Peter Lievens runs for rector and wants a resit-free summer: 'Current academic year structure causes many problems'

'Developments within the university and society call for strong leadership', says quantum physics professor Peter Lievens. 'Of course, we must continue building on what we have achieved in recent years, but the challenges should not be underestimated. I would like to take responsibility for that. And I would like to do so as rector.'

Lievens stood side by side with current university president Luc Sels as dean eight years ago when they jointly led the opposition against Rik Torfs in the Academic Council. After Sels' victory in the 2017 rector elections against Torfs, he included Lievens in his rectoral team. Over the past eight years, Lievens, as vice-rector for International Policy, saw the number of international students double.

For Lievens, the path to the rectorship has been a long one. Twelve years ago, he considered the step too early, four years later, he left the opportunity to Luc Sels, who held the position for two terms. 'But what does the university need now? Maybe it needs me. I consider it a privilege to work at this university, and I believe I could fulfill the challenging role of rector well.'

You want to build on what has been achieved in recent years. What unique aspects do you want to introduce? 
Peter Lievens: 'The top priority is to drastically reduce workload. If we look at staff satisfaction surveys, we generally perform quite well, but in terms of work-life balance, the results are alarmingly poor. It's fine if colleagues choose to work hard, but when they are forced to do so just to complete urgent files on time, that is unacceptable.'

'This means that for our administrative and technical staff, we need clear job descriptions, manageable workloads, and career paths that allow for sufficient growth. We must also truly implement the right to disconnect. For professors, we need to create differentiated career paths, so that teaching efforts are genuinely valued more in promotions and evaluations.'

'Furthermore, administrative simplification has been discussed for years, but it must be more than just a slogan. That’s why I would explicitly task a vice-rector with addressing this issue. We have become such a complex organization that oversight is sometimes lacking. We must reduce this complexity in consultation with all stakeholders.'

Where can immediate cuts be made? 
'To give one example: we currently have many different personnel statutes with numerous appointment procedures. This creates such a maze that our - otherwise excellent - HR department sometimes needs external consultants to make sense of it.'

'Another important tool is restructuring the academic year. Right now, academic years overlap (due to the resit exams coinciding with the administrative start of the new academic year, editor's note), which causes enormous problems for everyone.'

'The key principle of the restructuring should be a summer break free of academic work for everyone. The final resit exams would take place at the beginning of the summer. This would allow faculty administrations to prepare for the new academic year and the influx of new students, professors to focus on research without still having to conduct exams, and students to have time to relax or take on student jobs.'

Students were not in favor when Sels proposed a similar plan. How do you intend to convince them now? 
'Convince is not the right word. We must engage in dialogue with students. We do so based on a set of principles, and this six-week study-free summer is one of them. There are significant benefits for students as well. The exact implementation can vary by program.'

Universities have been complaining for years about underfunding, leading to high student-staff ratios. Will administrative simplification be enough to reduce workload, or are additional resources needed? 
'Of course, every rector will place the demand for more funding high on the agenda. However, many other European countries face significant budget cuts in higher education. This is not yet the case in Flanders, but we cannot count on additional resources. So, let's be smart with what we have. By simplifying processes and focusing on what truly matters, we can work efficiently without placing unnecessary pressure on people.'

The Flemish government agreement is not particularly favorable for internationalization in higher education, which has been your policy domain in recent years. 
'Indeed, potential cuts in funding for international students could lead to a reallocation of resources that negatively affects a highly internationalized university like ours. However, the agreement also mentions a focus on knowledge migration, which is something we can actively contribute to.'

'We have no intention of rolling back our efforts in internationalization but rather consolidating them. Significant growth is unlikely; in the past eight years, the number of international degree students has nearly doubled, which will not happen again in the coming years.'

Do you see yourself taking a public stance as rector on these and other issues?
'Certainly. However, there is a big difference between an opinion on a general societal issue and one where scientific expertise is relevant. In the latter case, we must let the experts speak.'

'It is extremely important that we not only teach students the knowledge developed here but also share it with society—especially with those who have little contact with the university. We must be honest: science is rarely 100% certain. But that doesn’t mean we are clueless; a strong near-certainty is better than pretending we know nothing.'

One particularly sensitive issue at the university was the Israel question. How do you evaluate that approach, which you helped shape? 
'That was the most challenging issue that crossed my desk, but we made defensible decisions. We view this conflict emotionally because of the great injustices involved. That’s why it helps to rely on a policy framework that has been thoroughly discussed in advance.'

