The senior management team has decided to continue the tradition of holding September meetings with the main academic areas. The meetings are an opportunity to discuss the individual main academic area's thoughts and desires in relation to strategic development. In addition to the dean, vice-deans and other members of the main academic areas will participate.
The dates for the September meetings can be found in the calendar below.
As announced in the last newsletter, the report on the structure of AU's academic councils has been made available for consultation. The existing academic councils will thus have an opportunity to discuss and comment on the report, whcih proposes that the university establish academic councils at main academic area level in addition to forums for staff to participate in and influence decision-making processes at departmental level and at university level.
The deans have scheduled discussions of the report with the current academic councils, and the meetings will take place on the following dates:
The academic councils' comments on the report will be taken into account in the process of amending AU's by-laws, which must be done in order to reflect the latest amendment to the University Act.
Minister of Science Charlotte Sahl-Madsen has just established a new national employer panel which will work to strengthen contacts between business and the university sector. The panel includes representatives from public and private businesses and will supplement the existing dialogue between the universities and the business community.
AU has just moved up twelve places on the Shanghai ranking of the world's best universities. This makes AU number 86 in the world (number 28 in Europe) and one of this year's high jumpers.
This progress is due to the fact that AU researchers have published more articles in scientific journals in recent years. The fact that Dale. T. Mortensen, Department of Economics, received the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences last year was also a factor.
The Shanghai ranking, officially knowln as the Academic Ranking of World Universities, has existed since 2003, which makes it the oldest of the respected rankings of world universities. American Harvard University has headed the list every year, and there are American universities in sixteen of the first eighteen places.
The senior management team has decided to adapt the structure of the election committee. The changes will both reflect the new organisation and make room for an additional student representative. It will also be possible for the students on the election committee to represent more electoral alliances and independent lists.
Previously, the three student representatives on the election committee represented the three student organisations which also sat on the University Board. In the future, there will be four student representatives on the election committee, and a system has been designed to allow the three electoral alliances and/or independent lists which have received the greatest number of votes in the elections to the Board to select student representatives and substitute members in proportion to the number of votes they have received.
In addition, each dean will appoint an academic staff representative and a technical/administrative staff representative and substitute members from his or her main academic area. The election committee will nominate one of the committee's four academic staff representatives as chairman, and the final appointment will be made by the rector.
Kind regards
The Senior Management Team
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.