Dear all,

The final assignments have been graded, and the students have scattered to their summer destinations. It is therefore time to thank you for your tremendous efforts during a spring that has brought both strong results in education and research, as well as significant changes—not least in the form of the Master's reform and now also the announcement of budget cuts and resource reallocations in the public administration from 2027. It’s not always easy to keep up with the political appetite for change, and it challenges our patience and adaptability.

The Master's reform is a complex matter, and at Arts we have undergone a very comprehensive process. This week, we adopted the final parts of the overall plan in the form of terms of reference and a didactics paper. The major task now lies ahead: implementing these decisions in new curricula. I would like to thank you all for the great sense of responsibility, engagement, and willingness to find solutions that you have demonstrated. I know there is much work ahead, but I also look forward to seeing how you will shape the framework to create the best possible degrees for our students. The long and thorough effort surrounding the reform gives me confidence that Arts is well-equipped to handle any challenge. Once we know more about the administrative cutbacks over the coming year, we will find a way to address them as well.

There are other changes over which the faculty leadership has had more influence, for example, the move to University City South, starting by the end of 2028. I look forward to the opportunity to bring many of our academic environments together and create vibrant and inspiring settings for research, education, and collaboration.

The Project Steering Group for Arts in University City South has now progressed to the point of submitting a master plan to the overarching Campus Steering Group. At this stage, the focus is solely on the overall layout—i.e., where teaching facilities, libraries, study environments, and office areas will be located, and which academic environments and units will be housed in which buildings. The plan also addresses design principles, outdoor areas, and preservation value. Link to the masterplan in University City South. It has not yet been decided how staff will be allocated in the buildings.  However, in an appendix to the master plan, you can see which departments and units are generally expected to be located in which buildings. After the summer break, work will begin on specifying the actual interior layout. This means that the floor plans you can see in the master plan are not final versions – that work will take place in the upcoming phases of the planning process. Once the floor plans have been drawn, departments/units will be placed within the buildings, and the allocation of individual offices will not happen until at the earliest six months before the move-in date.

Changes may therefore occur in relation to the current plan. The number of staff in the individual units is not static, and new research centers may also be established. So, it may be necessary to adjust the distribution of departments in order to make everything fit. Please keep this in mind when reading the master plan. Questions concerning the master plan can be submitted via the website – we will continuously update a FAQ that everyone can follow.

The work in the user groups will continue in the next phase, where they will work on specifying the use of the different floors. The first groups will meet before the summer break, and the remaining groups will start their work afterwards. The user groups will focus more specifically on the study environment, requirements for new construction, and the design of office spaces. It is important that all of you provide your local representatives with the necessary input, so they can represent needs, wishes, and experiences the best way– and thereby help ensure the best possible foundation for decisions in the upcoming phases. Link to user groups.

As you know, AU has adopted a new strategy, which we will work to further develop this autumn. At Arts, one of our focus areas will be our collaboration and communication with the outside world. In the faculty leadership, we have spent the past months discussing what we want Arts to be known for and how we wish to communicate externally. So far, we have agreed that we want to be perceived as a faculty where strong academic expertise and generous collaboration go hand in hand. A place where we develop solutions in dialogue with our surroundings—and where research, teaching, and engagement merge into meaningful contributions to society.

At the end of May, we gathered the management forum to discuss this, among other things. Again, this showed me how fantastic this faculty is, with a wealth of excellent research, dedicated teachers, talented students, and strong collaborations with external partners. I was especially pleased to hear the many examples shared by Heads of Department from across the faculty—examples from everyday life that show how we widely contribute to solutions and partnerships. One way to sum it up is to say that at Arts, we create knowledge about everything that makes life worth living. This is especially important when we are challenged from the outside and need to build what some call a mental resilience. We are fundamentally curious about the diversity that makes our society worth fighting for. That is what we stand for—and what we must stand together on.

I hope you all get a chance to enjoy the summer, recharge, and return with renewed energy. Thank you so much for your work and dedication—we have much to be proud of.

Wishing you a wonderful summer,
 

Maja Horst