Although the mentoring programmes are designed differently in the two areas, the goal is the same: to support younger researchers as they develop and grow into the role of independent teachers and researchers.
The grant-financed activities at Stockholm University were in financial balance last year. This is of course good, but it has also meant that strategic development work, where the recruitment of teachers and other staff is important, has taken a back seat.
UKÄ’s evaluation found that the university’s quality assurance system showed shortcomings, but the overall rating was “Approved quality assurance processes with reservations”.
The original purpose of the Autonomy reform was to facilitate collaboration, to provide space for qualified international academics on the boards of higher education institutions and to enable academia to take a more long-term, strategic approach to research and education.
The increase in cheating in higher education has been in focus in different contexts recently. Cheating is extremely serious and the University and its senior management team takes this work to combat cheating extremely seriously.
This autumn, the preparatory work to merge three education departments at the university into the new Department of Teaching and Learning has intensified.
A potential new system for grants for research and postgraduate education might be introduced from 2024. Higher education institutions will then be able to apply for profile areas with funding up to SEK 20 million per year for six years.
Researchers regularly devote substantial amounts of energy and effort to writing applications to research committees and foundations, sometimes with great success, sometimes, sadly, with poor results.
Higher education institutions often find themselves in competition – for students or research grants – but we are also partners who depend on each other.
After nearly three semesters of online teaching and working from home it felt uplifting when the recommendations from the government and the Public Health Agency were published, and the decision could be taken to gradually return to life on campus – even if it is too early to sound the all clear; the pandemic is still with us.
The good news that universities will be able to return to on-campus teaching has just been announced. But what is the best way to return to in-person instruction? The heads of department play a key role in this effort.
This feels like a time when we are waiting for many things. Summer, but also the possibility of vaccination and a return to a more normal life after the pandemic. Another thing we are waiting for is the introduction of a new financial model and a new financial system.
In the Research Bill a new method of performance-based allocation of funding for research and research education awarded to the Swedish higher education institutions is outlined.
It is not unusual for media to portray the study of languages as exclusive interests, which only a small number of people occupy themselves with. What they are forgetting is that we use language all the time, every day, to communicate with the world around us.
The University Board of Stockholm University has now made its annual decision on the university’s budget documentation. President Astrid Söderbergh Widding writes under the subject line “Words from the University's Senior Management Team”.
The University is currently undergoing an evaluation of its activities on a scale never previously witnessed. This begs the question of whether it is worth all the time and effort. Will our work really become so much better as a result of being reviewed to this extent?
Being appointed the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Deputy Vice President (one of two) of the Human Sciences is a great honour, and I am humbled by the trust you have placed in me.
As we approach the end of 2020 nothing is like usual. Institutional autonomy of higher education and academic freedom are now more important than ever, issues that have been questioned during the year.
In the autumn of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, as we planned our research, teaching and much else to handle during the year, in no way could we have anticipated that our travels would soon halt or that we would rarely meet our colleagues irl (in real life).
