9 MARCH2011 The Aarhus University of the Future STAFF MEETING, 9 MARCH 2011 AARHUS UNIVERSITY

9 MARCH2011

The Aarhus University of the Future

STAFF MEETING, 9 MARCH 2011

AARHUS UNIVERSITY

Rector Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen 09/03/2011

• We have the courage to challenge the university’s vision

• We will make room for freedom and transcending boundaries

• We will invent flexible solutions to society’s complex challenges

Aarhus University – working for deeper connections

MAKING A STRONG UNIVERSITY EVEN STRONGER


Knowledge exchange

EducationResearch

Talent development

The Humboldt UniversityThe Triple Helix UniversityThe Modern University

PhDs

Post docs Students

Studies

Lifelonglearning

Contracts

Researchprogrammes

Research projects

Professors


The modern Aarhus University

Talent development24%

Education31%

Knowledge exchange12%

Research33%

Knowledge exchange

EducationResearch

Talent development

The HumboldtuniversityThe triple helix universityThe modern university

PhDs

Post docs Students

Studies

Lifelonglearning

Contracts

Research programmes

Research projects

Professors

AU – Expenses per core activity


The motivation for change

A complex world with complexinterconnected challenges which transgress disciplinary boundaries - with regard to causes, consequences and solutions

• Climate change• Food supply• Mass migration• Health• Security• Energy• Globalisation• ....

'We must organise the Aarhus University of the future to enable us to contribute even more to

meeting our society's challenges'


This is why we have a simple, common goal

'We will create a university which unifies deep expertise in the core disciplines with interdisciplinary

cooperation in close and flexible cooperation with the world around us'

Deeper connections - greater coherence


We can and must meet these challenges

Challenges

• Research: increased global competition for results and funding

• Talent development: the university must be able to attract and develop the brightest talents

• Knowledge exchange: increasing demand for university to produce knowledge for society

• Education: universities must contribute to raising the educational level of the population

Solutions

Greater focus and room for creativity across the entire university

Priortise a creative, open atmosphere which encourages the individual to take responsibility and pursue his ideas freely

An organisation which answers society's need for knowledge

A freer inner education market, new interdisciplinary degree programmes and closer cooperation with employers


The four dimensions of change• Organisation: From nine to four main academic areas, from 55 to

26 departments, programmes in same location - a unified university with fewer borders

• Management: From ten managements to one single management with cross-cutting responsibility and specific responsibilites for research, talent development, knowledge exchange and education- a unified management with joint responsibility for the entire university

• Finance and administration: A common financial model, standardised, quality service for the whole university; from three to twolevels of administration – a single university without administrative borders

• Cross-cutting activities: Six interdisciplinary research centres, AU Forum for each core activity, etc. - collaboration across borders from day one


ORGANISATION


Arts


Science and Technology


Health Sciences


Business and Social Sciences


MANAGEMENT


A single unified management• Premise:

• Every leader focusses on his or her sphere of responsibility

• Goal: • We will ensure a common focus on academic excellence by creating

a unified executive management with responsibility for the whole university

• The new executive management: • The university's senior management group includes the rector, the

pro-rector, the university director and four deans

• The role of the deans: • Academic and financial responsibility for a main academic area • Responsibility for one core area: research, talent development,

knowledge exchange and education• Responsibility rotates each year


AU’s Management


FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION


New guiding principles

• From generalists to specialised functions and staff members

• From a variety of systems and processes to widespread standardisation (90% standard, 10% necessary deviation)

• From local traditions for levels of service to explicit agreements on service level based on users' needs (a well-defined client/supplier relationship)

• From local management and local service to central management and local service

• From administrative processes at many levels to processes involving at most two levels


AU Administration - a new unified administration• What is AU Administration?

