In the budget submitted in May, the School predicted a deficit of SEK 27 million for 2024. The Vice-Chancellor then made the decision in early August that approximately SEK 15 million of this deficit must be cleared through cost savings.
– My assessment is that this reduction in deficit of SEK 15 million will mostly be achieved through a decrease in personnel costs. How this will be done is something I’ll return to once we are further along in the process, says Joakim Storck, Head of the School of Information and Engineering.
The Vice-Chancellor's decision means that it is now up to the School to find ways to reduce the remaining SEK 12 million of the total SEK 27 million deficit. This will be achieved over time by, for example, increasing external research funding and continuing to review what programmes the University offers so as to increase student numbers. All activities at the School will be reviewed so that any changes are carefully considered, said Joakim Storck, Head of School, at a staff meeting on Wednesday.
An action plan will be in place by 30 October 2023, while measures must have been implemented by 1 January 2024. In the coming days, discussions will begin with trade unions, and will include risk and impact analyses.
The background to this is that Dalarna University as a whole is currently reviewing and adapting operations and activities based on the financial situation for 2024 in order to lay the foundation for a strong university moving forward. All five university schools, as well as central administration, will be affected by this with demands for performance improvements and, in some cases, cost savings.
Throughout the autumn, information will be made available both at meetings and on the staff web. If you have any questions or concerns, you are welcome to contact your immediate manager.