The Aarhus University Board last week adopted the 2011 annual accounts, which showed balanced accounts with a small profit of DKK 48 million. In 2011, Aarhus University posted the largest revenue in the university's history: DKK 5.8 billion.
The university had budgeted for a break-even result and is, in reality, presenting an operating loss of DKK 22 million. Thanks to unexpected interest income of DKK 70 million, however, the university still makes a profit.
Some media have voiced doubts about the operation of Aarhus University in connection with the large reorganisation of the university, including timely payment of salaries and invoices. At the Board meeting held on 25 April, the rector accounted for the operating status of the university. The account was received with satisfaction. The audit of the 2011 annual accounts carried out by state auditor Rigsrevisionen and the university's institutional auditors, PricewaterhouseCoopers, did not result in any qualifications.
Aarhus University has prepared a memo on its accounts and equity. The memo shows that a loss of DKK 50 million is budgeted for 2012 and DKK 20 million annually up until 2015. This also means that equity is expected to have peaked with the 2011 accounts.
The Main Liaison Committee has decided to postpone the 2012 pay negotiations until the autumn to allow union representatives and managers more time to conduct the negotiations. All pay increases will, however, be paid with retrospective effect.
These were some of the conclusions at last week's Main Liaison Committee meeting, which also established a number of joint guidelines for paid holidays, official transport etc.
Aarhus University is also working on a joint concept to be introduced for the so-called MUS employee development interviews. The main academic areas and the administration may already now contact the HR partners for more information.
Not only Aarhus University's Bachelor's degree programmes have experienced a growing number of applications this year. The number of applications for Master’s degree programmes is also higher than before.
A recent calculation from AU Studies Administration shows that the Master’s degree programmes had 9,398 applicants this year, representing an increase of 12% on 2011. The number of applicants is up for all four main academic areas.
When looking at the total increase, it should be noted that two new Master’s degree programmes were established last year (Rhetoric and Neuroscience and Neuroimaging) as well as a new offering in Emdrup (Nursing). However, even when disregarding these programmes, the increase is still 10%.
The figures from AU Studies Administration are preliminary as most programmes are still open for application.
The Festival of Research has become a popular research communication event among the Danes. Also this year's festival attracted many visitors to Aarhus University and its different event venues.
The Danish Higher Education Minister Morten Østergaard attended the Festival of Research in the University Park after having received the Aarhus Declaration at the end of the Excellence Conference in the Lakeside Lecture Theatres on the same day. Morten Østergaard was excited about both visiting the stands in the lobby area and attending a speed lecture in one of the lecture theatres. Here, he met AU researchers from AlgaeCenter Denmark and got a new view of seaweed.
Aarhus University's alumni platform, 'Gerda', has been relaunched in a new design with new content and new options – not just for alumni, but also very much for existing students and staff members, who can benefit from being in contact with former students by creating a profile on 'Gerda'.
In addition to the new design and a better overview of the services available, the search options have also been improved to make it easier to see where alumni from different study programmes live and work, e.g. by using an interactive world map, which has become a permanent part of the search results. Portals have also been created for the four main academic areas, where subgroups can be created to facilitate more targeted communication with the alumni.
Moreover, a new flexible mentor programme for alumni is being launched.
You can create a profile at www.gerda.au.dk. There are currently some 13,000 profiles.
The latest issue of the alumni magazine AUgustus from Aarhus University features an article about Gerda.
Eight law students from Aarhus University finished in third place in a recent international moot court competition, thus finishing side by side with Harvard University and only being beaten by the winning team from Nalsar University of Law in India and University College London.
None of the Danish teams previously participating in the competition have reached a higher position in the competition, which has been held every year since 1994. It is the biggest of its kind in the world.
Kind regards,
The Senior Management Team
The Senior Management Team 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 Team, please go to http://info.au.dk/medarbbreve/index.asp?sprog=en. The English version of News from the Senior Management Team is available at http://www.au.dk/en/about/uni/seniormanagement/newsletter/. You can read previous editions of News from the Senior Management Team at http://www.au.dk/en/about/uni/seniormanagement/newsletter/2012.