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Academic Council

The purpose of the Academic Council is to ensure the participation and involvement of staff and students in academic matters. The council can express an opinion on all academic matters of significant importance to the university's activities.

The Academic Council generally holds six meetings a year. The Dean is an ex officio member of the council, while the other members are elected in three electoral groups: five academic staff members, three students, and three technical-administrative staff members.

The technical-administrative staff members only have voting rights on matters concerning non-academic issues. When the council addresses academic matters, they participate as observers without voting rights.

Staff representatives are elected for a term of three years, while students are up for election every year.

Work of the council

  • Academic staff

    • Benjamin Jäger, associate professor, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
    • Erik Donovan Hedegård, associate professor, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy
    • Jakob Christensen-Dalsgaard, associate professor, Department of Biology
    • Nils J. Færgeman, professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (chairperson)
    • Siddharth Bhaskar, assistant professor, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science

    Students

    • Alma Hiort-Lorentzen (vice-chairperson)
    • Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Ahmed
    • Mohamed Ali Mohamed Abdi

    Technical and administrative staff

    • Mikkel Girke Jørgensen, team leader for External Relations, Science Faculty Adminsitration
    • Sanne Lindhaard Hedemann, procurement officer, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy
    • Ursula Lundgreen Svane, communications officer, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science

    Dean

    Marianne Holmer

  • University Act

    The University Act contains overarching rules stating that there must be a number of academic councils at a university. The Act also describes general principles for how these are elected.

    The sections of the University Act that mention academic councils are primarily § 15, but also § 13 subsection 6, and § 14 subsection 12.

    Statutes for the University of Southern Denmark

    SDU’s statutes contain rules on the election and functioning of academic councils.

    The sections that mention academic councils are primarily §§ 32-33, but also § 12 subsection 12, §§ 25-29, § 31 subsection 3, and § 35 subsection 5.

    Rules of Procedure

    The Academic Council’s rules of procedure regulate the formal framework for the council’s work.

  • The Academic Council holds up to four ordinary meetings each semester. However, the fourth meeting is only held if there is sufficient content for the agenda of the meeting

    Meetings planned in 2026

    • 29 January
    • 13 April
    • 10 June
    • 2 September
    • 26 October
    • 30 November
    Find minutes from the meetings in Sharepoint

  • It has been agreed that the Academic Council will hold six ordinary meetings a year.

    Fixed items on the agenda

    • News from the University Council
    • Education
      • for example review of intake, graduate unemployment, new programmes, competence development for academic staff, focus areas from the strategy
    • Review of the annual cycle
    • News from the University Council
    • Awards and nominations
      • Honorary Doctor (IMADA 2026)
    • Accounts and budget
      • Accounts for 2025
      • Budget for 2026
    • News from the University Council
    • Status of the faculty strategy and action plans
    • News from the University Council
    • Accounts and budget
      • Half-yearly accounts for 2026
      • Draft budget for 2027
      • Revenue on external projects
    • Research strategy
      • Precision Paradigm in Patient Diagnostics
      • Restorations of Ecosystems
      • Pushing the Forefront of Quantum Software
      • STEM Educational Research
    • News from the University Council
    • Dissemination
      • The importance of AI for profiling research units and the university
    • Admissions
      • Discussion of this year’s intake
    • News from the University Council
    • Budget (in case of significant changes)
    • Status of the faculty strategy and action plans

Contact

Please contact the secretary of the Academic Council, Sabine Gantzhorn Hildebrand, if you have any questions about the Council’s work.

Write to sabh@sdu.dk