Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen: This is why I'm stopping as dean

»It’s the most fun job I’ve ever had. And the most challenging«

Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen recently announced that he will step down as Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences in the spring of next year.

He has now agreed to explain his decision and talk about his four, conflict-ridden, years as head of the faculty. Staff exodus. Student protest demonstrations with »Give Mikkel Vedby the sack« banners. Reports of a social science dean who had »completely nuts.«

»Good you are here! I am just on the phone,« he texts when I arrive at CSS campus and try to find the Dean’s office among the old municipal hospital buildings.

We meet under the clock where Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen has an office at the Centre for Military Studies.

READ ALSO: Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen to resign as Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences

The dean is wearing a light blue shirt and when we spot each other he lights up in a big smile. He is busy and has to silence a ringing phone several times during the half-hour of our conversation.

Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen, you are withdrawing from your position instead of making use of your option for a three-year contract extension. Why?

»I do this because the rector and I fundamentally disagree on some of the challenges that the faculty faces over the coming years. We are relocating, we need to implement a huge study programme reform, and a reform of the administration,« says Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen and pauses.

»There are a lot of things where the rector and I don’t see things the same way. And when it is not possible to resolve this type of disagreement, the person who has the lowest rank must ultimately pack up his things and leave.«

What is it actually that you disagree about, you and the rector?

»I understand there is a need for me to explain why I am leaving. But I think there is a limit to how much I should go into detail about the disagreements between me and the rector. So I don’t want to comment on that further.«

»This was, goddammit!, not a good decision«

What has been the best thing about your job as dean for the past four years?

»Oh there have been many good things.«

The dean is quiet for a moment, looks out the window.

»Many people think that the university is this old, conservative, institution that can’t really change. But as dean, I’ve learned that this is not true at all. Because we have succeeded in creating lots of change over the last four years,« he says.

There are a lot of things where the rector and I don’t see things the same way. And when it is not possible to resolve this type of disagreement, the person who has the lowest rank must ultimately pack up his things and leave.

Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences

 

»We have looked at our research funding, for example. When I stepped in, many researchers could look forward to a drop in research funding, because a lot of it went to research on the green transition and that kind of stuff. But the department heads and I sat down and said ‘No goddammit!’ We also need research funding. Since then, we have taken home an increase in research funding of 20 per cent. I’m proud of that.«

Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen’s time as head of the faculty has been characterised by disputes and a poor working environment. In a workplace assessment (WPA) in 2022, 41 per cent of the faculty’s employees replied that they had no confidence in the dean’s management.

In the autumn of 2022, Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen chose to appoint himself as head of the Department at Anthropology setting off protests from both students and employees. An associate professor and chair of the study board at the Department of Anthropology wrote an opinion piece on the University Post with the headline ‘The Dean of Social Science has gone completely nuts’. He said that Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen’s decision to insert himself as the head of department was »a clear statement of distrust in the department’s management and academics«.

When Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen in November 2022 showed up for the University of Copenhagen’s traditional annual celebration, he was met by a large group of students who demonstrated against his leadership. On their banners were slogans like »Give Mikkel Vedby the sack«, »Bring back democracy,« and »Stop Mikkel’s tyranny, set CSS campus free.«

READ ALSO: Demonstration at annual commemoration ceremony: »Give Mikkel Vedby the sack!«

In a comment on Politiken (Danish, needs login), students spoke about lecturers running around stressed, spooked out and whispering in corners for fear of their boss, and quitting the faculty.

Do you regret anything?

»Yes, sure I do,« Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen laughs.

»If you could replay the movie from the beginning, I would probably rewrite a few of the lines in the manuscript. I have thought a lot about how I, for example, wanted to make for a more vibrant student democracy.«

What about the time you appointed yourself as department head for Anthropology?

Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen laughs again.

»This was, goddammit!, not a good decision.«

He shakes his head.

»This is probably one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made, but it’s also one of the ones I’ve been most happy about. The result was that the academic staff at anthropology mobilized and set up a board where the employees and the department head could run the department. And they’ve done extremely well.«

Your decision provoked the academic staff at Anthropology to find another solution?

