Rector’s contract is extended by two years and the senior management team expands with a new pro-rector

This article was updated on 13 April at 8.30 pm with comments from Rector Brian Bech Nielsen.

Rector Brian Bech Nielsen’s contract was due to expire on 31 July 2027. But at the latest meeting on Thursday, 9 April, the Aarhus University board decided to extend the rector’s term by a further two years until 31 July 2029. The rector will therefore be responsible for implementing a large part of the university’s new Strategy 2030, in line with the Board’s wishes.

“It’s good for Aarhus University that Brian Bech Nielsen will stay on as rector. During his term as rector, we’ve seen an incredible amount of upheaval in the university sector. He’s navigated this with great skill, and he’s an exceptional strategic thinker, which has played a decisive role in enabling Aarhus University to achieve the strong position it holds today. He is an incredibly capable rector, and the university will benefit greatly from his leadership in the coming years”, says Birgitte Nauntofte, chair of the board, in a press release from AU.

Rector Brian Bech Nielsen himself describes the extension as an offer he couldn’t refuse.

“But I promise this will be the last time,” says Brian Bech Nielsen, who took up the post of rector in 2013.

He’s looking forward to the opportunity to take the implementation of the strategy further than his previous contract allowed. When asked if there are any parts of the strategy he is particularly looking forward to implementing, he replies:

“Really, all parts of it. In research, this includes initiatives aimed at young talent. In education, the focus is on implementing the new professional Master’s degree programmes and, more broadly, ensuring the best possible implementation of the Master’s reform. When it comes to innovation, we need to strengthen and consolidate the efforts we’ve already launched and bring together the initiatives aimed at boosting entrepreneurship.”

Finally, he mentions campus development:

“It’s close to my heart. We’ve just begun using the first phase of the University City, but development of the area will continue. This also applies to the development of plans to turn Katrinebjerg into a cohesive campus area. I find the development of the university’s physical environment incredibly exciting to work on.”

New pro-rector for research and innovation

The rector has also sought to strengthen the university’s leadership by creating a new post of pro-rector for research and innovation. A proposal that the board has approved. Until now, the pro-rector has been responsible for education, whilst research and innovation have fallen under the rector’s remit.

“Over the last few years, I’ve noticed that the demands in the field of research and innovation have increased. A few years ago, nobody was talking about GDPR, research security and data management. However, in recent years, the framework and requirements for the above have become stricter, and this demands a great deal of behind-the-scenes work and cross-disciplinary collaboration, not to mention work within international bodies,” explains the rector, going on to describe how, in the field of education, it has been beneficial that pro-rector Berit Eika has been responsible for precisely these cross-disciplinary initiatives in the field of education.

“The field of research and innovation deserves the same cross-disciplinary approach,” says the rector, noting that other universities use the same structure. 

The Rector explains that the exact division of responsibilities between the director of Enterprise and Innovation and the new pro-rector for research and innovation, where some overlap is expected, now needs to be defined in more detail.

“The director of Enterprise and Innovation will, of course, continue to be part of the senior management team, will remain responsible for leading activities at Kitchen, and will continue to play a key role in raising the profile of the university’s work in the field of innovation. The new pro-rector should be seen as a resource who can help strengthen the link between research and innovation,” he explains.  

The rector also notes that adding another cross-disciplinary member to the senior management team would help strengthen the university’s advocacy efforts.

The need for advocacy has increased significantly in recent years, partly due to a growing tendency that we’re being overlooked, as we are neither the capital nor the countryside.

“The need for advocacy has increased significantly in recent years, partly due to a growing tendency for us to be overlooked, as we are neither the capital nor the countryside,” says the rector.

The university expects to advertise the post of pro-rector for research and innovation before the summer holidays. 

The second-longest-serving rector

Brian Bech Nielsen was first appointed as rector in 2013. He came from a post as dean of the faculty, which was then known as Science and Technology and was subsequently split into the faculties of Natural Sciences and Technical Sciences. 

In 2022, the Aarhus University board decided to appoint Brian Bech Nielsen for a new five-year term. It’s this contract that’s now being extended for a further two years. 

Rector to remain in post for another five years

When the extension expires in 2029, the rector will have been the head of Aarhus University for 16 years. This makes him the second-longest-serving rector, surpassed only by Henning Lehmann, who was the rector of Aarhus University from 1983 to 2002. 

To this, the rector replies:

“I don’t expect anyone ever to surpass Henning Lehmann’s 19 years as rector.” “He did a fantastic job for the university.”

Bech Nielsen continues:

“It has been a privilege to help shape the institution that has shaped me and which I care about deeply – so much so that I call the university the fourth love of my life, after my wife and my two daughters.”  “However, it’s also important that this is at the request of the board, and I’m incredibly honoured to have been given this opportunity.”

This text is machine translated and post-edited by Lisa Enevoldsen.