15 december 2011 christmas speech · 12/15/2011 · 2011 budget 2012 billions dkk (2012 level)...

15 DECEMBER 2011

RECTOR HOLM-NIELSEN'S

CHRISTMAS SPEECH THE MAIN HALL - 15 DECEMBER 2011

15 DECEMBER 2011

RECTOR HOLM-NIELSEN'S CHRISTMAS SPEECH

CURRENT STATUS, THE 2012 BUDGET AND AU'S FINANCES

STATUS OF ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT PROCESS INITIATIVES

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES IN 2012

Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen, Rector 15 December 2011 AARHUS

UNIVERSITY

A STRONG POSITION TO BUILD ON

RANKINGS AARHUS UNIVERSITY

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Leiden - 105 - 55 51

ARWU 102 93 97 98 86

QS 114 81 63 84 79

THE - - - 167 125

HEEACT 132 118 101 105 96


UNIVERSITY

AU IN KEY FIGURES

Bachelor 17,504

Master 16,395

Part-time Master etc. 5,176

PhD 1,891

Total no. of students: 40,966

IHA 2,600

STUDENTS

Academic staff 4,446

Academic staff (part-time) 2,028

Administrative/technical

staff

4,725

Total no. staff members: 11,199

IHA 183

STAFF

Annual

report

2008

Annual

report

2009

Annual

report

2010

Budget

2011

Budget

2012 (incl. IHA)

Billions DKK (2012 level) 5,197 5,495 5,710 6,021 6,196

FINANCES

Buildings

Total AU building area 601,000 m2.


UNIVERSITY

BUDGET 2012 • AU is affected by the general economic recession, and we anticipate weak short-

term growth despite increases in student admissions, exams passed and external research funding.

• However, AU predicts long-term growth as a result of the Barcelona target and Horizon 2020 (EU's 8th framework programme). Therefore, we will continue to develop our permanent research staff.

• Aarhus University's finances are sound • Turnover for 2012 is DKK 6,005 million (excl. IHA)

• Liquidity at the beginning of 2012: >DKK 1.5 billion

• Confirmed external grants at the beginning of 2012: >DKK 3.7 billion

• Projected equity at the beginning of 2012: DKK 591 million

• Operating surplus: DKK 27 million in 2009, DKK 98 million in 2010, and DKK 51 million in 2011 (projected)

• The implementation of the academic development process will take time. The operating surpluses of previous years will be invested in new initiatives in the period 2012-2017 - DKK 50 million in 2012 and DKK 20 million in subsequent years


UNIVERSITY

SOLID EQUITY PROVIDES STABILITY IN TIMES OF CHANGE

-14 -16

27

98 51

-50 -20 -20 -20

424

408

436

540

591

541 522 502 482

-100

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

R-07 R-08 R-09 R-10 FC3-11 B-12 BO-13 BO-14 BO-15

DK

K m

illi

on

Net profit for the year Equity as at year's end

15 DECEMBER 2011






UNIVERSITY

SIGNIFICANT STAFF INFLUENCE AND STRONG LEADERSHIP

AU forums

Academic councils

Departmental

forums

Advisory boards

Employer panels

Advisory committees

AU Board

AU

Ma

na

ge

me

nt


UNIVERSITY

IMPROVING THE STUDY ENVIRONMENT

• Seventy projects have received funding as a consequence of the 2011 study environment survey

• A total of DKK 8 million • Support for innovative project which will benefit all AU students in the long run

EXAMPLES AREA AMOUNT

Development, research and teaching on

"the intercultural classroom" BSS 163,000

Development of online learning environments AR 354,000

Development of students' study skills and cooperation skills ST 150,000

Development of feedback culture with peer feedback and

collegial supervision HE 200,000

Academic integration of new students on modern

language degree programmes AR and BSS 460,000

Courses on spotting and handling stress for student

counsellors

University-

wide 360,000


UNIVERSITY

AU IDEAS: VISIONARY AND ORIGINAL IDEAS

APPLICATION PROCESS COMPLETE

• 254 applications

• Evaluation process concluded

• 45 applicants to receive a total of DKK 78.4

million (original grant: DKK 50 million)

EVALUATION COMMITTEE

Morten Kyndrup (chair) Helle Vandkilde (AR) Jørgen Frøkiær (HE) Flemming Besenbacher (ST) Karl Anker Jørgensen (ST) Torben M. Andersen (BSS)


UNIVERSITY

AU IDEAS:EXAMPLES OF VISIONARY IDEAS

EXAMPLE IDEA AREA GRANT

Centre for Cultural

Epidemics (Lotte Meinert

og Jens Seeberg)

The centre’s central research question is: What does

”infection” really mean? Among other issues, the centre will

investigate how non-contagious diseases spread.

AR 5.500.000

Novel ideas for better

antidepressants (Gregers

Wegener)

Depression is a serious illness which is becoming

increasingly widespread. The new centre will engage in

cross-faculty collaboration to identify new strategies for

understanding how antidepressants work.

HE 4.500.000

Pilot Centre for

Community-driven

Research: Game Assisted

Quantum Computing

(Jacob Friis Sheron)

The centre departs from the conventional understanding of

the research project by combining research on IT, learning,

and physics in order to develop a game-based platform to

investigatge one of the 21st century’s great challenges: the

development of the ”quantum computer”

ST 4.500.000

Centre for Political Party

Research (POLIS)

(Christoffer Green-

Pedersen)

The centre’s central assumption is that poiltical parties still

play a central role in politics, despite the fickleness of voters,

the decrease in organised party membership, and the

mediation of communication between voters and

politicians by the media.