»No, I wouldn’t put it like that. I saw it more as if they really took on responsibility for their own department. It made me really proud of them.«

»There are things you cannot take for granted«

What has been your experience of the working environment at the Faculty of Social Sciences during your time as dean?

»I’ve been here for 20 years, but I’ve learned a lot about the faculty in the time I’ve been a manager. The place is characterised by the fact that we often get new professors in from the outside. This has required a particular working environment effort – especially after we had to acknowledge that we had a serious problem with our working conditions,« says Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen and adds:

I think it is for others to decide what type of manager I am. I’m focused on creating results. I’ve done that, and I’m actually quite proud of that.

Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences

»It has been tough, but it has been a good experience to see how we have improved the working environment.«

Your experience is that you have improved the working environment?

»I think so. We’re not finished, I’m very conscious of that. But I hope and believe that my successors will be able to look at a good Workplace Assessment report.«

You did not comment much on the faculty’s incredibly poor Workplace Assessment from 2022. What’s would you say about it now?

»I actually think I did. But it’s never nice as a manager to get a workplace assessment that’s so poor. It really gave me something to reflect on. It is both enormously exciting, and tough at the same time, to be a manager when you are so much in play yourself. You need to work with yourself to be a manager, and I, as well as the rest of the management team, have done so. I found out, for example, that there are things you can’t take for granted.«

What things?

»How, for example, you balance your criticism in an academic discussion without distressing people or giving them the feeling that their gender, position or something else is suddenly also at issue. I thought that the balance was in a slightly different place, but I got smarter. And earlier this year we got a green smiley from the Danish Working Environment Authority.«

Terrified lecturers

There has been fierce criticism of you personally as a manager. What has this been like from your perspective?

»People can think whatever they want, and at a university we are not afraid of using disparaging language about each other. I can live with that.«

Would you describe yourself as a good manager?

»I think it is for others to decide what type of manager I am. I’m focused on creating results. I’ve done that, and I’m actually quite proud of that. But I have also worked a lot with values – including the working environment and study programme interactions. We’ve not reached the finish line, but I think we’ve come closer to being a faculty where people can actually be themselves.«

In a featured comment in the Danish media Politiken, a group of students described your leadership style like this: »Arrogance, insane decisions, miserable managing, and lecturers who are scared stiff of their boss.« How do these words affect you?

»I actually had a good chat with some of the students who demonstrated against me at the time. But of course it’s not fun to show up at a party where students are singing songs that taunt you. One of the students said to me that I shouldn’t take it personally – and it’s a bit hard not to. But people can believe whatever they want. I will let the results I have achieved speak for themselves.«

The next chapter

What is the state of the faculty you are leaving?

»The Faculty of Social Sciences is a fantastic place. We have just got research evaluations back that show that we are one of Europe’s leading social science research institutions. And we educate students for key jobs in society, that really go out and make a difference. If there is one thing that concerns me, then it is that we as a university shut ourselves off [from the surrounding society, ed.],« says Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen.

»It is important that we continue to be a place that reflects and shapes the surrounding society.«

Of course, there will be a period where I just have to get used to not having an opinion on how we do things around here.

Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences

What are you going to do now?

»I am just going to do research, and I’m really looking forward to it. You can see the stash of books I’ve found today, and I will be reading them later on this month,« says the dean, gesturing towards a pile with titles like ‘In the service of Denmark‘ by [politician] Kristian Jensen, ‘The Will to Lead‘ by [former Danish Prime Minister] Anders Fogh Rasmussen, and ‘Minister of Foreign Affairs‘ by Jacob Kvist and Jon Bloch Skipper.

Where will you be in two years time?

»I’ve never been able to anticipate what I’m doing in two years time, so I don’t think I can do that now either.«

What is it going to be like to do your daily work on CSS central campus as a professor and not a dean?

»I don’t think it’s going to be that different. Of course, there will be a period where I just have to get used to not having an opinion on how we do things around here.

»But I promise my successors that I will not interfere.«