We share a new account of the latest activities of the central bodies, always prepared by our Alessandro and Carlo.
In the last sessions of the Didactic Council:
- Communication has been given about the Open Day 2019: it will be in Bovisa on April 6th (using both the Durando and La Masa campuses).
- There was talk of innovative teaching. The total fund supporting it currently amounts to € 3 Million, we summarize how they have been distributed in recent years.
The innovative teaching officially starts in the Academic Year 2018/2019. The economic programs of the first year had provided a loan of € 18 k per Study Course, which can be used for both Action 1 and Action 2 *.
For the second year of activity ( A.A. 19/20 ), the next one, € 12 k have been provided for each Course of Study that has at least 1 compulsory CFU of Innovative Teaching. All Study Programmes have respected this parameter (the average is 12 innovative credits per Study Programme). For the A.A. 2020/21 the prerequisites required will be to confirm those of the previous year by adding another 5 innovative credits.
After the first semester of Innovative Didactics courses, analyses have been made and the results seem positive. All the Study Programmes responded well to the initiative and the students appreciated the educational innovations. The Passion in Action program, for example, saw the available places completed quickly.
Obviously, there are several critical issues and the will is to carry out a complete panoramic analysis at the end of this Academic Year. It will be important to collect feedback from students and professors in order to improve this service.
* Action 1 are curricular credits, incorporated into existing courses; Action 2 are new courses, extra compared to traditional study plans, translated into the project ''Passion in action''.
In the last meetings of the Board of Directors:
- The 2019-21 three-year budget was approved, which closes positively in the three-year period considered. This year the University had to face problems regarding two great funding needs: the salary increments of teachers and the Right to Study. The first element refers to the salary increments of the teachers, who are at the total expense of the Universities and weigh about € 5.9 million in the 3 years.
The Right to Study, on the other hand, is an important expense that has now become historic for the University. The Rector declared that making all the assignees suitable is a moral and civic duty that the Polytechnic wants to pursue. However, the demand for the DSU has soared in recent years, requiring more and more effort to be met. Part of the necessary funds is provided by the Regional Government, but these are never sufficient to fully meet the demand. Universities are therefore forced, if they so wish, to add their own funds to bridge the gap between eligible and assignees.
Last year, during the 2018-2020 Three-Year Financial Statements, the Board of Directors decided to provide € 5.8 million per year for three years to finance all the scholarships. This year the surprise was great in learning the news that the total demand for scholarships for the Right to Study was € 22.2 Million (+ € 2.2 Million from the previous year, which made the funding already provided insufficient). The total expenditure was filled by € 15 Mln by the Lombardy Region (+€ 1.6 Mln compared to the previous year) and by € 6.4 Mln by the University (+€ 600 k compared to the previous year). In this way all the eligible have been made assignees.
Other charges (more than those expected last year) to be incurred were:
- € 2.6 Mln for Technical and Administrative staff contracts
- € 100 k for INPS contribution to PhD scholarships
- € 220 k for other taxes and various exemptions
The total expenses to be incurred was about € 15 Mln.
Some cuts were needed to cope with this expenditure. Substantial cuts have been made by opening two new residences owned (Einstein and Pareto) and deactivating conventions of non-owned residences, too expensive, but increasing the total number of places available. Other cuts have been made to some Administrative Areas.
In the programming, a probable increase in FFO, an increase in total student fees (in line with the increase in the number of students) and an increase in funding for the DSU by the Lombardy Region were taken into account. In the assumptions on the charges, however, the high demand for the DSU, doctoral scholarships, scholarships and the POLIPSI service were considered. Sums will also be invested for the Residences (interventions at the Student House and two new residences co-financed with the 338 call and to complete the Wi-Fi coverage in all the accommodations, in fact an intervention is still missing) and for the spaces (in particular on Bovisa). Finally, the purchase of togas for graduation ceremonies is financed.
The three-year program of public works of the University has been presented, in this regard you can also find all the information here: https://www.polimi.it/fileadmin/user_upload/Trasparenza/amministrazione_trasparente/lavori_pubblici/2019_01_21_Programma_Triennale_OO_PP_2019_2021_ed_Elenco_Annuale_2019.pdf.
For more information, clarifications or questions we are available. If you are particularly interested in some topic do not hesitate to write to us.
Thanks for reading, to hear from you soon. Good luck for the next exams!
Alessandro (alessando.deiasio@svoltastudenti.it) and Carlo (carlo.giovani@svoltastudenti.it)
