Aarhus University’s new university director is 48-year-old Arnold Boon. For the past nine years, Boon has served as administrative and faculty director of the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences (SUND) at the University of Copenhagen. He will take up his new position on 1 January 2016.

2015.12.03 | Sys Christina Vestergaard

New university director Arnold Boon will take up his position on 1 January 2016. Photo: Lars Kruse, AU.

Boon is deeply familiar with the world of academia. After eight years as a scientist at the former Danish Institute for Agriculture and Fisheries Economics, Boon decided to focus his career on management and administration. In 1999, he became executive management assistant at the Danish Institute for Agricultural Sciences, after which held managerial positions at the Directorate for Food, Fisheries and Agri Business and the Danish Institute for Food and Veterinary Research. In 2004, Boon assumed his most recent position as faculty director at the University of Copenhagen. Boon also holds a PhD in business administration and a Master of Public Governance (Strategy), both of which he earned while working first as a scientist and later as an administrator.

The rector’s recommendation to hire Boon as new university director has the full support of the board.

“Both personally and professionally, Arnold Boon has made a very fine impression on the board. He has a solid background in financial management, strategic management and university administration. He knows the sector inside and out, which means he also understands the opportunities and challenges facing Aarhus University,” says Michael Christiansen, chair of the Aarhus University Board.

Boon has headed the administration of the Faculty of Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen during a period characterised by shrinking public funding and increasing competition for private research funding, among other challenges. He has been a leading figure in relation to ensuring cohesive administration of the faculty’s educational activities and support for its research activities, and has been responsible for establishing a professional IT organisation, both at the faculty and at the university as a whole. As faculty director, Boon has pushed successfully to strengthen competency development, and he has been responsible for large construction and renovation projects at the faculty.

“Arnold Boon has a detailed understanding of the university’s tasks and challenges. From day one, he will be able to make a substantial and knowledgeable contribution to the continued development of Aarhus University’s administration across the entire spectrum. He will be a valuable member of the senior management team and an equally valuable sparring partner for our deputy directors and administrative centre managers. I and the other members of the senior management are really looking forward to working with the new university director,” states Rector Brian Bech Nielsen.

Boon is also looking forward to the tasks that await him as university director:

“I see Aarhus University as an exciting place to work, with a high level of commitment on the part of management, employees and students. But it’s also a workplace with challenges. The university has an ambitious strategy, and at the same time faces tighter finances, increased competition for research funding and reforms in the area of education. Development has become the order of the day, and at the same time, a certain degree of stability is needed. I will prioritise involvement and communication to ensure transparency in relation to decisions and processes.”

Arnold Boon is originally from Holland and holds an MSc from Wageningen University. He moved to Denmark in 1991. He and his Danish wife have three children.

Boon will take up the position of university director on 1 January.

There were eleven highly qualified applicants to the position.