News from the Rector's office no. 30/2010
Annual celebration attracts enormous interest
Members of the Aarhus University staff have showed great interest in the evening event to be held in connection with the annual celebration. Tickets for the concert in the Main Hall (Store Sal) at the Concert Hall Aarhus had already been booked just two to three minutes after the opening of registration. During the course of last week, all those who registered have received notification of whether they have been allocated a place in the Main Hall or the Symphonic Hall, or have been put on a waiting list.
If you are unable to attend, the Rector’s Office requests that you return your ticket so it can be given to a colleague. To do so, please return your ticket to Charlotte Boel, AU Communication. The theme for this year’s festivities in the Concert Hall Aarhus is Imagine – based on John Lennon’s classic from 1971.
Good meeting with the Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation
On 1 September, Aarhus University’s management held a good and constructive meeting with Denmark’s Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Charlotte Sahl-Madsen. During the day, she was introduced to the Student Entrepreneurship Incubator at Aarhus University on the occasion of its first anniversary. There were also presentations about innovative teaching practices, internationalisation and talent development, which are some of the topics in which the minister has shown particular interest.
Prior to the official visit, the minister took part in an open debate with employees and students, where the topics included the study environment, study periods abroad, the taximeter principle and, in particular, group examinations, which subsequently received considerable coverage in the media.
Following her visit, the minister expressed her great satisfaction with the proceedings and she highly appreciated the inspiring and productive dialogue with Aarhus University.
Administrative analysis process well under way
Seven working committees have now been appointed to draw up a proposal for the future organisation of Aarhus University’s administrative structures. Each committee has members from all four of the forthcoming main academic areas, and they work individually on a specific key area. Later this autumn, the working committees will submit their proposals for the most appropriate way in which Aarhus University should be organised in areas such as HR, administration of studies, public sector consultancy, etc. The committees were also mentioned at a staff meeting held by AU Administration, which at the same time launched the round of visits by the Rector’s Office to the current nine main academic areas in September.
- See the members of the working committees (in Danish only)
- See a report of the staff meeting in AU Administration (in Danish only)
Staff policy in the academic development process
Heads of departments and members of staff in administrative positions will not forfeit the terms and conditions of their current salaries and pensions even though their tasks should change when the academic development process has been completed. This is one of the main themes of the staff policy principles, which should ensure clear conditions for employees and a continued high level of quality in the administrative support of the university’s services. The principles also define guidelines for the procedure providing administrative staff with an opportunity to apply for positions that need to be filled when the new organisational structure is in place.
- See the staff policy principles (PDF file in Danish only)
New strategy for technology transfer
Aarhus University has just completed a new strategy for promoting the exchange of knowledge between researchers and the business community. Cultivating collaborative agreements and networks is one of the specific focus areas that should ensure that the research environments at Aarhus University receive the best possible support in putting their ideas and research results into practice.
- See the strategy for technology transfer (PDF file in Danish only)
Danish scientists frequently cited
Danish universities have a tradition for doing well in the category materials science, which includes fields such as physics and nanoscience. A new report from Thomson Reuters confirms this trend by ranking Denmark in fifth place for nations with the most citation counts. The only countries to receive a higher ranking than Denmark are the Netherlands, USA, Switzerland and Israel. Thomson Reuters also provides the Times Higher Education ranking list with data covering the world’s universities for 2010, and this is expected to be published in mid-September.
New term begins at Danskernes Akademi
On Monday 6 September, the Danish TV programme Danskernes Akademi (The Danes’ Academy) welcomes viewers to a new term. Many researchers from Aarhus University are involved this term as part of the university’s collaboration with DR as regards relaying research results on the TV channel DR2. In the week beginning 6 September, PhD student Else Marie Jegindø from the Centre of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN) can be heard talking about the correlation between religious rituals and experiencing pain.
With more than 50,000 viewers watching a number of the lectures, the programme is an important and very visible platform for the modern communication of research results.
- Read more at www.au.dk/danskernesakademi (in Danish only)
Calendar
- 6 September: Minister for Taxation Troels Lund Poulsen and Mayor of Aarhus Nicolai Wammen visit the Student Fair 2010
- 10 September: Aarhus University’s annual celebration
- 13 September: University management meeting
- 15 September: Staff meeting on the academic development process at TEO
- 15 September: Staff meeting on the academic development process at HUM
- 16 September: Staff meeting on the academic development process at SUN
- 16 September: Staff meeting on the academic development process at ASB
- 20 September: University Board meeting
- 23 September: Staff meeting on the academic development process at DPU
- 23 September: Staff meeting on the academic development process at NERI
- 30 September: Staff meeting on the academic development process at DJF
Kind regards
The Rector’s Office
7 September 2010
The Rector’s Office 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 Rector’s Office, please go to http://info.au.dk/medarbbreve/index.asp?sprog=en. The English version of News from the Rector’s Office is available at http://www.au.dk/en/uni/rectorate/newsletter. You can read previous editions of News from the Rector’s Office at http://www.au.dk/en/about/uni/rektorat/newsletter/2010/.