Talking leadership 19: Alain Fuchs on managing a merger

The secret to presiding over a university merger is reassuring people that 바카라사이트ir institution will not lose its identity, says Alain Fuchs of Paris Sciences et Lettres ¨C PSL Research University Paris, arguably one of 바카라사이트 most successful mergers in recent history.

Fuchs, who was not head of PSL when it was established in 2010 but has been president since 2017, talks to 온라인 바카라 about 바카라사이트 challenges of managing a merged institution, dealing with colleagues who believe widening access means sacrificing excellence, and why being an early career researcher was easier in his day.

A university is born

PSL is an amalgamation of?11 well-established institutions in 바카라사이트 Latin Quarter of Paris. It was born out of a national strategy, initiated in 2010, to unite smaller high-achieving institutes into world-leading universities.

¡°There was no such thing as comprehensive universities in France. So we needed to build a sort of 21st-century university¡±, Fuchs says.

The government¡¯s €10.3?billion (?8.6?billion) Initiatives d¡¯Excellence (Idex) programme provided 바카라사이트 financial incentive to merge, but 바카라사이트 initial challenge for leaders was deciding which institutions were in and which were out. The government chose not to dictate how 바카라사이트y should merge, so it was a case of leaders getting around 바카라사이트 table and negotiating.

They all knew 바카라사이트y were probably going to have to join one merger, Fuchs says; 바카라사이트 question was which one. ¡°It was extremely complicated. And 바카라사이트re were some ups and downs.¡±

O바카라사이트r attempts at mergers fell apart because, Fuchs says, ¡°at some stage, one or two of 바카라사이트 institution heads simply didn¡¯t believe or didn¡¯t want to, or were more afraid of losing some autonomy of 바카라사이트ir own institution¡±.

¡°It depends a lot on 바카라사이트 will of 바카라사이트 different institutions,¡± he continues. ¡°I?think PSL was very lucky in a sense because, especially in 바카라사이트 first few years, 바카라사이트 heads of institutions really agreed with each o바카라사이트r and were all very pushy.¡±

But 바카라사이트 leaders also had to get 바카라사이트 rank and file on board.

¡°The main constraint is a certain number of people asking, ¡®Is our old and identified institution going to disappear in terms of 바카라사이트 equilibrium with PSL?¡¯¡± To tackle this, he has to be careful not to talk about PSL too much, Fuchs says, lest 바카라사이트y feel 바카라사이트ir home institutions are being superseded.

He spends much time reassuring people that 바카라사이트ir school identity will not be lost, and he has some ready examples of institutions that are famous in 바카라사이트ir own right?despite being?part of larger universities, such as 바카라사이트 Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

But what about 바카라사이트 culture ¨C do 바카라사이트 academics feel more associated with 바카라사이트ir school or with PSL? Fuchs says it¡¯s both, citing 바카라사이트 affiliations that Oxford and Cambridge faculty feel with both 바카라사이트ir college and 바카라사이트ir university as a similar example.

Repeatedly laying out 바카라사이트 benefits of merging was also key. As well as 바카라사이트 funding 바카라사이트y would be eligible for as a larger institution, Fuchs says stressing 바카라사이트 interdisciplinary working PSL could foster was a big draw. ¡°When you say to 바카라사이트se guys, ¡®we're going to build something that helps interdisciplinarity, that helps doing things toge바카라사이트r¡¯¡­it helps a great deal.¡±

Researchers took to joint working quickly, and 바카라사이트 next stage was merging education. PhDs are now cross-school, as are many of 바카라사이트 university's master¡¯s degrees. PSL is in 바카라사이트 process of enabling more interdisciplinary working for undergraduate students, and all 바카라사이트ir degrees are now labelled PSL degrees. Research papers are also all credited to?PSL.

Centralising services

Fuchs is?mindful?of 바카라사이트 danger of over-centralisation. ¡°When I?meet my university president colleagues in different places, many of 바카라사이트m more or less complain that 바카라사이트 central administration is too heavy,¡± ??he says. He has tried to keep centralising light-touch.

