CHRISTMAS SPEECH THE MAIN HALL 15 DECEMBER 2011 RECTOR HOLMNIELSENS CHRISTMAS SPEECH CURRENT STATUS THE 2012 BUDGET AND AUS FINANCES STATUS OF ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT PROCESS INITIATIVES OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES IN 2012 ID: 499057
Download Presentation The PPT/PDF document "RECTOR HOLM-NIELSEN'S" is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Slide1
RECTOR HOLM-NIELSEN'S
CHRISTMAS SPEECH
THE MAIN HALL - 15 DECEMBER 2011Slide2
RECTOR HOLM-NIELSEN'S CHRISTMAS SPEECH
CURRENT STATUS, THE 2012 BUDGET AND AU'S FINANCESSTATUS OF ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT PROCESS INITIATIVES
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES IN 2012Slide3
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
96Slide4
AU IN
KEY FIGURES
Bachelor
17,504
Master
16,395
Part-time Master etc.
5,176
PhD
1,891Total no. of students: 40,966IHA2,600
STUDENTS
Academic staff4,446Academic staff (part-time)2,028Administrative/technical staff4,725Total no. staff members:11,199IHA183
STAFF
Annual report 2008Annual report 2009Annual report 2010Budget 2011Budget2012(incl. IHA)Billions DKK (2012 level)5,1975,4955,7106,0216,196
FINANCES
Buildings
Total AU building area
601,000 m
2
.Slide5
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 yearsSlide6
SOLID EQUITY
PROVIDES STABILITY IN TIMES
OF
CHANGESlide7
RECTOR HOLM-NIELSEN'S CHRISTMAS SPEECH
CURRENT STATUS, THE 2012 BUDGET AND AU'S FINANCESSTATUS OF ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT PROCESS INITIATIVES
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES IN 2012Slide8
SIGNIFICANT
STAFF INFLUENCE AND STRONG LEADERSHIP
AU forums
Academic councils
Departmental forums
Advisory boards
Employer panels
Advisory committees
AU Board
AU ManagementSlide9
IMPROVING THE STUDY ENVIRONMENT
Seventy projects have received funding as a consequence of the 2011 study environment surveyA 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
163,000Development of online learning environments AR
354,000
Development of students' study skills and cooperation skills ST150,000Development of feedback culture with peer feedback and collegial supervision HE200,000Academic integration of new students on modern language degree programmes AR and BSS460,000
Courses on spotting and handling stress for student counsellors
University-wide360,000Slide10
AU IDEAS: VISIONARY AND
ORIGINAL IDEASAPPLICATION 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)Slide11
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.AR5.500.000Novel 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
.
HE4.500.000Pilot 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”ST4.500.000Centre 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
4.500.000Slide12
AU INTERDISCIPLINARY
CENTRESCONTRIBUTION 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 iCENTRESTwo of the original proposals (Centre for Food, Nutrition and Health and Centre for Global Change and Development) are still under considerationThirteen additional proposals received by 1 October deadlineThree of these have been selected to advance to the next roundSlide13
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 groupAU DEVELOPMENT GROUPMorten 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)Slide14
RECTOR HOLM-NIELSEN'S CHRISTMAS SPEECH
CURRENT STATUS, THE 2012 BUDGET AND AU'S FINANCESSTATUS OF ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT PROCESS INITIATIVES
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES IN 2012Slide15
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 DenmarkCompliments 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.Slide16
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 AarhusSlide17
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 DeclarationSlide18
STAFF REPRESENTATIVES ON
THE AU BOARDNEW STAFF REPRESENTATIVES:
RETIRING STAFF REPRESENTATIVES:
Associate Professor
Erik Strange Petersen
(2008-2012)
Associate Professor
Peter Bugge
(2012-)
Professor Susanne Bødker (2012-)Senior ResearcherMartin Tang Sørensen(2008-2012)Head of Department Secretariat Kirsten Jakobsen(2004-2012)Laboratory Technician Bertha P. Beck Mortensen(2012-)Slide19
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 solutionsIn a sense, we all have personnel responsibility for one another. In Bente Levisen (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 Slide20
THANK YOU
FOR ALL YOUR
HARD WORK -
AND A VERY
MERRY CHRISTMAS
RECTOR LAURITZ B. HOLM-NIELSEN