New rector David Dreyer Lassen faces a tightrope act

An era of change.

This is how the new rector, David Dreyer Lassen, describes the current era at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH).

He has barely settled into his new role before he faces one of his first major challenges: guiding the University of Copenhagen safely through the transition to an entirely new administration.

The restructuring of the administration took effect on the same day that David Dreyer Lassen began his first day as UCPH’s 260th rector.

READ ALSO: It’s here: University of Copenhagen’s administration overhaul goes live

At the same time as this major overhaul of the university’s administrative structure, he is on a personal mission: To ensure that the University of Copenhagen remains a unified institution that can participate in public debate while handling internal tensions.

»A university can very quickly be pulled in all sorts of directions,« says David Dreyer Lassen.

»This is an important time, where we must try to navigate this transformation successfully. But I sense a positive attitude, and I’m incredibly excited,« he says.

Political navigation

As you listen to David Dreyer Lassen describing the role of the rector at the University of Copenhagen, you might think of walking a tightrope.

Beyond being agile and capable of making quick decisions, the new rector emphasises the importance of balancing the university’s role in societal debates.

Most recently, Denmark’s universities debated government-instituted reforms to master’s degrees, where the former rector Henrik Wegener publicly voiced his criticism before ultimately having to accept political realities.

»That’s an important point. Once a decision has been made, you have to be able to say: ‘This is how it is now.’ We are a public institution, and while we possess a great deal of expert knowledge, we also need to understand how the system works. There are people within this institution who will always want us to climb the barricades and stay there until the last drop of blood has been shed. But this is not how the system operates,« says David Dreyer Lassen.

The same balancing act applies to student protests which recently flared up in connection with the conflict in Israel and Gaza. The new rector emphasises that student activism is an important part of the university’s culture, but that it must also take on a shape that allows the university to function.

»Active students who engage with the world are a huge asset. That’s also part of what it means to go to university. But we need to find a way to handle disagreements. Perhaps we can learn something from the Danish labour market model — a structured form of disagreement.«

Community as a guiding principle

For David Dreyer Lassen, good university leadership is not about issuing orders from the top but about ensuring that decisions are broadly anchored.

»If you try to manage the university via top-down directives, you have already lost as a university manager. You need broad foundations and widely supported decisions,« he says, emphasising that his leadership style will be based on dialogue with deans, department heads, students, and staff.

The big task at hand is implementing the reform aimed at making the university’s administrative functions more efficient. The new rector acknowledges that the reform will lead to transitional challenges and require significant adjustments, but he stresses that it is a necessary process to ensure a well-functioning administration.

»It has to work, and there will be issues, and there will be a lot of things that don’t function properly. And we will spend a lot of time on this in the coming years as well. If we don’t succeed, then the university doesn’t work.«

External pressures

Beyond ensuring a strong university community, the new UCPH rector faces several leadership challenges. One of them is determining how the university should position itself in a time of increasing demands from both political stakeholders and society.

Which countries can the university collaborate with? And what is the risk that external funding bodies will gain too much influence over research at the University of Copenhagen?

David Dreyer Lassen sees it as a balancing act between safeguarding the university’s autonomy and taking responsibility for its role within the broader societal structure.

His experience at the Independent Research Fund Denmark, where he served as chair from January 2019 for two years, has given him insight into how to create cohesion between different academic settings and administrative units.

»There is a real risk that UCPH becomes too dependent on the Novo Nordisk Foundation. But that very fact is also why we are working on it as part of our strategy for the university of the future,« says David Dreyer Lassen.

READ ALSO: Wegener steps down after eight years as rector with mixed emotions of melancholy and relief

From soccer pitch to rector

Growing up in the working class west Copenhagen suburb of Brøndby, David Dreyer Lassen spent most of his youth at the local football club.

»That’s just what you did,« he says.

»Many of my teenage years were spent at the stadium. I don’t get to go as much anymore, but I try to watch the matches,« he says.

The transition from the suburbs to academia was not without its contrasts. When he began studying economics at the University of Copenhagen, he quickly became aware of the cultural differences.

»Many of my fellow students came from the [wealthy] north of Copenhagen. It was a different world — one that you had to get to know,« he says.

He has taken some important lessons with him from the football pitches of his childhood. In both sports and university leadership, it is about teamwork, strategy, and the ability to navigate unpredictable situations.

When he needs a break from university politics today, he finds peace in the Swedish forests, where he forages for mushrooms.

»It’s not exactly thrilling. But that’s precisely why it’s a great way to unwind.«

David Dreyer Lassen has embarked on a balancing act that requires precision. The university needs to be both independent and collaborative, internally united and externally open. The coming years will show whether he can keep his balance.