TU/e is experiencing significant growth, which is noticeable for both students and staff. The Eindhoven University can currently manage this increase, but it requires careful monitoring. At times, there is a shortage of study rooms and lecture halls, necessitating a greater reliance on digital education.
Last week, the university announced that a record number of students are enrolled this academic year, with nearly 13,500 in total. Approximately 3,300 new students joined TU/e in September. “We are gradually reaching our limits in terms of lecture halls and study rooms. Particularly at the start of the academic year, we occasionally run out of space,” a spokesperson stated.
By utilising rooms more flexibly and providing teaching materials and resources digitally, the university anticipates being able to accommodate more students in the future.
Staff
By employing clever strategies and implementing measures, TU/e does not yet believe it has reached its capacity. The same applies to the academic staff. “We can still manage the growth; however, we do need more space for laboratories.” According to the university, this demand is partly due to the rise in master’s students. “They engage in more research work, which necessitates additional laboratory facilities.”
Regional growth spurt
The Eindhoven region is facing a major growth spurt because of its many successful technology companies. In particular, chip machine manufacturer ASML is driving that growth. To train more technical talent for the Brainport region, TU/e has an important role to play. Earlier this year, a substantial pot of money was released, so that TU/e can also build for further growth. ‘This also requires more space,’ the university now announces. ‘We are going to realise this with the money that is expected to be allocated soon and, in doing so, we are also expressly looking at workloads.’
Concerns
Despite this extra budget, TU/e is concerned about the new cabinet’s austerity plans for science. Earlier, board chairman Robert-Jan Smits revealed that these plans will put a brake on the growth of Eindhoven University.
Source: Studio040
For Eindhoven News: Chaitali Sengupta.
