Merger is a boost for engineering science
At the turn of the year Aarhus University merged with the Engineering College of Aarhus – a merger which both institutions have been looking forward to for some time.
When the hands on the clock moved from 2011 to 2012, the two were officially joined together. So say “hello” to the engineers – the new members of the Aarhus University family.
The merger means that the University’s main academic area known as Science and Technology has been expanded to include more than 2,000 new students and almost 200 new members of staff. And it will also help to link the practice of engineering science with research, as well as ensuring that Aarhus University can reach all sectors of society and offer an even broader range of degree programmes to potential students and staff.
In December Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen (Rector of Aarhus University) and Michael Christiansen (Chairman of the University Board) met their counterparts at the Engineering College, Ove Poulsen and Henrik Kagenow. And Holm-Nielsen pointed out that “The Engineering College of Aarhus and Aarhus University have already been collaborating for some time, a partnership which has revealed the great potential of a merger. The merger will enable us to produce even more top-flight graduates, thereby helping to meet the great demand for engineers in Jutland”.
A successful process
Mergers do not always run smoothly; but in this case both of the parties involved as well as the politicians were so keen to make it happen that very few major hurdles were encountered along the way.
Right back in 2010, the Students’ Council at the Engineering College of Aarhus sent a letter to Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who was then Prime Minister of Denmark, explaining that one of the advantages of a merger with Aarhus University was that it would ensure that diploma courses in engineering science could retain their popularity.
And in early 2011 the previous Danish government announced its support for the merger. Broad political support for the idea continued under the new government, enabling the legislative work involved in the merger process to move forward according to plan as the New Year approached.
Collaboration paved the way
The University and the Aarhus School of Engineering have been collaborating for a number of years now. And according to Ove Poulsen, the former rector of the Aarhus School of Engineering, this collaboration paved the way leading to a full merger:
“We’ve been growing fast for a number of years, and there’s no doubt that the prospect of becoming an integral part of the university environment has helped to feed this growth. The students have already noticed that close connections with the university have strengthened their degree programmes – a wide variety of very attractive Master’s degree programmes are now available, for instance”.
The Aarhus School of Engineering is merging with the main academic area Science and Technology, adding a further string to the Department’s bow. And the engineering profession will soon feel the change. As pointed out earlier this month by Michael Christiansen, Chairman of the University Board:
“The fact that Aarhus University has now been joined by such a strong college of engineering means that our combined professional scope will become even broader. This will not only benefit the students. It will strengthen our engineering science programmes and improve the contact existing between Aarhus University and the rest of the world. And this will have a major impact on the business community not only in Mid-Jutland but also in the rest of Denmark”.