The Colleague of the Year recognition aims to highlight the importance of each of us in creating a positive working environment. The 2025 award was presented at the Kipinä personnel event at Turku City Theatre on 28 October.
The Colleague of the Year recognition is based on the simple but meaningful idea that the Colleague of the Year is a good colleague. A good colleague has good work community skills, and the award is given to a University employee who strengthens the well-being, community spirit and positive atmosphere of the work community through their actions. Nominations for the Colleague of the Year were collected from the community.
The first Colleague of the Year recognition was awarded to Education Coordinator Jouni Jokinen. The jury consisting of the Kipinä working group received nearly 100 nominations proposing 80 different people as the Colleague of the Year.
“We have many valued and good colleagues in our community, whose importance is recognised and acknowledged. Jouni Jokinen, who was chosen as the Colleague of the Year, received exceptionally warm and varied justifications. Jokinen clearly has the ability to understand and appreciate the work of others and to be considerate and fair to all. He has a positive attitude towards his work, colleagues and the work community and genuinely creates a good atmosphere around him," says the chair of the jury, HR Director Sanna-Mari Tammilaakso.
Rector Marjo Kaartinen presented the award at the Kipinä personnel event at Turku City Theatre on 28 October.
“The Colleague of the Year recognition aims to highlight the importance of each of us in creating a positive working environment. It is a pleasure to award this recognition to Jouni Jokinen, who received nominations extensively from his work community and is, according to the justifications, a committed professional whose expertise, help and advice can always be relied upon; a diplomatic solution finder, a good listener and a person with a big heart who projects peace and trust around him. Sincere congratulations not only from me, but also from our entire large work community," said Rector Kaartinen when presenting the recognition.
The Colleague of the Year was selected by a jury consisting of the Kipinä working group. First introduced in 2025, the recognition will be awarded again next year.
“The jury thanks the community for their active participation – we are delighted that both the Colleague of the Year Award and the Kipinä personnel event here at the theatre have been so well received,” says HR Director Tammilaakso.
Akateeminen vartti performance filled Turku City Theatre auditorium
This autumn’s Akateeminen vartti was performed at the Kipinä personnel event at Turku City Theatre. Akateeminen vartti (Finnish for an academic quarter) is a collaborative concept of the University of Turku and Turku City Theatre, established in 2021. The performers are researchers of the University of Turku who present their research and research methods using theatrical techniques, images and sound.
Spending time with colleagues
University personnel gathered at the Kipinä event to spend time together. Personnel were encouraged to have lunch together before the afternoon's joint programme. Happy groups of colleagues arrived to the theatre from lunch. The Kipinä channel for University personnel contains posts from the University community throughout the day. You can find the link to the channel in the University’s intranet and log in with your UTU username.
