Ho Ho Ho, A Very Charlie Brown Christmas, New Year and Holiday Greetings to all of you!
My very own Charlie Brown, my PT, PA and PI, tells me that it is about time to leave the desk and go out into the stormy weather, enjoy the wind and then some cooking, Christmas music and Christmas stories.
Before I do I just want to say a couple of things to all of you:
Make sure that you will have time to yourself and to get some rest during the holidays – also remember all the great things that you have achieved during this year, which in many other ways has been very dark.
If you have not read it: Jeanette Wintersen’s Christmas Days is a lovely book, filled with heart-warming stories that helps us remember to be kind to each other but also a bit spooky stories, and interesting recipes.
The last couple of weeks have been filled with exciting and important events and news related to KS and what we do, as well as horrible and tragic news reaching us from different parts of the world. Our times are hard and challenging in many ways, and now more than ever it is important for us to continue the work we do and remember to respect each other.
Högtidsveckan was a really great experience in many ways. We had a fantastic KS-dag with inspiring lecture by new professors, visiting and adjungerade professor – thank you all speakers!!! And thank you Therese Hjort who organized everything – celebrations and a relaunch of Anna Lindh Academy and finally a festive årshögtid! Congratulations again to our new doctors and professors!
November 8, we had our first KS-dag focusing on our kunskapsmiljöer and with a guest lecture by Professor Eva Hemmungs-Wirtén on her way to an ERC-advanced grant, but also on her experiences of managing and finishing it successfully. Thank you for contributing and making our first day such a good day! From what I heard, many of you got new knowledge on what is going on at KS in the different miljöer, but also inspiration from your colleagues and from the talk given by Eva Hemmungs-Wirtén. (Next KS-dag is on November 6, 2024 – save the date will be in your calendar very soon!)
Writing this newsletter, I have just come back from our seminar on Humanities that KS Malmö University arranged together with HumTank, Lund University and Vetenskap & Allmänhet (Nov 15). We had the opportunity to take part of important knowledge on what the public think about humanities (most of them have either low trust in humanities and research from humanities, or have no opinion at all) and also discuss why we have this rather challenging situation and what we can do to change it. There were many good suggestions and food for thought, and since it was filmed everybody will be able to watch it, but what I want to stress is that we need to continue to make visible 1) that what we do is valuable for our societies in many ways which also means that we need to be part of many different rooms and use different languages and genres to talk about what we do – not least that we are important for the STEM strategies; 2) that it is important for us not to separate collaboration and dissemination from our research and teaching, but that we continue to see that they are all connected and part of the same process; 3) that it is not only academia that have become more “professionalized” in the last 20 years, but also all other spheres, which also means that there are not as many people who have one foot in different spheres anymore and that can function as mediators. (If you are interested in the reports made by Humtank and Vetenskap & allmänhet, just visit their websites.)
Yesterday (November 14) we had KS verksamhetsdialog with the Vice Chancellor where the focus was on planning and a sustainable economy. It was a really constructive and positive dialogue where Kerstin Tham underlined that what we are doing at KS has high quality, not only in relation to our research and education, but also when it comes to how we organize ourselves and how we use our resources. The fact that we have high quality in our program and courses, that we now have a new doctoral subject (Organisation Studies), that so many students apply to our courses and programs, that we apply for and also have been very successful in external funding (congratulations!), that we are doing research and also publish, (do not forget to register in Diva – since your publications also is important for our funding) collaborate and innovate in different forms are also related to the fact that we do these things together, that we have a clear Agenda and work strategically and systematically. So be proud of what you do!Keep up the good work and continue to recognize, respect and help each other! And do not forget to celebrate and also to take a break!
We also of course talked about the challenging times that we are part of right now and how it is even more important to think about how we use our resources, at the same time that it is also more difficult than ever to plan .The discussion related to finances continued in the afternoon yesterday, since our Chief Financial Officer at Malmö university, Ingrid Bengtsson-Rijavec, was a guest at Fakultetsstyrelsen. We were very happy to have her as a guest and hope to make this a yearly standing invitation.
