Jante Universitet

                            THE WRITING ON THE WALL   The trilogy “Jante Universitet” offers a comprehensive critique of the Danish university system, showing the general consequences of New Public Management for a country’s educational standards and its economy.     HANDBOOK AND NOVEL-LIKE STORY   The trilogy offers the unique combination of a handbook and an authentic story. The novel-like story line is based on the experiences of a German professor, documented over 3 years at a Danish university.  As a systematic handbook, “Jante Universitet” offers two “short cuts” that can be read within two hours. The individual episodes depict the absurdities of everyday life at a university, from department structures and petty intrigues through a scandalous teaching strategy to the questionable management methods of administrators who have total power over the academic staff.  The handbook is a tool for those who are interested in and have responsibility for university education – not only in Denmark, but in all countries where New Public Management has begun to dumb down higher education.     VOLUME 2: UDDANNELSESKATASTROFEN  Professor Liane’s persistent attempts at establishing well-founded academic work in a more and more stifling atmosphere at her institute are met with rejection, censorship and eventually with chicanery. As a last resort, she turns to the media to make her concerns public. Her public criticism triggers a tremendous debate about the disastrous standards in Danish education in the Humanities.  UDDANNELSESKATASTROFEN shows in its true light the worthless nature of education focusing on so-called "market-orientation" and “competences”. The consequences adversely affect the whole of society and decisively weaken a country’s competitiveness.    BACKGROUND   The trilogy is based on the so-called “Koldau Case” that caused a major scandal in Denmark in 2012, concerning  • the right of university staff to freedom of speech,  • the mismanagement of and totalitarian structures within Danish universities,  • the low standards of university education in the humanities  • the disastrous consequences of the Danish University Law of 2003.  Having been headhunted by her university in 2009, Prof. Dr. Linda Maria Koldau voiced her criticism of the scandalous university standards publicly in 2011. In consequence the university management forced her to resign from her position, both breaking the law and using methods more usually associated with totalitarian regimes.