COLUMN. Agneta Holmäng looks forward to an eventful term, which will also be her last as Dean of Sahlgrenska Academy.
I would like to begin by welcoming you back to work at Sahlgrenska Academy! I hope you were able to enjoy your summer, even if it ended with wet weather, and that you have recharged your batteries ready for the new term.
The work has felt very meaningful
This is my sixth year as Dean of Sahlgrenska Academy. It has been a great privilege and an honor to have served in this capacity during this period. The work has felt very meaningful, and has always been enjoyable. Thanks to our fantastic pro-deans and assistant deans, a constructive and committed board, a competent Dean’s Heads of Departments’ Council, and an effective Faculty Office, I also believe that this has been a period of significant success for the faculty in many respects.
We have launched a new medical program and there also have been significant reforms within other educational programs, there has been a considerable increase in the faculty’s fundraising, we have established valuable collaboration with AstraZeneca and the GoCo project, the national medical training and research evaluation of clinical research was again a great success, and during the period many individual research teams have made important discoveries. From my perspective, the past years also stand out as a period without any major conflicts within the faculty, with different operations having collaborated in a pragmatic and constructive manner.
Six years is about right for this type of role
The normal term of office for a dean is six years, with the possibility of extending this by another three years. I had informed the Drafting Committee that I was available in the event that such an extension was desired, which is why my candidacy was announced in the spring. However, as it has now become clear that the Drafting Committee did not envisage a simplified election procedure this time and has identified alternative candidates for the position, I think it is appropriate for the incumbent Dean to decline re-election. Six years is about right for this type of role
The Drafting Committee is now continuing its work. All employees will be invited to a hearing with the candidates on 6 October, at which I hope you will take the opportunity to ask questions. I have every confidence that the process will go smoothly, and that an excellent new Dean will take office at the beginning of next year.
Rising rental costs risk eroding funds
Although this will be my last term as Dean, I do not plan to be idle. There are many issues that need to be addressed and dealt with. We remain in an uncertain financial situation, where rising rental costs risk eroding funds that should actually be used for research and teaching. It is important that both we and the future faculty management act with good judgment and wisdom in this respect, and that we try to identify cost-effective solutions.
Within the Vice-Chancellor’s University Management Council, I will continue to promote Sahlgrenska Academy’s interests in a constructive manner. I look forward to working with our newly appointed Vice-Chancellor in the best interests of the University. I also look forward to working with Sahlgrenska University Hospital’s new Director, Boubou Hallberg.
Naturally, we hope that our meeting will be reflected in the Research Bill
A few weeks ago, I was part of a delegation from the University of Gothenburg, Chalmers University of Technology, and our regional business community that visited the Ministry of Education and Research in Stockholm. The initiative was taken by Chalmers’ outgoing President, Stefan Bengtsson, and myself. Our visit was inspired by Minister for Education Mats Persson’s overall goal of promoting Sweden as a research nation, for example by encouraging the utilization of research and collaboration with industry. During the meeting we described how we collaborate across borders in Gothenburg, including through the hundreds of researcher-initiated projects carried out in cooperation between Sahlgrenska Academy, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, and Chalmers. Naturally, we that this meeting will be reflected in the Research Bill, for example in the form of a targeted cross-sectoral basic grant between higher education institutions. Our new Vice-Chancellor Malin Broberg, Chalmers’ incoming President Martin Nilsson Jacobi, and Carl Bennet (who represented the business community) were also included in the delegation. The visit went well, and the Minister for Education was extremely interested in what is happening in Gothenburg, how we collaborate within the field of medicine and technology, and our investment proposal for the forthcoming Research Bill.
Another important focus for me during the autumn will be revitalizing collegial discussions, which unfortunately tailed off during the pandemic. I hope you will be able to attend the Academy meeting that we plan to hold on Tuesday 10 October at lunchtime (12:00–13:00) in the Lecture Hall Arvid Carlsson . The topic this time will be career paths and the growth of researchers.
Best wishes
Agneta Holmäng
