Bitten & Mads Clausen's Foundation and LINAK Holding have jointly acquired the former VUC Building in Sønderborg. VUC is short for Voksenundervisningscenter (Adult Education Centre). The building will be a new educational building for students from the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) and Erhvervsakademi SydVest (EASV) and will be known as Alsion Campus Løkken.
The purchase of the building is part of a larger effort to ensure adequate space at Alsion and thus be ready for the large intake of new students in the coming years. The establishment of Alsion Campus Løkken in the former VUC Building expands the facilities for higher education in the town and, as in other university towns, the same campus will have classes at different suitable locations.
Bent Jensen, LINAK, explains:
Sønderborg is successful when it comes to attracting educational programmes and students. It is important to be able to offer attractive study environments for this development to continue. I am happy to be able to contribute to that. Education is a supply chain for the local businesses, and it is important that talented young people want to study and settle here.
Bent Jensen, LINAK
A vision for education and development
In recent years, Sønderborg has worked ambitiously to become an area that offers relevant education and thus development. With the establishment of Alsion Campus Løkken in the former VUC Building, Bitten & Mads Clausen Foundation and LINAK Holding want to continue the development of the already established partnership with the University of Southern Denmark and Sønderborg Municipality. It solves both the challenges of lack of space at the current Alsion and creates new life in the beautiful educational building in the centre of the town.
Per Egebæk Have, Chairman of the Board, Bitten & Mads Clausen's Foundation, explains:
The Foundation wants to contribute to the common goal of strengthening educational opportunities and attracting young talent to the Sønderborg area. Space at Alsion is getting tight, and we are therefore pleased that we, together with Bent Jensen (LINAK), can facilitate the establishment of an additional campus location close to the town. This benefits both the students and the local business community and thus our region in Southern Denmark.
Per Egebæk Have, Chairman of the Board, Bitten & Mads Clausen's Foundation
EASV, which has shared premises with SDU at Alsion for 9 years, will be welcoming students in the new premises from the start of the next semester in 2025. Every year, around 130 local students start EASV's programmes, and Rector, Henrik Larsen is excited about the prospect of moving into Alsion Campus Løkken:
The new location is ideally situated in the town centre, and we will have floors in the building that are designed for our specific teaching needs. Both allow us to strengthen the identity of EASV while future-proofing the facilities for expansion and new programmes.
Henrik Larsen, Rector, EASV
Together with EASV, SDU students will also move in and auditoriums will be set up for engineering students, among others. SDU is experiencing a huge increase in students these years, and the access to more space in both the original Alsion (where EASV is located today) and in Alsion Campus Løkken pleases Henrik Bindslev, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Campus Dean in Sønderborg, SDU:
In recent years, SDU has experienced significant growth in research and educational activities in Sønderborg. It is very pleasing that LINAK, together with Bitten & Mads Clausen's Foundation, has purchased the VUC Syd Building and that SDU can now rent auditoriums and large classrooms in the building, which are not currently available in Alsion. We look forward to the university being able to contribute to bringing new life to the VUC Syd Building.
Henrik Bindslev, Campus Dean, SDU Sønderborg
Plans for renovation
Before moving in, the building will be renovated, which is expected to start as soon as possible, with planned completion towards the summer holidays 2025.
SDU and EASV will move in over the summer to be ready for the start of the 2025 semester.
