. Others will only have an impact in the longer term, and their precise financial effect is not yet known. What we do know is that these efforts will only lead to sustainable financial improvement if they are translated into changes in staffing. At present, we are examining whether a reorganisation is necessary. Before the summer recess, the faculty board will not make a decision on this matter.
How Are We Doing Financially?
The 2026 financial framework for the faculty paints a sobering picture and underlines the urgency to take action. The report shows that, based on current projections and without further steering measures, the faculty’s budget deficit could rise to approximately €8 million by 2030. The main cause of this is the anticipated decline in student enrolment over the coming years. A deficit of this magnitude would eventually lead to a negative faculty reserve — which is not permitted.
Budget Targets
To ensure that the steps already taken will indeed result in a balanced budget, the institutes and the Faculty Office have been given an additional budget target. This means that the Faculty Board is asking each institute and the Faculty Office to draw up concrete plans to structurally achieve a balanced budget from 2027 onwards.
The Faculty Office had already received a budget target earlier and has been working on this for some time. We informed you about this last month in the ‘Faculty Office in Transition’ column. Institutes are now also receiving a target. The amount each institute needs to cut depends on the 2026 financial framework and the projections for 2027–2030. The overall faculty deficit amounts to roughly 10% of the budget (first funding stream).
Initial drafts of the institute plans have been shared and discussed among the institute directors and the Faculty Board. With the standardised format we shared last week, we hope to provide institutes with sufficient guidance to further develop their plans. As a Faculty Board, we are aware that this is a complex task, and we greatly appreciate the commitment of the institutes’ management teams in addressing it.
What Makes This So Complex?
The complexity of this challenge is closely linked to the organisational structure of our faculty. In terms of steering the budget, teaching is one of the few levers we can actually adjust. In our matrix structure, programme chairs are responsible for the content and quality of the programmes, while institutes are responsible for staffing. Some programmes are staffed by multiple institutes, which means that decisions affecting teaching often cannot be made within the boundaries of a single institute. This requires intensive coordination and collaboration, and careful balancing of interests.
We are confident that, together with the institutes, the Faculty Office, the programme departments, and all of you, we will find a way forward. We will present a concrete action plan and timeline for the coming year as soon as possible. We have already made great strides together — thanks to your constructive cooperation and tremendous efforts. Thank you. We will continue to move forward, step by step.
The Faculty Board,
Henk te Velde
Saskia Goedhard
Jos Schaeken
Jeroen Touwen
Nova Verkerk