It’s not about preventing her, said uniko President Sabine Seidler to journalists on Thursday. “But we have to look at it from the systemic side. The added value is not visible to me. What makes me unbalanced is that you rush it and scuttle and don’t take the stakeholders with you.”
Strictly speaking, there is still far too little information to make a precise analysis, Seidler complained. Only press releases and a paper by a concept group existed.
Concept group without a concept?
However, only two months ago, the Science Council submitted an opinion on IT training in Austria. One of the results: In an international comparison, there are many computer science students in Austria – but with the bachelor’s graduates they are only in the lower midfield, with the master’s degrees even in the bottom range. “Would you conclude from this that we need more university places?” said Seidler.
Of course, computer science is not the same as digitization, Seidler conceded. But without a certain affinity for technology you will not be able to gain a foothold. Another point of criticism: There will be more than 20 new interdisciplinary master’s programs at the current universities in the coming years – from Digital Society at the University of Linz itself to automation and robotics at the TUs in Vienna and Graz to Smart Farming at the TU Vienna, the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences and the University of Veterinary Medicine. “It’s no longer comprehensible how a concept group can come up with a sensible concept without finding out about these new offers.”
Uniko does not want to cut corners
Another point of criticism: “I don’t see the university character. I don’t know what a university is supposed to be.” Private universities are only allowed to bear the title Uni if they meet certain standards – “I don’t see them at the TU Linz at the moment. That doesn’t mean that they don’t exist, but I don’t see them.”
Financially, uniko also fears having to cut corners. On the one hand, the TU OÖ is not subject to the rules of the University Act (UG), but after the foundation phase it should be financed from the university budget from the next performance agreement period. “If there is then an increase of 15 percent, then there will be cheering, but if only five percent of that is accounted for by one university, that means going backwards,” said Seidler.
In addition, there could then be disadvantages in competition: “I would also like to be able to appoint my professors at my discretion without an appointment committee,” said Seidler. At the same time, the current requirements with the involvement of other university groups also make sense.
Source: Nachrichten
