Just before the summer holidays

Just before the summer holidays we were informed that the Parliament has approved of the Universities Act, which has aroused a lot of discussion. We have now received a mandate from our MPs to truly begin the founding of Aalto University!

During the summer, we will work together with the Board and change teams to develop our new university’s organization, ordinance, and development plan. By the end of the summer, we will be able to discuss these with the entire community. The feedback discussion on the new university’s values has just concluded and the results from the discussion will also be analyzed during the summer.

I received the first results of the evaluation of the research from the Chairs of the panels last Friday. As usual, we received both praise and criticism. We have many top units that are at the cutting edge of international research, but we need to adopt a more international approach in our work. Results of the evaluation will be published in the beginning of September, after which I will discuss the feedback with the units that took part in the evaluation.

I have received a number of opinions and suggestions through various feedback channels. The feedback seems to include a lot of frustration caused by the ongoing changes. Luckily, there is a channel that allows for the expression of these kinds of feelings. Both the positive and negative feedback will be taken into account when continuing the planning process.

The university’s new visual image evokes both negative and positive feelings. The winning proposal is the starting point for planning our new logo and entire visual image – so it will not be realized exactly as it is. I myself am part of the visual image planning team and am convinced that we will be able to design a brilliant image for the new university. The brand consists of the content, while the purpose of the logo and the visual image is to be memorable and remind people of our unique operational methods.

The modesty of concrete actions seems to be causing a lot of concern at this stage. I can only say that well-planned is as good as half-done: we could not implement reforms before the Universities Act came into force. But we can do this next fall and in the beginning of next year we can truly begin the development work!

One of our first concrete measures was the launching of idea contests for research and teaching. One common research project, aivoAalto, is already underway and funding has been granted for a number of new curricula in the fall. We are drafting plans for immediate actions in many important development areas, such as the range of IT services, to ensure that improvements may be implemented already during next fall. I believe that the completion of Aalto University’s development plan and the related implementation plans at the turn of the year will boost confidence in the fact that we are genuinely developing an even better joint university.

I wish everyone at Aalto a sunny and relaxing summer holiday!

What were my thoughts in India?

I spent last week in India as a guest at the wedding of a postgraduate student of mine who just completed a doctoral degree. The experience was overwhelming and I will certainly need a few weeks to take in all my experiences during the week. My principal memory is that of the unconditional kindness and hospitality of the Indian hosts. During the journey, we repeatedly engaged in loud and lively discussion on issues such as the history and present day of our home countries, child rearing, education, religion and free thinking, the impact of urbanization, environmental issues, and the state of the world.

During the journey, I was evidently also influenced by India’s all-embracing pluralism, a society characterized by numerous religions, tens of languages, as well as huge social and economics differences. Poverty remains a concrete issue as people spend their nights sleeping on the streets or in the fields, the hotel staff wake up on the floor of the lobby, and mothers with children can be seen begging everywhere. Town planning is still in its infancy and traffic culture could use a true renaissance. Education is valued; one of the families I met spends 75% of their income to educate their only son. Although basic education is both compulsory and free in India, higher education remains expensive and available only to the select few. Our society’s tax-paid education is therefore a privilege that should be regarded with respect and responsibility.

Drafting of the Universities Act continues here in our home country, as do preparations for Aalto University. Newly motivated by my India experience, I will continue my work with Aalto University next week with enthusiasm, ambition, and true responsibility, aware of the fact that we play a small but crucial role in ensuring sustainable development for future generations, both in Finland and the world at large. One of our common questions could be: how can the new Aalto University help the poorest people in India and other countries to reach education and research?