It is worrying that we seem to be moving towards stricter micromanagement, and that targeted financial investments are being made in some subjects but not in others. Poorer economic conditions in general can dig holes in collegial trust as education and research areas are pitted against each other.
It has been a long time since the debate was as intense as now on issues of academic freedom and the role and responsibility of higher education institutions.
In mid-April, the first version of our long-awaited new Swedish staff web was launched. It is the product of an extensive effort in which many employees have participated.
At the beginning of March, the Faculty of Law was commissioned by the President to develop proposals for a new organisation for the Faculty. The idea is that a newly established Faculty Board will also fulfil the function of the Department Board. This reorganisation effort has led us to ask ourselves the question – what exactly is a faculty?
It’s a delicate task to be head of a department for a limited number of years and then return to your former role as a member of the team you so recently were “coaching”.
After many years at various levels in the academy, I have learnt that the question has several possible answers. Especially now, with the bird’s-eye-view afforded by my new task as Deputy Vice President for human science.
The Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) is currently conducting a national thematic evaluation of education and research collaboration by the country’s higher education institutions.
In a few weeks, we will be leaving our respective assignments as deputy vice presidents. These have been six interesting and exciting years in which we have not only dealt with a number of crises and challenges, but also experienced successes and joys in our faculties.
Leadership at a university, which is also an administrative authority, is based on those who delegate – ultimately the President – trusting that those who receive the delegation can also handle it wisely.
Since spring semester 2022, the Deputy Vice Presidents have been working with the President and Vice President to conduct quality dialogues for research with all of the university’s departments as well as with the institutes and centres that are directly subordinate to a faculty.
All students have the right to an education centred around current and evidence-based knowledge. And researchers have much to gain from their role as teacher.
“An unbridled evaluation landscape” (Ett otuktat utvärderingslandskap), this description, put forth by Karin Röding in 2015 regarding the terrain in which universities and colleges are located, has grown wings.
Alongside our recruitment decisions, appointing people to different management positions is one of the most important decisions we make as academic leaders at different levels.
It is now time to take the next step in the work on the university’s use of premises. The premises-related needs of all activities will be inventoried and existing conditions will be mapped out.
For many of us, regular contact with the student union is part of day-to-day life and a very important component of leading and developing the university’s activities.
The Stockholm Trio starts to grow organically – collaborative initiatives between researchers at our universities want to use the Alliance to highlight our joint strength as a complete university environment.
The quality reports from the academic areas and associated dialogues are extremely valuable because they provide direct insight into the practical quality assurance procedures.
We need to review our examination forms, where take-home exams at the beginner level, if they need to exist at all, need to be supplemented with other types of examination that preclude the use of AI tools.
We do not know many details about the policies that are to be expected, but what is clear is that the Government seems to want to redirect education and research policy in many ways.
Universities and colleges are expected to take major responsibility by offering relevant and appropriate courses. The problem is that we cannot really predict which courses will be relevant.
Recruitment processes are one of the most important issues at the university. We want the best professors, lecturers, doctoral students and administrative staff.
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.
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?
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).
