University of Turku and Turku School of Economics to merge
The University of Turku and Turku School of Economics will merge to form a new University of Turku as of 1 January 2010.
The University Consortium, making preparations for the merger, started its activities on 1 August 2008. The Boards of the University of Turku and Turku School of Economics decided on the merger and the new university’s operating structure on 22 January 2009.
Rector Keijo Virtanen sees a lot of potential in this merger:
- The University of Turku will strengthen its position as a significant multidisciplinary research institution. The main focus areas of the new University will be internationally competitive research and education, extensive business competence and effective commercialisation of innovations.
Virtanen will guide his University and its staff through the remarkable changes in the near future. Beside the merger, the legislation regulating the Finnish universities will change in 2010, giving the higher education institutions more independence, for example, in fundraising and financing their operations.
Turku School of Economics will form the seventh faculty
The current faculty structure of the University of Turku will remain the same even after the merger. The new university will comprise the six current faculties of the University of Turku, and Turku School of Economics. In addition, there may be separate, independent departments within the University.
The Rector of the new University selects the faculty deans, including that of the School of Economics, based on presentations by the faculty. One Vice Rector will be a representative of the School of Economics. The department heads will be appointed by the respective faculty dean.
- The new Universities Act significantly increases individual unit leaders’ responsibilities, particularly for financial monitoring. This means that we need to have a well-functioning and flexible system of administration, says Rector Virtanen.
Tapio Reponen,Vice Rector of the new University and the former Rector of Turku School of Economics, finds it positive that the school of economics will keep its name and profile focused on economics even after the merger.
Student unions will merge as well
The Student Union of the University of Turku (TYY) and the Student Union of the Turku School of Economics (TuKY) also agreed on merging. The joint Student Union Council has started working in August 2009.
The joint student union is called the Student Union of the University of Turku. It will be based on TYY’s current organisational structure, and the current TYY staff will transfer to the new student union. The traditions of the economics students and their industry-specific interests will be maintained and managed by the association called Turun kauppatieteiden ylioppilaat ry (Students of Turku School of Economics).