SDU 2030 – An Internationally Staffed University in Denmark

A Danish High-School Exam as the Rare Case 

National strategies for the university sector have over the last decades emphasized the internationalisation of Danish research. When looking at the numbers of my own department we are doing extremely well. For example, among our assistant professors, 86% now hold a high-school degree from outside Denmark. The story behind these numbers is that they are more a result of Danish youth turning their back on academic careers than concrete internationalization strategies. 

Why? 

When I talk with people with a Danish high-school degree about pursuing a career in academia they tell me that it is not in line with their hopes for their future work life. However, they are not saying no to SDU as they would be open to roles among our technical and administrative staff. You might ask why? If I use one of our graduating software engineers as an example, they will, by joining SDU as a software developer have a much better structured work life and even a higher salary through their career than when pursuing an academic career. Only in the case of being promoted to professor will the graduating students earn more along an academic path (Source: SDU’s salary statistics). I might try to talk with them about all the merits of research and teaching of being an academic octopus. However, the picture is perfectly clear for how the Danish youth is voting with their feet both at SDU and nationally, as published in a recent article by the union DM. 

International organisation focus is lacking 

Therefore, the future of SDU is an international academic staff except for the areas where academic work is impossible without commanding Danish. Today, I am part of a research and teaching team representing sixteen different nationalities. I also spend part of my daily work life in our international campus in Sønderborg. I could argue that in my everyday life I am already in 2030. However, I am also noticing every day all the small frictions caused by being an international team in an organisation that is not truly international. 

A Gap in the SDU 2030 strategy? 

What I am missing in the SDU strategy towards 2030 is a plan for how we will address this change for all of SDU? Questions that occupy my mind are: How should this impact our teaching setup? How do we prepare the surrounding society for this change? How does an international organisation have deep roots in a specific part of the world? My hope is that the next years will bring much more discussion around these and similar questions, so our strategy aligns with our organization and a changing world.