Christmas letter from the Dean
Dear all. As the year comes to an end, I look back on everything we’ve achieved together with both joy and pride.

Thank you for your commitment to the Master’s reform
The Master’s reform has been high on the agenda in recent years, and I’d like to begin by thanking all of you for the constructive proposals and input you’ve contributed along the way. I know that the reform has stirred strong feelings in several of our academic environments. This is understandable, as it brings both challenges and changes.
It’s important for me to emphasise that the reform is not something we wanted ourselves. I’ve made this clear on numerous occasions, but it has been encouraging to see how, with your optimistic, constructive and collaborative approach – and not least your academic engagement – you’ve found meaningful ways to work with and relate to it. This testifies to strength, unity and a collegial community that we can be proud of.
Campus 3.0 – a new beginning in the southern end of the University City
Therefore, it’s positive that we’re working towards gathering large parts of the faculty in the southern end of the University City (the former municipal hospital) from 2028 to 2031. The senior management team has just announced that the basis for the many relocations is in place, and we need to start planning the process, which will be short and intensive. I’m excited about working together to create a framework for a modern and inspiring campus that aligns with our ambitions to promote research and education at the highest level. It will benefit both our academic environments and our students to be able to interact across disciplines. Our location in the southern end of the University City will also make it much easier to establish even closer contact with the organisations and companies we collaborate with in Aarhus. I look forward to continuing our dialogue on how we can best ensure that the upcoming relocation is a success for the entire faculty. You can read more about campus development here.
Strong research environments and exciting perspectives going forward
Our recent research evaluation has been a great experience and a reminder of how strong and dynamic our research environments are at Arts. The international panels were impressed with the high level, and the evaluation has provided us with plenty of inspiration on how we can further develop our research.
We look forward to continuing to work on the many new ideas in the spring of 2025. At the same time, we will also begin work on the next workplace assessment. This is a good opportunity to focus on the work environment and ensure that Arts continues to be a place where we thrive and develop.
Job satisfaction and a sense of community
I’d like to remind everyone how important it is that we help each other create a good work environment. Our work can be complex and demanding, but most days, it should be a joy to come to work. It’s not just about structures and frameworks, but also about the way we interact with each other on a daily basis.
The workplace assessment is a good opportunity to discuss the work environment and, not least, to maintain and strengthen the day-to-day collaboration and strong collegial community that characterise Arts.
I hope you all have the chance to relax and enjoy a well-deserved Christmas holiday. Thank you for your hard work this year – each and every one of you contributes to making Arts truly special.
On behalf of the Dean’s Office, I wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I’m eager to start 2025 together with you and look forward to all the exciting work we’ll be doing together.
Best regards,
Maja Horst