Next week Malmö university is part of Förbjuden kulturvecka organized by Malmö stad. Vice Chancellor Kerstin Tham and adjungerad professor I konst Maria Lantz, K3, will be part of a panel together with Henric Höijer talking about academic freedom and artistic freedom moderated by Lars Mogensen. Most welcome! https://mau.se/kalender/forbjuden-kultur/
–A record number of students enrolling! Fantastic for us, and for the students, and also really important for our future! We of course need to continue to attract students since higher education is one of our core tasks and what we have to offer is high quality education in areas and subjects that are really important to society today. And as I said to the University Board, when I had the chance to present our faculty to them last Friday: KS has a diversified portfolio which serves us well right now when almost all universities are struggling, and we are also working hard trying to develop things further (see our Agenda för sammanhängande och gränsöverskridande kunskapsmiljöer).
– A new Öresundsnätverk, a collaboration between Lund, Köpenhamn and Malmö, CEMES (Center for Modern European Studies) kick-started with a conference at Niagara! Congratulations to all of us in this network since it makes us stronger. Seed-money for new research-groups, workshops, conferences etc. If you have any questions talk to Dino Knudsen, GPS.
CEMES Kick-off at Niagara
– A Malmö University Celebration filled with great music, tributes in pouring rain and Fråga Malmö with your own team Kuiz-Stars (we did not win the competition this time, but we had the biggest social impact) and Christian Fernandez in the panel of experts! Kuiz-Stars will have a new chance to win the title during Högtidsveckan when there will be another Fråga Malmö.
Malmö University celebrates 5 years. KS Kuiz-Stars in the picture to the left.
Hope that your summer was a bit more peaceful, so that you also can enjoy everything that is going on and that KS will offer you during this fall. More is more is what fall 23 is about:
– KS-dag during Högtidsveckan, Monday October 9. Our new professors, guest professors and adjungerade professors will present their research during the day and in the evening we will celebrate them as well as re-launch the Anna Lindh Academy! This day will truly highlight and make visible how our research, education and samverkan are intertwined and working together!
– KS-dag November 8: During this day the departments will present their/our kunskapsmiljöer and we will celebrate some of our staff who have decided to become pensionärer. Since it is important for all of us to really get to know what we are doing in order to grow stronger and support each other, this day should be in your calender.
– A day/event November 15organized together with Humtank, Vetenskap & allmänhetand Lunds universitet focusing on forskningsförmedling and samverkan. (see poster-invitation below). There will be presentations of Humtanks latest report, but also a panel. More info will follow, but let me just say that we are really proud of being able to organize this at Malmö university this year. Many thanks to Malmö University HumTank representative Christina Johansson! And also a heads-up, we will be looking for a new person to represent us in HumTank.
– An event November 21 part of Förbjuden Kulturvecka, which is organized by Malmö stad, focusing on Academic Freedom and Artistic Freedom. Our Vice Chancellor Kerstin Tham and our new adjungerade Professor Maria Lantz, K3, will be part of the panel. This event is also organized by KS together with Kultursamverkan Malmö universitet and Universitetsbiblioteket. Since we now live in times where these freedoms are contested in different ways, it is more important for us than ever to be able to manifest that we are an open university.
Also – we are in the middle of the process of recruiting a new Head of Department to US. There has been a lot of interest and many applications, which is fantastic, and we are following our plan so when we have real news you will know. Also do not miss that we also are looking for a new person to take on the role of Vicedekan för forskarutbildning. Apply yourself or nominate somebody!
And a big welcome to our new Head of Department at K3: Marie Öhman and all other new staff at KS – a special warm welcome to all of our new PhD-students!
Take care, see you out there, and remember to treat each other with respect!
