The Rectorate’s Column
Time to shine a light on university life
After the quiet summer months, life at SDU will unfold again when the autumn semester starts. In a few months, we will once again shine a light on university life with the workplace assessment (APV) 2024.
In September, a new semester starts at SDU. To me, this is a time of joy with thousands of students once again making their way to SDU’s many locations. The experience of seeing the students on the cycle path, in the canteen queue, in the Library and on our campuses in different cities makes me happy. For some students, the semester is a wonderful reunion with fellow students, lecturers and the University. For others, the semester is an exciting encounter with a whole new world that will frame their professional, social and personal development for years to come.
Encountering students at the University makes me exceedingly happy because the students help bring the University to life. In fact, I believe our many students embody essential academic values: The desire to excel at the highest level and to gain new knowledge and insight, which makes you smarter, more skilled and even more educated as a citizen in society. As the semester starts, students bring new life to the University. That is bound to bring you joy.
The good university life
After a great summer, I am also looking forward to seeing you and all our colleagues at SDU.
Hopefully you have also had a great summer. Maybe you have been on a sailing trip, stayed in a holiday home, attended a scientific conference or something entirely different. The quiet summer months provide plenty of opportunities to take a well-deserved holiday and/or to concentrate on interesting research activities or other work tasks before the new semester starts.
When we open the doors to welcome in a new semester, it is time for us as employees to start living the good university life again. As we all know, a good university life does not materialise out of thin air. A good university life is not only created by the students, good coffee or attractive physical surroundings. SDU’s management has a special responsibility to ensure a good university life – a responsibility that I am happy to take on. The good university life with high levels of well-being and satisfaction with SDU as a workplace is something that we – both employees and managers – create together.
Shine a light on university life
This autumn semester, we will once again shine a light on university life when SDU examines how your and your colleagues experience the working environment and well-being at SDU (Workplace Assessment and Well-being Survey [APV 2024]). The last major APV was conducted in 2021.
The APV 2024 measures the psychological working environment and well-being as well as the physical working environment in all SDU’s units and at the University as a whole. Once the questionnaires have been answered in October, the individual units will receive APV reports in November. The units will then discuss the results and create new action plans for areas that deserve action and focus in the coming years.
In the coming weeks you will hear more about APV 2024.
Three requests for you
When APV 2024 is implemented, I have three wishes for you:
- That you take the time to respond.
A high response rate gives a more complete picture of university life. - That you are honest in your answers.
All answers are appreciated and provide a more accurate picture of university life. - That you take part in the dialogue.
The APV is a snapshot that needs to be discussed afterwards to make university life even better.
The APV 2024 and the subsequent dialogues about the working environment and well-being are an excellent opportunity for us as employees at SDU to shine a light on university life. The survey will provide a good picture of how the university functions and how we can work together to make SDU an even better workplace at which we live the good university life together.
I look forward to seeing you again. Welcome to the new semester!
Thomas Buchvald Vind
University Director