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The Aarhus University of the Future

The Aarhus University of the Future. STAFF MEETING, 9 MARCH 2011. AARHUS UNIVERSITY. MAKING A STRONG UNIVERSITY EVEN STRONGER. We have the courage to challenge the university’s vision We will make room for freedom and transcending boundaries

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The Aarhus University of the Future

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

  2. MAKING A STRONG UNIVERSITY EVEN STRONGER • We have the courage to challenge the university’s vision • Wewillmakeroom for freedom and transcendingboundaries • Wewillinventflexible solutions to society’scomplexchallenges Aarhus University – working for deeperconnections

  3. The Modern University The Humboldt University The Triple Helix University Talent development PhDs Research Education Post docs Students Knowledge exchange Professors Research projects Studies Research programmes Lifelong learning Contracts

  4. The modern Aarhus University The Humboldtuniversity AU – Expenses per core activity The modern university The triple helix university Talent development PhDs Research Education Post docs Students Knowledge exchange Professors Research projects Studies Research programmes Lifelong learning Contracts

  5. The motivation for change 'We must organise the Aarhus University of the future to enableus to contributeeven more to meeting oursociety'schallenges' • Climatechange • Food supply • Mass migration • Health • Security • Energy • Globalisation • .... A complexworldwithcomplex interconnectedchallengeswhichtransgressdisciplinaryboundaries - withregard to causes, consequences and solutions

  6. This is whywe have a simple, commongoal 'Wewillcreate a universitywhichunifiesdeepexpertise in the coredisciplineswithinterdisciplinarycooperationin close and flexiblecooperationwith the worldaroundus' Deeperconnections - greatercoherence

  7. Wecan and must meetthesechallenges Challenges • Research:increased global competition for results and funding • Talent development: the university must beable to attract and develop the brightest talents • Knowledgeexchange: increasingdemand for university to produceknowledge for society • Education: universities must contribute to raising the educationallevel of the population Solutions Greaterfocus and room for creativityacross the entireuniversity Priortisea creative, openatmospherewhichencourages the individual to takeresponsibility and pursue his ideasfreely An organisation whichanswerssociety'sneed for knowledge A freerinnereducationmarket, new interdisciplinarydegreeprogrammes and closercooperationwithemployers

  8. The four dimensions of change • Organisation: From nine to fourmainacademicareas, from 55 to 26 departments, programmes in same location - a unifieduniversitywithfewerborders • Management: From ten managements to one single management withcross-cuttingresponsibility and specificresponsibilites for research, talent development, knowledgeexchange and education- a unified management with joint responsibility for the entireuniversity • Finance and administration: A commonfinancial model, standardised, quality service for the wholeuniversity; from three to twolevels of administration– a single universitywithout administrative borders • Cross-cuttingactivities:Sixinterdisciplinary research centres, AU Forum for eachcoreactivity, etc.- collaborationacrossborders from dayone

  9. ORGANISATION

  10. Arts

  11. Science and Technology

  12. Health Sciences

  13. Business and Social Sciences

  14. MANAGEMENT

  15. A single unified management • Premise: • Everyleaderfocusseson his or her sphere of responsibility • Goal: • Wewillensure a commonfocusonacademic excellence by creating a unifiedexecutive management withresponsibility for the wholeuniversity • The new executive management: • The university's senior management groupincludes the rector, the pro-rector, the universitydirector and fourdeans • The role of the deans: • Academic and financialresponsibility for a mainacademicarea • Responsibility for onecorearea: research, talent development, knowledgeexchangeand education • Responsibilityrotateseachyear

  16. AU’s Management

  17. FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

  18. New guiding principles • From generalists to specialisedfunctions and staffmembers • From a variety of systems and processesto widespreadstandardisation(90% standard, 10% necessary deviation) • From local traditions for levels of service to explicit agreements on service levelbasedonusers' needs (a well-definedclient/supplierrelationship) • From local management and local service to central management and local service • From administrative processes at manylevels to processesinvolving at most twolevels

