Senior Management proposes to close six programs starting from 2023 to meet government demand – layoffs cannot be ruled out
(Photo by Anna Holte)
By 2030, CBS is to reduce its intake by 10%. In total, that is 628 study places in Frederiksberg. On November 12, the Senior Management presented a study place reduction plan to the CBS Board of Directors. The plan includes closing the BSc in Business Administration and Philosophy, and several master’s programs. Now, hearings will be held regarding the plan until the final agreement is made at a CBS Board meeting on December 2.
News | 12. Nov 2021
The Danish government has asked the Danish universities in the major cities to reduce their intakes by 10% by 2030. For CBS, this means a total reduction of 628 study places.
At a meeting of the CBS Board of Directors on November 12, the Senior Management presented its plan for how the reduction can be implemented. The plan involves closing six programs starting from 2023. CBS WIRE is in possession of the plan.
The affected programs are as follows:
- BSc in Business Administration and Philosophy (HA Fil.)
- MSc in Business Administration and Philosophy
- Soc. in Political Communication and Management (Politisk Kommunikation og Ledelse)
- MSc Soc in Organizational Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- MSc Soc in Management of Creative Business Processes
- MA in International Business Communication.
The plan will go into internal hearings starting from next week, and the finalized and approved plan will be sent to the Ministry of Higher Education and Science before the New Year, according to CBS Share.
“We have received a strictly defined job from the politicians to reduce the intake in the major cities by up to 10%. In our case, that means 628 fewer study places in Frederiksberg. At the same time, it means a ceiling is being imposed on our intake towards 2030. It’s a big change in itself, and we have decided on the principles for how to handle the reduction so that, in the best way possible, it attends to ‘customer needs’ (aftagernes behov) and safeguards the width that characterizes CBS’ research and educations today,” says the acting president of CBS, Inger Askehave in a statement on CBS Share.
Two phases
The plan for the study place reduction is divided into two phases. The first phase, which includes closing six programs, will reduce the intake by 334 students. This means the next phase will have to find another 294 study places. The second phase is to be delivered from 2025.
A reduction of up to 10% will negatively affect CBS’ finances in the magnitude of DKK 45-55 million a year, according to the statement.
“With an expected annulment of tasks related to the study place reductions, combined with a reduction in income, it can, at present, unfortunately not be ruled out that there will be a need to lay off employees. We will, however, do our utmost to not end up in that situation,” says Inger Askehave in the statement and continues:
“It is also important to emphasize that the scale of the upcoming study place reduction is still unclarified. It will be so until the final sector plan for the reduction in the major cities is presented to the signatory parties for the agreement, which it is expected to be in spring 2022.”
According to the statement on CBS Share, the CBS Board of Directors recommended that the Senior Management should not concretize study place reductions for phase two until 2025, “in order for decisions to be based to the greatest extent possible on up-to-date labor market needs”.
“We look forward to hearing the organizations’ comments on the plan before the Board of Directors makes the final decision about CBS’ report for the ministry at the next meeting,” says Inger Askehave in the statement and looks forward to a constructive dialogue during the hearings.
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