Eric Bauce, the candidate nominated by the Geneva University Assembly for the post of rector, is awaiting the decision of the Council of State, which must confirm this election or not. The vice-chancellor of Canada’s Laval University in Quebec is calling for a radical change in government if he is appointed.

A pragmatic, intuitive and methodical man, Eric Bauce was described in the Quebec press before last spring’s election as rector of the University of Laval, for which he was a candidate. The man of the seraglio, professor for 30 years, then vice-rector for 10 years, however, received a sharp rejection for the second year in a row, receiving only 27% of the vote against the outgoing chairman.

Eric Bauce, who also campaigned for a radical change in governance by involving all levels of the university more, was undoubtedly penalized for not applying his program during his tenure. As a professor in the Department of Wood and Forest Sciences, he held management positions in administration and finance. An experienced man with an extensive international network who could be useful in a Switzerland isolated from European programmes. “His international address book, his ability to negotiate, to invent, to create new solutions make me optimistic,” says Eric Eigenmann, member of the university assembly.

An experienced manager profile.

For the University of Geneva, her ambitions focus on social-ecological change, collaborative management and open science. He wants to simplify the type of leadership and involve professors, intermediate positions and students in the development of the alma mater. He was appointed in the appointment session of the university assembly from the first ballot with an absolute majority. A manager profile that no doubt obscured internal applications.

Will the State Council react sensitively to this election who would have liked a local candidate. Answer possibly Wednesday at the end of the weekly government meeting. The position of Rector is to be filled from July 16th. In the event of rejection, it would be necessary to restart the selection process and commit the United to having to play the interim card, without considering the controversy of political interference. Giving a foreign candidate a chance for 4 years could be the lesser evil in terms of melodramatics, especially a few weeks before the cantonal elections.