More pressure on scientists Leiden

The faculty Mathematics and Natural Sciences of Leiden University will radically change its personnel policy. Lecturers will no longer get a life-time contracts, but will have to prove themselves every few years. If you do not perform, you will be sacked.

The 'universitair docent' (UD, lecturer), the 'hoofddocent' (UHD, senior lecturer) and the 'hoogleraar' (professor) disappear to make way for the assistant-, de associate- and the full professor. But the <> reveals that more than the titles will change. With the American-style 'tenure-track'-system the pressure to perform increases substantially. As far as is known the faculty in Leiden is the first to introduce the system.

Assistant-professors, who will be only be employed with a temporary contract, should be promoted to associate-professor within five years. If they are found wanting, they will have to pack their bags within the year.

Because only the top-scientists will 'survive' the new system, the faculty hopes to offer more quality. At the same time the budget has to be reduced from 68 million guilder to 57 million guilder.

According to <> the Institute for Chemical Research in Leiden (LIC), for example, will have to make do with 28 instead of 38 full-time people. Because of the problems expected by the LIC in its educational tasks the faculty in Leiden will have to lean heavily on the TU Delft in this area.