Universities in danger: Montpellier University voices its concerns
Committed to defending a public, professional, and research-intensive university, the President of the University of Montpellier, Philippe Augé, wishes to express his concerns about the increasing financial constraints on higher education institutions.
For many years, universities have been asked to take on new missions (commitment to ecological transition, development of support for professional integration, establishment in balanced regions and cities, better support for inclusion and disability, actions to promote student health, combating sexual and sexist violence, etc.), the cost of which has never been fully compensated by the State.
More recently, numerous human resources measures have been decided by the government and have not been fully compensated:
- This is the case for the so-called "Guerini" index measures " (increase of 3.5% in 2022 and 1.5% in 2023, revaluation of 5 points in 2024), representing a cost of €7 million in 2024 for the University of Montpellier, a cost that will be renewed in 2025;
- This is also the case for other measures launched by the government (sustainable mobility allowance, CET, teleworking allowance, etc.), which represent an additional cost of €3 million already borne by the institution in 2024, an additional cost that will also be renewed in 2025.
Without questioning the value of these measures for our community, it should nevertheless be remembered that the government must take responsibility for its choices and cannot leave its operators to foot the bill for the measures it announces. It is common sense that the decision-maker (the government) should be the payer!
At the same time, the University has had to bear, and continues to bear, the increased cost of utilities linked to the energy crisis (an additional cost of €2 million per year that is not offset). By 2025, all of the measures mentioned above that are not offset will already represent more than €12 million. Until now, the significant level of own resources generated by the University of Montpellier, combined with rigorous management, has made it possible to cushion the impact of these additional expenses imposed by the State.
However, added to this is the government's very recent announcement that it will increase contributions to the Special Allocation Account for the civil service pension scheme (CAS Pensions) without compensation, which will represent an additional cost of €5 million. In total, we are therefore already at €17 million in uncompensated costs for the 2025 budget. These costs, which are not compensated by the State, are putting the University in difficulty by placing a considerable strain on its working capital (reserves).
However, the working capital of universities is not a "war chest," as some might believe. It is the result of sound and rigorous management that enables the institution to carry out large-scale operations for the benefit of our students and staff. Forcing us to draw heavily on our working capital, thereby depleting it or even reducing it to zero, would completely stifle the university!
Faced with this gradual withdrawal of state support, universities will be forced to curb their initiatives, particularly in terms of building renovation, support for innovation and research, educational investment, and training provision, even though French universities have gained undeniable visibility in international rankings in recent years.
This is a serious blow to those who dedicate themselves to our institutions on a daily basis.
This is a serious blow to the role of universities as a social ladder for our students.
This is a serious blow to the economic development efforts we represent in our territories.
Ultimately, this is a serious blow to the attractiveness of higher education and research in France.
The University of Montpellier, deeply committed to the values of public service, cannot resign itself to no longer being able to pursue the ambitious momentum it has successfully initiated.