Two ministers visiting SDU

On Friday 5 February, the University of Southern Denmark in Sonderborg received a visit from not only one but two ministers from the Danish Liberal government. Esben Lunde Larsen and Ellen Trane Nørby visited SDU to have a guided tour with particular focus on the unique research facilities and teaching activities of the university. Horst-Günter Rubahn, head of campus, hosted the 1½ hours Alsion tour in which Henrik Dam, vice-chancellor of SDU, also took part.

It is an exceptional occasion that both Esben Lunde Larsen and Ellen Trane Nørby are visiting SDU in Sonderborg. We are really looking forward to telling them all about what makes our campus outstanding, said Horst-Günter Rubahn.

Students meet ministers
During the tour, a number of international students had the opportunity to meet the ministers and tell them their experiences of coming to Sonderborg as engineering students from either Iceland or Spain and discover a melting pot of students from all over the world. Moreover, the university’s specific cross-border teaching activities will be highlighted when two students from social sciences and humanities are joining the group.

University with industrial focus
In several ways, SDU Sonderborg has extraordinarily close collaboration with industry of Southern Denmark. This fact also became clear to the ministers, for instance through a conversation with Ib Christensen, head of studies at the Mads Clausen Institute (MCI), who spoke about how in 2015 the engineering programme in mechatronics got three new profiles as part of a process of collaboration with local industry. Moreover, the ministers passed by the clean room and the brand new RollFlex Centre offering the roll-to-roll facility that MCI received as a donation from the former Danfoss PolyPower. The RollFlex Centre makes it possible for MCI scientists to integrate the manufacturing of organic solar cells and light emitting diodes into their research.

Programme for minister visit - 5 February at 11.45-13.15
11.45: Arrival and welcome of ministers by Horst-Günter Rubahn, head of campus.

Subsequent tour with the following stops:

1. The clean room

2. The concert hall
   Four German students telling about their cross-border studies

3. Mechatronics student lab
   Presentation of three student projects and participation of international students

4. The RollFlex Centre

5. Dialogue meeting
   Esben Lund Larsen, Ellen Trane Nørby, and SDU’s management

6. Rounding-off in the Rollflex Centre and entertainment by the Alsion Choir
   
   After the visit at SDU Sonderborg, the ministers moved on to a meeting at Danfoss.

For further information about the visit and admission of the press, please contact Barbara Tvede Hansen, Executive Officer, phone: 2462 6974 or e-mail: Barbara@sdu.dk