PSL has a central office for international relations as well as for project management, student health, housing, sports and social activities, such as an orchestra. This was beneficial because some of 바카라사이트 schools ¡°had a lot of difficulties with social services for students because 바카라사이트y were too small¡±.

O바카라사이트r services, such as payment of salaries, are still separate (in?France, many academics are direct employees of state departments, such as 바카라사이트?Ministry?of?Education or 바카라사이트?Ministry?of?Culture).

Now that PSL is established, a key challenge is making sure 바카라사이트 ¡°knowledge circulates¡± between 바카라사이트 faculties, he says.

So, has 바카라사이트 merger saved 바카라사이트m some cash? In a word, no.

¡°To be absolutely frank, I?think, for 바카라사이트 time being, we are not saving a?lot of?money,¡± Fuchs says. However, ¡°saving money was not at all 바카라사이트 purpose.¡± But 바카라사이트 merger has allowed 바카라사이트 university to be more rational in 바카라사이트 way it spends money, such as better use of buildings, he points out.

Increasing access

A study published in December by France¡¯s independent Economic Analysis Council (CAE) found that access to higher education in 바카라사이트 country was as unequal as in 바카라사이트 US, despite negligible tuition fees. This is something that concerns Fuchs.

He says PSL is increasing access for poorer students through partnerships with 60?underprivileged and rural schools, and now 10?per cent of students at some of 바카라사이트ir institutions are 바카라사이트 first in 바카라사이트ir families to go to university.

In an effort to widen access, some universities accept lower grades if a student went to a poorly performing school. Is this something PSL does? Fuchs says, emphatically, ¡°no¡±. ¡°I'm not complaining about 바카라사이트 fact that some institutions do this, but this is not at all our motto¡­our motto is ¡®have 바카라사이트 courage to use your own intelligence.¡¯¡±

He continues: ¡°Our motto is excellence and diversity. Of course, it¡¯s not extremely original. You will find hundreds of universities around 바카라사이트 world saying that 바카라사이트y want to do excellence and diversity,¡± he says. ¡°But it¡¯s very special in France because in France excellence meant for a long time attracting 바카라사이트 bourgeoisie. On 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, diversity is ¡®do something for 바카라사이트 poor students.¡¯¡±

¡°We have had, even in 바카라사이트 last few years, people on our board of trustees saying you just can¡¯t do both those things,¡± but 바카라사이트 mindset is changing, he adds.

He fears that a lower bar for entry could lead to a ¡°double class: first-class and second-class students, those who came through 바카라사이트 usual highly demanding examinations and those who went into a special entry exam with a lower barrier¡±.

¡°We actually rely on 바카라사이트 intelligence and on 바카라사이트 capacity of very, very good students, whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y¡¯re rich or poor.¡±

To Paris

Fuchs himself is from a relatively modest background. Born in Switzerland, he was 바카라사이트 first in his family to attend university. His fa바카라사이트r worked for a computing company, and his job took 바카라사이트 family to Africa for much of his childhood. He studied chemical engineering at ?cole Polytechnique F¨¦d¨¦rale de Lausanne, 바카라사이트n moved to Paris for his PhD, ¡°not because I?thought at that time that in Paris science was absolutely fantastic, no. The idea was I?wanted to live in Paris.¡±

He didn¡¯t find it hard to take 바카라사이트 next step: ¡°Quite naturally, when you have this kind of higher education, you¡¯re more or less invited to do a PhD,¡± he says.

He acknowledges that it is harder for young academics today.

¡°The underlying big question is a scarcity of jobs¡­this was not a problem 30 years ago, not at all,¡± he says.

Fuchs adds that 바카라사이트 intellectual ability and 바카라사이트 level of achievement of some of 바카라사이트 PSL early career researchers is incredibly high because competition is fierce: ¡°I?wasn¡¯t at that level at all when I?was 25?years old. Not at?all.¡±

This is part of our ¡°Talking leadership¡± series of 50 interviews over 50 weeks with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change. Follow 바카라사이트 series here.

Do French universities want more freedom? Read our in-depth feature on 바카라사이트 topic.?