World Championship medallist Anne-Marie Rindom and the successful student entrepreneur company Emplate were just some of the students to whom AU paid tribute at an event held on Thursday, 25 October.

2018.10.30 | Anders Hylander

On Thursday evening, Aarhus University also paid tribute to students who have won medals at World or European Championship level in 2018, and students who have won awards for their entrepreneurial activities since 2016.

“Our main task here at the university is to help you with the framework – and then make sure you get off the ground,” said Pro-rector Berit Eika in her speech to students, whom she praised for their persistence, their ability to juggle two career paths, and their positions as role models and sources of inspiration for their fellow students.

“I am so grateful that athletes at Aarhus University have the opportunity to combine these two career paths,” said Anne-Marie Rindom in her speech at the event. Rindom won bronze at the Sailing World Championships in Aarhus earlier this year – and is studying sport at Aarhus University.

“Had it not been for the Dual Career programme, undoubtedly I would have had to choose between business and education,” said Simon Staack in his speech, where he thanked AU’s management and the people behind the Dual Career programme for this opportunity. Staack and his colleagues at Emplate won the 2018 Entrepreneurs Award, the “Golden Egg”. He is in the process of completing a master’s degree in Business Development Engineering.

More than 500 AU students are affiliated to the university’s Dual Career programme, which helps students to handle two parallel career paths: an academic career alongside a career as either an elite athlete or an entrepreneur.

Besides their passion and persistence, one thing these students all have in common is the fact that they are part of AU’s Dual Career programme, which has been promoting the possibility of university education in parallel with a career in elite sport since 2011 – as well as with entrepreneurship, since 2016.

FACTS ABOUT AU’S DUAL CAREER PROGRAMME:

• 12 AU students have won a total of 17 European and World Championship medals in 2018.
• 17 students from 6 different companies have been presented with seven major entrepreneurial awards since 2016.
• With 55 elite athletes, Aarhus University has the highest number of Team Danmark-funded students in Denmark.