News from the Senior Management Group no. 5/2011

Open consultation on report on the structure of the boards of studies

A new report examines the structure of Aarhus University boards of studies on the basis of input from the main academic areas, studies administration and student organisations. The report examines three different models for the future organisation of the university's boards of studies and recommends the model which is considered best suited to strengthening the university's strategic development of its degree programmes and to ensuring the continuing influence of students and staff on the structure and content of degree programmes. The open consultation period will continue until 17 February at the main academic areas as well as in studies administration and student organisations. Please contact Special Consultant Grith Thagaard Loft if you have any questions.

 


MatchPoints Seminar 2011 creates debate on the future of democracy

Registration for MatchPoints Seminar 2011 is now open. The topic of this year's seminar is democratisation, and a debate on signs of crisis for democracy will be conducted in Danish. A number of prominent Danish experts on democracy will participate, including Georg Sørensen, Jørgen Elklit and Jørgen Møller. International participants will include Fareed Zakaria, host of CNN's flagship foreign affairs show and Editor-at-Large of TIME Magazine, and Dr Francis Fukuyama, a visiting professor at Aarhus University since 2009. Dr Fukuyama, who is one of the world’s most respected political analysts, is Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.

 

 


'The Mobile University' and 'Mobile Student Guidance' to keep on moving

The university has renewed funding for the 'The Mobile University' (Det Rullende Universitet), which includes 'Mobile Student Guidance' (Den Rullende Vejledning). The Mobile University brings researchers and students from all four main academic areas to upper secondary schools, where they take over teaching responsibilities while teachers are at workshops or training courses.  This gives upper secondary students a taste of what it's like to study at the university, in addition to highly qualified instruction.  The Mobile University is a service available to all Danish upper secondary schools.

With Mobile Student Guidance, AU brings its student guidance services to upper secondary schools and folk high schools.

Both services will continue through the 2012-13 school year. A thorough evaluation will be performed in the third quarter of 2012 in order to determine whether to continue offering these services.


In the media

On Sunday 13 February the newspaper Århus Stiftstidende published an editorial by Rector Holm-Nielsen. The editorial explains his proposal to link students' SU (government-sponsored student grants) to their acquisition of ECTS points. The proposal was originally made in the government's Growth Forum. The rector also argues that it is more important to focus on the percentage of students who complete their degrees than on the drop-out rate, as drop-out rate statistics also include students who transfer to a new degree programme. The piece is a response to a letter to the editor published on 9 February.


On Friday 11 February, Børsen Executive featured an editorial on 'The Entrepreneurial University' by Pro-Rector Søren E. Fransen and Flemming K. Fink, centre director for Technology Transfer & Entrepreneurship. The editorial explains how AU's new role as Denmark's Entrepreneurial University will help promote  the development of an entrepreneurial mindset among students to supplement the skills and competences they gain from their degree programme studies. In addition, Frandsen and Fink argue that a more general change of attitude towards entrepreneurship is necessary: too many bright, unusual and innovative ideas are never realised because Danes allow themselves to be limited by the fact that attempts to realise ideas which don't result in a success outcome are considered defeats.  Instead, as in other countries, the attempt should be met with a pat on the shoulder, whether or not it results in success.

 


Calendar

 

  • 23 February: Visit by administrative officers from Lund University, Sweden
  • 25 February: Meeting with permanent under-secretaries of the Ministry of Science, the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Food
  • 2 March: Main Liaison Committee meeting
  • 2 March: Debate meeting on financing higher education, the Confederation of Danish Industry and Aarhus University
  • 3-5 March: U-Days
  • 5 March: Open House at Aarhus University
  • 7 March: Main Liaison Committee meeting at Sandbjerg Manor
  • 7-8 March: University Board seminar at Sandbjerg Manor
  • 9 March: Staff meeting: orientation on new organisational structure
  • 10-11 March: The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation’s annual Dialogue Forum (Dialogforum) in Fredericia
  • 2 April: Open House at AU-HIH, Aarhus University
  • 9 April: Open House at the Emdrup Campus, Aarhus University



Kind regards

The University Management Group, February 2011


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.