Our social responsibility
The University of Agder is aware of its social responsibility, both socially and ethically, in the areas of the environment and sustainability. This is carried out in cooperation with voluntary organisations both in Norway and internationally, and through interaction with the region and society as a whole.
We therefore wish to be clear about our values, such as academic freedom, autonomy, diversity, equal access to education, and solidarity with students and academics who live under different conditions from our own.
Scholars at Risk
Safe environments for at-risk and threatened researchers
Scholars at Risk (SAR) is an international organisation founded in 2000. The network, led from New York University, consists of 17 national sections and more than 650 higher education institutions in 45 countries, working together to promote and protect academic freedom and other core values in higher education. This work includes documenting and highlighting attacks on higher education, promoting solidarity, and providing assistance and protection to individuals. Each year, UiA offers temporary placements to 2–3 SAR researchers. The Norwegian section of SAR (SAR Norway) was established in 2011, and the University of Agder currently holds the chairmanship.
Students at Risk
Support programme for persecuted and at-risk student activists
Students at Risk is a Norwegian programme established on the initiative of, among others, SAIH and the National Union of Students in Norway (NSO). It is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and administered by the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills. The scheme enables students who are human rights activists, and therefore at risk, to continue their studies in Norway. UiA admitted its first student under this scheme in 2016. In 2023, we welcomed four Students at Risk students from four different countries.
SAIH
International assistance fund for academics and students
The solidarity organisation SAIH – the International Solidarity Fund of Students and Academics – works to promote academic freedom and the right of young people to access quality education.
In addition, SAIH engages in political advocacy both in Norway and internationally to improve the framework conditions for education and global development.
More about SAIH
The solidarity organisation SAIH – the International Solidarity Fund of Students and Academics – is well known to most people who have studied in Norway. At all higher education institutions in the country, students are encouraged to make a contribution to SAIH when paying the semester fee – the so-called SAIH tenner. At UiA, this amount is currently NOK 40.
The funds are channelled through SAIH to 40 organisations in eight countries in Latin America, southern Africa and Asia that work to promote academic freedom and the right of young people to access quality education, enabling them to contribute to a more just and inclusive society.
In addition, SAIH engages in political advocacy both in Norway and internationally to improve the framework conditions for education and global development.
Membership of the UiA Board
For several years, there has been a local SAIH chapter among the students, and in 2018 the University Board at UiA also became a member. This means that employees at the University of Agder are also able to contribute through a voluntary payroll deduction scheme.
The Assistance Fund now consists of 52 members. Of these, 22 are student organisations, five are nationwide interest organisations for students at universities and university colleges, six are university boards, and seven are nationwide trade union organisations. Eleven local chapters at universities and university colleges across the country are also counted as members of SAIH, including the local chapter at UiA.
Magna Charta
Academic freedom and institutional autonomy
The Magna Charta Observatory (MCO) is a foundation established by the European University Association (EUA). It promotes, protects and strengthens core university values such as academic freedom and institutional autonomy. Its purpose is to celebrate fundamental values in the university tradition and to encourage strong ties between European universities.
More about Magna Charta
The idea of a charter of freedom, a Magna Charta for European universities, was put forward by the University of Bologna in 1986. The document, Magna Charta Universitatum (MCU), was drawn up in 1988 and has since been signed by well over 800 universities in 86 countries. UiA will accede to the document and its core values by having the Rector attend and sign it at an event in Salamanca in September 2018.
The purpose of the document is to celebrate fundamental values in the university tradition and to encourage strong ties between European universities. The document has also inspired universities outside Europe, and it is open to signatories from all over the world. The text has been translated into 49 languages, including Nynorsk.
Contact
- E-post
- clare.jortveit@uia.no
- Telefon
- +47 38 14 24 22
- E-post
- lars.h.hoven@uia.no
- Telefon
- +47 38 14 12 74