10 July 2024

This past faculty year has kept us all busy with many challenges and events. As the summer break approaches, the Faculty Board would like to inform you about certain developments and issues we are currently working on.

Budget deficit
As we previously informed you, the faculty is facing a substantial budget deficit of several million euros. This deficit is mainly due to the (lagging) academic results of students. The new Dutch government’s outline agreement, which will make less money available for universities, and rising costs at faculties in general, are unfavourable factors that add to these concerns.

Following extensive conversations with Academic Directors, Heads of Department and other Heads of Staff Support Departments, the Faculty Board has drawn up a broad budget outline for 2025-2029 that includes €5 million in cutbacks. The funds available for the institutes in 2025 will be reduced by €2.5 million. The budget for the faculty office has also been reduced by approximately €2 million. In addition to this, the figures for some revenue streams have been increased based on a prognosis that is as realistic as possible; for instance, revenue from Leiden Law Academy. This budget outline was presented to the Academic Directors on 2 July 2024 and subsequently to the Faculty Council on 8 July 2024. Following these meetings, the actual budget will now be drawn up in the coming weeks and this will be presented to the Faculty Council for consultation at the end of August 2024.  

Improvements and new degree programmes
Besides these financial challenges, there are also interesting prospects on the horizon. Ahead of us lies the implementation of the Kernvisie curriculum for the bachelor’s degree programmes in Law, Tax Law and Notarial Law. Various teams have worked hard to complete their tasks and their output has led to actual plans and tools. Other teams – perhaps in a new composition – will continue this work in the coming months. This will lead to concrete plans that include elective courses in the curriculum and new options for graduation projects.

Efforts are also being made to bring certain Kernvisie measures forward in time so that students and staff – before the full implementation of the Kernvisie from September 2025 – can start benefitting from them already in the new academic year. This will allow us to gain experience on how to use these measures.

In addition to the above developments, the Faculty Board recently approved plans for adjustments to the curriculum of the bachelor’s degree in Criminology. From September 2025, new criminology students can look forward to a fully updated and tailor-made curriculum that aligns fully with the measures incorporated in the context of the Kernvisie.  

Finally, in recent months we have been working behind the scenes to further develop our new degree programmes that are due to start in The Hague in September 2025: the bachelor’s degree Cybersecurity & Cybercrime, the bachelor’s degree Economie & Samenleving (Economics & Society) and the master’s degree Economie van de publieke sector (Public Sector Economics).

In the new academic year, therefore, we will continue to focus on the preparations for the new and improved study programmes offered from September 2025.

Research
Turning to research, one highlight this past academic year was our second Research Day (Toogdag) which was centred around projects from the first round of starter grants. The event also included a keynote speech on Open Science and a panel discussion on the recent Dutch government formation and its outline agreement. Another highlight was the Meijers Symposium that was organised to honour Eduard Maurits Meijers – a legal scholar of many talents who was of inestimable value to law in general in the Netherlands and our law faculty in particular. Besides these events, many new initiatives for interdisciplinary collaboration were developed, for instance in the context of new university research profile areas.

Several researchers at our faculty were recently awarded a KIEM grant for their research proposals. In addition, Meijers PhD grants were awarded this year to candidates who submitted the best research proposals.

Meeting the departments
Over the past few months, Dean Suzan Stoter and Vice Dean Jan Crijns have enjoyed their introduction to all the departments within the faculty. They learned a great deal and very much enjoyed meeting staff and hearing what they are working on and listening to their concerns. The Faculty Board appreciates the commitment and openness of staff at these meetings. It provides us with a clear picture of our in-house versatility, know-how and expertise.

Safety, dignity and respect at work
A feeling of safety, physical as well as social, for staff and students within the university is a top priority. Recent world events, including the conflict in Gaza, have also been a point of concern at our faculty and across the university too. We therefore invite you to share any concerns, questions or ideas with us by contacting us: bestuurssecretaris@law.leidenuniv.nl. Your input is greatly appreciated as it helps us to respond in a better way to the needs of people within our organisation.

Thank you
Finally, a huge word of thanks to everyone for their hard work and commitment to this wonderful law faculty. We wish all colleagues a well-deserved, quiet summer break and we look forward to welcoming you back healthy and rested on 3 September 2024 at the official opening of the faculty year.

On behalf of the Faculty Board,

Suzan Stoter, Dean
Jan Crijns, Vice Dean
Gertjan Boshuizen, Director of Operational Management
Hannah Saberi, Assessor