What is the primary function of the University Board? 

The board's primary tasks are to provide input to the strategic development of Aalborg University, to approve the university's budget on the recommendation of the Rector and to draw up the university's statutes. It is also the board's responsibility to hire and dismiss the rector. 

What matters and topics do you work on?

Over the next six months, we will develop the new four-year strategy for AAU that takes effect as of 2026. This will take up a lot of time at the meetings.

What does someone who’s considering running for one of AAU's governing bodies need to know? 

In general, you should know that as a student representative, you represent your fellow students. This applies regardless of which body you sit on, but the higher up the organizational ladder you get, the more people you represent.

Being a representative means that you aren’t just speaking on your own behalf. You should try to practice having an eye for the views of the majority, although it can of course be a good idea to start with yourself and your close circle. The more relationships you have across your degree programme, department and faculty, the easier it is to serve as a representative. So you have to try to build these relationships.

In addition, you should know that on some bodies you have to fight a little for your voice as a student. It may seem intimidating to enter a meeting room where there are a lot of smart researchers. This is completely normal at first, and you absolutely shouldn’t worry about it. You just have to remember that students have a voice and that you just need to use it. Raise your hand and speak your mind.

What are the advantages of allowing students to be on the University Board? 

I would actually like to turn this question around a bit: It is our right as students to be represented on the university's governing bodies. Students number more than 17,000 at AAU and we are thus the largest group of people in the organization. So we don’t have to defend our place. It’s quite obvious and natural that we have a mandate on the governing bodies.  

What role do you play on the University Board? 

We two students on the board must make sure to bring up the students' perspective when it’s relevant. You really have to think about the fact that you represent all students, so typically we are bringing an overall opinion to the table. 

How much time do you typically devote to the University Board? 

For board meetings, the agendas are typically long, about 150–250 pages. You don't necessarily have to get into everything in detail, but I usually set aside a day for preparation. There are six board meetings a year.

In addition, I spend a lot of time at pre-meetings and network meetings where I discuss things with other students. In addition, some ad hoc tasks can regularly arise, which also requires time.

What skills have you gained by being on the University Board? 

When you are part of AAU's governing bodies, you get concrete experience on how a complex, hierarchical organization – in this case a university – is structured. Because I serve on several bodies at once, this becomes particularly clear. I have really gotten a sense of how the different bodies talk to each other, which is valuable experience.

In addition, you learn to present your views in formal decision-making spaces, which is incredibly educational. I think students can have a tendency to give a lot of authority to our teachers and "the system behind AAU", so it may seem a bit over-the-line to raise your hand when you sit on one of the governing bodies. However, learning to cross that line and find faith in your own voice can be a very beneficial experience, one that you can apply in other aspects of your life.