the race for the label of excellence of Toulouse universities summarized in five points
TIRIS finally wins against Toulouse Tech University not without anger and disappointment from some of the academics. These two projects were in the running to obtain funding for the label of excellence. How did we get here ? The summary in five points.
One and the same great university with international influence. In Toulouse, the idea makes students and academics dream. Two projects were in the running to make the Toulouse faculty a label of excellence. In February, it is finally the project named TIRIS, which will be presented to the jury of the future investment program (PIA4). He wins against the project of the Toulouse School of Economics called TTU. But what exactly are we talking about?
What is this race for excellence?
the fourth future investment program PIA4 of the government offers the possibility of helping to finance the creation of a common structure bringing together all the universities of Toulouse. Widely desired by the region’s elected officials and academics, this development aims to give greater visibility to higher education in Toulouse in international rankings.
Only one project must be presented in February. The universities found themselves unable to come to an agreement. Two projects were in the running until January 27, 2022.
The TIRIS project
the first project was born several months ago. It intends to bring together all the Toulouse universities. In charge of this mission: Patrick Lévy, former president of the University of Grenoble-Alpes. The project, carried by the Comue (Community of universities and establishments) is baptized TIRIS. It plans to bring together more than 8,000 researchers and teacher-researchers, 4,500 doctoral students and more than 100,000 students.
Except that the dean of the faculty of law, Philippe Nélidoff, quickly expressed his doubts about this project. Then other disagreements within the university community are then felt. Some entities are not in favor of university mergers.
The Toulouse School of Economics thus refuses TIRIS and proposes another project”more ambitious“.
The (aborted) TTU project
On January 8, 2022, Christian Gollier, Director General of Toulouse School of Economics (TSE) announces the project to create a new university bringing together the TSE, the Paul-Sabatier University and the ISAE-SupAéro, “to cope with the announced downgrading of Toulouse“. This entity calls itself TTU: Toulouse Tech University.
The announcement of this counter-project reveals a clear split among Toulouse academics. The file would even be followed by the Elysée.
Opposition between TIRIS and TTU
Tuesday, January 18, 2022, Toulouse 1 Capitole University rejected the idea of a Toulouse Tech University and the negotiations between the different projects have failed. 26 votes were in fact opposed to this project during the last board meeting of the University of Toulouse 1 (2 votes in favor and 4 votes refused).
This rejection leads to the abortion of the project. So there is only one project left: the TIRIS.
Adoption of the TIRIS project
The TIRIS project was finally adopted this Thursday, January 27, 2022 by the board of directors of the University of Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, after being adopted by the University of Toulouse 1.
However, the latter still does not not unanimous. Teachers and students do not hide their anger on social networks.
For his part, the director of the TSE, Christian Gollier, asserts that the TIRIS project is “without scale, without ambition“and that he”does not meet the challenges“.
Toulouse is tonight the laughingstock of all connoisseurs of higher education in France. In Toulouse, everyone must move forward at the pace of the most loaned. While this world moves very quickly in France and in the world, the Toulouse area is catastrophic, in particular for the laboratories which have made the effort to fight for excellence in a context where the French university is failing.
Christian Gollier, director of TSE
Not sure then that a single university entity will one day end up being unanimous in Toulouse.