'We based our decisions on ethical assessments conducted by a commission that thoroughly examined each case for dual-use or military applications and human rights violations. They made these decisions for all international collaborations, including with Israeli institutions. Among our existing partners, there was no direct involvement in human rights violations, so those projects continued.'

'However, about half of the collaboration requests with Israel were not approved. The other half were, and we support those as a policy. I believe we handled this complex matter appropriately.'

KU Leuven has the reputation of being the most 'white' university in Flanders. 
'That perception is probably accurate, but the future must look different. In recent years, we have worked on an "inclusive university" strategic pillar. Many ambitious proposals have been realized, but not all. Time and resources are needed for that. We will have to set priorities and focus on actions that we know will have an impact.'

You say there is a need for time and money. At the same time, there is no immediate prospect of additional resources, and you want to reduce workload.
'I have already mentioned several measures that will reduce workload without costing additional money. Beyond that, reallocating resources is the only option if the overall amount remains constant. That means choices have to be made. In an increasingly diverse society, diversity does not mean that if you don’t accommodate it, you will eventually lose market share and funding. But for me, it goes far beyond that.'

'This way, we could make choices regarding educational investments. Consolidating the many initiatives that have been developed recently, with particular attention to supporting teaching teams, is very important. The challenges brought by the rise of artificial intelligence also require a response. However, major additional investments in infrastructure could perhaps be postponed somewhat.'

Another topic. Eight years ago, Luc Sels placed the examination of basic funding on the agenda when he took office. That has still not been realized. What is your view on this? 
'We do need to take a closer look at how research funds are distributed. That too is part of making work more manageable. Currently, funding does not always go where it is most needed. There are still too many good researchers who cannot do what they excel at because they fall through the cracks. That is frustrating for them and bad for society. I want to do something about that.'

'That is why it is important to strengthen the entities in which research groups organize themselves—primarily faculties and departments—and hold them accountable for supporting researchers. This can be achieved by creating a strategic reserve to ensure that when times get tough, a research group can continue, or by sharing more research infrastructure and promoting collaboration among colleagues.'

'I also consider a strong policy role for faculties, and where applicable, departments and campuses, to be crucial for our university.'

Does that mean you want to strengthen the faculties by transferring part of the central resources to them? 
'That is a good question. The only central research funds are the Special Research Funding (BOF). One could transfer a fraction of those funds so that faculties can meet urgent needs, possibly in consultation with the Research Council. However, giving everyone a fixed sum from the outset does not seem like a good plan.'

Of course, there are also forms of basic funding where triage takes place beforehand. 
'Yes, we still need to figure out how to do it, but triage certainly seems sensible.'

On the other hand, writing research proposals is seen as a significant extra burden. What solution do you see for that? 
'Writing proposals is something from which researchers can also derive a lot of satisfaction. Of course, if it becomes overwhelming and you have to secure those projects, it becomes too much. We must avoid that. Especially with success rates that, for some calls, dip below ten percent, a lot of work is lost. There are still challenges in the system that we need to address.'

Another recurring topic is the internal allocation of resources at KU Leuven, which has been frozen for a while. Will you review that? 
'At this moment, I would not opt for reallocation without additional funding. That would place even more pressure on faculties that are already struggling, and they might not be able to cope. What we do need to do—and what is already happening—is to optimize where possible.'

'In our open-admission model, for example, a certain program can suddenly have many more enrollments, which then creates problems. The limited budget available must therefore be deployed in a targeted manner.'

Is raising tuition fees then a realistic option? 
'I do not think it is realistic to rule it out as an option, but only as a last resort. At the moment, it does not look like our budgets will decline, so it is not on the agenda.'

Finally, what do you take away most from your time as vice-rector? 
'One thing that has been incredibly important to me is our international presence, particularly our collaboration with the Global South. One initiative I’d like to highlight is the Global University Academy.'

'This is a partnership with about seventeen international universities aimed at providing high-quality higher education to over a million young people in refugee camps in Africa, Asia, and other parts of the world by 2038.'

'We do this by developing programs with local universities and training teachers. This way, our university can make a global impact because education is also the key to a better future for these young people.'

This article was translated by use of AI and afterwards revised by our own editorial staff.