News from the senior management team no. 24/2017
Senior management team welcomes end of quick bonus
Last week, the Minister for Higher Education and Science Søren Pind announced that he wants to abolish the so-called ‘quick bonus’ scheme. According to the current scheme, young people can multiply their grade point average by a factor of 1.08 if they commence a university degree programme within two years of passing their qualifying examination.
In line with many others, including Universities Denmark, the Danish Association of Upper Secondary Schools and the National Union of Students in Denmark, AU’s Pro-rector Berit Eika is looking forward to the end of the quick bonus.
“We would much rather have students who are bright, dedicated and ready for their studies than students applying as quickly as possible. The quick bonus is artificial, and does not provide a true picture of the students’ academic qualifications. It’s more important that young people have a clear idea about what they want to study and which opportunities their degree gives them because it makes it more likely that they will enjoy their time at university and complete their degree programme,” says Berit Eika.
The minister’s proposal is based on new figures from the Ministry of Higher Education and Science showing that the eight-year-old bonus has not had the intended effect of encouraging more young people to commence post-secondary education faster.
Thank you to the 1,000 student advisers who are welcoming new students
Around 1,000 AU students are helping new students arriving at the university to get off to a good start. We would like to say a big thank you to all the student advisers, who are helping to ensure that social and academic well-being can go hand-in-hand.
- Read the article (in Danish)
Meet Aarhus University at Aarhus Festival 2017
Aarhus University will once again have a strong presence throughout the city during Aarhus Festival, which was officially kicked off last Thursday, 24 August. For example, you will find AU’s study environment at Mølleparken, you can participate in an entrepreneurship festival, play with giant soap bubbles and learn more about the world of literature.
- Read more about AU’s events at Aarhus Festival (in Danish)
University director focuses on recruitment and onboarding
At AU, this time of year is the peak season for recruiting new employees. Read University Director Arnold Boon’s post about some of the measures being implemented by the administration to ensure that the right employees are recruited and that new employees get off to a good start.
Commercialisation activities well under way in ST’s environmental research areas
Science and Technology has started working to commercialise green technologies. The first phase has involved developing and identifying ideas for commercialisation – a task that has involved a number of researchers from various departments. Now the second phase is starting, which sees business plans being prepared for selected ideas. The work is being performed with help from JB Equity, which has considerable experience within the area.
Niels Haldrup appointed acting head of department
As of 1 September, Professor Niels Haldrup has been appointed acting head of the Department of Economics and Business Economics at Aarhus BSS.
Calendar
- 28 August: Information meeting at AU with Independent Research Fund Denmark
- 4 September: Student Fair
- 5 September: All-day meeting of Universities Denmark
- 8 September: Education Day 2017 with the participation of AU’s pro-rector
- 12–14 September: Sport Summit 2017 in Concert Hall Aarhus and at the Lakeside Lecture Theatres with the participation of the Minister for Culture Mette Bock, among others.
- 14 September: Inspiration day on education
- 15 September: The Danish ambassador to Germany visits AU
- 15 September: Annual celebration
- 15 September: Denmark’s biggest Friday bar and Sports Day
- 20 September: Rector starts his round of visits to the various departments/schools/institutes
- 25 September: Opening of the Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research (SDC) in China
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. 