COLUMN. We hope there will be more collegial discussions on important issues for the entire faculty at future Academy Meetings, Dean Agneta Holmäng writes in a column.
Universities have a strong and long history of faculty discussions that we need to maintain and develop!
There has also been a strong tradition of open meetings, held in Swedish. The meetings were formerly known as the General Academy Meetings and now referred to as Academy Meetings. It gives the teaching staff and our colleagues the opportunity to gain insight into important issues and to express their opinions on matters of importance to the whole faculty. In the past, these meetings have always been very well attended, often with lively discussions. Over the past decade, however, interest and commitment to faculty discussions has unfortunately declined. This has been reflected, for example, in lower attendance at Academy Meetings. The long period of COVID-19 also necessarily led to an extended hiatus in in-person meetings.
Now that the restrictions have been lifted, Faculty Management wants to try to resume these discussions in various ways. Academy Meetings will be held more frequently than before and will be scheduled at lunchtime (with sandwiches served) to enable more people to attend. These meetings should not only be informational in nature. They should also be characterized by open discussion of, and views on, important issues affecting the whole faculty.
Our next Academy Meeting will take place on May 4 at 12:00–13:00 in the Arvid Carlsson Hall. The theme for the information and discussion that day is our faculty premises. What is the status of Sahlgrenska Life? How is the careful renovation of Experimental Biomedicine progressing? What about the move of operations to the Earth Science Center? Are our teaching premises and study places sufficient for our needs? Our costs for premises will increase no matter where we are in the faculty. How much money should we spend on these that could otherwise be spent on research, education, and creating positions? If we want to try to keep our premises costs down, what is the best way to do this?
I hope to see many of you at the Academy Meeting on May 4.
We look forward to seeing you there,
Agneta Holmäng
Photo: Johan Wingborg. Portrait: Stefan Bladh / SSMF
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