As a natural consequence of the recent changes in the managerial structure of Aarhus University which came into effect at the beginning of the new year, News from the Rector's Office has been renamed News from the Senior Management Group.
The newsletter will provide insight into the weekly discussions and decisions of the senior management group. It will also contain news from the administration, the main academic areas and the Board which the senior management group considers particularly relevant.
Now that the four new deans have officially taken up their positions, the next step is to appoint fourteen new vice-deans. In addition to their responsibilities at their respective main academic areas, the new vice-deans will be responsible for the interfaculty forums for elite researchers, knowledge exchange and studies. The Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Science and Technology will both appoint four vice-deans, while the Faculty of Arts and the School of Business and Social Sciences will both appoint three.
The senior management group has decided to announce the fourteen vice-dean positions in two rounds. The reason behind this is that the scope and responsibilities of a number of the positions has already been defined, while the remainder are still being clarified. In the first round, nine positions will be announced. The remaining five positions will be announced at a later date. The appointment process will involve four advisory committees with diverse memberships, which was also the case in the appointment of the four deans.
The final decision on the new organisational structure of Aarhus University will be announced on 9 March. Until then, all employees will continued to refer to their department head or centre director,as previously announced.
The invitations to apply may be found on AU's intranet: Atrium (in Danish)
Scores of colleagues, friends and external partners were present on 6 January for the official reception to welcome the four new deans as officers of the senior management group and deans of their respective main academic areas.
The recently concluded election resulted in the election of two new student representatives to the University Board. Maria Juhler-Larsen and Christian Thyrrestrup will replace Maja Viola Buskbjerg and Anna Juul Bager as members of the Board. Maria Juhler-Larsen and Christian Thyrrestrup will join the Board on 31 January, the next scheduled meeting of the Board, when the new Board will be officially appointed.
The election result was postponed as a result of criticisms of the election process raised by the former Aarhus School of Business. After deliberations, Aarhus University's election committee has rejected the complaint.
Aarhus University and the Ministry of the Environment have just agreed on a new contract on research-based consultancy services. As in previous years, the contract is a four-year rolling contract which will be renegotiated each year. The contract sets out the framework for and ensures the quality of the research, advisory services and monitoring which AU will provide in order to assist the ministry in performing its responsibilities.
Aarhus University and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation have reached an agreement on the contents of the university's development contract for 2011. Normally, development contracts are valid over several years, but the 2011 is a temporary contract, as a major reform of the University Act which will come into force in 2012 is under way. The 2011 development contract is thus essentially a one-year extension of the last development contract, and it contains only minor adjustments of individual parameters.
The available scholarships for AU alumni as well as current and retired employees were snapped up in the course of a single day. However, there are still plenty of opportunities to follow Aarhus University Extension courses if you register and pay the standard tuition fees.
In the fall a larger number of scholarships funded by the Aarhus University Research Fund will be available. This year AUFF has granted DKK 1.5 million in funding for these AU alumni and staff scholarships.
The Senior Management Group publishes a newsletter every week. This newsletter includes a brief description of current activities and discussions. You can sign up for the Danish version of the newsletter at http://info.au.dk/medarbbreve, after which you will receive an e-mail whenever the newsletter is issued.
If you would like to subscribe to the English version of News from the Senior Management Group, please go to http://info.au.dk/medarbbreve/index.asp?sprog=en. The English version of News from the Senior Management Group is available at http://www.au.dk/en/about/uni/seniormanagement/newsletter/. You can read previous editions of News from the Senior Management Group at http://www.au.dk/en/about/uni/seniormanagement/newsletter/2011.