• AU Administration will consolidate all administrative activities at AU into a single, unified administration

• AU Administration will consist of the current central administration in addition to the current faculty administrations, in addition to departmental staff whose job functions will be transferred to AU Administration

• AU Administration will have two main components: a central administration (back office) and local administrative centres (front office). All AU Administration employees will report either directly or indirectly to one of the nine deputy directors

• Does this mean that there will be no local administration at main academic area level?• The administrative centres at the main academic areas will be part of the

unified AU Administration. This will ensure a close relationship to the users of our services


AU Administration - a new unified administration• What is the role of the administration managers in AU Administration?

• Each administrative centre will have an administration manager at the same organisational level as the deputy directors who reports to the university director.

• The administration manager will function as to coordinate AU Administration and teaching and research programmes, without responsibility for personnel

• What about departmental administration?• The departments will be supported by the administrative centres, but

there will also be local administration to the extent necessary (for example, secretarial functions)


AU Administration - a new unified administration• Which staff member will be part of AU Administration?

• All employees who perform administrative job functions within an area headed by a deputy director (HR, Finance, etc.) are part of AU Administration and report to a deputy director

• Does this mean that all of these staff members will be gathered in the same location?• No - organisational placement is not equivalent to geographical location

• How will the deans be supported?• The deans will be supported by AU Administration, but they will also have a smaller

secretariat at main academic area level headed by a chief adviser

• How will staff and students be supported?• AU Administration will be organised so as to offer a single, simple point of access to

administrative service

• Where can I get more information about the new administration?• Local meetings in the near future• Joint meeting for all administrative staff on 24 March• The report on The Aarhus University of the Future (in Danish)• The Avis om Fremtidens Aarhus University - distributed today• www.medarbejdere.au.dk/


A shared financial model

• Goal:• A single activity-based financial model for the entire university

will lead to transparency and make new initiatives easier to launch and existing initiatives easier to prioritise: the money will follow the activity (and not the reverse)

• Three key principles:1. All resources will be linked to the individual activities2. Management will be based on an accurate calculation of costs3. Long-term financial management will ensure that resources

are allocated proportionate to the time frame for each activity


CROSS-CUTTING CORE ACTIVITIES


NEW INTERDISCIPLINARY ACTIVITIES RESEARCH

• Lauch of a transparent selection process with identification and evaluation of potential new interdisciplinary research centres• Process: Description - international evaluation - selection• Selected centres to be awarded basic grant

• Six interdisciplinary research centres - including basic grant• Centre for Food, Nutrition and Health• Centre for Global Change and Development• Centre for iSequencing• Neurocampus• Centre for Integrated Register-based Research• Centre for Arctic Research

• An AUFF initiative: AU IDEAS (visionary and original project ideas)• Project Development (1-2 yrs. with up to DKK 500,000 per applicant)• Pilot Centres (3-5 yrs.; up to DKK 3-7.5 million)


• Four new graduate schools supported by a joint PhD administration• Graduate School of Arts• Graduate School of Science and Technology• Graduate School of Health Sciences• Graduate School of Business and Social Sciences

• An AUFF initiative: Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies• Designed for exceptionally talented younger researchers from all over the

world• Opportunity to work in a stimulating, international and interdisciplinary

environment• Opportunity to pursue own research interests for two to three year period• Opportunity to create new international research growth centres (incubators)• Independent managerial structure with international experts and Advisory

Board• Seed grant of DKK 10 million annual for five years

NEW CROSS-CUTTING INITIATIVES TALENT DEVELOPMENT


• Four new national centres - including basic grant• National Centre for Environment and Energy• National Centre for Food and Agriculture• National Centre for Culture and Learning• National Centre for Particle Therapy

• Prioritised and strengthened tech transfer and commercialisation• New strategy and new partnership with MedTech Innovation Center• Strategic partnerships in the areas of agriculture, food and environment• The initiative will receive financial support to promote the strategy and the

partnership

• Consolidation of library services in Aarhus University Library

NEW CROSS-CUTTING INITIATIVES KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE


NEW CROSS-CUTTING INITIATIVES EDUCATION

• "AU Educational IT”• Promote development of students' and teaching staffs' skills

• "Interdisciplinary Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation”• Consolidate and develop a range of educational activities• Develop training, continuing education, skills development, etc. in

entrepreneurship• Close cooperation with relevant research and teaching programmes

• Improving the study environment• Renovation of the Aarhus Student House• Establish more study places in connection with reorganisation of library

services• The study environment will be supported throughout the development

process


Funding for strategic initiatives:On 17 June 2010, the Board established a strategic financial management fund of DKK 200 million annually, or DKK 1,150 million for the period 2011-2016.

