Strategic Plan for the University of Agder 2010-2015

General mandate

The University of Agder is a public institution mandated to provide higher education, conduct research and development, disseminate knowledge about the institution’s activities, methods and results of the academic activities and contribute to the development of society.

Model universities

The profile of the University of Agder reflects important characteristics of new European universities that are regionally embedded, engaged in innovative activities and groundbreaking in their use of pedagogical tools and methods.

Values and organisational culture

Respect for the equal worth of all human beings should characterise the basic ethical attitude of students and staff at the University of Agder. We will develop an institution built on the democratic and humanistic cultural heritage. The University will be characterised by broadminded tolerance, respect for others and demands for intellectual honesty.

The principle of equal worth should also define our efforts towards gender equality. The University of Agder will explicitly work to bring about a better distribution of positions and ensure equality regarding income between the genders. The University will actively seek to attain a more balanced gender distribution across all study programmes.

The University of Agder will keep a focus on the local and global environmental challenges when it comes to the operation and maintenance of University buildings and premises, in the development of the institution, in student and staff travel, and in scientific and administrative activity in general.

Staff and students at the University of Agder will develop pride in their own results as well as in the results of others. It is important to show appreciation and enthusiasm when the University as an institution, in certain fields or through certain individuals shows progress and achieves good results.

Academic and organisational openness are central values for academic activity. The University will pursue and develop these values. Openness and mutual respect will also characterise cooperation with the unions. Managers will be loyal towards the institution and the employees, and each employee will contribute to fulfilling the responsibilities and goals of the university. Managers at all levels have a particular responsibility for ensuring that all employees feel that they are heard and seen.

The University of Agder will focus on developing a culture of adaptation and innovation, displaying flexibility and the ability to collect and systematise experience in the organisation. The process of change requires that all employees systematically work to develop their areas of expertise. The University will make appropriate arrangements for such academic and professional development to take place.

Determination, discipline, respect and trust are required from employees, students and the entire Agder region for the University of Agder to succeed in its goals. It also requires hard work and cooperation within the University, with other educational and research institutions, and with society in general.

Strategic goals

By 2015, the University of Agder will develop and be recognised for

• Academic and study environments that are among the best in the country
• Several research environments that are leading in the country
• Close ties and cooperation with the region
• Strong international connections
• Innovative use of technology and communication media

The University of Agder will have academic and study environments that are among the best in the country

The study programmes and learning environments will be connected to the forefront of research and development, in close relationship with practical life and society, and provide solid and recognised learning outcomes. Students will gain knowledge of research methods through participation in research activities and knowledge of the working life they will enter after completing their studies. Through their studies, the students will become familiar with academic fields outside their own field, and gain experience in cooperating across boundaries between different professional and academic domains.

The quality of education and teaching will be reflected in applications for status as Centre of Excellence in Teaching and Learning in a number of academic fields.

Attractive study programmes will ensure a strong and increasing student application rate and contribute to secure the economic foundations of further quality improvements.

By 2015 UiA will be among the top three universities in the country in national rankings of the students’ satisfaction with their academic and study environments. Study programmes will increasingly have close cooperation with businesses and enterprises that are relevant to each programme. UiA will attract an increasing percentage of the Norwegian student population. At least one of the proposed new national Centres of Excellence in Teaching and Learning will be established at UiA.

The University of Agder will develop research environments and make arrangements for research that is leading in the country

UiA will have active research environments in all subject areas covered by the University, and will be in the national forefront in selected fields. The University has a special responsibility for developing organised research training and strong research environments in the professional fields covered by the University’s study programmes.

The University will carry out research and development that is in demand both locally and by a wider audience. Research activity at the University will encompass a combination of research initiated by the University and contract research. Through research and dissemination, UiA will demonstrate that the University takes responsibility for developing its region and will contribute actively to regional media and other arenas that are important for the development of the region.

High-quality research is international. Irrespective of whether the object of study is local or global in nature, research activity must be assessed according to international standards. UiA will make arrangements for academic publication in renowned Norwegian and international publication outlets, and make noticeable contributions to international research.

