University of Copenhagen cutting 500 jobs

Cuts could have long term implications, argues dean

In response to government education cuts in the recent budget agreement, the University of Copenhagen (KU) has announced that it will be trimming over 530 positions.

KU revealed that 209 staff members will be let go, while a further 323 positions will either be closed down or terminated via voluntary resignations.

“Losing so many good co-workers constitutes a massive loss of knowledge and competencies,” said KU dean Ralf Hemmingsen. “We have found the largest part of savings in administration and service in an attempt to shield education and research as much as possible.”

“But it means that important support functions for the students, researchers and teachers will disappear or be limited.”

READ MORE: Danish government to cut billions from education

Cutting to the bone
Another consequence will be a 10 percent decrease in PhD’s in the coming year, a move that Hemmingsen contends will impact the quality of Denmark’s research ability in 5-20 years.

The situation has also prompted the university to look into how many language courses they will be able to offer in the future.

Other educations consisting of expensive equipment, laboratories and animal stalls will be analysed to see if they are viable in the future.

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