Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at Aarhus University

Aarhus University (AU) is committed to fostering human potential and generating solutions to the complex challenges facing our society. Our staff deliver on this commitment every day through their research, teaching and collaboration. To succeed in our mission, it is essential that AU is a rewarding place to work and that the university attracts and retains highly skilled members of staff.

Diversity is an asset that AU values highly. It contributes to creativity in research, inspirational teaching, and high-quality technical and administrative support. When different perspectives are brought into play – from people with different academic backgrounds, genders, ethnicities, ages, and social and cultural experiences – they generate new ideas and insights. This is a valued part of the university’s DNA.

But when diverse teams of people work together, challenges can also arise – which is why diversity goes hand in hand with inclusion. To ensure that everyone feels welcome, thrives and can fulfil their potential at the university, it is vital that we foster an inclusive culture built on curiosity, respect for difference and courteous communication. This is why we are working intentionally to promote diversity, equality and inclusion at all levels, ensuring that different voices are heard and that discrimination – whether conscious or unconscious – is actively tackled.

The university’s ambitions are:

• To be recognised as an institution with a diverse leadership and staff.
• To promote an inclusive workplace culture, where everyone can thrive, contribute and develop.

These ambitions are realised through the Action Plan for Diversity, Equality and Inclusion 2030, which includes both university-wide and local initiatives, and which serves as AU’s Gender Equality Plan, cf. eligibility criteria for Horizon Europe.

Leadership

The senior management team has overall strategic responsibility to promote diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) at AU and to ensure that the university-wide ambitions are achieved. At the faculties, in the administration and at the Kitchen, senior managers have responsibility for setting the framework and direction for local DEI work in dialogue with managers and staff. Making DEI a leadership responsibility helps ensure sustained focus and progress, and it creates opportunities to align DEI work with other key initiatives, such as career development or workplace culture.

Committees

AU has a Committee for Diversity, Equality and Inclusion, which advises the senior management team and provides support for university-wide DEI initiatives. This committee consists of management representatives and employee representatives from all faculties and from the administration, and it is chaired by the rector and pro-rector. 

In addition to the university-wide committee, each faculty and the administration has its own DEI committee, which advises and provides support for local DEI initiatives. To ensure alignment, at least one of the faculty representatives on AU’s Committee for Diversity, Equality and Inclusion is also a member of the local DEI committee. At some faculties, departments/schools also have a DEI committee, or they have clearly integrated responsibility for DEI into an existing departmental/school committee. Committees include members from different backgrounds and with varied perspectives, many of whom have professional expertise in diversity, equality and inclusion. This diversity enhances the committees’ work and ensures that different voices and experiences are represented.

In addition to the DEI committees, the liaison committees and occupational health and safety committees also play an important role in DEI work at the university.

• The Liason Committees are involved in matters concerning working conditions and employment issues that affect the workplace. Their key responsibilities include discussing the university’s goals and strategies, equality issues, and the prevention of discrimination and inappropriate behaviour.
• The Occupational Health and Safety Committees help ensure a healthy and safe physical and psychological work environment, which includes helping to prevent instances of inappropriate behaviour and advising management on how to integrate occupational health and safety into strategic leadership and day-to-day management.

This organisational structure ensures that the experiences and perspectives of staff are reflected in the work of all committees at every level.

Support for leadership teams and committees

AU’s leadership teams and committees are supported by specialist administrative staff. AU HR and HR units at the faculties play a central role through their work with recruitment, workplace culture and leadership development. The Rector’s Office and the faculty management secretariats provide strategic and project management support to senior management. This provides both direction and coherence in the university’s DEI work and ensures that diversity, equality and inclusion form an integrated part of AU’s overall development.

This action plan follows the same structure as AU’s previous action plans for diversity, equality and inclusion. It includes university-wide initiatives for the whole of AU and local initiatives for the individual faculties, the administration and the Kitchen. The initiatives all relate to one or more of the focus areas that underpin AU’s DEI action plans: recruitment, career development, leadership and workplace culture.

Descriptions of each of the university-wide initiatives can be found via the boxes below, which link to the individual initiatives. 
The wide initiatives can also be downloaded as PDF
The local initiatives are described and can also  be downloaded as PDF

In addition to the initiatives described in the action plan, AU hosts a number of activities and events – at department/school, faculty and university level – intended to highlight and discuss topics related to diversity, equality and inclusion.