  19. AU Administration - a new unified administration • What is AU Administration? • AU Administration willconsolidate all administrative activities at AU into a single, unified administration • AU Administration willconsist of the current central administration in addition to the currentfaculty administrations, in addition to departmentalstaffwhose job functionswillbetransferred to AU Administration • AU Administration will have twomaincomponents: a central administration (back office) and local administrative centres (front office). All AU Administration employeeswillreporteitherdirectlyorindirectly to one of the ninedeputydirectors • Doesthismeanthattherewillbenolocal administration at mainacademicarealevel? • The administrative centres at the mainacademicareaswillbe part of the unified AU Administration. Thiswillensure a closerelationship to the users of our services

  20. 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 organisationallevel as the deputydirectorswhoreports to the universitydirector. • The administration manager willfunction as to coordinate AU Administration and teaching and research programmes, withoutresponsibility for personnel • Whataboutdepartmental administration? • The departmentswillbesupported by the administrative centres, but therewillalsobelocal administration to the extentnecessary (for example, secretarialfunctions)

  21. AU Administration - a new unified administration • Whichstaffmemberwillbe part of AU Administration? • All employeeswhoperform administrative job functionswithin an areaheaded by a deputydirector (HR, Finance, etc.) are part of AU Administration and report to a deputydirector • Doesthismeanthat all of thesestaffmemberswillbegathered in the same location? • No - organisationalplacement is not equivalent to geographicallocation • Howwill the deansbesupported? • The deanswillbesupported by AU Administration, but theywillalso have a smallersecretariat at mainacademicarealevelheaded by a chiefadviser • Howwillstaff and students besupported? • AU Administration willbeorganised so as to offer a single, simple point of access to administrative service • Wherecan I get more information about the new administration? • Local meetings in the near future • Joint meeting for all administrative staffon 24 March • The reporton The Aarhus University of the Future (in Danish) • The Avis om Fremtidens Aarhus University - distributedtoday • www.medarbejdere.au.dk/

  22. A shared financial model • Goal: • A single activity-basedfinancial model for the entireuniversitywilllead to transparency and make new initiativeseasier to launch and existinginitiativeseasier to prioritise: the moneywillfollow the activity (and not the reverse) • Threekeyprinciples: • All resourceswillbelinked to the individualactivities • Management willbebasedon an accuratecalculation of costs • Long-termfinancial management willensurethatresourcesareallocatedproportionate to the time frame for eachactivity

  23. CROSS-CUTTING CORE ACTIVITIES

  24. NEW INTERDISCIPLINARY ACTIVITIES RESEARCH • Lauch of a transparent selectionprocesswithidentification and evaluation of potential new interdisciplinary research centres • Process: Description - international evaluation - selection • Selected centres to beawardedbasic grant • Sixinterdisciplinary research centres - includingbasic 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 projectideas) • 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)

  25. NEW CROSS-CUTTING INITIATIVES TALENT DEVELOPMENT • Four new graduateschoolssupported 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 exceptionallytalentedyounger researchers from all over the world • Opportunity to work in a stimulating, international and interdisciplinaryenvironment • Opportunity to pursueown research interests for two to threeyearperiod • Opportunity to create new international research growth centres (incubators) • Independent managerialstructurewith international experts and AdvisoryBoard • Seed grant of DKK 10 million annual for fiveyears

  26. NEW CROSS-CUTTING INITIATIVES KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE • Four new national centres - includingbasic grant • National Centre for Environment and Energy • National Centre for Food and Agriculture • National Centre for Culture and Learning • National Centre for ParticleTherapy • Prioritised and strengthenedtech transfer and commercialisation • New strategy and new partnershipwithMedTech Innovation Center • Strategicpartnerships in the areas of agriculture, food and environment • The initiativewillreceivefinancial support to promote the strategy and the partnership • Consolidation of library services in Aarhus University Library

  27. NEW CROSS-CUTTING INITIATIVES EDUCATION • "AU EducationalIT” • Promote development of students' and teachingstaffs' skills • "Interdisciplinary Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation” • Consolidate and develop a range of educationalactivities • Developtraining, continuingeducation, skillsdevelopment, etc. in entrepreneurship • Close cooperationwith relevant research and teachingprogrammes • Improving the studyenvironment • Renovation of the Aarhus Student House • Establish more studyplaces in connectionwith reorganisation of library services • The studyenvironmentwillbesupportedthroughout the developmentprocess