Annika Olsson
Docent,Dekan/Dean Fakulteten för kultur och samhälle/Faculty of Culture and Society
Och jag sitter på Pågatåget från Simrishamn (flyttade hit från Stockholm i februari – stortrivs) och funderar på vad vi sysslat med under våren och mina första månader som dekan. Vi på KS har bland annat
Färdigställt och fastställt KS Agenda för sammanhållna och gränsöverskridande miljöer, vilket innebär att vi har både en karta över vad KS erbjuder i dag, en målbild för vad vi vill vara om några år och en färdplan för hur vi ska ta oss dit. Det är inspirerande att ta del av allt vi gör på KS. Läs och var stolt! (Agendan är lämnad till engelsk översättning och så fort vi får in den sprider vi även den engelska versionen.)
Rekryterat en ny prodekan och satt igång rekryteringsprocessen av ny prefekt för Urbana studier. Annons ska enligt plan gå ut ”runt” midsommar och deadline för att söka tjänsten blir förmodligen sista augusti. Sök och/eller uppmuntra andra att söka – sprid informationen!
Tagit fram och fastställt åtgärdsplan för uppföljning av utvärdering av forskarutbildning. Och i höst blir det också omtag kring hur vi arbetar med våra olika forskarutbildningsprocesser för att skapa ökad tydlighet och mindre frustration i beredning och hantering. Att vi har en forskarutbildning av hög kvalitet fick vi konstaterat i utvärderingen, men nu ska vi ta nästa steg i utvecklingen. Glädjande nog fick jag rapporter från doktoranderna att det gemensamma skrivinternatet för KS doktorander i veckan varit en succé – 10 av 10 poäng. Bra jobbat alla ni som ordnat!
Vår fakultet och Malmö universitet har många viktiga funktioner genom det vi utbildar i och forskar kring. Men vi ska också komma ihåg att en av våra viktigaste roller i vår apokalyptiska samtid är att visa på betydelsen av vetenskaplig kunskap och vår – och studenternas – förmåga att både självständigt och tillsammans ta oss an och utforska och hantera komplexa och svåra utmaningar systematiskt och metodiskt. När vi i höst firar att vi varit universitet i 5 år, lärosäte i 25 och odontologi i 75, kommer detta att synas i programmet bland annat på högtidsveckan och genom våra nya professorer (Stort grattis till KS nyaste professor Kristin Järvstad) och doktorer, men också på vår gemensamma KS-dag och i evenemang vi är med och arrangerar som tar sig an frågor som förbjuden kultur, yttrandefrihet, mänskliga rättigheter och akademisk frihet.
Slutligen vill jag också rikta ett stort och extra varmt tack till prodekan Magnus Nilsson som nu i höst lämnar sitt uppdrag och som bidragit stort under de år han varit verksam i sin roll. Magnus Nilsson har under sina år som prodekan varit med om att ta KS från högskola till universitet med allt vad det innebär: ευχαριστώ!
Hoppas ni alla nu får vilsamma dagar. Vi ses igen i augusti!
Nu är vi tillbaka igen efter en lång påskledighet med sol – det var välbehövligt! Hoppas ni alla haft möjlighet att ta en promenad, läsa en bok, äta något gott. Själv känner jag mig alltid rätt trög efter att ha varit helt ledig några dagar, så nu håller jag som bäst på att starta igång arbetshjärnan igen. En koll på kalendern ingår i detta: vad har vi gjort och vad ligger framför oss?
Foto: Annika Olsson.
Halvvägs in i terminen innebär att vi haft alla kvalitetsdialoger med institutionerna (mycket bra framåtsyftande samtal) och att vi förbereder oss för KS dialog med universitetsledningen. Det pågår väldigt mycket strategiskt arbete på alla institutioner, inte minst i relation till kunskapsmiljöerna: nya kurser; flera rekryteringar på gång; nya doktorander på ingång, massor av ansökningar. Full fart på ett positivt vis. Nu har också Mona Lilja börjat sitt uppdrag som prefekt vid GPS 1 april – välkommen Mona och tack Gunnhildur Magnusdottir för ett bra jobb som tf prefekt!
