It must be easier for students to have a career alongside their studies – for example as professional athletes. This was the thrust of an article by Pro-Rector Berit Eika in the Jyllands-Posten newspaper, in which she also emphasised that AU’s work with a Dual Career programme for student elite athletes may also benefit entrepreneurs.
With the Dual Career programme, AU is offering all 240 student elite athletes personal advice and support, greater study-related flexibility with respect to compulsory courses, Skype transmission of teaching as well as many other initiatives for helping young people pursue their two-pronged careers – without having to make compromises with their academic studies.
According to Berit Eika, elite athletes possess certain character traits which can benefit them in their academic work, and she sees it as the university’s duty to make life easier for those who can and want to study alongside another career.
In the long term, the experience gained by students who successfully combine full-time studies with a career as elite athletes will also be used to offer support for student entrepreneurs who are working hard to realise promising business ideas.
On Monday 3 October, tribute was paid to 17 AU students who within the past year had qualified for the Olympic/Paralympic Games or who had won World Championship or European Championship medals at a ceremony at the Museum of Ancient Art.
The aim was not just to celebrate their sporting achievements, but also to recognise their ability to think long-term and persevere with their studies while at the same time being at the pinnacle of their sporting careers. In addition to the participating sports talents, AU also celebrates being the educational institution in Denmark with the highest number of Team Denmark-supported athletes.
When Apple’s new data centre opens in Foulum near Viborg in 2017, some of the energy it uses will come from Aarhus University’s biogas plant.
The data centre is expected to consume the same amount of energy as half a million Danish homes, and there is a desire that about half of the energy demand should be covered by renewable energy.
In addition to supplying biogas, the aim of the cooperation is to conduct research into the possibilities for storing wind and solar energy. For this purpose, Apple has invested DKK 21.5 million, which among other things will pay for an expansion of AU Foulum’s biogas plant.
The drawings for the new data centre and the forthcoming cooperation were presented at a press conference on Friday 30 September.
The Department of Business Communication (BCOM) and the Department of Management at Aarhus BSS have agreed on a possible merger of the two departments, resulting in the establishment of the Section for Corporate Communication at the Department of Management.
The agreement is the result of an internal process which has been running over the summer and which has involved the departments’ local liaison committee and departmental forums, the students’ degree programme councils, the Faculty Liaison Committee as well as the academic council.
The plan for a possible merger of the two departments is a result of the University Board’s decision to move the business communication programmes to Arts, which has prompted a need to discuss the future of the rest of the Department of Business Communication.
The recommendation for the merger is expected to be discussed at the meeting of the University Board on 27 October. If the recommendation is followed, the merger will take effect as of 1 January 2017.
This year, the International Centre at Aarhus University celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Since its establishment in 1966, the International Student Centre has been a focal point for international students and employees, and a driving force in integrating foreign students in both the academic and social study environments.
Today, the centre is part of Studenterhus Aarhus.
The anniversary was celebrated on Tuesday 4 October with a ceremony followed by a party in Stakladen, where the participants included 35 representatives from AU’s partner universities, the rectors from the other institutions of higher education in Aarhus and Aarhus University employees who work with internationalisation.
The Danish Cancer Society and Aarhus University have entered into a cooperation agreement with the aim of strengthening cancer research in Denmark.
This will provide researchers working across the two organisations with a formal framework for undertaking joint projects. It will help them to share and develop knowledge about new research and technology or to start joint projects.
The aim is also that stronger cooperation irrespective of geography and research expertise will provide better opportunities for attracting external research grants both in Denmark and internationally.
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/2015.