BSS 4.500.000


UNIVERSITY

AU INTERDISCIPLINARY CENTRES

CONTRIBUTION TO RESOLVING "GRAND CHALLENGES"

• AU's strategy combines interdisciplinary research with strong core disciplines

• The process is headed by Dean Brian Bech Nielsen and the vice-deans for

research

CENTRES UNDER INTERNATIONAL PEER REVIEW

• Centre for iSequencing (Anders Børglum, HE)

• Neurocampus (Anders Nykjær, HE)

• Centre for Integrated Register-based Research (Preben Bo Mortensen, BSS)

• Centre for Arctic Research (Søren Rysgaard, ST)

OPEN PROCESS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ADDITIONAL iCENTRES

• Two of the original proposals (Centre for Food, Nutrition and Health and Centre

for Global Change and Development) are still under consideration

• Thirteen additional proposals received by 1 October deadline

• Three of these have been selected to advance to the next round


UNIVERSITY

AARHUS INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED STUDIES (AIAS)

APPROVED CONCEPT

• The institute will offer optimal conditions for

interdisciplinary research across a wide

range of fields

• Fellowships of 1-3 years, primarily for

younger researchers

• Close links between AU research

programmes and AIAS fellows

• Physical surroundings which support a

dynamic research environment

THE NEXT STEP

• Interim board under appointment

• Selection of AIAS head ad interim

• Recruitment of fellows and members of

international advisory group

AU DEVELOPMENT GROUP

Morten Kyndrup (chair) Helle Vandkilde (AR) Dorte M. Søndergaard (AR) Jørgen Frøkiær (HE) Vibeke Hjortdal (HE) Flemming Besenbacher (ST) Bo Barker Jørgensen (ST) Erik Jeppesen (ST) Karl Anker Jørgensen (ST) Dorthe Berntsen (BSS) Torben M. Andersen (BSS)

15 DECEMBER 2011






UNIVERSITY

Key figures for IHA - 2011:

Approx. 2,600 students

183 employees

Turnover: DKK 184 million

MERGER WITH THE ENGINEERING COLLEGE OF AARHUS (IHA)

• Broad political support for merger - effective 1 January 2012.

• The merger will strengthen engineering research and degree programmes in Denmark.

• A unique construction, both in terms of competencies and educational opportunities - the first engineering college of its kind in Denmark

• Compliments AU's academic strengths and strengthens AU's contacts with society

• Science and Technology will develop the engineering sciences and integrate IHA's practically oriented diploma engineer degree programmes and AU's degree programmes in civil engineering.


UNIVERSITY

AU'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE DANISH EU PRESIDENCY

LECTURE SERIES: • Five debate meetings at AU are scheduled in April,

May and June 2012 in connection with the informal meetings of the Council of Ministers. The debates will be open to the general public.

THE GREAT DEBATE • 1-3 June 2012 at AU • Aimed at students, journalists, NGOs, etc. INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIES 2012 • 19-21 June 2012 in Aarhus • Aimed at politicians, industry and research

managers

ACTIVE AU RESEARCHERS • A large number of AU researchers will participate in

EU Presidency events outside Aarhus


UNIVERSITY

AU'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE DANISH EU PRESIDENCY

EXCELLENCE 2012 (18-20 April at AU)

• Official part of the programme for the Danish EU Presidency

• A partnership among AU, the Ministry of Education, the Danish National Research Foundation, the Lundbeck Foundation and Universities Denmark

• Exploration of the concept of excellence and input to EU's Horizon 2020 framework programme

• Drafting of the Aarhus Excellence Declaration


UNIVERSITY

STAFF REPRESENTATIVES ON THE AU BOARD

NEW STAFF REPRESENTATIVES:

RETIRING STAFF REPRESENTATIVES:

Associate

Professor

Erik Strange

Petersen

(2008-2012)

Associate

Professor

Peter Bugge

(2012-)

Professor

Susanne Bødker

(2012-)

Senior

Researcher

Martin Tang

Sørensen

(2008-2012)

Head of

Department

Secretariat

Kirsten Jakobsen

(2004-2012)

Laboratory

Technician

Bertha P. Beck

Mortensen

(2012-)


UNIVERSITY

MAJOR CHANGES TAKE DEDICATED EMPLOYEES

• The most comprehensive reorganisation in the university's history continues. The changes we

are experiencing are a strain on our organisation, and many employees feel uncertain and

insecure. Working conditions in many parts of AU are still difficult, and the situation will

continue to demand patience for some time yet, which is normal for processes of this kind

• Fortunately, there is strong support for the goals we have set. The management appreciates

the great effort by all employees at a time, when things are far from perfect. I promise on

behalf of the senior management team to take all of your problems seriously and work to find

robust, sustainable solutions

• In a sense, we all have personnel responsibility for one another. In Bente Levinson (Health),

who has just been named Danish personnel manager of the year, we have an excellent role

model. I hope that her good example will serve as an inspiration to us all.

• The senior management team would like to thank the university's staff members, the

academic councils and liaison committees - all of the thousands of people involved in the

process - for their fantastic hard work and dedication

15 DECEMBER 2011

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK -

AND A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS

RECTOR LAURITZ B. HOLM-NIELSEN

15 december 2011 christmas speech · 12/15/2011 · 2011 budget 2012 billions dkk (2012 level)...

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