Next spring will see the university newspaper UNIvers replaced by a brand new publication.
The process of creating a new newspaper was launched by the Senior Management Team following the media debate last spring when, in an open letter to the university's Rector and Chairman of the Board, three student organisations expressed their wish to redesign UNIvers.
The concept for the new newspaper has been shaped through collaboration betweena number of students, employees and the Senior Management Team represented by Pro-Rector Søren E. Frandsen.
A new editor and a journalist will be employed for the new newspaper, and an editorial committee will be appointed. The editorial committee will, together with the editor, decide the main editorial lines and framework for the new newspaper. Furthermore, the committee will ensure the AU newspaper's editorial freedom from organisational, political and personal interests.
The academic councils will be asked to find members for the new editorial committee.
Read more about the new newspaper in the next issue of UNIvers.
On Thursday 1 November, all Aarhus University employees will receive an email inviting them to participate in the psychological workplace assessment (WPA) survey.
The survey will provide an insight into employee well-being at Aarhus University. It will also identify any areas requiring targeted efforts to improve the psychological working environment. And equally important – it will shed light on where and why things are going well so that the best practices for improving employee well-being and job satisfaction can be extended throughout the university.
The psychological WPA focuses in particular on how employees have experienced the academic development process and the subsequent job situation. Another significant focus area of the psychological WPA is management at the university.
Preparing the questionnaire has involved extensive collaboration between employees from different disciplines and AU premises to ensure a questionnaire which looks at the areas employees think are important.
As a new initiative this year, the management will encourage part-time employees and student employees to also participate in the survey.
The previous psychological WPA survey was carried out in 2009, while a survey on the physical working environment was conducted earlier this year.
In the next issue of UNIvers, which is published on Tuesday 30 October, the forthcoming psychological WPA will be covered in detail.
You can also contact AU HR for more information on the WPA: apv@au.dk
Vice Dean for Research at Science and Technology, Henrik Bindslev, recently accepted an offer to become the new Director for the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy ("Fusion for Energy").
Dean of Science and Technology, Brian Bech Nielsen, is sorry to see Henrik Bindslev departing, but understands why he is accepting this very attractive international job.
No agreement has yet been reached as to when Henrik Bindslev will resign from his position, or how his tasks can best be managed during the period between his resignation and the appointment of a new vice-dean.
Professor Søren Kragh Moestrup is the first person in Denmark to receive a so-called ERC Proof of Concept grant from the European Research Council (ERC).
An ERC Proof of Concept grant is given to researchers who want to cultivate the potential for innovation in their ERC project.
On Wednesday 24 October, the Membranes research centre, which is headed by Professor Søren K. Moestrup, held an opening seminar in the Lakeside Lecture Theatres.
The centre has been granted DKK 15 million of the university's strategic funding to research membrane proteins in the body.
This year four Starting Grants have been given to Aarhus University researchers. Later this year, the ERC will award its Advanced Grants to research leaders.
On Tuesday 30 October, Aarhus University is opening its new interdisciplinary centre for Participatory IT, PIT.
The aim of PIT is to study how we all use and shape IT in our daily lives and to develop alternative systems that encourage new types of active participation.
The centre is a natural follow-on from Aarhus University's long-standing research experience within IT development and user participation, and it will be a gathering point for four research groups across the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Aesthetics and Communication.
Kind regards,
The Senior Management Team, 29 October
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.