Very successful annual celebration

The Vice-Chancellor’s Office would like to thank all those who contributed to organising and carrying out the annual celebration on Friday. Not only did the festivities in the University Park run smoothly, but also the ceremony in the Main Hall and especially the evening event at the Concert Hall Aarhus. All in all, this made for a memorable day.

The university deserves greater degrees of freedom

Freedom was a recurrent theme at the university’s annual celebration. Degrees of freedom for the university as an institution – and freedom of expression and research for the staff. The vice-chancellor included the following in his speech:

“We do not question the right of the Danish Government to set goals and frameworks for the activities of the universities, but the university wants to challenge the way this is done. It is a matter of trust. Aarhus University is doing well, and we believe we have earned the confidence of society – even in areas that are currently over-regulated. Contrary to the ideals of freedom emphasised in the Danish University Act, our universities are subject to ongoing detailed control and management rules that, in many ways, limit the freedom of the universities. There has not always been agreement between political statements regarding self-governance and what is actually experienced when specific areas have to be governed. Aarhus University has made it clear that the Government has not fully lived up to the intentions stated in the 2003 University Act, at least with respect to freedom and the opportunity to develop research and teaching based on the university’s own strategy.”

The vice-chancellor emphasised that the university’s degrees of freedom are also restricted by the increasing targeting of research funds.

“It is crucially important that the balance between free research funds and those subject to competition is re-established in a 60/40 ratio, for example. Freedom of research largely depends on the ability of the universities to allocate financial resources to long-term and free research, instead of being tied up to a large extent with more short-term contractual research and/or funds earmarked for research and commissioned tasks,” said the vice-chancellor.

Read the speeches from the annual celebration at www.au.dk/aarsfest.

See also Chair of the Board Jens Bigum’s leading article (in Danish only) in the latest edition of CAMPUS , which focuses on degrees of freedom.

Prestigious award to Aarhus University

In conjunction with the annual celebration, Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation Helge Sander presented Aarhus University with the award for Entrepreneur University of the Year. Among the grounds for making this award, the minister said:

“Entrepreneurs help to create change via new knowledge, new products and new technology, and by way of encouragement, we elect the Entrepreneur University of the Year.

The universities are a very important part of the solution to the many major financial challenges faced by society. It’s therefore important that we also get the best out of the universities, and that the research results are commercialised. And I’d like to emphasise that it’s the research results, and not the research itself, that must be commercialised.

Since 2003, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation has assessed entrepreneurship at the universities, and this year, we looked at both the strategic and the specific initiatives. I’m pleased that all the universities take entrepreneurship seriously and that students nowadays have even better opportunities for taking courses in entrepreneurship.

The fact that I’m standing here is because Aarhus University is the one that has been most successful – at both the strategic and the specific levels. By setting up the Aarhus Entrepreneurship Centre, you have drawn attention to opportunities for entrepreneurs.At the same time, Aarhus University offers entrepreneurship courses for more students than any other university in Denmark – in fact, the numbers doubled from 2007 to 2008. It therefore gives me great pleasure to be able to present Aarhus University with the entrepreneurship award.”

Read also the media release from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation here (in Danish only).

Anders Fogh Rasmussen named honorary alumnus

The presentation was made in connection with the ceremony in the Main Hall. Vice-Chancellor Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen stated the reasons for the appointment as follows:

“It is with great pride that I name you honorary alumnus today.You are an outstanding role model for Aarhus University’s students. You completed your Master of Science (Economics) in 1978, and you are (to date) the only Aarhus University graduate to reach all the way to the most important political post in Denmark.”

Anders Fogh Rasmussen was both pleased and proud to receive the award.
“I passed my exams at Aarhus University with great pride. Even though I didn’t always agree with the lecturers, I’ve made use throughout my career of the knowledge and many skills I acquired during my period of study. I’ve always felt a close association with Aarhus University, and this award makes the bonds with the university even stronger.”

Read the university’s media release here.

Read also the article in the latest edition of CAMPUS (in Danish only). Anders Fogh Rasmussen: “Don’t forget to nurture the relationship with former students”.

Prize winners and honorary doctors

At the annual celebration on Friday 11 September, Vice-Chancellor Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen named eight international researchers as honorary doctors. The vice-chancellor also awarded two prizes to researchers at Aarhus University – an award for university pedagogics and a research communication award. These went to Pernille Rattleff, associate professor at DPU and Allan Flyvbjerg, professor of experimental clinical research, respectively.

Presentation of Erik A. Frandsen’s artworks on 25 September

Everyone who would like to see the new artworks by the Danish artist Erik A. Frandsen at Aarhus University is welcome to attend building 1430 on Friday 25 September at 14.00–15.30. The Vice-Chancellor’s Office would like to offer refreshments and hopes that many members of staff will take this opportunity to see the interesting works specially produced for building 1430 at Nordre Ringgade 1, 8000 Aarhus C.

The official opening takes place earlier the same day. Read more about the opening ceremony here.

The University Board meets the management

On 21–22 September, the University Board is holding its annual seminar, where the first day is devoted to presentations and discussions with the deans and selected speakers. Focus areas for the seminar include the PhD action plan, competitive funding/quality assurance of public sector consultancy, the Bologna Process and future challenges for degree programmes and continuing (and further) education activities at Aarhus University.

See the agenda for the subsequent Board meeting (in Danish only).

Calendar

• 21–22 September: Board seminar for the University Board and the university management at Sandbjerg
• 23–24 September: Seminar for administration managers and joint administration circle of leaders at Sandbjerg
• 25 September at14.00–15.30: Presentation of Erik A. Frandsen’s artworks. Building 1430, Nordre Ringgade 1, 8000 Aarhus C
• 21–22 October: Management seminar for university management, administration managers and joint administration circle of leaders at Sandbjerg
  

Kind regards
The Vice-Chancellor’s Office
15 September 2009

________________________________________

The Vice-Chancellor’s Office publishes News from the Vice-Chancellor’s Office 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 News from the Vice-Chancellor’s Office, please go to http://info.au.dk/medarbbreve/index.asp?sprog=en . The English version of News from the Vice-Chancellor’s Office is published every Wednesday and is available at http://www.au.dk/en/uni/rectorate/newsletter
You can read previous editions of News from the Vice-Chancellor’s Office at http://www.au.dk/en/uni/rectorate/newsletter/2009 .