{"id":183492,"date":"2025-11-13T14:15:41","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T13:15:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=183492"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:58","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:58","slug":"van-vacaturestops-tot-geen-fruit-meer-op-de-afdeling-zo-wapenen-faculteiten-zich-tegen-bezuinigingen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2025\/11\/13\/van-vacaturestops-tot-geen-fruit-meer-op-de-afdeling-zo-wapenen-faculteiten-zich-tegen-bezuinigingen\/","title":{"rendered":"From hiring freezes to no more fruit in the office: how faculties are preparing for budget cuts"},"content":{"rendered":"

No more printed sashes for graduates with distinction, no more fresh fruit in the office, no one-off bonuses, the sports caf\u00e9 closed at weekends. It may take months before there is more clarity about the cuts to higher education, yet the effects are already being felt \u2013 and each faculty is dealing with them in its own way.<\/p>\n

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You could call them the small things that brighten working life, but with 1.3 billion euros<\/a> in cuts looming over higher education, savings already have to be made. At the Erasmus School of Economics, that means going for the low-hanging fruit \u2013 quite literally.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fresh fruit for staff at the Erasmus School of Economics will soon be scrapped. We\u2019ve all been told to be more frugal. It\u2019s usually the extras that disappear first\u201d, says Albert Wagelmans, University Council member and professor of Management Science.<\/p>\n

Cutting the fruit \u2013 a saving of 20.000 to 25.000 euros \u2013 is part of a broader package of measures at the faculty, explains Mario van Boven, director of operations. \u201cOur biggest expense is staff. We\u2019ve now imposed a hiring freeze and have a committee reviewing which vacancies will or won\u2019t be filled. Since this year, we\u2019ve been saving 300,000 euros a year on material costs \u2013 the equivalent of three full-time jobs. We\u2019re also taking a critical look at externally organised events, and whether we really need to arrange lunch and coffee for away days. We\u2019re cutting costs without affecting our core activities of teaching and research.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sash without cum laude<\/h2>\n\t
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Until recently, graduates with distinction at the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication (ESHCC) received a sash with the words \u2018cum laude\u2019 printed on it. \u201cIt\u2019s an expensive item, and everything is getting more expensive, so we decided to not do that anymore\u201d, says Tonny Krijnen, vice-dean of Education. Each department and faculty decides for itself where savings can be made. \u201cWe still want to reward students who performed exceptionally. They\u2019ll still receive the deep-blue sashes, just without the lettering.\u201d<\/p>\n

Erasmus Sport is also saving money through schedule changes, says director Jon de Ruijter. \u201cFor example, the summer schedule usually starts mid-July, but last summer, for the first time, we switched to a reduced schedule from 1 June. It\u2019s so quiet on campus after that date. Why run four half-full power pump classes when you can run two full ones? Closing the sports caf\u00e9 at weekends is also a saving. The average weekend turnover didn\u2019t cover the costs. This way, we\u2019re saving several thousand euros.\u201d<\/p>\n

Every little bit helps<\/h2>

\u201cWe\u2019ve definitely reached the stage where we\u2019re discussing the cuts in depth\u201d, says Krijnen. \u201cIf the cuts to higher education go ahead, you want to be prepared. Until then, we\u2019re looking at where we can save. Every little bit counts.\u201d<\/p>\n

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At the economics faculty, the budget cut scenarios are already prepared. \u201cIn the meantime, we\u2019re also generating extra income\u201d, says Van Boven. \u201cMore grants, more of our lecturers teaching in the university\u2019s private education arm, more PhD positions sponsored by industry. We often tell the faculty that we don\u2019t expect to have to go through a reorganisation. But you can sense that, because of the political uncertainty, the fear doesn\u2019t entirely go away.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than just cuts<\/h2>

At some faculties, it\u2019s no longer just about saving but about actual cutbacks. At the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), a reorganisation has already been announced<\/a> to address an existing budget deficit. \u201cIt\u2019s never easy to make these decisions, because they affect our people\u201d, says director of operations Myra van Esch via a RSM communications officer. \u201cWe\u2019ve done our best to handle the process with care and transparency. At the same time, it was necessary to secure RSM\u2019s future.\u201d<\/p>\n

This faculty has also imposed a hiring freeze. \u201cIn addition, in 2024, 2025 and 2026, we haven\u2019t paid one-off bonuses and have limited external hiring as much as possible \u2013 only when strictly necessary\u201d, Van Esch writes. \u201cIn 2025, we saved 2.7 million euros, and for 2026 we expect savings of 2.3 million.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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