  28. Funding for strategic initiatives: On 17 June 2010, the Boardestablished a strategicfinancial management fund of DKK 200 million annually, or DKK 1,150 million for the period 2011-2016. • DKK 380 million to financeacademicdevelopment plans at the four new mainacademicareas • DKK 305 million for the management pool • DKK 465 million for interdisciplinary and integration-orientedinitiatives • DKK 100 million from The Aarhus University Research Foundation • A total of DKK 1,250 million areallocated for strategicinitiatives in the period 2011-2016.

  29. THE NEXT STEPS

  30. The next steps • Whatwon'tchange: • All of AU's coreactivities in the areas of research, talent development, knowledgeexchange and educationwillcontinue. For example, all degreeprogrammeswillbeoffered as usual • 2011 – a transitionalyear • The remainingvice-deans and new dept. headsexpected to beappointed by 1 July • New departmentswillbeestablishedshortlythereafter • New structure of boards of studies in place by autumn – elections 1 November • Budget for 2012 willreflect the new structure • New budget model in effectstarting in 2013 • Geographical reorganisation • Reorganisation affectingexistingbuildings (primarily Arts and Business and Social Sciences) expected to takeplace in 2011 and 2012 • Moves to new facilities (primarily Health and Science and Technology) withinfiveyears • Selectedactivitieswillbetransferred from Emdrup to Aarhus (short to medium term), staffwillbeinformed of specific plans as soon as theyarefinalised

  31. The next steps • The implementation organisation • Temporaryproject organisation willbeestablished - headed by universitydirector • The immediate future • Meetings betweendeans and academicstaff at mainacademicareas • Joint and local meetings of administrative staff • Open meeting for students

  32. 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 levelreduction) • clarification of skills and competences and opportunity to expressownpreferences (formal process) • Lesscomprehensivechanges: • Same responsibilitiesor more specialisedresponsibilitieswithin same administrative area • Noorminorgeographicalrelocation (within 8000C, for example) • New manager(s) • Interview withdeputydirectorordeputydirectorrepresentative Managers participate in manager process to helpthem support the process and theirstaff!

  33. Clarification of reassignmentpreferences • Tworounds • First administrative managers • Then administrative staff • Process • Clarification of competences and skillswith assistance from externalconsultants • Afterwardsexpress 1-3 preferences and describeyour most importantcompetences • Task force of deputydirectors, adm. managers and senior consultantswill match preferences to new positions • If no match withinthreepreferences, interview withimmediatesuperior to discuss alternatives • An effortwillbe made to find a place for everyone in the new organisation, but ifyouareunwilling to takeon new responsibilities/newplace of work, termination of employment is a possibleoutcome

  34. Clarification of reassignmentpreferences • Schedule • Competenceclarification: mid-March to late May • Preferenceclarification for managers: mid- to late April • Final decision on new function in organisation: late May • Preferenceclarification for staff: early to mid-June • Final decision on position in new organisation: late September

  35. ALL IN ALL...

  36. Result: more flexible, useful contributions to society • Research • The internalacademic and organisationalboundarieswillbeless prominent, and researchers willbefree to combine the insights of differentdisciplines in theirwork - and to seek the answers to the bigquestions • Talent development • Promisingyoung researchers form all over the worldwillbenefit from the bestpossibleconditions for interdisciplinaryreseach and collaborationwithour most eminent researchers. The resultwillbe a new generation of researchers borninto an interdisciplinarymindset • Education • It willbeeasier to exchange and developdegreeprogrammes, courses and teachingacrossmainacademicareas and departments. Society willbenefit from graduateswhothink and act in an interdisciplinaryspirit - and whoalsopossess a deepexpertise in theircorediscipline • Knowledgeexchange • AU places all of itsresources at the disposal of government and industry, with clear points of contact and forms of collaboration

  37. Freedom to seekdeeperconnections - greatercoherence

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