Efforts to strengthen leadership
Some years ago, we completed a study on the leadership of the future at Lund University. The study gave rise to a number of recommendations, resulting in the introduction and implementation of several initiatives within management and leadership development. These include two targeted leadership programmes launched last year – one for heads of department and one for future leaders.
We have also established a management forum that regularly brings together the University’s managers to delve deeper into current issues. A forum on the theme of conflict resolution was held a couple of weeks ago. During the forum, experts offered concrete tips and advice on how to deal with one of the most challenging situations that managers can face. It was a wonderfully well-organised morning, and I am looking forward to future events.
- The latest Managers forum: LU Managers Forum – for all managers at LU
- New policy for academic leadership to support managers and employees
Academic freedom project
A few years ago, a new policy for academic leadership set out the University’s approach to these issues. This autumn has seen a new project launched that intends to further the work on academic freedom and the role of the University in society. The project is led by Professor Vilhelm Persson (Faculty of Law), Associate Professor Rebecca Selberg (Faculty of Social Sciences) and Tim Ekberg (Offices of the Vice-Chancellor) and will run for one year.
Academic freedom is a frequently cited concept. The Government recently appointed a committee to develop proposals on how to strengthen the individual academic freedom of teaching staff and researchers. Its recommendations will be presented next summer and will make for interesting reading.
Lund University is a long-standing signatory of Magna Charta Universitatum, an international document setting out principles of academic freedom and institutional autonomy. The document was created in 1988 at the time of the University of Bologna’s 900th anniversary and was signed by 388 European universities at the time. Today, more than 1,000 higher education institutions have joined. I visited King’s College London a few weeks ago to renew Lund University’s signature. Magna Charta Universitatum is an important commitment that means standing up for academic freedom and the values of academia. This new project will help us to do those things.
New project will strengthen academic freedom at Lund University
/ Jimmie Kristensson, pro vice-chancellor