“The State has pushed the creation of a “single” university to the maximum but cannot impose it” estimate professors from Toulouse 1 Capitole
Many lawyers from the Toulouse 1 Capitole University do not want the “single” University of Toulouse project. These teachers underline the absence of consensus around a project which, for them, would reduce them to “bare bones”.
It’s an endless soap opera, often flirting with “rehearsal comedy”. For 10 years now, higher education establishments in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne) have been trying, in vain, to find common ground in order to respond and exist on the international scene. But every time the same problems reappear: competitions, jealousies, power games, egos, desire for independence. For the past ten days, new opposition has weakened the University project”unique” of Toulouse, constituting the last episode in date of this series with rebounds.
“We weren’t right about the choiceexplains Corinne Mascala, former president of UT1 and the only one to agree to speak with “uncovered face” for this article. What is happening on the Toulouse site is the consequence of the recognition of Toulouse School of Economics (TSE) as an independent institution. It went from there. The fact that TSE obtains the status of a large establishment and its autonomy. It had the effect of a bomb. This will have the consequence of amputating UT1 from a major part of its disciplinary field, economics.“
The reactions are strong within the oldest Toulouse university which wonders about its future. The Ministry of Higher Education and Research then proposed that UT1 obtain the status of Experimental Public Establishment (EPE). “A great opportunity“according to the president of Toulouse 1 CapitolHugues Kenfack.“
The chance to continue to exist and maintain its autonomy. “With the “unique” University of Toulouse (where experimental federal university) we are afraid of going behind the hard sciencessays a law school teacher. We don’t want UT1 to be reduced to a bare minimum. Everyone should be able to find it.“
Toulouse lawyers think they have a card to play by keeping control of their doctorates, the signature of their scientific publications and their appearance in their own name in international rankings. UT1 refuses to align its new statutes with those of the project of the University of Toulouse, bringing together all the Toulouse establishments on a single and unique “Mark“.
This desire for independence is all the stronger within the Faculty of Law of Toulouse politics, national and local, invited themselves into the dossier. For a law professorthe state has been ambiguous from the start. He pushed the creation of a single university to the maximum, but it cannot impose it. We do not take into account the lack of consensus that there is on the Toulouse site. Local policies interfere directly with university issues even in governance, this poses enormous difficulties.“
Last April, France Universities had also expressed its concerns about what it considered to be an attack on the autonomy of French universities.
“Our funding depends on the State, which therefore has direct control over usobserves Corinne Mascala. Politics by choosing to grant a status to TSE and allowing compensation for this choice has complicated things even more. It’s getting worse. There are fundamental difficulties, such as the signature and the doctorate, but now there are difficulties related to the legal structure of the establishments. I don’t know how can articulate it all.“
According to our law professor, the opponents of the single site are doing everything they could”so as not to have something imposed“that they”do not want.“
Until the project of the “single” University of Toulouse fails? “There will be big problems” recognizes Corinne Mascala. In particular concerning the other side of the single site: the project Tiris (Toulouse Initiative for Research Impact on Society) winner of theAAP ExcellenceSa label endowed with a total amount of 800 million euros to support higher education and research establishments carrying out an ambitious transformation project. In front of this situation, the money of the label or quite simply its attribution, announced for Wednesday July 6, could be called into question.
“Everyone plays a mentor poker gameanalyzes an interlocutor. There is what is said and what is done.“Many supporters hope that this game does not ultimately lead to a defeat for all the players in this file.