secretary general update from the netherlands

march 7, 2008

Lambert Verveld,University of Groningen

march 7, 2008

Lambert Verveld,University of Groningen

secretary general

update from the netherlands

secretary general

update from the netherlands

today

• some things about the university of groningen

• overview of legal mile stones in the Netherlands since 1950

• major trends and issues influencing the position of the secretary general

• the secretary general today in the Netherlands

university of groningen

• founded in 1614

• 25.000 students, 6.000 staff

• annual budget 500 M€

• science, medicine, arts, social science, law, business

• royal institute in Rome

made in Groningen

• First female student of the Netherlands

• First dutch astronaut

• First president of the European Central Bank

• Present poet laureate

• CEO Akzo Nobel

• Mayor of Amsterdam

• Royal

tradition: professor’s rule

rector for academysecretary general as executive

ministry dominant in descisions about professors and

investments

1950 - 1970

1971democracy at university: elected

university council with governing power

board of five persons (incl Rector),

(2 appointed by the minister)secretary general is executive

tensions between SG and Boardbattle between academic

traditionand renewal of governance

1987

no major governance changes concerning the elected council,

but:board of three app. by ministry

and: secr. gen. not mentioned in law

fundamental change in executive role

academic leadership+ decentralised services

board of trustees app. by minister

governing / executive board of three (incl. Rector, president is

dominant) appointed by board of trustees

trend to recentralise of governance

university council: gives advice instead of governing power

1997

autonomy• employership

• ownership of real estate

• financial freedom (lump sum + other sources)

• marketing (students, staff, general public)

• legal & public accountability

• increase of administrative tasks

major trends• strong growth of students, staff, finance

• fierce international competition

• quality is a key issue

• decentralization (as a result of growth & autonomy)

• recentralization (as a result of IT and efficiency)

• diversification (students, research clients)

people in education &

research• from individual freedom to regulated professionalism

• individual quality of professors more important

• other sources of income for research

• flexible contracts

results• dominance of strategy

• complexity (stake holders, finance, accountability)

• process orientation

• new roles and functions (controler, institutional researcher, auditor, etcetc)

• diversification of institutions (small, broad, technical, research, international)

governance stylestraditional:

board, SG, faculty boards

executive governance + management of administration

and services

managerial: board is executive

the secretary now

A) the traditional secretary as semi-executive

B) the secretary as general director of administration &

services

C) the secretary as secretary of the board, board is the executive

A) & B)

A/B: corporate/administration: strategy advisers, finance,

personell, real estate, communication, student

services, etcA: IT-services, library, facilities

(cleaning, restaurants, etc)A+: support services at faculty

level

C)

secretariat and legal services

and/or: strategy and policy coordination

key factors

• IT is the essential tool (in administration, in information management, in creating efficiency)

• managing of and communicating with ‘the environment’ (general public, politicians, firms, parents, alumni) becomes a major task for the board

• accountability: more stakeholders

common denominators

• close(st) official to the board of the university

• task linked to strategy

• acting at the crossroads of information

• coordinating the execution of the policy of the governing board

• general overview, not a specialist

future

• bringing together strategy and services

• taking care of a reliable administration

• providing adequate management information

• adding value, creating space for renewal, coordinating different strategy paths