Massey shakeup: More than a third of academic scientific staff could go

Scientists at Massey University are reeling from explosive new proposals that they say would be the biggest cut for science academics in New Zealand history.

Massey science teaching staff received a revised discussion paper this morning outlining cost reduction measures, with two options presented.

Both would reduce academic science staffing by more than a third and give science subjects currently offered a big shakeup.

A senior Massey scientist told the Herald that the loss could be equivalent to about 100 scientists in most disciplines.

They described the proposals as “brutal” and just as devastating as previous proposals that were released in February on the first day of the semester, and which suggested that Massey stop teaching a science degree at his Albany campus.

At the time, Massey cited costs that had increased more than his income and the need to reduce spending by $ 18.1 million a year, including reducing staff costs at the College of Science by $ 11.7 million. , or 15 percent.

A major restructuring was proposed amid the implementation of an online-centric strategy called Digital Plus that would see many subjects taught face-to-face only on designated “anchor” campuses.

In the latest discussion paper, released shortly after Massey submitted his overall proposal for his College of Science on a “roadmap,” the faculty vice chancellor, Professor Ray Geor, said the position had worsened regarding the one he described in February.

“Our costs, including the financial contribution to the operations of the university, are greater than our income and this situation will continue to deteriorate unless we take action.”

Both options presented today would retain all of Massey’s current 53 science qualifications, except for his Bachelor of Science (BSc) with Honors, which would be discarded.

But both involved dropping some specializations and merging others into reshaped disciplines, including integrating biochemistry into a broader life sciences topic.

Changes to the first option were estimated to bring about an improvement in the equivalent of full-time students (EFTS) per offering by 32 percent, while supporting approximately 66 percent of full-time academic staff.

But it also involved stopping Massey’s bachelor’s degree in computer science without offering a replacement, and it would also boost the already high workload for academic staff by 7 percent.

The second option would retain the computer science degree, support approximately 68% of full-time academic staff, slightly reduce the workload, and bring a 39% reduction in the number of offers, but raise the EFTS rate per offer by just under From the half.

“In each option, we anticipate an improvement in our financial sustainability, despite some loss of enrollment revenue,” Geor wrote in the document.

“Each tries to balance changes in the curriculum with effects on staff workload, but does so to different degrees.

“Both options will require the alignment of our staff, to better support our teaching and research missions within our financial means.”

He acknowledged that the proposals would be a “challenging time for all of us” and asked staff to provide feedback before the end of the month.

A Massey academic told the Herald that the cuts would “kill science” at the university.

They also upheld Massey’s claim that science at the university did not cover its costs, noting that the document did not mention that the university contributed between $ 30 million and $ 35 million each year for facilities such as libraries, along with administrative salaries.

“The [College of Sciences] It is the largest university and brings in more money than most other universities, but as a percentage of revenue, it is less than most, but not all others, it returns 20 to 25 percent of its income, “they said.

“We know that science has not received sufficient funding from successive governments and that it is expensive to do, yet it is important for New Zealand.”

The scholar expected the flux effects of the new proposals to mean a 30 to 40 percent drop in the ability to hire PhD students, and a drop in research revenue and international rankings.

“I’m also sure there will be a drop in enrollment. The College of Science may even end up giving back the same percentage as it does now, but with much lower income and the massive destruction of talented careers.”

The academic also criticized the fact that, a few weeks before publishing the proposals, Massey circulated new communication policies that, according to the staff, prevent them from openly criticizing the university management.

Another senior faculty member regretted that some new specialties that the staff had spent a lot of time and energy on may now be lost.

“It’s a sad day to be a Massey scholar.”

The organizer of the Tertiary Education Union (TEU), Heather Warren, planned to hold meetings with members in the coming days to provide a response to the proposals.

“No job cuts are good and the TEU does not support job loss for our members.”

Warren said the discussion paper showed that the funding models that universities operated were “clearly flawed,” and argued that even under-enrolled articles were important to society.

The president of the New Zealand Association of Scientists, Professor Troy Baisden, said the proposed cuts to scale threaten the future of the country, both in innovation and in protecting its economy and environment.

“If limited to Massey alone, these cuts are a spectacular own goal and a tragedy for staff; they can be a gift to rival institutions, at a perfect time for students to enroll elsewhere next year.” .

But there were deeper reasons for concern, he said, among which was the “lack of support” for the morale and stability of the university sector.

“If, as a nation, we destroy our scientific capacity and reputation at a time when top talent wants to live and work in New Zealand, we will risk being left behind intellectually and financially for decades to come.”

Massey declined to comment.