The Personnel Faction of the University Council advocates for unity and close collaboration between scientific and support staff in pursuing their shared mission, goals, and daily responsibilities. The PF comprises staff members who represent the university’s work community, contributing to educating students, conducting research, making an impact and ensuring the smooth functioning of essential services such as student support, scheduling, quality assurance and the university library. 

In times of scarcity, tensions rise. Currently, we fear that a divide between scientific staff and support staff may emerge. Scientific staff see themselves as responsible for teaching and research - the university’s core mission - while support staff are often dismissed as mere "overhead." This divide, fueled by financial pressures, threatens the academic community and student experience.

Much of the work done by support staff is invisible yet essential. They schedule courses, provide IT support, handle HR and finances, assist students, and manage countless behind-the-scenes operations. Scientific staff tends to notice support staff mainly when something goes wrong - when a classroom projector fails, when a scheduling conflict arises, or when an IT system crashes. But from courier to librarian, from lecturer to strategic HR advisor, from real estate manager to the D&I officer—everyone plays a vital role in the functioning of the university. Together, we form the driving force behind our university, contributing to a well-organized academic environment and strong academic community.

While we encourage efforts to increase the efficiency of support services, we want to avoid reorganizations that reduce the capacity of support staff to help scientific staff to focus on the university’s core activities.

At the University of Groningen, the Personnel Faction stands for unity—scientific and support staff working together toward a shared goal: making the university a place where all employees and students thrive. By fostering collaboration, we ensure excellent education, impactful research, and a strong, supportive academic community.