I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank-you for your efforts both in the maintenance of day-to-day operations at AU and also in the implementation of our joint development projects in the administration. Before we go on holiday, I would like to remind you all of some of the key results achieved so far in 2018:

It will probably come as no surprise when I say that digitisation is one of the priority areas for me (and AU). So it has been fantastic to see that we have reached our goal with large-scale projects such as the personalised study portal, the implementation of new digital forms, the introduction of Power BI for management information and the roll-out of WorkZone, to take just a few examples. At the same time, we have phased out old systems, streamlined our IT infrastructure and purchased new computer equipment, and run robotics pilot projects.

The digital transformation of AU will continue to be a central part of our development. In the future, we will all be focusing even more on ‘delivery and flow’ in particular. This means that we need to get better at defining projects of manageable size and bringing them to fruition, rather than trying to implement mega-projects. I look forward to achieving our goals with the current projects – and embarking on new and exciting ones. 

As you all know, one of the big results this spring was the work to prepare for 25 May, when the new GDPR rules came into force. I know that this project has had a lot of attention in the various departments, where employees have been doing competency development to get ready for the new regulation. I would like to say a big thank-you to everyone who has contributed– and is continuing to contribute – to ensuring that AU is in compliance with the rules on personal data processing.

For me, the presentation of the Campus 2.0 master plan was one of the really big achievements from the spring. And, as mentioned in a previous blog post, we have also started to formulate a plan for what Campus 2.0 will mean for us in the administration.  

Along with the continued work on digitalisation, the GDPR, Campus 2.0 and our other development projects, internationalisation is a key area we need to address in the coming months. This is about how we as an administration can help to ensure that AU continues to develop into an international university. 

But first we need our summer holiday. I would be lying if I said I will be focussing on internationalisation during this time – although we are going abroad (to Tuscany to be precise), where we hope the sun will be shining and the mountain bike will get an airing.

Happy holidays to you all, thank you for your good work, and see you soon!