Foto: Eivind Senneset, UiB
Hei dere,
In exactly one year, BIO is scheduled to have a new head of department. Then my two term periods are over. I look forward to this last year and hope that we will achieve many good results in the financial area, in research and external funding and in all our educations, so that the new head of department takes over a department that still has financial challenges (we will probably have that for a few years to come) ), but which otherwise works very well. Of course, I and the management team will pay close attention to the financial situation this year, which is influenced by a great deal of different factors, both in the short and long term. I believe we now, after some intense years of cost reduction, have good control on the expenditure side. However, the income side is more challenging because it is highly dependent on what happens outside of our control. We can still influence it, especially through student recruitment and implementation, at all levels (including PhD) and by increasing the volume of external funding and getting even better at getting our costs compensated by the externally funded projects.
We had a good review of the financial situation with the faculty management earlier in the week. In the meeting, we reviewed the status of all the different work that has been done to reduce costs in the various working groups, including course budgeting. Before the summer, we focused on reviewing the costs in the autumn semester, and we will now focus on the courses taught in the spring semester. The preliminary figures suggest that we will break even this year or that we may manage to recoup some of the deficit. It would be fantastically good work by all of us and indicates that we are on the right track. It would also form an excellent basis for us to get many good and competent applicants for the position of head of department at UiB’s finest department.
Then I wish you all a really good weekend in the nice weather. Go swimming, go mushrooming, climb a mountain or lie down in the heather. Enjoy nature. It gives strength and joy.
Hilsen Ørjan