“My thing is academic pride”

Tine Sommer, head of the Department of Law, employed at AU since 1991

Why are you still here?

“Because of my genuine love for my work and pride in being part of AU. I have a number of roles at the university, each of which gives me something different. As a teacher, it’s the satisfaction I take in communicating knowledge to the students and the satisfaction I get when I succeed in lighting an intellectual park and curiosity in these young people. As a researcher, it’s contributing new knowledge to society. In my role as manager, I have to guarantee that we continue to safeguard the traditional academic approach to our work. For me, this means involving staff in decision-making and respect for the work that’s performed every day in the university’s engine room. We’re here in order to transfer knowledge to the next generation, and there’s a lot of machinery that has to be kept humming before you as a researcher can stand in the lecture hall and teach. I have great respect for all of the employees who make that possible. Even though the structure of the university has changed, it’s still important to involve the employees – both VIP and TAP – because they’re the ones who are doing the hands-on work and know how we get the processes to function in practice.”

What’s your favorite spot at AU?

Of course, one of AU’s distinctive features is our beautiful campus, but if I have to choose just one place, it’s the Main Hall. It contributes a ceremonial atmosphere, for example at graduation ceremonies and academic events, which contributes to respect for the academic tradition. It’s nice to have surroundings that contribute to academic pride at the university.

What is your birthday wish for AU?

That we preserve our pride and traditions, which can probably best be symbolized by AU’s old seal (the dolphin logo, ed.) It expresses simplicity, peace and time for free intellectual inquiry. The Latin motto means ‘We seek solid ground in the depths.’ This is a reminder of the value of the intellectual inquiry and curiosity the university stands for. We have to continue to insist that there has to be time for that, and not compromise on what creates academic value – we have to preserve the fundamental values that characterize academic excellence.

For Tine Sommer, AU’s old Latin motto and seal symbolize the university’s fundamental values and remind us that we have to hold on to them: simplicity, time for free intellectual inquiry and academic pride. Photo: Lars Kruse.