Psychological effects
Now the board announces that this is the official point of view of both institutions and that a de-merger will be in effect starting January 1st.

Philosophy student Harriet Bergman (24), who was one of the student protesters that occupied the seat of the Maagdenhuis, the board of UvA and HvA, for weeks in 2015: ‘Managing so many people, makes it impossible to stay in contact with your employees and students. This was one of the reasons to occupy: we need to decentralize the university.’

Her comment touches upon another, more profound problem: a psychological one.
According to the consultancy firms cooperation could be beneficial only at the level of supporting services, even though it is still unsure whether UvA and HvA will continue to cooperate. Better, more efficient cooperation could save fifteen percent in costs, Deloitte estimated. But it’s not up to us to decide, the consultants wrote in their report: it depends on the support within the organization and the psychological effects these decisions will have on its employees.