In early December, a unanimous board appointed supreme court judge Professor Jens Peter Christensen LLD the new external member of the Aarhus University Board. Christensen will join the board on 1 February 2017. Christensen will replace Michael Christiansen, who is stepping down after two terms as required by the University Act. Connie Hedegaard will replace Michael Christiansen as chair of the board.

Christensen is a familiar face at Aarhus University: he studied at AU and has since pursued an academic career here, most recently as a professor of public law at the Department of Law. Since 2006, he has served as a Supreme Court judge, one of the country’s highest and most prestigious offices, and has also chaired a wide range of legislative preparatory committees and commissions.

“I think that Jens Peter Christiansen is a real asset for the board. Not only will he contribute a deep knowledge of ministries, public administration and the public sector, he is also thoroughly familiar with Aarhus University and its core activities. This is a unique combination, and I am very confident that he will have a positive influence on the university’s future,” states Michael Christiansen, currently chair of the board.

Christensen is not only well-known among the university’s academic staff, at the ministries and in the courts. He is also a prominent public figure. He is often consulted by the media to make complex legal texts understandable, and he is currently a regular contributor to the national newspaper Jyllands Posten. Christensen still lectures at the university, and he has not forgotten what drives excellence in research and teaching.

“The contribution made every day by researchers, lecturers and the many competent technical and administrative employees is what is crucial to the university. And as board member, I will work to ensure that the university provides employees with the best possible conditions for performing their work,” he states.

Aarhus University is clearly close to the 60-year-old supreme court judge’s heart. He calls it the country’s best university, without a doubt. And when he decided to refurbish his home in Gentofte outside Copenhagen a few years ago, he took his inspiration from the historic academic staff housing which used to be located in the University Park. And so Jens Peter Christensen and his wife Trine Olfert now live in Aarhus University staff housing on the other side of the country – whether thanks to his great passion for Aarhus University or simple good taste.

Christensen’s appointment is the result of an inclusive process in which the university’s employees, students, academic councils, employer committees and panels, in addition to current board members, were invited to suggest possible candidates.

Who’s Who: Jens Peter Christensen
Jens Peter Christensen, age 60. MSc in political science, Master of Law, LLD, dr. jur. Professor of public law at Aarhus University, 1998-2011. He has chaired a wide variety of committees, including committees on the advisory functions and support of public servants, freedom of speech and whistleblower rights and protections for public sector employees, as well as on commissions of inquiries. He is the author of numerous academic publications, most recently Dansk statsret, 2.udg. (Danish consitutional law, 2nd ed.) in 2016, which is included in curriculum of the law degree programme at Aarhus University. Recipient of various awards, including Gads Fonds Juristpris in 1991 and Filtenborgprisen in 2003. Presented with Festskrift til Jens Peter Christensen (Festschrift for Jens Peter Christensen) on the occasion of his 60th birthday (published by DJØF Forlag). The festschrift is 900 pages long, and includes contributions from over 50 colleagues from universities, courts, ministries, etc.

• Jens Peter Christensen’s CV (In Danish)

About the Aarhus University Board
The Aarhus University Board consists of six external members, three employee representatives and two student representatives.

• Read more about the Aarhus University Board

For more information, please contact:
Head of Press and Communication Anders Correll, + 45 2899 2235, ac@au.dk