Leading a university is a team effort where the combination of skills and individuals plays a major role. It is based on the same principle as creating dynamics in a research group or a teaching team. It is important to me that the entire breadth of the university is also represented in the university management. I have had a very rewarding collaboration with my management team during the years I have so far had the pleasure of being Vice-Chancellor of Umeå University, where our different skill sets and subject backgrounds have complemented each other very well.
Hans Adolfsson, Vice-Chancellor
Photo: Mattias Pettersson
Heidi Hansson, who has held the role of Deputy Vice-Chancellor for more than six years, has decided to return to her professorship for a few years before her upcoming retirement. With her background in the humanities and extensive experience, Heidi has led the university's work in both education and equal opportunities in an exceptionally good way. It is sad to lose a highly competent colleague, but at the same time, I am confident that Heidi will remain at the University and continue to contribute to our development. Thank you, Heidi, for giving me the opportunity to work with you during these years!
As Heidi leaves her post, I welcome Cathrine Norberg as the new Deputy Vice-President with responsibility for educational issues. Like Heidi, Cathrine is a Professor of English and is currently the Pro-Vice-Chancellor at Luleå University of Technology. This means that we will continue to have a wide range of expertise within the university management, and the fact that she already has experience of management work at the university-wide level is a tremendous asset. There are many challenges in our immediate future to tackle, and it feels reassuring to continue being surrounded by an experienced University Management team.
A new government has been recently installed in Sweden, and although the so-called Tidö agreement does not include details that directly affect the university and higher education sector, the agreement's content raises some questions. Among other things, it mentions the reform of both social work education and subject-teacher education programmes. Political tinkering that reaches into the content and design of education does not sit well with the academic freedom I have previously addressed in this blog, and it is with great concern that I observe what this may mean. Both Cathrine and I are deeply committed to teacher education issues at a national level, and we will be closely monitoring what happens with these proposals.
The transitional study support (omställningsstudiestöd) that will be introduced in the spring semester 2023, which will make it easier for employed professionals to take the opportunity to develop and improve their skills, will probably also lead to a higher number of applicants to the university's programmes and courses. If this happens, we will need to be prepared to discuss new resources and more study places.
A challenge that is not new, yet still relevant, is the ongoing social transformation with the major industrial investments being made in the north of Sweden. Cathrine, with her experience from Luleå University of Technology, is already well acquainted with this, and she will also be an asset to us in this area.
It is essential that people in a management team complement each other. I value competence and personality as the most important components. When Hans Wiklund took over as University Director, we suddenly had two people in the management team named Hans. I've been called Hasse most of the time, so it was completely natural for me to bring that into the management team. Now it will be Katrine and Cathrine! The question is, how can we succeed in distinguishing them by name? Even small problems are something that needs to be solved. Fortunately, the University Management team is ready to handle all kinds of challenges that come our way.