Teachers would like a bigger say
Academic freedom, sustainable development and closer contacts with the world outside. These are some of the issues the teacher representatives on the new board at KTH want to work with in the coming years.
Hjalmar Brismar, Ulrica Edlund and Nicole Kringos represent the faculty on the University Board that will take office on 1 May. We asked them what they wanted to focus on during the coming mandate period.
Ulrica Edlund , a professor at the Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, raised the transition to as sustainable society.
“This is an area where I think KTH can sharpen its act even further. KTH has, by virtue of its breadth and expertise, an opportunity to act as a powerful engine for change in the transition to a sustainable society, within both teaching and research.”
She hopes to use her experiences as a researcher, teacher and deputy director of a KTH research platform, in work to further develop quality and forms of cooperation.
“I am keen to put the focus on the key role the faculty has and the conditions in the continuously evolving process of developing and further strengthening KTH.”
Hjalmar Brismar , a professor at the Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics at KTH and SciLifeLab, who was also a member of the previous University Board, thinks along the same lines:
“During the coming mandate period, I hope to be able to continue the constructive discussion we were engaged in on the board as to how we should strengthen academic freedom and the faculty’s position at KTH in relation to the demands and expectations that are imposed on us in the current line organisation.”
Nicole Kringos , a professor at the Department of Structural Engineering and Bridges, would like to see a discussion on a change in forms of cooperation.
“If we are to achieve our common goals, more fundamental system changes are called for. We need to redefine structures, integrate academia and industry and review the role KTH can play.”
She feels boundary breaking partnerships are the key to sustainable development.
“Sharing resources between different stakeholders can deliver long-term benefits as this will support the integration of our visions at an early stage, develop and engage talents and create multidisciplinary knowledge. KTH can take a leading role in this change process via its ability to pursue a long-term vision.”
Text: Christer Gummeson