SWAN SONG. After a multi-year commitment to internationalization at Sahlgrenska Academy, Gunnar Tobin has resigned as International Director. Here, he presents us with his swan song*, in which he concludes that the faculty’s internationalization efforts were dependent on a handful of driving forces who recognized the value of a global perspective in daily activities.
During the last years of the previous century, internationalization was a relatively unfamiliar concept. But a few people at the academy had the foresight to recognize the value of a global perspective in education. Professor Lotta Mellander was just such a unique individual. At the time, Lotta Mellander was a senior lecturer at the children’s clinic, and she organized exchanges for medical students in Tanzania. I was in charge of the degree project course in the pharmaceutical biosciences program at the time, and Lotta was invited in to present her views on how the aspect of internationalization could be an essential part of the pharmaceutical program. That was the beginning. Later, I was invited to the rather informal group of teachers with an interest in internationalization who met regularly.
Internationalization as an unnecessary idea imposed on the university and faculties
At the turn of the century (00!), the first person was hired by the office who would serve as administrative support for internationalization activities at the academy, which in turn helped to catalyze those activities. But it was apparent early on that Lotta Mellander’s foresight did not match the pace of management’s insight into the importance of internationalization and the faculty management appointed me as chairperson of the internationalization committee that was established. Presumably in the belief of disavowing the initiative. But I hope that today we can say that such was not the case.
However, internationalization was still viewed as an unnecessary idea imposed on the university and faculties in various top-down directives such as public service agreements and university-generated documents. But those of us who saw the value in including global perspectives in the academy’s activities kept pushing.
Establish a faculty of medicine in the occupied West Bank
A project which was deeply significant, in my opinion, for the development of internationalization at the academy was when our future pro-dean, Eric Hanse, became involved in our collaboration with Al-Quds University in Palestine. In the early 1990s, Professor Kurt Ahrén had retired and worked at the Eastman Institute in Israel. Together with a colleague, they had the idea to establish a faculty of medicine in the occupied West Bank and started the first medical school in Palestine. As a part of strengthening the academic activities at the newly started faculty, it was included that the faculty’s teachers should be encouraged to engage in doctoral studies outside of Palestine, and annual study trips to Sahlgrenska Academy were arranged for these doctoral students. In the early 2000s, I came to be included in these efforts. On one of my visits to Al-Quds University, I was contacted by the dean, Professor Hani Abdeen, who explained that they were in need of teachers for the physiology course in their medical program. He asked whether Sahlgrenska Academy would be able to hold the year-long course in 2008/09. I said yes. That was in May 2008. I slept poorly for a long time. Ove Lundgren, Mats Jodal, Mats Sandberg and Eric Hanse volunteered for the task. Together, we held the course!
The academy has much better internationalization activities than it deserves
A prominent person in internationalization once said that the academy has much better internationalization activities than it deserves. That was a few years ago, so I can be considered innocent in both respects. Nevertheless, it is a sign of how the organization has grown – from the pathos of individuals. The vice dean at the time, Börje Haraldsson, who contacted me so that we could apply for a SIDA grant for the Rwanda partnership; Göran Bondjer’s project for the academy’s collaboration for doctoral studies in Africa; and Gunilla Krantz and Rune Andersson’s comprehensive dedication to global health issues can all be mentioned here.
On our visits with most international partners, we were almost always met by a professional and well-defined organization when it came to the collaborations. Why didn’t Sahlgrenska Academy have that? Well, on a visit to the Czech countryside, something felt familiar. Here they said: “Sure, we can collaborate. In the summer. Because we are unable to offer credit for something. Indeed, this is the only place where we teach sufficiently well.”
Sound familiar? And they had no organization for international partnerships either! It is strange that all over the world, people only offer adequate teaching at their own higher education institutions.
A recognized part of the organization
2014 is a watershed year. It was the year in which the Council for Internationalization and Sahlgrenska Academy International Office (SAIO) were established. For twelve years, we had been a free-range committee, but now we were a recognized part of the organization. We were beginning to resemble the rest of the world! In the establishment of our infrastructure, we worked constantly using a bottom-up principle, that is, the organization’s demand and governance would determine our support initiatives.
Even if the establishment of an infrastructure is only a first step, it is an important one. There is no second step without it. The work done by our coordinators at SAIO is sometimes hidden from view, but hundreds of incoming and outgoing students are handled each year. And the people who come into contact with our coordinators are impressed by their level of organization and professionalism. Our work has always aimed to support the entire organization–from students and PhDs to administrators, teachers and researchers.
Now is the time for the next step
I am happy to have been part of creating our structure together with others. Additional, I’m proud also proud of establishing double degrees for doctoral students, searchable funding for our teachers, the certificate of international merits, the guest professorship program, teachers with responsibility for internationalization in the programs, and the national award for internationalization initiatives. The latter was particularly gratifying to me, especially when Camilla Hesse was the first to receive the distinction.
Last but not least, I want to highlight the leadership with whom I have had the honor of working. The atmosphere has been characterized by a desire to work for the best for the academy and the recognition of contributions made by colleagues–not by central management, detail control, or “fake news.” But now it is time for the next step–to further develop internationalization and to use the established structures, in accordance with the government’s new directives, to include internationalization in teaching and to expand opportunities for our students to study abroad and for foreign students to come here. In other words, we are becoming an international campus. To facilitate and not obstruct. Based on the expertise required in the area. What we thankfully have at SAIO.
Thank you so much. In one year, I will be heading off into the sunset. Taking life as it comes, head on.
*Editor’s note: the concept of a “swan song” refers to an old notion that swans, which have been mute for their entire lives, sing a beautiful song just before they die. Even in antiquity this was known to be incorrect, but the term “swan song” lives on.
