A word from the Dean

Dear Staff and Students

It takes courage to try something new. SDU wants to be known as a university that pushes boundaries, and our new test-based admission very much breaks with tradition, namely that the main way into university is through a high average grade from high school.

The deadline for application via Quota 2 expired in the middle of March, and we now know the application numbers for the different study programmes. Overall, Science has received 10 % more first priority applications, and in light of applications to science on a national level remaining the same as last year, a 10 % increase is quite satisfactory. However, the overall numbers do not account for the wide disparity between study programmes. Most study programmes have seen progress, but there has also been decline in some areas. I am particularly pleased about the large increase on the Computer Science study programme, which has received 77 % more first priority applications (46 applications against 26 last year). This is very promising for a study programme where there is a shortage of labour and zero unemployment.

The aim of test-based admission is to give the individual applicant the opportunity to make an informed decision regarding choice of study programme. At the same time, and to a much greater extent, we as a university now have the opportunity to accept students who have the ability and the will to complete a particular university study programme.

But this is only the first step. One of the Faculty's three important long-term goals is to make sure that more students complete their education - that is, to reduce dropout from our study programmes. This demands a wholehearted effort on many fronts. If our efforts pay off, it will be good for society, for the individual student and for the Faculty.

So, how do we reduce dropout from our study programmes? It's about the study environment - about the individual student having a sense of belonging, both on an academic and on a social level. It's about planning our study programmes - about having the right course elements in the right places and in the right order. And not least, it's about teaching - about the crucial interaction between teacher and student. Ultimately, reduction of dropout is about the individual student's motivation and learning. That is precisely why the reduction of dropout requires a wholehearted, broad and ongoing effort.

I am ready to tackle this problem, and I hope that you are too. We can only do this together.

Martin Zachariasen, Dean

Photo: Henrik Gautier/SDU