As many already know, this department was formed by merging the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Education, the Department of Language Education, and the Department of Mathematics and Science Education. Research and education in teaching and learning are thus gathered into a single department, which will benefit both students and staff in the future. It will be an incredibly strong research environment, and teacher education will have a simpler and clearer structure at the university. Although, organisationally, teacher education is currently located in the Human Sciences, subject studies will of course be conducted by our students in both areas. The new department is currently the university’s largest, with just under 300 employees, of which 60 are doctoral students, and 4,600 students.
There has been a lot of preparation during the autumn, and there is still a lot to do before the new organisation has “settled”. For example, a department board will not be elected until the spring, to allow time for the employees to get to know each other. For six months, therefore, the department will be run by the heads of the three old departments, but the management team – Anna Chryssafis (Head of Department.), Tony Hansson (Deputy Head of Department) and Ulrika von Schanz (Assistant Head of Department) – express a clear desire for dialogue and collaboration with colleagues at the department. In my capacity as dean of the faculty, I will also check with the Head of Department every week during the spring so that we can quickly become aware of any issues.
The website for the new department is now up and running, and will be expanded as pieces of the organisational puzzle fall into place over the coming year. There is already a lot of information about the department and its activities available on the website for those who are curious. The calendar shows that there is no shortage of activities at any level. There is something for everyone to take part in. I really look forward to following developments at this young department. I warmly welcome both staff and students, and wish everyone all the best with their work and studies.
This is a text written by Elisabeth Wåghäll Nivre, Deputy Vice President and Professor of German, under the subject line “Words from the University's Senior Management Team”, where different members of the university’s management team take turns writing about current issues. “Words from the University's Senior Management Team” is included in each issue of “News for Staff”, a newsletter that goes out to all university employees.