Staff meetings in all main academic areas

The Rector's Office would like to invite all AU staff members to academic development process staff meetings in all of the existing main academic areas. The purpose of the meetings is to inform staff members about the overall status of the process and to provide staff members with an opportunity to ask questions.

The process has entered a new phase since the Board approved the Rector's Office recommendation on the academic development process on 17 June. The comprehensive analysis aimed at determining the best possible academic and administrative structure for the coming Aarhus University organisation will continue throughout the fall. The Rector's Office is following the progress of the process taking place at each main academic area closely. The staff meetings are intended to assist in this.

The meetings with take place in September. The dates for each meeting can be seen in the calendar below. More information on each meeting will be provided by your main academic area.

 The organisation of administrative functions

The analysis of the administrative structure of Aarhus University is in full swing. A working group is responsible for submitting a proposal on how best to organise administrative functions and responsibilities to support the new academic structure. The deadline for submission is January 2011.

The working group includes representatives from each of the four new main academic areas. In week 34, the group will establish a number of committees which will analyse specific administrative areas, including financial management, HR; IT and public sector consultancy.

Read more about the mandate of the working group (in Danish only)

Seven prominent international researchers to be named honorary doctor

At the annual celebration on 10 September, Aarhus University will award honorary doctorates to seven researchers with a close working relationship to the university. These researchers are involved in collaboration in the areas of research and teaching as well as academic networks. This involvement helps ensure Aarhus University's close links to leading international research. The names of the seven honorary doctors will be announced on www.au.dk on Friday 20 August.

An event to honour each researcher will be held at the main academic area with which he or she will be affiliated as honorary doctor. More information will be posted on the main academic area web pages.

This year's honorary alumnus will also be appointed at the annual celebration, and the Aarhus University University Pedagogy Prize and the Aarhus University Jubilee Foundation Research Communication Prize will also be awarded.

Ranking: Aarhus University no. 98 on the 'Shanghai list'

Aarhus University's ranking fell from no. 97 to no. 98 on this year's Top 100 list of the world's best universities from The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), which is often referred to as 'the Shanghai list'. Unlike other rankings, the Shanghai list is exclusively based on information gathered by ARWU itself. The criteria on which the ranking is based focus on the natural sciences, the health sciences, and the social sciences. This list is relatively objective, as it is based primarily on accessible published data, Nobel prizes and other scholarly prizes; however, it is extremely retrospective in its evaluations.

Aarhus University has the distinction of being among very youngest universities in the top 100 of the acknowledged university ranking lists.

Read more at http://www.arwu.org/

The University Student House: a new meeting place for all students in Aarhus

The Aarhus Student House (Studenterhus Århus) has moved from Toldboden on the harbour to the University Student House (Studenternes Hus) at Aarhus University. This will make the University Student House a meeting place for students at all institutions of higher education in the city.

The Aarhus Student House organises events and activities such as concerts and lectures for students from all over Aarhus, so the University Student House will soon be buzzing with life.

The University Student House is the cluster of buildings which houses the Stakladen dining hall, the coffee lounges, the university's conference centre, the Stakboladen bookstore and the university bar. The Aarhus University Student Council and Aarhus University Sport also have their offices here, along with other student services.

Studenterhusfonden af 1991 will continue to run the Student House, including rental of facilities such as the conference centre. Studenterhusfonden is also responsible for organizing various activities.

The Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries guested Foulum grand opening

Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Henrik Høegh helped celebrate the grand opening of a number of new research platforms and an automation laboratory at Research Centre Foulum, cutting the red ribbon with visible enthusiasm.

"I am certain that the researchers here at Research Centre Foulum will enjoy thinking up the brilliant solutions that will some day revolutionise agriculture - please keep up the good work. I look forward to the day when robots will be used more in agriculture," said Minister Høegh, who is himself a practicing farmer.

Chairman of the Board Jens Bigum and Pro-Rector Søren Frandsen also spoke at the ceremony to mark the grand opening of the new facilities at Research Centre Foulum. Read more about Research Centre Foulum: http://agrsci.au.dk/en/

Calendar

• 23 August: Application deadline for the four new dean positions
• 1 September: Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Charlotte Sahl-Madsen to visit Aarhus University
• 2 September: Staff meeting on the academic development process at SAM
• 2 September: Staff meeting on the academic development process at NAT
• 10 September: the Aarhus University annual celebration
• 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
• 23 September: Staff meeting on the academic development process at DPU
• 23 September: Staff meeting on the academic development process at DMU
• 30 September: Staff meeting on the academic development process at DJF

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.