The University in 2010

In 2010 we expect the University of Gothenburg to be one of the biggest and liveliest universities in Europe with high quality research and education. A creative and exciting meeting place for many disciplines. In the centre of the city and in close contact with society.

One university – many traditions

Its location in the centre of a large city on the sea gives the University of Gothenburg its special identity. This will be as true in 2010 as it was at the end of the 19th century, when higher education in Gothenburg began. The proximity to the life of the city vitalises the University and contributes to its special character.

The Gothenburg Institute of Higher Education, from which the University of Gothenburg developed, was founded to unite independent study with practical work for the good of society. The connection between academic knowledge and time-tested experience, and more recently the vision of a city centre university unites the University of Gothenburg with the rest of society, including trade and commerce, industry and culture.

The University has been strengthened over the last few decades with the integration of vocational and artistic institutes of higher education.

Integrity and excellence

Independence and freedom in relation to the forms and aims of its research is an indispensible principle for a university. We can best meet the needs and demands of society when our activities are morally and intellectually independent of political, ideological and commercial interests, and when they are characterised by a critical and enquiring attitude.

Academic excellence and a critical search for the truth are the essence of the activities of a university. A constant ’why?’ is the most important intellectual tool. Academic excellence is best served by strict integrity and by an internally democratic organisation. The work must be carried out in accordance with high ethical and moral principles.

The excellence of research and teaching is a university’s most valuable asset – it must always be preserved and developed. Attainment goals must be based on established demands for quality. The long term generation of knowledge is the basis of our role in society.

The University of Gothenburg must further strengthen its interdisciplinary work across traditional subject boundaries. Creative cooperation between different disciplines will improve our ability to answer scientific and artistic questions.

Open minds, open doors

The University of Gothenburg aims to combine the search for academic excellence with openness to society at large. The University must address both the problems of today and those of tomorrow.

The University of Gothenburg must be and be seen to be open, actively in touch with the environment, available and welcoming, ready to cooperate unconditionally with anyone outside the academic world. It must be part of important networks, regionally, nationally and internationally.

It is our aspiration to combine constructive cooperation with the world around us with a critical analysis of trends in society and in trade and industry. It is our responsibility to identify and address important questions in contemporary life. Publishing scientific findings must be a natural part of our activities, as well as promoting lifelong learning for all.

Working for progress in society

We are proud that the University of Gothenburg has been very successful in its research and teaching in combining excellence with practical and useful results in the service of society. The future will imply further cooperation across different academic disciplines - the development of society will continue to demand unified knowledge.

The various and diverse activities which have come together by integrating different institutes of higher education into the University of Gothenburg have facilitated rewarding meetings among disciplines and scientific outlooks.

The University must be an asset even for those who traditionally have had no contact with academic life. Students from all parts of society must the opportunity to study on our programmes. At University of Gothenburg it must always be what you do that matters, not who you are.

A dynamic place to meet and work

We must actively follow the development of technology and take advantage of the opportunities to seek, disseminate and store information that are made possible by technology. At the same time, the role of internationally established forms of knowledge exchange, not least the discussion seminar, must be reinforced.

We can all contribute to making University of Gothenburg an exciting forum for teachers, researchers and students. Learning is part of a personal context for each individual, and its significance is influenced by individual experiences. But learning is also collective; it is created in meetings between people.

Libraries are important meeting places for people in higher education. But new places must also be created across traditional subject and professional boundaries.

For teachers, researchers, administrators and technicians, as well as for students, the University of Gothenburg must be an attractive, stimulating, creative place of work, with equal opportunities for all. This demands a good work environment, and possibilities for all employees and students to grow and to realise their full potential.

Where research and education meet

The link between research and teaching and the dialogue between researchers and students is fundamental to the long term growth of the Universitys’ generation of knowledge. Research and teaching must stand on an equal footing. Our ambition is to aim for excellence in teaching animated by research and for excellence in research inspired by the students’ commitment and interest.

It is our fundamental conviction that a university must develop procedures and working methods where research and teaching are linked. If such a connection is absent the research carried out by universities risks losing its importance and the students’ involvement may diminish.

We must all  ensure that the University does not become an education factory. Instead we must develop a creative environment for learning and research that encourages an enquiring attitude in students. This will have a positive influence on the development of society.

Keeping pace with the city – and the world

The University of Gothenburg differs from many other universities in that most its buildings are located in the city centre. We believe that the University can continue to make even better use of its central. The University must also make demands on the city and help improve conditions for students.

The close proximity to the city centre does not run contrary to the increasingly important internationalisation of various global eductional and research networks. The position of the University of Gothenburg in the middle of Scandinavia also facilitates educational and research cooperation across national boundaries.

The constantly shifting perspective between the local and the global extends the boundaries for our research and makes our students better equipped to deal with the problems and challenges of the future in cooperation with others. An international university is better equipped to contribute to local debate and to influence the local community.

The University of Gothenburg has an important role to play in the development of a sustainable society. Commitment to environmental issues is a strong feature of the research in many of our faculties. Awareness of environmental concerns must also influence the way we conduct our activities both internally and externally.

A major and exciting European university

Breadth and variety are two recognised characteristics of the University of Gothenburg. With eleven faculties we are certainly a university of many disciplines with great opportunities for synergies between different research groups and with considerable choice and variety for our students in combining subjects.

It is the responsibility of both the management and of individual participants in the University to take advantage of this variety and breadth in order to strengthen the quality of teaching and research. This will make us an important university in Europe, as well as one of the most dynamic and exciting ones.