By Anette Marcher Jensen, AAU Communication and Public Affairs.

With appointments to two new vice dean positions, the SSH dean's office is facing a major change in the coming months. Prior to the change, the SSH dean's office consisted of Dean Rasmus Antoft and three vice deans for research, education and external relations, respectively, whereas in the future it will consist of the dean and two newly appointed vice deans: A vice dean for research and innovation and a vice dean for education, including continuing education.

Both vice deans are subject to the usual appointment procedure for managers at AAU.

"The university is navigating a reality where conditions are constantly changing – politically, economically and demographically. This also applies to the SSH area. I saw a need to adapt the dean's office so that we have the right organization to lift the SSH faculty and steer us through the challenges we can see coming", says dean of the SSH faculty Rasmus Antoft.

He mentions the Master's programme reform, a strengthening of the continuing education portfolio, research quality, including increased external funding and a desire for more focus on innovation as topics that the new dean's office will handle.

Professor Søren Kristiansen, who from 2010 to 2021 was vice dean for education and then research at the then Faculty of Social Sciences, has been appointed as the new vice dean for research and innovation. Since the merger with the Faculty of Humanities in 2022, he has been vice dean for research at the SSH Faculty. Søren Kristiansen starts in his new position on 1 February.

Margit Malmmose, former associate professor at Aarhus University and current finance director at University College of Northern Denmark (UCN), has been appointed as the new vice dean for education, including continuing education. She has more than 15 years of experience in teaching, education management and strategic development, including as former coordinator of the MSc in Economics and Business Administration and as co-author of a forthcoming book on governance, structure and management in public organizations.

In her current position at UCN, Margit Malmmose has worked both operationally and strategically on implementing the upcoming programme reform for university colleges. She has a PhD in Management Accounting, and in 2019 was named Teacher of the Year at the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences (BSS) at Aarhus University. Margit Malmmose starts in the position on 1 March.

"I look forward to the work of the new dean's office and I would also like to extend a big thank you to the two outgoing vice deans. Over the years, Anette Therkelsen and Malene Gram have taken on major, important tasks for the SSH Faculty," says Rasmus Antoft. 

The current vice dean for external relations, Associate Professor Anette Therkelsen will transfer to the tourism section at the Department of Culture and Learning at the end of her tenure. She is also appointed head of the doctoral school at SSH.

The current vice dean for education, Professor Malene Gram, will be affiliated with the marketing group at AAU Business School.