Independent University Newspaper
Copenhagen Business School
While everyone else is looking ahead, let’s take a quick glance back at what caught readers’ attention most on CBS WIRE in 2019.
In the new job satisfaction survey, both TAP and VIP agree that career opportunities are not sufficiently transparent at CBS and that there hasn’t been good follow up on the 2016 survey. However, confidence in the Senior Management has improved. The results are up for discussion at the General Consultation Committee meeting on Friday December 13.
25 students and intro guides have been temporarily suspended from CBS for violating intro activity rules. An additional 44 intro guides have received letters of consultation. Now, the concept of intro weeks is up for discussion, yet again. “Deeply disappointing,” says the President of CBS. “It’s terrible that some students have got off to a bad start,” says the President of CBS Students.
In May, CBS announced a sustainability action plan with concrete goals. Now, the Senior Management has approved a portfolio of projects, also known as the CBS Green Program, to meet the goals. The portfolio includes, for example, technologies to minimize water consumption, increased waste sorting across campus, and right now a soccer field is taking shape by the water tower.
The so-called temporary rise in taximeter funding for the humanities and social sciences is continuing for another three years. This means that CBS will avoid losing DKK 50–60 million a year. What's more, the education cap will be discontinued from the summer of 2020.
CBS is now ready for new collaborations one year after deciding to curb its links with Danske Bank as a direct consequence of the money laundering case that hit the headlines. Replacing the top management and restoring confidence in the bank were CBS’ conditions for reconnecting with its former collaborator.
Students and staff will be electing members to the Board of Directors, the Academic Council and study boards during the elections in week 47. Current members of the Board of Directors and the Academic Council explain why students and staff should seize their chance to influence how CBS is run.
The Director of Universities Denmark would rather find common solutions than rewrite the University Act to address the climate and biodiversity crises, as 558 researchers and university teachers have requested. They want the preamble to focus specifically on how universities can contribute to solving the challenges created by climate change.
The university directors of the eight Danish universities are joining forces to share best practices and discuss potential joint initiatives, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions on campus. The University Director of CBS believes the collaboration will accelerate change.
The education sector and business industry have launched seven recommendations to encourage more international students to embark on careers in Denmark after graduation. CBS had an important seat at the table, explains Tom Dahl-Østergaard, who advocates more language flexibility in the business sector. The recommendations have now been handed to the Minister for Higher Education and Science.
Astrid Tøttenborg and Marie Hansen from Student Hub were frustrated that they couldn’t sort their waste at work. Now, they have four recycling bins working as a pilot project for scaling up the initiative to cover all CBS offices and departments. This aim is supported by the results from the recent recycling project at Spisestuerne, which are so promising that it’s likely to spread to all CBS canteens.
Senior Management and Campus Services have agreed to introduce designated smoking areas in CBS’ outdoor areas starting with Solbjerg Plads in December. The Head of Campus Services explains that ‘smoke police’ will not be lurking around outside, and answers why CBS isn’t introducing a smoke-free policy just yet.
If the government’s draft budget is approved, CBS’ budget will increase by DKK 12 million but be reduced by DKK 50–60 million - a tenth of CBS' education funding. The University Director explains that the budget cut could lead to fewer teaching lessons, fewer teachers and fewer resources to introduce up-to-date teaching methods.
It is too difficult to figure out what research CBS researchers do, if you ask Mette Fjord Sørensen, Head of Research, Higher Education and Diversity at the Confederation of Danish Industry. And at a time when natural sciences are in the spotlight, humanities and social sciences need to step up and show how they can be useful to society and companies, she argues.
Diversity is a vital aspect of disrupting and innovating, but you cannot acquire it simply by hiring a diverse work force, argue Florence Villeséche and Alex Klinge, researchers at CBS. As co-organizers of this year’s Diversity Day on October 8, they are aiming to investigate how diversity and innovation go hand in hand and what role research plays in making diversity a success.
Over the past 1.5 years, the Fingopay payment solution has expanded to all six of Spisestuerne’s canteens. Now, Nets has added two other credit cards alongside Dankort so more customers can pay for their coffee, lunch and afternoon snacks with their fingers. It has become easier to sign up too.
How can and should universities contribute to a more sustainable planet and society in the future? This question was up for discussion at the Festival for the Global Goals co-hosted by CBS. The panelists agreed that the universities should adopt a more radical approach to teaching students and disseminating research in order to fuel the green transition.
In this podcast, students, staff members and the President of CBS share their thoughts, feelings, expectations, and concerns about their first day at CBS. Some had their first day 23 years ago, while others just started this September. Hear the funny, cute and exciting anecdotes about picking the right clothes, having butterflies in the stomachs, and almost being late to work.
It’s hard to mention sustainable initiatives at CBS that Centre Manager Louise Thomsen hasn’t been involved with in one way or another. Since 2016, she has done her part to push CBS in a more sustainable direction. And it hasn’t always been easy. Now, she is saying goodbye to CBS with some words of advice on how the university can become even more sustainable.
True to tradition, the new semester was kick-started with the Semester Start Party, which every year transforms Solbjerg Plads and the green area between Kilen and Solbjerg Plads into a party zone. Photographer Luyi Liang was on the spot.