Why do you want to be the next Rector of UiO?
– I am very fond of UiO, both its people and the community it represents, and our role in society. However, we must develop and achieve better interaction both internally and with the society around us, in order to exploit the university's power. We shall be a seedbed for critical thinking and basic research, but also help to solve societal challenges. I am particularly concerned with the improvement potential in the fields of education, human resource policy and interdisciplinarity.
– As a leader I will have my feet on the ground and be concerned with concrete action, and I believe that as head of department and Vice-Dean at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, I have demonstrated that I can chart a direction and get things done. Many people have asked me to stand as candidate for Rector.
– Coordination is something I am passionate about. We must build a culture and a mindset for coordination across the organization, and at all levels. Coordination may be hard work, but I will challenge as well as listen to ensure that it becomes embedded throughout the organization.
In your opinion, what is good leadership?
– I want to provide clear leadership that ensures interaction at UiO in order to utilize all the competence that exists there. I will chart a direction, but will create transparent, trustworthy processes. It is important to listen, but also to act. Far too many processes die away. Moreover, I will reclaim the power to define important areas. UiO shall be clear about what we mean by good teaching quality. We must take more whole-hearted responsibility for the quality of our study programmes, and not delegate that responsibility to the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT), for example.
What will UiO look like in 10 years' time?
– In ten years, UiO will enjoy a much closer interaction with the society around us. UiO serves as an engine in the region for interaction between knowledge actors, and creates good reciprocity between our competence and other stakeholders. Through the Knowledge City of Oslo, we can ensure that this knowledge is utilized. Important partners are not only the business community, but also the municipality, schools and authorities. Oslo is also a city of life science. In February, UiO: Life Science is arranging a conference in partnership with the City of Oslo, the Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry in Norway and Oslo University Hospital. This is a good example of how we can set the agenda and create important meeting places.
What is UiO's social remit?
– The University's most significant effect on society is produced by educating students with strong academic competence who think critically and are ethically aware. We influence society directly through our research, and by making our considerable competence available. There is much talk of innovation currently, and in this context the humanities and social science communities are important – we need only think of the contribution made by these academic communities to the development of public administration and as the basis for evidence-based policy. We live in a troubled world, and seldom before has it been so essential to remind ourselves of the value of sharing knowledge and research on culture, language and social conditions with the public at large. Innovation is not simply a matter of commercialization; as an institution we must avail ourselves of a broad concept of innovation that encompasses all of UiO and highlights our academic strength and profile. We need diversity in the university sector, and we must be clear on the role we have.
What are your views on UiO's three interdisciplinary initiatives?
– We must be more successful with the interdisciplinary initiatives. Referring to the feedback from the SAB report, we have some structural challenges. Robustness of research within the disciplines is essential, but we must achieve interactions between the academic communities. We must look around for new instruments that ensure interdisciplinarity, and find out what works. We must ensure proper frameworks that provide incentives, and initiatives must come from the bottom up.
Why is Gro Bjørnerud Mo your candidate for Pro-Rector?
– I am particularly concerned with education, as UiO is already rather good at research, and in that regard, one person in particular came to mind. Gro has both the competence and a real passion for the field of education. She is truly the right person to put education and the learning environment firmly on the agenda. We quickly connected, and it is essential to have a team that covers the breadth of our large university.
Why should UiOs' employees and students vote for you?
– Because we are concerned with the whole of our big, strong university, and not least with the people who work and study at UiO. We should be proud of UiO as a leading European research university, and we must continue to develop together. We believe in clear leadership that is inclusive and listens, and is capable of exploiting the competence and ideas in the organization. We have demonstrated our concern with the physical and mental working and learning environment that reflects steadfast academic values. Good human resource policy must be rooted in trust, responsibility and generosity.
Read the interview with Rector candidate Hans Petter Graver and his answers to the same questions.