Rector Väänänen at the Opening Day: Development of the University Is a Test of Endurance

​– It is a good thing to remember that developing a university is a test of endurance. Actually, it is a relay race that takes decades, and the baton is the aspiration for a better world.

The next few years will be challenging to the universities. For the first time in over 20 years, the funding of the University of Turku is decreasing. In its planning, the University has prepared for a decrease of €8 million already for the next year and further cutbacks are expected during the term of the current Government. 

–Multidisciplinarity and the interdisciplinary problem-solving that stems from it is now and in the future the greatest strength of the University of Turku. This also applies to education, but especially to research. Understanding it is particularly important now when the mainstream in the national higher education policy runs towards strong specialisation between universities, said Väänänen.

The University has to invest in patiently building up its strengths as well as in profiling.

– We have to find operational fusions if structural ones are not possible. We also have to establish national or international joint degrees, especially in small fields of science, and create common research projects and infrastructures.

Väänänen said that he is sure that the University of Turku can find new sources of funding because it has extensive multidisciplinary expertise.

– In the future, many more of our teachers will be get their pay from new kinds of educational tasks in Finland or abroad. In addition, better commercialisation of research results creates opportunities for new businesses and strengthens the vitality of the region.

The Teacher, Course and Language Deed of the Year Were Revealed at the Opening Carnival

In the Opening Carnival organised at the University Hill, Senior Lecturer Sanna Mäki from the Department of Geography and Geology was selected as the Teacher of the Year, and the Course of the Year was Language Centre's English Oral Presentation Skills for the doctoral candidates of the Faculty of Medicine. The course was taught by Director of the Language Centre Michael Nelson. The Language Deed of the Year was awarded to the Student Union of the University of Turku as a recognition for its investment in parallel lingualism and internationality.

Sanna Mäki received praise from both the staff and students for her remarkably comprehensive work in teaching and its development. Her special distinctions were versatile teaching methods, developing the curricula, teacher tutoring, thesis guidance, improving societal interaction in her teaching, versatile use of feedback and increasing interaction between staff and students. The students emphasised Mäki's role in building communal spirit at the Department.

In the justifications for the Course of the Year, it was highlighted that the responsible teacher Michael Nelson had created a relaxed and open atmosphere on the course, which supported the development of presentation skills. Interaction was central to the course. The course not only gave the participants tools for developing their presentation skills but also inspired them to perform.

The Language Deed was awarded to the Student Union for their investment in parallel lingualism: the meetings of the Student Union Council are interpreted into English if necessary and the minutes and decisions are translated. Therefore, the international students can participate in the Student Union’s decision making and are nowadays better represented. Parellel lingualism is also evident in the communications and recruitment. The Student Union's new webpages have a great deal of current and permanent information and materials in English.  In addition, many of their recruitments are in English, so it is easier for the international students to participate in the activities of the organisation.

University Society Gave Five Awards for Distinguished Dissertation

Turku Finnish University Society awarded five distinguished dissertations in the Opening Ceremony of the academic year. The awards went to dissertations published in the University of Turku during the academic year 2014–2015. The University Society awarded the following doctors:

• D.Sc. (Econ.) Frederick Ahen for his dissertation Strategic Corporate Responsibility Orientation for Sustainable Global Health Governance: Pharmaceutical value co-protection in transitioning economies
• PhD Nobufumi Inaba for his dissertation Suomen datiivigenetiivin juuret vertailevan menetelmän valossa
• PhD Heidi Luoto for her dissertation Unraveling the functional divergence of membrane-bound pyrophos-phatases
• PhD Heta Mulari for her dissertation Feminisms, Gender Equality and Neoliberalism in Swedish Girl Films, 1995–2006
• PhD Elina Rantanen for her dissertation Expectations, frames and practices of genetic conselling in different contexts of genetic testing.

In the photo from the left: Nobufumi Inaba, Heidi Luoto, Elina Rantanen, Outi Salo-Ahen who received the award on behalf of her husband Frederick Ahen, and Heta Mulari.

Commemorative Medal to 16 Professors

The Rector awarded the following Emeritus and Emerita Professors with the commemorative medal of the university: Pirjo Ahokas, Veikko Anttonen, Markku Helin, Rainer Huopalahti, Kaisa Häkkinen, Heikki Kallio, Liisa Kanerva, Kari Keinästö, Pirjo Korpilahti, Jorma Piha, Hannele Räihä, Ari Saarnilehto, Pekka Saukko, Timo Soikkanen, Outi Tuomi-Nikula and Esko Valtaoja.

TK
Photos: Hanna Oksanen
Translation: Mari Ratia