Science Faction Council speeches & blog

In this post, Marcello Seri pulls back the curtain on what it is like serving on the University Council: the rewarding collaborations, the exhausting debates and the need to reach out to those directly affected by the Council and Board decisions. In this he goes over some important changes that are coming and how we really need to start working together to make the university a better place.

The Science Faction warns that the University of Groningen is steering into a financial storm. While faculties have already tightened their belts, the Board hesitates to make tough cuts, relying instead on natural attrition and short-term fixes. With student numbers set to drop and deficits ballooning, the Faction demands urgent action — before the ship hits the rocks.

The smart academic year is an opportunity to revise a rather intense study and teaching schedule. In the process to design the new recommendations however, it seems that something has gone wrong. Are there reasonable worries or suggestions that should have been given more thoughts? Can we use this as a learning moment to avoid the same problems in the future? Marcello Seri explores some of these issues in this speech at the council discussion.

The AI Network is a plan for a centralized AI office to shape the policy of the university and oversee and coordinate work on AI. We had a close look at the proposal and Marcello Seri collected feedback from many researchers and educators which he consolidated it in the speech he gave at today's council. You can find the whole speech here.

Letter to the Board: The Science Faction urges prioritizing harmonization and budget clarity over faculty restructuring, advocating a more inclusive process. |Brief aan het CvB: De Wetenschapsfractie pleit voor het eerst prioriteit geven aan harmonisatie en budgethelderheid voor een facultaire herindeling, met een oproep tot een meer inclusief proces.

The Groningen Engineering Center 2.0 aims to position the university as the Netherlands’ fifth technical university, fostering cross-faculty collaboration in technical fields. While its potential to boost visibility and funding is clear, success hinges on robust operational planning and equitable faculty involvement ensuring that all partners, not just technical ones, shape its direction as equal stakeholders. Read Marcello Seri's University Council speech here.

Marcello Seri took a hard look at the Smarter Academic Year initiative, meant to cut workloads and boost education quality. The goals were clear: more peace and space for everyone, a new academic year structure, and shared best practices. But the reality is messy. Decisions were made in isolation, pilots ran without clear plans, and communication with those actually affected was almost nonexistent. Instead of collaboration, we got frustration and wasted resources. Some faculties even announced sudden shifts to 6-week blocks, leaving staff scrambling. If we can’t get this right, how will we handle bigger governance challenges? And as these plans go public, who actually gets a say in the final decisions?

We’ve seen real progress in PhD wellbeing at the University of Groningen since 2018, but there’s still a lot of room to grow. Our three key calls: 1. let’s hold supervisors and their managers accountable, not just the PhDs; 2. harmonise support roles and guarantee confidentiality ; and 3. ease the final stretch by helping PhDs navigate post-contract stress, like UWV pressures, with real university backing. Let’s make the next report show even bigger strides! Read Thereza Langeler's Council speech here.

Our new faction member Marcello Seri shares his experiences from the front lines of university governance: intensive training, critical debates on Arthur Mol’s report, and the push for transparency. Discover how the council is engaging staff and students to navigate governance reforms, budget challenges, and the ambitious University 5.0 vision. Read his insights here.

The Science Faction urges approval of the new Camera Surveillance Policy and DPIA Report, praising the thorough risk assessment. We clarified that a DPIA focuses on data protection risks and stress its role in a continuous improvement cycle, especially as technologies and surveillance scales evolve. While acknowledging procedural debates, we prioritizes transparency and safety, arguing that clear policies benefit the university community now, with room for ongoing review. Read Guido Visman's pragmatic call to action for modern campus security.