No. 2, 13 November 2007

Rectorate News

The rectorate holds a meeting every Monday morning – apart from holidays and public holidays – and Rectorate News will be published every Tuesday from now on. This will include a brief description of current activities and discussions. You can sign up for the newsletter at http://info.au.dk/medarbbreve, after which you will receive an e-mail whenever Rectorate News is issued.

Board meeting

The University Board held a meeting last Thursday, and the strategy for the University of Aarhus was discussed. This was finally adopted with great satisfaction. The strategy will be made available on our web site and distributed within the course of the week. The university’s development contract was also adopted, and the first negotiations with the ministry take place this week.

The University Board also discussed the draft of the new University of Aarhus degree programme for teachers, which is fully supported. We will be notified by the end of 2007 at the latest as to whether the programme has been approved or not.

Building volume at the university, etc.

We are currently at work on producing a comprehensive vision plan for how the building volume and facilities at the University of Aarhus will develop in the coming years. It is well known that we have activities at 20 different sites, and with the expected growth in the coming years, such a plan provides an important management tool. Until it is available, work naturally goes on decentrally. At present, discussions are taking place regarding issues such as a comprehensive traffic solution around the University Park in Aarhus. The municipality is planning to set up a light rail system along Noerrebrogade in the course of 10 years, but is establishing bus lanes on both sides of the road in the meantime.

Selection of joint financial system

After a comprehensive assessment, we have decided that the entire university will go over to the Navision Stat financial system. Some of the main academic areas are already using this, and others will change during the course of the coming years. The overall schedule for this process is being planned and will be presented before the end of the year.

Development plan for the libraries

We have appointed a working group led by Dean Carsten Riis. This group has mapped out and assessed the university’s total activities in the library area, which is in a state of rapid development. A development plan is now available, and this will form the basis for further work. See the report (in Danish only) at http://www.fusion.au.dk/sammenlaegning/bibliotek/udviklingsplan

Continuing education

The nine main academic areas offer several excellent external continuing education activities. In the months ahead, a small think tank with representatives from all the main academic areas will draw up a plan for how the “main roads” into the university can be widened. This does not involve centralising the activities, but setting up a comprehensive overview and better communication as regards the waning sectors in the community.

Read also Internt AU-Nyt (in Danish only)