No. 11, 17 March

McKinsey survey falls short of target

As a follow-up to the Danish Globalisation Strategy, the political parties behind this accord decided in November 2008 to initiate an analysis of the universities’ and sector research institutions’ financing. This was planned to take place prior to the year’s finance negotiations regarding the field of research and education in connection with the balance between basic funds and funds in competition. An analysis of the taximeter subsidies was also planned for the humanities and social sciences degree programmes, to investigate the educational consequences of the low subsidies for these study programmes.

The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation entered into an agreement with McKinsey & Company, Inc. to carry out a survey of selected faculties. At Aarhus University, the Faculty of Science was included in the survey, and McKinsey has now visited both the faculty and the university.

The initial meetings have unfortunately given the impression that the methodology chosen by McKinsey is too extensive to shed light on the above questions, and that the key subjects have not been clarified to a sufficient degree – especially the part applying to taximeter subsidies. In addition, there is a serious risk that the current evaluation of the University Act will be mixed up with the McKinsey survey and, more generally, that the university’s students and staff are becoming involved to a totally unacceptable degree, resulting in a waste of valuable time.

For instance, McKinsey has suggested an extremely detailed questionnaire about working hours for selected members of the academic staff, which is not substantiated in the question about the form of financing, and does not take into account the fact that it is difficult to clearly separate time spent on education from time spent on research.

We also have reservations about the way McKinsey wants to identify the impact of the low taximeter subsidies on the humanities and social sciences. The main focus of the analysis here is on the costs per year of full-time study (STÅ rates) – but this does not address the question of the educational effects. Nor does it reveal whether teaching large classes is the optimal form of education as regards the quality and efficiency of the studies, or whether it is simply a stop-gap solution directly attributable to the low taximeter subsidies.

Aarhus University will naturally provide open and loyal assistance in answering the questions the Danish Parliament and Government would like clarified. However, in our opinion, the McKinsey survey falls short of the target. In collaboration with Universities Denmark, the rectorate has therefore now approached the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation with a recommendation to carry out the McKinsey analysis in such a way that it effectively focuses on the questions that the parties involved in the accord would like clarified. This will not only be less expensive, but will also provide a significantly greater degree of credibility.

New initiative to promote gender equality

In spring 2009, Aarhus University’s gender equality task force is making concentrated efforts to implement the first key initiatives and suggest a number of changes to the staff policy that can support endeavours to create a more attractive work environment and ensure wider recruitment. This requires close collaboration with the main academic areas, and the gender equality task force will offer measures such as a round of dialogue and support so that the main academic areas can be helped to draw up specific plans and determine target figures for gender equality.

At the meeting of the university management on 16 March, a decision was made to continue working on the presentation, and the main academic areas made a commitment to meeting with the task force before the end of the year, and to jointly prepare target figures for gender quotas. The starting point for these figures should be improving the percentage of female staff in the individual levels of employment compared with the current situation.

Background for the gender equality task force:
In spring 2008, Aarhus University signed the Minister for Social Welfare and Gender Equality’s charter for more women in management, and made a commitment to working with the charter’s seven focus areas. By signing the charter, AU is obliged to set figures for the number of women in management (understood at AU as women in research management, i.e. at the level of associate professor and professor).

In addition, please note the major gender equality conference on 18–19 May: WOMEN IN ACADEMIA – BARRIERS AND GOOD PRACTICE . Read more here

Recommendations on the way in the administrative change process

At its last meeting, the steering group for the administrative change process agreed on how the recommendations from the different tracks should be converted to managerial decisions. When the different tracks (HR, IT, Finance, Building and Study) have delivered their recommendations to the steering group, they will be submitted to individuals including the heads of administration in the main academic areas for hearing. The final recommendations will subsequently be sent for review by the university management (i.e. the rectorate and the deans).

The following recommendations are on the way from:

• HR track: the composition of tasks for a new, central HR department, including the division of work between the new department and the main academic areas
• Finance track: the specific decisions that should be made for meeting the aim of joint and accurate financial management at the university
  
• IT track: the overall decisions that must be made to create a coherent IT infrastructure for the entire university, which can be used as a basis for measures such as joint financial management and study administration
  
• Study track: uniform division of work between the central study administration and all the main academic areas
  

The change process must equip the university’s administration for the challenges of the future. Read more about the change process here

Gellerup youngsters and parents must have “Easy Guidance”

Aarhus University is in the process of establishing collaboration with counsellors in the Aarhus suburb of Gellerup. The counsellors will be part of the “Easy Guidance” campaign, part of which will consist of a guidance tour in June, including a visit to Gellerup.

In the week beginning Monday 5 October, potential students from Gellerup and their parents will again be able to meet AU in their local area. AU will take part in an education fair with a series of events including lectures, debate, entertainment and counselling.

At http://www.nemvejledning.dk (available in Danish only), AU encourages potential students to contact a current student to get answers and put aside any doubts regarding the right choice of study.

Read more about “Easy Guidance” (in Danish only) at http://www.nemvejledning.dk

Action plan from the PhD Committee

The circle of heads of graduate schools, chaired by Pro-rector Nina Smith, has begun preparing an action plan for the PhD degree programmes at Aarhus University. PhD students will be involved in preparing the action plan.

The aim of the action plan is to professionalise routines and to jointly implement new initiatives. This will take place in areas where it creates added value for the individual schools and where it supports AU’s strategy. The action plan is an in-house tool and, at the same time, will respect the differences at the graduate schools.

The action plan for the PhD degree programmes focuses on the following topics:

• Recruitment and admission
  
• Internationalisation
  
• Quality in the PhD degree programmes
  
• Supervision
  
• Teaching and PhD courses
  
• Dissertation
  
• The job market
  
• Framework and finances
  

No more Erasmus Mundus students entitled to compensation

Aarhus University has examined the basis for admission for all the Erasmus Mundus students enrolled at the university in the period 2005–2007. This showed that none of the Erasmus Mundus students who have not personally contacted the university were entitled to compensation for fees they had paid.

In accordance with instructions from the Danish University and Property Agency (UBST) in October 2008, it is only students with a Bachelor’s degree from a Danish university who are eligible for having their fees paid. Aarhus University complies with these instructions and paid compensation to four Danish Erasmus Mundus students earlier this year. A further three Danish students had complained over the payment of fees, but did not have a Bachelor’s degree from a Danish university as a basis for admission and are thus not entitled to compensation, cf. the instructions from UBST.

Read the media release (in Danish only) here

Kind regards
The Rectorate
17 March 2009

The rectorate publishes Rectorate News every Tuesday – apart from holidays and public holidays. 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 Rectorate News, please go to http://info.au.dk/medarbbreve/index.asp?sprog=en. The English version of Rectorate News is published every Wednesday and is available at http://www.au.dk/en/uni/rectorate/newsletter.

You can read previous editions of Rectorate News at http://www.au.dk/en/uni/rectorate/newsletter/2009 .