The government published its announced proposal, Resizing of English-language degree programmes, on Thursday, 22 August. Rector Brian Bech Nielsen has criticised the proposal, as it will obstruct Aarhus University’s business initiatives and plans to train more engineers and IT specialists. This will make it more difficult for the university to support private sector growth and employment in the long run, both locally and nationally. Like other universities, Aarhus University is baffled as to why the Government is electing to reduce its investment instead of focusing on how to increase returns.
The Ministry of Higher Education and Science has asked all of Denmark’s educational institutions to contribute specific experience with digital technologies when teaching and developing digital skills among all students.
Pro-rector Berit Eika, on behalf of the senior management team, urges everyone with good ideas and experience of digitisation in teaching to submit their input to the Ministry. This information will form part of the Ministry’s efforts to develop a national action plan for digital technologies in all higher education degree programmes. The deadline for contributions is 15 October 2018.
As a consequence of the spring’s collective agreement negotiations (OK18), the parties to the agreement have decided to abolish the Competency Fund and the fund for government workplaces. This means that it will not be possible to apply for funding from the Competency Fund for activities in 2019. The two funds will be replaced by the new national Competency Fund (Den statslige kompetencefond). The framework for the allocation of funding is expected to be finalised this autumn.
The options will be shown on this page as soon as the conditions for funding applications to the new fund have been established.
AU’s participation in Denmark’s Political Festival on Bornholm in June was a roaring success, not least thanks to the many researchers who contributed their academic knowledge on a wide range of topics. This is why the senior management team has decided that AU will participate in Denmark’s Political Festival in 2019 as well, and that the programme will focus more closely on research and research communication.
Denmark's Political Festival 2019 will be taking place between 13 and 16 June.
Make a note in your calendar if you are interested in taking part in an information meeting with the Lundbeck Foundation, which is to be held at Aarhus University on 23 November. Anyone interested can come and hear more about the foundation’s strategy, new action plan and the associated new programmes.
Aarhus University gave its firm support to this year’s DHL Relay Race again this year. Almost 1,800 people had entered for the race at the Memorial Park in Aarhus by 23 August, while around 50 AU employees joined in with the race in Odense the previous week.
We would like to wish our Zealand colleagues a good trip to the race in Copenhagen on 30 August.
The senior management team publishes a weekly newsletter This includes details on decisions and initiatives from the university’s senior management team plus current activities and discussions. You can register for the newsletter at http://info.au.dk/medarbbreve, and you will then receive an email every time the newsletter is published.
You will find previous newsletters from the senior management team at http://www.au.dk/om/uni/universitetsledelsen/nyhedsbrevuniled/2017.
If you would like to register for the English version of the news from the senior management team, you can do so at http://info.au.dk/medarbbreve/index.asp