High-quality research is increasingly characterised by cooperation within the institution and across institutional and national borders. UiA will encourage and make arrangements for research cooperation with other institutions and international partners and across the boundaries between different professional and academic domains. UiA will participate in national and international research training programmes.

High-quality research environments must be given time and resources in order to develop. UiA will prioritise efforts to obtain public funding for the new universities on an equal level with the established institutions. Nevertheless, UiA will still be dependent on a significant growth in external research funding. Arrangements will be made for central research groups at UiA to obtain project funding from the EU. UiA will provide good administrative support services to facilitate applications for national and international research funding.

By 2015 UiA will have doubled the production of publication points compared to 2008. At least 70 per cent of the academic staff will meet the qualification criteria for appointment to a position as associate professor/professor. At least one research group at UiA will have been given status as a Centre of Excellence in Research. UiA will be one of the country’s leading institutions of research in selected professional fields.

The University of Agder will be a model university for active regional partnership

UiA will contribute actively to regional networks and systems of innovation that are relevant for public and private enterprises in the region. UiA will contribute to the development of good models of cooperation with NGOs and industry, and will carry out research and development of high international standard in cooperation with partners in the region.

By 2015 all academic environments at UiA will offer lifelong learning programmes adapted to the needs and demands of the region. UiA will take part in international research projects in cooperation with other partners in the region. Employees from all academic environments will keep a high profile in public debates and through popular dissemination of their own research in the regional media.

The University of Agder will have a strong international foundation

A modern European university is characterised by openness, close contact with society, an international orientation and active cooperation with other research and educational institutions. In cooperation with business and industry, cultural institutions and other regional partners, UiA will participate in the international arena to foster the development of openness and outward orientation in the region. UiA will seek to cooperate with, and learn from, international educational and research institutions that have close ties with their region.

The only way the University can develop and maintain high-quality study programmes and academic environments is through participation in the international academic community. UiA will be internationally oriented. All study programmes must reflect global perspectives. More study programmes will be taught in English. The use of English as the language of instruction is also important in order to familiarise Norwegian students with international terminology and modes of expression in their field of study. UiA will have international partners of high quality and facilitate student and staff mobility.

UiA will strengthen subject areas where the University has potential to develop distinctive competences in relation to international and global issues. A number of those academic environments will become nationally and internationally renowned as centres of expertise.

The university campuses in Grimstad and Kristiansand will demonstrate the international orientation of the institution. The study and working environments will reflect the fact that a large number of students and staff have an international background. Foreign language training and the use of foreign languages will be encouraged. English will be used as a language for communication side by side with Norwegian in many teaching activities and for information purposes.

By 2015 UiA will have formalised cooperation agreements with international educational and research institutions that have close ties with their region. UiA will increase the number of incoming and outgoing exchange students to at least 10 per cent of the student population. UiA will offer English-taught master’s programmes at all faculties. All bachelor’s and master’s programmes will include courses taught in English. Important information to students and staff will be available in English where relevant. The University will have academic and research environments of such a high standing that they will attract international staff and students.

The University of Agder will be innovative in its use of technology and communication media

A modern university makes use of new technology as well as more traditional forms of communication in processes of learning, research and dissemination. UiA will increasingly make use of digital media and develop good methods for their use for study purposes, research, dissemination and interaction with the outside world. The different academic environments will be encouraged to develop new pedagogical, technological and information system solutions and to cooperate with others in the development of technologies and methods. UiA will participate with organisations that promote cooperation between universities, university colleges and other research institutions. The University will develop close strategic and operational cooperation with neighbouring public institutions of higher education, i.e. the University of Stavanger, Aalborg University and Telemark University College.

By 2015 at least 80 per cent of all scientific publications at UiA will be made available through digital open access research archives. All academic environments will work towards developing digital teaching aids and materials. UiA will host an annual academic conference that will be renowned as an important forum on the use of digital media and new technology in teaching, research and dissemination.

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