• DKK 380 million to finance academic development plans at the four new main academic areas

• DKK 305 million for the management pool• DKK 465 million for interdisciplinary and integration-oriented initiatives• DKK 100 million from The Aarhus University Research Foundation

• A total of DKK 1,250 million are allocated for strategic initiatives in the period 2011-2016.


THE NEXT STEPS


The next steps• What won't change:

• All of AU's core activities in the areas of research, talent development, knowledge exchange and education will continue. For example, all degree programmes will be offered as usual

• 2011 – a transitional year• The remaining vice-deans and new dept. heads expected to be appointed

by 1 July• New departments will be established shortly thereafter• New structure of boards of studies in place by autumn – elections 1

November• Budget for 2012 will reflect the new structure• New budget model in effect starting in 2013

• Geographical reorganisation• Reorganisation affecting existing buildings (primarily Arts and Business and

Social Sciences) expected to take place in 2011 and 2012• Moves to new facilities (primarily Health and Science and Technology) within

five years• Selected activities will be transferred from Emdrup to Aarhus (short to

medium term), staff will be informed of specific plans as soon as they are finalised


The next steps• The implementation organisation• Temporary project organisation will be established - headed by

university director

• The immediate future• Meetings between deans and academic staff at main academic

areas• Joint and local meetings of administrative staff• Open meeting for students


Changes for staff• Major changes:

• job responsibilities (for example, from several to one administrative area) • geography (for example, transportation time increased by 20-30 min.) • organisational (position level reduction)

clarification of skills and competences and opportunity to express own preferences (formal process)

• Less comprehensive changes:• Same responsibilities or more specialised responsibilities within same

administrative area• No or minor geographical relocation (within 8000C, for example)• New manager(s)

Interview with deputy director or deputy director representative

Managers participate in manager process to help them support the process and their staff!


Clarification of reassignment preferences• Two rounds

• First administrative managers• Then administrative staff

• Process• Clarification of competences and skills with assistance from external

consultants• Afterwards express 1-3 preferences and describe your most important

competences• Task force of deputy directors, adm. managers and senior consultants will

match preferences to new positions• If no match within three preferences, interview with immediate superior to

discuss alternatives• An effort will be made to find a place for everyone in the new

organisation, but if you are unwilling to take on new responsibilities/new place of work, termination of employment is a possible outcome


Clarification of reassignment preferences• Schedule

• Competence clarification: mid-March to late May• Preference clarification for managers: mid- to late April• Final decision on new function in organisation: late May• Preference clarification for staff: early to mid-June• Final decision on position in new organisation: late September


ALL IN ALL...


Result: more flexible, useful contributions to society • Research

• The internal academic and organisational boundaries will be less prominent, and researchers will be free to combine the insights of different disciplines in their work - and to seek the answers to the big questions

• Talent development• Promising young researchers form all over the world will benefit from the

best possible conditions for interdisciplinary reseach and collaboration with our most eminent researchers. The result will be a new generation of researchers born into an interdisciplinary mindset

• Education• It will be easier to exchange and develop degree programmes, courses and

teaching across main academic areas and departments. Society will benefit from graduates who think and act in an interdisciplinary spirit - and who also possess a deep expertise in their core discipline

• Knowledge exchange • AU places all of its resources at the disposal of government and industry,

with clear points of contact and forms of collaboration


Freedom to seek deeper connections - greater

coherence

Documents

9 MARCH2011 The Aarhus University of the Future STAFF MEETING, 9 MARCH 2011 AARHUS UNIVERSITY