1. GOVERNANCE OF UNIVERSITIES IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
GOVERNANCE OF UNIVERSITIES IN
A GLOBAL CONTEXT
ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY
RECTOR LAURITZ B. HOLM-NIELSEN 1

2. UNIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN TIMES OF CHANGE
INCREASING DEMAND FOR KNOWLEDGE
Complex global challenges require interdisciplinary solutions
GLOBAL MARKET FOR RESEARCH AND HIGHER EDUCATION
European Research Area and European Higher Education Area
INSTITUTIONAL AUTONOMY
EUA Autonomy Scorecard
NATIONAL REFORMS AND INCREASED EUROPEAN COLLABORATION
A window of opportunity for changes
AARHUS UNIVERSITY – a MODERN EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY

3. INCREASING DEMAND FOR KNOWLEDGE: MOTIVATION FOR CHANGE
Globalization
Food
Water
Energy
Health
Migration
Security
Climate change
...
The world is globalized, with complex interconnected challenges which transgress disciplinary boundaries – with regard to causes, consequences, and solutions

4. ADVANCED HUMAN CAPITAL
EUROPE DEMANDS
ADVANCED HUMAN CAPITAL
The challenges of tomorrow are complex, great, and global
Innovation Union 2020 foresees 1,000,000 new research jobs
ERAB 2030 recommends:
- 50% of EC research funding should go to frontier, high-risk R&D
- 20% of EU doctoral candidates working outside their home country
- 5% of GDP is spend on R&D. Private investments account for 2/3
- EU + member states triple spending on higher education to 3.3% of GDP
Half of the adult population has achieved tertiary education
Doctoral degrees are passports to the intellectual world, however many PhD graduates will not be employed in academia
Research staff must be intellectually and internationally mobile

5. INCREASING DEMANDS FOR KNOWLEDGE
Danish Investments in R&D
Millions EUR (2008 prices)

6. UNIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN TIMES OF CHANGE
INCREASING DEMAND FOR KNOWLEDGE
Complex global challenges require interdisciplinary solutions
GLOBAL MARKET FOR RESEARCH AND HIGHER EDUCATION
European Research Area and European Higher Education Area
INSTITUTIONAL AUTONOMY
EUA Autonomy Scorecard
NATIONAL REFORMS AND INCREASED EUROPEAN COLLABORATION
A window of opportunity for changes
AARHUS UNIVERSITY – a MODERN EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY

7. EMERGING GLOBAL MARKET FOR EDUCATION AND R&D
Students enrolled outside their home country,
International co-authorships,
Source: Data from OECD, Education at a Glance
Source: OECD Science, Technology and Industry Outlook 2007

8. NORDIC PERSPECTIVE ON CITATION IMPACT
WORLD AVERAGE
Source: Comparing Research at Nordic Universities using Bibliometric Indicators, A publication from the NORIA Net, NordForsk 2011, p. 61

9. GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE ON CITATION IMPACTAU
DTU
Normalized
citation
impact KU
US top universities
European top universities
Total number of publications

10. DANISH UNIVERSITIES IN GLOBAL RANKINGS 2011
University of Copenhagen
Aarhus University
Technical University of Denmark
University of Southern Denmark
Aalborg University
ARWU 43 86 -
QS Ranking 52 79
150
311
362
THE
135
125
178
HEEACT 40 96
211
223
LEIDEN 54 53

11. UNIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN TIMES OF CHANGE
INCREASING DEMAND FOR KNOWLEDGE
Complex global challenges require interdisciplinary solutions
GLOBAL MARKET FOR RESEARCH AND HIGHER EDUCATION
European Research Area and European Higher Education Area
INSTITUTIONAL AUTONOMY
EUA Autonomy Scorecard
NATIONAL REFORMS AND INCREASED EUROPEAN COLLABORATION
A window of opportunity for changes
AARHUS UNIVERSITY – a MODERN EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY

12. EUA AUTONOMY SCORECARD
Compares 26 European countries
Four scorecards/autonomy areas:
organisational, financial, staffing and academic autonomy
Tool for benchmarking legislative frameworks in national HE systems
Encourage and qualify debate among stakeholders and policy makers

13. ORGANIZATIONAL AND FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

14. STAFFING AND ACADEMIC AUTONOMY

15. UNIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN TIMES OF CHANGE
INCREASING DEMAND FOR KNOWLEDGE
Complex global challenges require interdisciplinary solutions
GLOBAL MARKET FOR RESEARCH AND HIGHER EDUCATION
European Research Area and European Higher Education Area
INSTITUTIONAL AUTONOMY
EUA Autonomy Scorecard
NATIONAL REFORMS AND INCREASED EUROPEAN COLLABORATION
A window of opportunity for changes
AARHUS UNIVERSITY – a MODERN EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY

