Austrian universities are facing a challenge to their autonomy and their right to teach a broad range of subjects after the country鈥檚 new coalition government announced major reforms to higher education.

On the whole, rectors are breathing a sigh of relief that the Greens have ousted the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FP脰) as junior governing partners of Sebastian Kurz鈥檚 Austrian People鈥檚 Party, following elections last September.

The FP脰 had used its nearly two years in government to appoint to university boards supporters who were sometimes seen as unqualified or who were members of nationalistic fraternities.

The new green-conservative coalition, sworn in on 7聽January, has promised to secure funding for universities through to 2027, indexed against inflation and with extra funds to address problems such as low student-to-staff ratios in certain disciplines.

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鈥淲hat is a good sign is that science and research feature prominently鈥� in the government鈥檚 plans, said Oliver Vitouch, vice-president of Universities Austria. 鈥淢y impression is that I聽personally and Universities Austria are cautiously optimistic about the programme.鈥�

But universities are wary of some elements of the programme, which argues that 鈥渘ot every subject needs to be taught in every location鈥� and calls for 鈥渃lusters of excellence鈥� in particular disciplines.

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鈥淢any politicians believe that Austrian universities are too broad in research and teaching,鈥� said Professor Vitouch. They are pushing for universities to gain 鈥渃ritical mass鈥� and to become 鈥渧isible and renowned in specific areas鈥�, he added.

Some worry that this could exacerbate the sector鈥檚 geographical imbalance. In Austria, higher education is heavily concentrated in Vienna and the country鈥檚 second city, Graz. Together, these two locations host 80聽per cent of Austrian students and 13 of its 22 institutions, said Professor Vitouch, who is rector of the University of Klagenfurt, based hundreds of miles south-west of the capital. 鈥淵ou have an east-west asymmetry already,鈥� he said.

Subject consolidation could make this problem worse and also force students to move to campuses in expensive, big cities for their course of choice, he feared. 鈥淚f you want to study, say, psychology, and you鈥檙e from Innsbruck, and it鈥檚 not possible to study at Innsbruck but rather Vienna or Graz, you have to pay for that,鈥� he warned.

The government also wants universities to do more joint teaching with universities of applied sciences, but universities have that such a move would dilute the 鈥渦nique selling point鈥� of both types of institution.

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Another cause for concern is a promise to 鈥渕odernise鈥� universities by bringing in 鈥減rofessional management at every level鈥�, 鈥渇aster decisions鈥� and a 鈥渞ethink鈥� of the 鈥渞elationship between the university council, rectorate and senate in the decision-making structures鈥�.

鈥淚聽am concerned about our autonomy鈥� if the government tries to change the law, said Sabine Seidler, president of Universities Austria and rector of Vienna University of Technology.

Under current legislation, 鈥渋nternal organisation is the responsibility of the universities, and this important asset must be preserved鈥�, she said.

Professor Vitouch said there was among politicians a widespread view that Austrian universities needed to become more 鈥渆fficient鈥� 鈥� cutting student dropout rates, for example 鈥� and an admiration for highly ranked US institutions, which are often seen as more management-led than continental European institutions, where academics typically have a voice in choosing leaders.

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The reforms could mean that the Austrian university system 鈥渂ecomes even more Anglo-Saxon鈥�, Professor Vitouch said.

david.matthews@timeshighereducation.com