Uniko President Oliver Vitouch is considering the amount of the compensation allowance (currently around 1,200 euros) – this would include family and study allowances. All students who achieve 40 ECTS points per academic year would receive it. Education Minister Martin Polaschek (ÖVP) rejected the idea on Tuesday.
This measure is intended to enable students to concentrate primarily on their education, Vitouch argued to journalists on Monday evening, explaining the position of uniko in its demands for “Universities 2030” presented before the National Council elections. After their training, graduates who have a certain income should then pay back part of it. To assess the proposed 40 ECTS: The minimum duration of study is 60 ECTS per academic year.
“Actually a watering can”
Polaschek does not see such a basic security as an effective means. On Tuesday, on the sidelines of a press conference in Krems, the education minister referred to statements by the Austrian Students’ Union (ÖH), “which clearly rejected such a system because it is actually a scattergun approach that does not allow for any differentiation.”
The universities are also calling for a nationwide university planning by a single ministry with combined responsibilities for universities, research and innovation. “The regionalization of university policy is currently a problem because the states are realizing their own goals by founding private universities,” says Vitouch. There is currently a federal ban on funding private universities – but states or chambers can easily finance “private” universities. “No one will say anything once morest the conversion of state conservatories if only the legal form is changed,” says Vitouch. However, he does not see the point of a Medical University of Oberwart – the most recent high point was the founding of the digital university in Linz IT:U (although this operates as a public university, note).
“Change makes little sense”
For Polaschek, a “change in the current status makes little sense”. Such a step would rather lead to a reduction in the range of services “and actually also turn off innovative, new approaches”. The minister also pointed out the prevailing quality assurance for private institutions.
In addition, uniko is calling for a streamlining of the tertiary sector, which currently comprises 23 public universities, 21 universities of applied sciences, 14 teacher training colleges (PH) and 19 private universities. For example, the PH might be integrated into the universities and teacher training might be combined. This would be more economical because it would eliminate duplicate structures and avoid logistical problems and lengthy coordination of curricula, argued Vitouch.
“No real added value”
From the current perspective, the fact that the PHs are integrated into the universities would “not represent any real added value,” stated Polaschek. “So far, this has always been rejected by the universities because they saw their own research orientation as the focus.” One might “certainly discuss it, but it is not an option for me at the moment.”
Other demands from uniko include an end to the 40 percent contribution to the Excellence Initiative. Paradoxically, this would mean that those universities that prevail in the competitive competition for research funding would pay more, said Vitouch. In addition, the FWF Science Fund would have to be “substantially” higher in funding, including an overhead regulation of 25 percent.
“The universities are the cash cow of the BIG”
The uniko president expects more commitment to sustainable building renovation and new construction from BIG, as the owner of most university properties. “The universities are BIG’s cash cow. More might be done in terms of sustainability investments if rents are not reduced.”
Vitouch can imagine changes to the university councils appointed by the government. One possibility would be hearings before appointment, another would be clearer qualification criteria. At present, these are more or less selected by the cabinets of the governing parties. “We would have to move more from a cabinet logic to a qualification logic.”
In general, Vitouch would like to see politicians “incorporate scientific evidence more into political guidelines”. The existence of science editorial teams must also become a mandatory criterion for media funding.
At the end of October, Vitouch’s term as uniko president will end because he was not re-elected as rector at the University of Klagenfurt. His two vice presidents Brigitte Hütter (University of Art and Design Linz) and Markus Müller (University of Medicine Vienna) will then run the business on an interim basis until December. In mid-December, a new president will be elected for the remainder of the term, which will last until the end of 2025. Vitouch himself will return to his professorship for general psychology at the University of Klagenfurt.