EPE: "Committing UM and its partners to a shared strategy for the long term"
With 26 votes in favor, 4 against, and 5 abstentions, the Board of Directors of the University of Montpellier adopted the statutes of the experimental public institution that will take over from the current UM in January 2022. Philippe Augé, president of UM, discusses the challenges and changes expected, including the continuation of the I-Site MUSE, the integration ofENSCM, agreements withthe Institut d'Agro, collegiums, research centers, and the strategic and structural investment committee.
On June 14, the University of Montpellier's board of directors voted to adopt the statutes of the experimental public institution (EPE). What is the national context for this statutory change?
This statutory change was made possible by the ordinance of December 12, 2018, on experimenting with new forms of collaboration, consolidation, or merger between higher education and research institutions. For the past two years, together with all our partners in the I-Site MUSE project, we have been working on a project to create an integrated university as permitted by the ordinance. A roadmap, providing for a transition to EPE status, was adopted by the Board of Directors on July 11, 2019, and the recent vote therefore confirms this change.
In a few months, an international jury will visit Montpellier to evaluate the I-Site MUSE. How can the evolution of our statutes be an asset for its sustainability?
Obtaining the I-Site label was one of the founding elements of this evolution. Over the past five years, it has enabled us to carry out numerous projects in various fields (research, training, innovation, student life, international relations) for our entire community, with a budget of €84 million. We want to ensure its sustainability by responding, with this experimental public institution (EPE) project, to the expectations of the international jury responsible for evaluating it at the end of the year. These include the ambition to move from a project designed around the UM and 15 partners to a university that integrates these 15 partners into its strategy and governance.
Why is the new institution described as "experimental"?
This status is provided for in the December 2018 ordinance, which sets out organizational arrangements for bringing together schools, organizations, and healthcare institutions within a university, before their decision to join forces is confirmed definitively, by 2028 at the latest.
Will the University of Montpellier keep the same name?
Yes, absolutely. The project has been set up under this banner. Today, the University of Montpellier is well known. The University has a strong identity and we need to capitalize on this "brand," which is recognized as such in all international rankings.
Let's go into a little more detail. This change in status notably allows for the integration of the École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Montpellier (Montpellier National School of Chemistry) as a constituent institution. What does this mean in concrete terms?
On June 10, the ENSCM Board of Directors voted to integrate it into the future EPE. In concrete terms, this integration offers new opportunities, both in terms of training and science. It will retain its legal personality and its deliberative and consultative bodies. The director of the component institution will be a permanent guest at the University's various councils and committees. Similarly, the president of the UM will participate in the School's Board of Directors and give his opinion on the appointment of the director, management dialogue, and the contract of objectives and commitments. This integration is a particular testament to the mutual trust that has been established over the last few years. It will therefore be a new component of the University but with a special status since, as I said, it will retain its legal personality. It should be added that while retaining its means of action (staff, budgets, etc.), it is building its strategy in the wake of the UM and demonstrating strong commitments to integration, for example by signing diplomas.
An agreement has also been signed with the National Institute of Higher Education for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (Institut Agro). What does it cover?
An initial agreement with Montpellier SupAgro had already been signed in 2019, incorporating the elements requested by the I-Site jury, particularly with regard to the signing of publications and diplomas for students enrolled at Montpellier SupAgro. It should be noted that Montpellier SupAgro is no longer a public institution, as was the case when the Montpellier I-Site project was submitted. It has become an internal school of the Institut Agro and can therefore no longer be part of the UM as a component institution.
Regarding university governance, does this statutory change alter the election process and role of the university president?
The conditions for electing the university president remain unchanged. The president's powers have been expanded to reflect the new structure, particularly in terms of relations with constituent institutions.
Three new statutory vice-presidencies have been created. Which ones, and what will their role be?
Three new statutory vice-presidencies have been created: international affairs; partnerships and innovation; social responsibility and campus life. The aim here is to raise the profile of these areas, which are key strategic priorities at most universities with an international reach.
Is the composition of the board of directors changing?
In order to better integrate our partners, the composition of the board of directors will indeed be modified.
Members of our community will be in the majority (24 members instead of 28), there will be 12 ex officio members and external figures, instead of 8, including four business representatives, as well as representatives from the Montpellier Region and City, and partners such as CIRAD,INSERM,IRD,INRAE, in addition to CNRS and Montpellier University Hospital, which previously held seats.
A new international advisory committee has been created. What is its purpose?
This international advisory committee will be set up to analyze the UM's transformation and development process and to provide advice in the international arena. It will be composed of scientific executives representing the UM's main international partners and representatives from the socio-economic world already present in the MUSE foundation. This type of committee already exists in many foreign universities.
Regarding research, the nine scientific departments are being replaced by five research clusters, is that correct?
Yes, each research structure will now be attached to one cluster as its primary affiliation and, potentially, to another cluster as a secondary affiliation. These five clusters will have different missions: increasing our international visibility; coordinating responses to calls for projects; strengthening the link between training and research, etc. Each cluster will be organized around a cluster council and a strategic steering committee.
A strategic and structural investment committee (Comiss) has been created. What is its purpose?
This Comiss is composed of representatives from the various partners currently grouped together within the university foundation. Its mission will be to define and coordinate common objectives related to the deployment of measures resulting from future investment programs (PIA). It will also be a forum for making collective decisions with our partners on scientific and real estate investments, as well as recruitment policy on the site.
With regard to training, eight collegiums have been created, as well as a graduate school. What will their roles be?
The collegiums in no way call into question the prerogatives of the UFRs, Schools, and Institutes, as these components are well known and contribute to our reputation. They bring together the directors of the UFRs, schools, and institutes, the component institution, and Montpellier SupAgro. Their mission will be to facilitate synergies between the structures and to enhance the visibility and clarity of the overall training offer of the UM and its partners. They will also be responsible for initiating the deployment of training activities within the institution. A discipline can be approached from different angles within each of the entities: take the environment, for example, which has biological, economic, technical, and regulatory aspects, and an exchange between all the players involved in this field can be fruitful.
The graduate school, for its part, will help structure the link between the master's and doctoral levels, particularly with a view to strengthening our assets by working on interdisciplinarity, especially for research programs.
Will the UFRs, Schools, and Institutes be impacted by these changes?
The new structures have been designed to create spaces for exchange with all of our partners, without generating layers of decision-making, bringing added value across all components and thus contributing to the cohesion of the institution.
As I mentioned earlier, these changes in no way affect the prerogatives of the UFRs, Schools, and Institutes, which remain the foundations of the University.
What changes can UM staff and students expect? Will enrollment fees increase?
In accordance with our principles and values, which include public service, inclusion, and equity, this change in status will not disrupt the lives of staff. Similarly, students will not be affected in terms of their choice of study, enrollment in a department, tuition fees, or obtaining national diplomas, but they will of course be offered new opportunities designed as part of the PIA programs.
We understand that the stakes are high for the University. Was this statutory change therefore essential for the future of UM?
The challenge behind what may appear to some to be institutional mechanics is indeed significant and is not limited to ensuring the long-term viability of the MUSE I-Site. It is about establishing the UM and its partners in a shared strategy, at the site level and under a common banner, in order to obtain the means to support our ambitions: to make the UM one of the best national universities and to consolidate its attractiveness and proven reputation in international rankings. The EPE is also a means of bringing us together to amplify our societal utility, from the local level to the international sphere. We believe in this ambition and we want it to happen so that the inexhaustible intelligence and tremendous creativity of all our communities, staff, and students can be fully deployed.