 Odense University , established by law in 1964 , was the first of three new provincial universities created to relieve pressure on the universities of Copenhagen and Aarhus . Teaching began in 1966 . By the end of the 20th century , there were 11 @,@ 000 students and some 5 @,@ 000 employees . Before it became part of the University of Southern Denmark in 1998 , it had four faculties covering arts , medicine , and natural and social sciences . The university building which opened in 1971 was designed by <unk> Arkitekter . 
