By Vedosi Karmarkar and Anna Schuhmann
On 14 June at 12:45, the final Future Scenarios Progress meeting brought staff and students to the crowded common room. While previous meetings had only ever seen a maximum of 20 students, this time around, students lined the walls and took seats on the floor solely to hear what the dean had to say about the Future of AUC.
Amongst those holding the meeting were AUC Dean Bruce Mutsvairo, the dean of the Science faculty at UvA, Dr. Susan te Pas, and the Dean of the Science faculty at VU, Dr. Aletta Kraneveld. Dean Mutsvairo explained that the process for deriving the scenarios was an “AUC process,” as AUC was free from input throughout the process. In response to what Mutsvairo called ‘misinformation’ floating around the student body, he stressed that “everything is still on the table”, repeatedly.
Mutsvairo explained that what helped him find direction for the scenarios was looking back at the original AUC accreditation document developed by the founding deans in 2008. He commented that the founding deans envisioned AUC as a BSc-only college, and he found great inspiration from this. A student immediately pointed out that the way AUC was designed 18 years ago should not necessarily impact AUC now.
Attendees pressed the question of how the Humanities and Social Sciences would be incorporated into either change scenario. All three deans agreed that these disciplines would remain part of the programme, but offered no concrete answer regarding the direct consequences for the faculties, to the strong dismay of students. The question of the Humanities remained a recurring theme throughout the meeting.
Throughout the discussion, Mutsvairo acknowledged many of the concerns raised by students and noted that similar points had already been brought forward by the participatory body. At the same time, he kept returning to the issue of financial sustainability.“What is of interest to [the Executive Boards] is how feasible it is on the business side for AUC to continue to exist,” he said.
AUCSA president Sterre Vreeker emphasised that AUC already boasts facilities such as the dorms and small class sizes, which all attract applicants. Te Pas responded to this comment by suggesting that AUC’s sense of community is not always clearly visible to those outside the college. The statement was met with a strong negative reaction by students, as resounding nos were heard around the room.
As the meeting approached its scheduled end, several students attempted to continue the discussion, and it was clear that the student body’s burning questions remained unanswered. However, due to time constraints, the session was brought to a close despite the audience vocalising their interest in asking additional questions.
Before concluding, Mutsvairo encouraged students to continue sharing their feedback and ideas, reiterating that no final decision has been made. While the future of AUC remains uncertain, the turnout at the final taskforce meeting demonstrated one thing clearly: students remain deeply invested in whatever comes next.
The Herring 