No. 4, 27 January

Decision in Erasmus Mundus case

Aarhus University is paying compensation for fees paid by four Erasmus Mundus students in accordance with instructions from the Danish University and Property Agency (UBST).

Seven Danish students had lodged a complaint about payment to the international higher education programme, and the decision went in favour of four of the seven, while three were rejected. The seven students received the decision in a letter this week. The payment amounts to approximately DKK 150,000 altogether, and only covers students who were enrolled in the programme up to and including 2007.

The instructions from UBST state that the payment of fees only applies to students with a Bachelor’s degree from a Danish university, and Aarhus University is complying with this decision.

“This is a really awkward case for all parties concerned, and it’s a shame for the students who are tangled up in this very complicated matter. We’ve been guided by UBST, and according to this, we can now pay compensation to some of the students who have paid for their own periods of study at universities abroad,” says Nina Smith, Pro-rector at Aarhus University.

The decision has caused several political spokespeople on science to call for consultation with Helge Sander – the Danish Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation – because they think the decision contravenes principles in the Danish education system.

Read coverage of the case (in Danish only) here

Read the media release about the case (in Danish only) here

Three new deputy directors

The university has decided to advertise for three new positions as deputy directors:a deputy director for finances and buildings, a deputy director for HR and a deputy director for communication.

Aarhus University is in full swing with a comprehensive change process in the light of the mergers in 2007 and as a follow-up to the university’s Strategy 2008–2012 . To create strong and coherent functions that efficiently support activities at the nine main academic areas and the joint administration, the University Board has decided that the central management at Aarhus University will in future consist of a rectorate of four people – rector, pro-rector for academic affairs, pro-rector for strategic affairs and director of administration. The central management will also include the three coming deputy directors, along with Head of Department Eva Teilmann, Deputy Director of IT Flemming Bøge, Deputy Director Søren A.Mikkelsen and Deputy Director Ole Olsen.

The positions will be advertised in a number of nationwide newspapers on Sunday 1 February. The deadline for application is the end of February.

Beyond now

The university’s major Beyond Kyoto climate conference is just around the corner. The Climate Secretariat is currently being swamped with enquiries from people including researchers and students at AU who want to take advantage of some of the free places available. There is still capacity at the conference, but it is important that interested researchers contact their respective deans, who are coordinating the free places for each of the main academic areas. Students who would like some of the remaining free places must follow the instructions for students.

CONCITO – Denmark’s first green think tank – has chosen to take part during the entire conference, and will draw upsix recommendations in collaboration with the researchers who are scientifically responsible for the individual themes. These will subsequently be presented to Connie Hedegaard, Denmark’s Minister for Climate and Energy.

Read more about the climate conference here

Interdisciplinary collaboration regarding degree programmes

It must be easier for students to cross the barriers of the main academic areas, and it must also be easier for the main academic areas to carry out binding interdisciplinary collaboration regarding degree programmes.

The first step has now been taken towards an inner education market at Aarhus University. After thorough debates and preparatory work in the Study Committee, the university’s management has now adopted a number of principles for collaboration regarding degree programmes cutting across the main academic areas. These principles are based on the university’s strategy, where the objective for students is clarity and flexibility regarding the degree programmes offered.

In the course of the next year and a half, the Study Committee will be kept informed about the main academic areas’ collaboration regarding degree programmes, and will also focus attention on the students’ options for transfer of credits. After this, the principles for the inner education market will be evaluated and amended if necessary to form an actual set of rules and regulations.

Postgraduate upper secondary school teacher training takes shape

Last December, the University of Southern Denmark and Aarhus University won the tender for the new postgraduate upper secondary school teacher training programme in Denmark. The one-year programme has now become the same for the four upper secondary school education programmes: the upper secondary school leaving examination (stx), the higher technical examination (htx), the higher commercial examination (hhx) and the higher preparatory examination (hf). Approximately700 newly appointed upper secondary school teachers from all over Denmark will complete the course each year. The members of the steering committee have just held their first meeting and reached agreement on forming nine development groups with approximately 60 subjects altogether. The programme is divided into three parts: one third theoretical education corresponding to 20 ECTS credits, one third teaching with a supervisor, and one third with independent teaching under supervision. The first draft from the Ministry of Education stated that the one-year programme would be followed up by a module 2, but this has now been cut by the ministry for financial reasons. In collaboration with the upper secondary schools, AU is therefore now in the process of developing a comprehensive continuing education programme for upper secondary school teachers, and great interest has already been shown in this. The first students in the new postgraduate upper secondary school teacher training programme commence in August. As a new initiative, part of the courses will consist of web-mediated teaching and the use of digital media, and this will be one of the visible hallmarks of AU’s participation in the project.

Kind regards
The Rectorate
27 January 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/2008.