Ukraine, admissions and regional plan
The world situation affects us - both as an organisation and as individuals. It is inevitable that the war in Ukraine will fill our consciousness.
Dear Staff
The world is marked by great insecurity after Russia started the war in Ukraine. Now it is even more difficult to predict the future of Europe and the world at large. A lot of people are fleeing the war in Ukraine and many are ready to help. Danes start their cars and drive to the Polish border. Others open their homes to refugees. Many of you are also worried about colleagues in Ukraine.
High pressure is being worked on to find solutions for students living here and students on the run. It takes time to find sustainable solutions and ministries and Danish universities are working together on this. This does not prevent us as individual researchers and educators from being able to show our support for the Ukrainian people through declarations of support and openness and hopefully in the longer term – also with concrete offers.
The events in Ukraine are also delaying several ongoing processes. We are currently awaiting an announcement on regionalisation, which should be on the way. Maybe it has already arrived by the time you read this.
There have been many posts in the media about regionalisation, and unfortunately a somewhat ugly debate about Vejle, where both municipalities and university colleges have criticised each other and the universities. There will be a need to rebuild relationships again when a clarification comes.
A new budget model for SDU is currently being discussed in the Executive Board and in the collegial councils and boards. In the first instance, emphasis is on the principles of the model. Some of these principles are based on simplification and a more stable budget. In general, there is good support for the principles presented. However, it is absolutely crucial to go over some different scenarios, which is the next step in the process.
In connection with financial meetings with the university director, the Facukty of Science has received great praise for bringing home external funds in the last few years. The rose is for all employees, as it is a joint effort.
It is, therefore, also with great pleasure that we can now congratulate Amelia E. Rotaru on an ERC Consolidator grant. It is very difficult to obtain funding from the ERC. Therefore, it is fantastic that Amelia has managed to take home this grant.
In conclusion, it is very positive to see the enrolment figures for our Master's degree programmes. Despite a general decline at the national level, our admissions are comparable to previous years – with the exception of 2021, when all universities experienced a sharp increase. Work is now underway to select applicants for admission in 2022.
Marianne Holmer, dean