Rector Brian Bech Nielsen’s term has been extended by two years
The Aarhus University board has decided to extend Rector Brian Bech Nielsen’s contract until 31 July 2029, a two-year extension. At the same time, a new pro-rector position is being created on the senior management team.
Brian Bech Nielsen, Aarhus University’s rector, will serve an additional two years. This was decided by the university board at its latest meeting. The rector’s current contract, which ends on 31 July 2027, contains a clause allowing for an extension, and the board voted to take this option.
Board chair Birgitte Nauntofte said: “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 coming years.”
She added that Brian Bech Nielsen understood the value of close collaboration between the university and society very early on, and that he has been a driving force behind the university’s development in this regard.
Bringing Strategy 2030 to fruition
The strong focus on the university’s role in society is a central theme in the university’s 2030 strategy, which was launched at the beginning of the year. And according to Nauntofte, the board agrees that Brian Bech Nielsen is the right leader to spearhead the work of realising the new strategy through to 2029. A challenge the rector is happy to take on:
“We must take Aarhus University’s strong research and teaching performance to the next level. We must intensify our focus on research-based innovation and entrepreneurship, and we must make a major contribution to key societal agendas like cybersecurity and sustainability. At the same time, we must continue the good work of making Denmark’s most beautiful university campus an even better place for our exceptional staff and students to work and study. These are incredibly important missions that I’m looking forward to leading,” he said.
Increased demands create a need for more leadership
The new strategy is one of the motivations behind the rector’s decision – supported by the board – to create a new position on the senior management team: pro-rector for research and innovation. Nauntofte stressed that research breakthroughs are absolutely crucial to all of the university’s core activities:
“Thanks to the rector’s long-standing efforts, Aarhus University is exceptionally well equipped to strengthen the impact of research on society. But the university has even greater ambitions in this area, including the link between research and innovation. For the university to realise these ambitions, more executive leadership is needed to supplement the excellent work already being done by the university management team,” she said.
Brian Bech Nielsen also pointed out that the increased focus on the crucial societal significance of research has brought with it new tasks, new demands and new opportunities:
“In addition to strengthening our international outlook and basic research, there is a host of important priorities that demand attention, including interdisciplinary research, talent and career development, entrepreneurship and science advice, as well as research and data security. This is why we now need to strengthen our leadership capabilities at the executive level in the area of research and innovation. The structure we have in place for our educational activities, with the leadership of a pro-rector, has clearly demonstrated the value of executive leadership when it comes to enhancing our core activities, adapting to changing demands and exploiting new opportunities,” he said.
It’s anticipated that the pro-rector position will be advertised before the summer holiday.