16. A WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY: NEW FRAMEWORK CONDITIONS
1998/99, Intergovernmental agreement: Governmental push for convergence of HE systems by 2010
2003 – 2007, Danish sector reforms:
New University Act (2003) (2011)
Reorganizing HE&R institutions (2007)
Modernizing the funding compact
2010, The AU Academic Development Process:
Unified management
Interdisciplinarity
1999, Bologna Declaration:
Key principles adopted by Ministers of Education of 29 European countries
2000, European Research Area:
Defragmenting European research, promoting transnational scientific knowledge flow, competition, collaboration and mobility
2008, Aarhus University’s Strategy:
Research
Talent development
Knowledge exchange
Education
2010, European Higher Education Area:
10 years after the Bologna process. Adopted by 47 countries, facilitating efforts to enhance European HE comparability, compatibility and coherence

17. UNIVERSITY GOVERNANCE – ACT OF 2003
Autonomy – from state institutions to autonomous bodies within the public sector
Accountability through the use of university performance contracts
Governing boards with a majority of external members, which safeguard the university’s interests as an educational and research institution and determine guidelines for its organization, long term activities and development
Appointed leaders in university management structure (rector, deans and department heads)

18. THE OFFICIAL GOALS (THORNING-SCHMIDT GOVERNMENT 2011)
95 % should complete youth education, 60% higher education
25 % should complete research based higher education by 2020
2.5 % in PhD and 1% in post doc programmes
Create a national innovation strategy: education, research, innovation
State Education Grant, taximeter for first two cycles

19. UNIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN TIMES OF CHANGE
INCREASING DEMAND FOR KNOWLEDGE
Complex global challenges require interdisciplinary solutions
GLOBAL MARKET FOR RESEARCH AND HIGHER EDUCATION
European Research Area and European Higher Education Area
INSTITUTIONAL AUTONOMY
EUA Autonomy Scorecard
NATIONAL REFORMS AND INCREASED EUROPEAN COLLABORATION
A window of opportunity for changes
AARHUS UNIVERSITY – a MODERN EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY

20. THE AARHUS RESPONSE
The Aarhus response

21. A MODERN UNIVERSITY – COMBINING MASS AND ELITE
THE TRIPLE HELIX UNIVERSITY
THE HUMBOLDT UNIVERSITY
TALENT DEVELOPMENT
RESEARCH
EDUCATION
KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE

22. A UNIVERSITY GROWING STRONGER
AARHUS UNIVERSITY -
A UNIVERSITY GROWING STRONGER
40,500 students (FTE)
(52% graduate level students)
3,000 PhD students and
early career researchers
4,300 international students
7,200 employees (FTE)
11,731 publications in 2010

23. EXPENDITURES AT AARHUS UNIVERSITY
The modern university
The triple helix university
The Humboldtuniversity
AU – Expenses per core activity
Talent development
PhDs
Research
Education
Post docs
Students
Knowledge exchange
Professors
Research projects
Studies
Research programmes
Lifelong
learning
Contracts

24. DIVERSIFIED– INCOME STRUCTURE
Budget 2012:
EUR 825 million

25. CHANGE PROCESS AND EMPOWERMENT AT AU
Academic organisation: A unified university with fewer boundaries From nine to four main academic areas, from 55 to 26 departments,
Governance: Management with appointed leaders and joint responsibility for the entire university. From ten management units to one single management unit with cross-cutting responsibility for strategic management and quality assurance of: research, talent development, knowledge exchange and education
Administration and finance: A single university without administrative boundaries A common financial model, standardised, quality service for the whole university; from three to one (two) levels of administration – front office and back office.
Academic cheques and balances: 4 academic councils, and 4 AU Fora, one for each core activity: research, talent development, knowledge exchange and education

26. AN ACADEMIC ORGANISATION THAT REFLECTS THE QUADRUPLE HELIX

27. CHECQUES AND BALANCES IN THE GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE
AU Forums
Academic Councils
Departmental Forums
Advisory Boards
Employer Panels
Advisory Committees
AU Board
AU Management
External
Internal

28. CONCLUSION - UNIVERSITY GOVERNANCE IN TIMES OF CHANGE
INCREASING DEMAND FOR KNOWLEDGE
Complex global challenges require interdisciplinary solutions
GLOBAL MARKET FOR RESEARCH AND HIGHER EDUCATION
European Research Area and European Higher Education Area
INSTITUTIONAL AUTONOMY
EUA Autonomy Scorecard
NATIONAL REFORMS AND INCREASED EUROPEAN COLLABORATION
A window of opportunity for changes
AARHUS UNIVERSITY – a MODERN EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY

29. A MODERN UNIVERSITY – COMBINING MASS AND ELITE
THE TRIPLE HELIX UNIVERSITY
THE HUMBOLDT UNIVERSITY
TALENT DEVELOPMENT
RESEARCH
EDUCATION
KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE

30. WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITIES AND ACCOUNTABLE AUTONOMY
New framework conditions in Europe provides a window of opportunity for change at EUROPE’s universities
All changes at AU have been aimed at shaping a modern university combining features of the mass and the elite university
Autonomy is fundamental to universities. Achieving financial and academic autonomy still prove to be the largest challenges
……. However autonomy without good governance and leadership is anarchy…….

31. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
LAURITZ B. HOLM-NIELSEN
RECTOR, AARHUS UNIVERSITY