Vi är också mitt i processen med att rekrytera ny prodekan efter Magnus Nilsson, som fick ett stort bidrag från VR för att bygga miljö och ska ägna sig mer åt forskning från och med i höst. Vi har nu intervjuer med tre kandidater, och händer ingenting oförutsett hoppas vi vara helt färdiga med processen i början av maj.
Ett annat arbete vi är mitt i är en uppföljning av fjolårets utvärdering av forskarutbildningarna (alla utom ett ämne) vid KS. Utvärderingen, som generellt var positiv, konstaterade bland annat att vår organisering av forskarutbildningen behövde ses över för att bli tydligare (beslutsvägar och processer upplevdes som något snåriga och otydliga) och mer resurseffektiv. Som ett led i detta arbete fick professor Malin Ideland (LS), med stor erfarenhet av och kunskap kring forskarutbildning, i uppdrag att se över just rutiner och processer. Hennes rapport har precis landat i mailkorgen (och diariet: LED 2023/151) och innebär att vi nu ska analysera hennes slutsatser och fundera över hur vi går vidare. (Det kommer också en åtgärdsplan som tar fasta på andra slutsatser i utvärderingen.)
Nästa vecka ska jag, prefekt Kerstin Sandell och Helene Waldeck på nationellt dekanmöte för samhällsvetenskapliga fakulteter i Uppsala. Temat är forskning, samverkan och finansiering. Medverkar gör bland annat representanter från flera forskningsfinansiärer och även statssekreterare Maria Nilsson. Vi ser till att ni får information när vi varit där. Detta är ju extremt viktiga frågor för oss att bevaka.
2023 är ju också stora jubileumsåret: Malmö Universitet 25 år, K3 25 år och US och GPS 15 år!
Vi firar hela året, men extra mycket:
31 augusti 2023: 15.00-18.00. Save the date och gör firandet till en del av undervisningen!
Måndag 9 oktober är KS-dag i högtidsveckan då våra nya professorer av olika slag kommer att hålla föreläsningar för både kollegor och studenter, och fredagen 13 oktober samlas vi till årshögtid för att fira alla Malmö Universitets nya doktorer och professorer tillsammans
8 november är vår första gemensamma KS-dag om våra gemensamma kunskapsmiljöer. Mer information följer, men detta är ett viktigt steg i vårt arbete att synliggöra oss själva för varandra! Så boka in dagen – den kommer att bli både spännande och mycket viktig för oss (jag vet att några redan har annat inbokat, men vi ska se om vi kan hitta en lösning).
Since we are living in very troubled and challenging times it is really important that we do our best to remind each other that what we do at the Faculty of Culture and Society is more important than ever; that we also live in a world full of people doing good things and that positive things happen every day. Let’s call it The Everyday Practice of Being Nice and Figuring Out Things Together.
Culture and Society
The poet Bob Hansson helped me get on the right track this morning, when he talked about the importance of being nice, in general, but more specifically in the everyday life of organizations. Another pick-me-upper was the interview with historian Henrik Berggren where he talks about the fact that widespread literacy and the use of books are two of the most important factors for Sweden becoming one of the most innovative countries in the world. Culture, culture, culture in all of its shapes and forms are one of the foundations of democratic and sustainable societies. Of course.
We know it (we study culture in different ways, teach what we know about culture and develop new forms of culture) but we also need to make sure that this knowledge becomes more well-known. Inspired by the feminist concept situated knowledge I usually talk about the importance of situate what we do in the national and international landscape of research and education. This important work is directly related to the ongoing work focusing on sammanhållna, gränsöverskridande, akademiska kunskapsmiljöer, where all of you have been and are involved in different ways (for instance via APT). We need to make sure that we understand what we are doing and where we are heading, so that our students and prospective research partners of different kinds also can understand what we have to offer, and this is something we are doing together.
Figuring out things together is what we are good at in general in Academia, and working with and at Culture and Society I would say that this is our Super-Power. I really look forward to thinking together with all of you!
Annika Olsson
Docent/Dekan/Dean
Fakulteten för Kultur och Samhälle/Faculty for Culture and Society
