"I'm more than happy to do three more years"

Career development focusing on younger talents, implementation of the Master's degree reform and degree programme resizing. These are just some of the major tasks Ole Bækgaard Nielsen can look forward to over the next three years, now that he is continuing as head of department at the Department of Public Health.

"When I was appointed six years ago, the former dean, Lars Bo Nielsen, said with a twinkle in his eye that I had just accepted a job I knew nothing about. And he was probably right. My life as the head of department is filled with tasks that I could never have imagined and that no one had told me about," says Ole Bækgaard Nielsen, who is a qualified biologist and was the deputy head of department at the Department of Biomedicine from 2014-2016.

"The job as the head of department can be quite chaotic and contain many paradoxes, but the sum of it all is that management is meaningful and necessary. This applies both in making decisions and in follow-up. What’s more, it's simply an exciting and challenging job," he says.

Thrives among bright minds in strong academic environments

Ole Bækgaard Nielsen’s decision to continue was easy because there are clearly more pros than cons in the job he now knows so well.

"The best thing about my job is the proximity to highly competent professionals and strong academic environments – especially at the department, but also at the faculty. That’s an important factor for my job satisfaction. The learning curve is also still very steep," says Ole Bækgaard Nielsen and continues:

"It's quite amazing that, as the head of department, I can knock on almost any door, ask an academic question, and then get a highly qualified answer straight away. I really appreciate that, and I love it when people challenge me and my opinions in academic discussions. Without feedback, my work would be impossible." 

Is (still) very interested in workplace culture

A declared and continued goal for Ole Bækgaard Nielsen is to make sure that Aarhus University, Health and the Department of Public Health are attractive workplaces. He already had this goal six years ago when he took up his position, and it is important to him that employees are proud of their workplace and go to work happy and safe.

If you ask him what achievements he is most proud of, he highlights some of the factors related to work environment and job satisfaction.

"I think we have succeeded internally in maintaining a space for wide academic differences in terms of methods, teaching and research areas. The different academic environments at the department treat each other with professional respect, despite major differences, and the organisation has matured into a strategically managed workplace. My impression is that staff are not afraid of providing constructive criticism of management work, and that makes me both happy and proud," says Ole Bækgaard Nielsen.

The biggest challenges

That said, there are also tasks that irritate Ole Bækgaard Nielsen because he has not yet managed crack them. Perhaps these tasks are what motivates him to take another term. At any rate, they are at the top of his list of goals and ambitions for work at the department over the next three years.

"It bothers me that we haven't managed to increase external funding sufficiently across the department's academic environments. We must ensure that all fields of study attract enough external funding to contribute to talent development and to increase research activity," says Ole Bækgaard Nielsen before continuing:

"It also concerns me that teaching still causes a high level of stress for several of the department's employees. This is a major challenge that we need to resolve together, so that we have the energy to carry out all our other tasks."

When asked about his most difficult tasks as the head of department so far, he answers promptly.

"The Covid period was crazy. It was crisis management and crisis communication at the highest level. We were sent home, but work days were suddenly two hours longer than usual. At least that's how many people felt, and it was actually difficult to pinpoint why Covid triggered so much extra work," says Ole Bækgaard Nielsen and further reflects:

"But the most difficult tasks for me were without doubt two closures; the closure of the MSc in nursing at our campus in Emdrup, which luckily ended up being transferred to Roskilde University instead, and secondly the closure of a large research group. In both cases, many employees lost their jobs at AU. That was tough."

Takes responsibility and leads the way

Dean Anne-Mette Hvas noted the exact same challenges and especially how Ole Bækgaard Nielsen tackled them when she commented on the extension of his appointment.

"Ole Bækgaard Nielsen is a competent, empathetic and inclusive leader. Recent years have seen challenges at both faculty and department levels. Among other things, Ole had to lead the department through Covid and the closure of a degree programme, and he has done a really good job. Ole has taken responsibility and led the way. I have great respect for that. Ole is also a leader with exciting visions and ambitions for the department, and I look forward to following and working with him on this," she says.

Contact

Head of Department Ole Bækgaard Nielsen
Aarhus University, Department of Public Health
Mobile: (+45) 60 20 26 74
Email: obn@ph.au.dk