Podcast: Finn-ish: Tales of Integration | Season 2 | The Vice Rector’s Perspective on Student Experience

Momina: Hello and welcome to the first episode of Finnish Tales of Integration Season 2, a podcast by international student ambassadors. I am Momina, a master's student in Health Technology and an international student ambassador at the University of Turku and I'll be your host for today's episode. In this series, we guide you through the next steps after you've settled in Finland, helping you thrive as an international student. And if you're planning your move to Finland or Turku, check out season 1, which serves as a beginner's guide to integration. 

In today's episode, we dive into the leadership vision shaping the University of Turku. Our focus is on the university's long-term strategy, student experience, and the university's commitment to internationalization and inclusion. Joining us is our special guest, Maija Peltola, who is the vice rector at the University of Turku. Maija will share her perspective on how the university supports students academics their social and personal growth and what the future of the university looks like. So without further delay, let's get started. Thank you so much Maija for being here with us today and for taking out time from your very busy schedule I'm sure. 

[Intro Music]

Momina: My first question would be how do you see the university's role in Finnish and global higher education and what is your vision for the university for let's say the next five or 10 years?

Maija: Well firstly thank you, kiitos. Thank you for having me over. It's lovely to be invited. Well, that is not an easy question because I'm not very good at providing answers for the future because it's still in the future basically. But to me it looks like Turku is going towards some very fantastic things concerning internationalization and also the role of international scholars in our community. Not only the university community but also the broader sense Turku area the whole area but in a way the main thing and the main message would probably be that in 5 to 10 years we will be more inclusional more open more transparent and in a way we all acknowledge that we can't do it ourselves we need people coming in from many cultures and various backgrounds And that will probably provide us with more grounds for renewal and new thinking. I think we're going to do fine. That's the basic message. It will be fabulous. Because the university sector is developing currently on a very sort of uh speeded pace and that's an opportunity for us to show that we can do it better and that we have more opportunities than some of our colleagues to integrate multiple perspectives and that's the message. 

Momina: Oh, I love that. And what principles do you think are there that guide your decisions regarding let's say student experiences research or the community impact? 

Maija: Well basically we follow the university strategy. I know that sounds like paper but it's not just a paper. It's all our values listed and for instance critical thinking and creativity and these we cannot do again on our own. So to me the university strategy is the basic concept but it's not so much as to what we agree that our strengths scientifically but more what our strengths mentally and from that background I think it's a sustainable background for building new things. if we just always referred to where we came from and what we stand for as in the "Vapaan Kansan Lahja Vapaalle Tieteelle" that is printed in the main building meaning "From Free People to Free Science". So from that perspective we can move on. And for me personally versatility and multiple backgrounds and freedom of thought those are the things that I treasure. 

Momina: I absolutely can say that it's one of the things that I felt here as a student as well.

Maija: Really?! good. 

Momina: Yeah. like individuality, critical thinking. It's something that everyone here supports and there's a sense of individuality, but you also have a community here. So, I do agree with that. And can you give an example of a recent initiative that reflects like this vision of the university? 

Maija: Yes, for international scholars we have this new it's in a way a project but it's more a thing that we want to do irrespective of money involved but it's called Kohti and it's from Finnish "Kansainväliset osaajat hyvinvoinnin ja tulevaisuuden investointina" which basically refers to the situation where we see international students and scholars as the means to achieve innovation or and well-being in the future. So that is a 4-year project. It concentrates on providing new kinds of uh linguistic skills for Finnish which I believe is one of the key issues for people to be feeling at home here. And at the same time we involve business partners to show the working life then participate in educational planning for the international scholars and also trying to find other activities that might be of interest to our international scholars and students. So as the cultural landscape in Turku area is quite broad. So there are brilliant things and brilliant opportunities to do on your spare time. So in a way I believe in not only welcoming people to our university but also helping people to find friends and new communities besides our own. And I think that this quote is quite at the heart of this. 

Momina: I definitely agree. This is a conversation I've had with some international students, and I think the question came up like what sets apart University of Turku from their previous international or like experiences in their home countries and the university caring so much not just about you as a researcher or a student but also about how well you integrate and the community you build. It's amazing. 

Maija: I'm glad that it sounds good to you because it's not for us that we are making it. We have our communities and I come from Finland originally, so I'm accustomed to people being the way they are. But I think that there is so much to see here that you should be able to take advantage of all the cultural aspects around the area. 

Momina: I agree and language definitely does play a huge part into the entire integration of international people. So that sounds like a wonderful initiative and how do you think the university balances like academic excellence? as I said that they do care a lot about that and as well as student well-being. 

Maija: I think it would be quite absurd to put them on scale to see them as either this or that because academic excellence cannot achieved unless we are a community that wants to be together, wants to feel good with each other, wants to build something together. So in a way of course we have to remind people that you can have other life except for your research because people are usually so very enthusiastic about their own work and their studies that they sometimes tend to forget that you don't have to work all the time but that is the pleasure of being a scientist and a student at the university that is very exciting but at the same time we want to remind people that there are things that we can build on also and build new communities and bring services which promote well-being on a sort of a larger scale because we can't of course go to people's homes and see what they are doing after work but of course we can give an example that you should actually go home and do something else so that for instance I don't want to send email messages to my group in the middle of the night because that would send a message that this is the way we should work. So I tried to make an effort and the same when I was a professor I used to do that also with students. Of course I read their messages during late hours but I didn't respond during that time because then they would see that I'm not doing what I'm telling them to do and it's not a very good example that I'm making, but I'm trying. And I think that this is something that we talk about a lot as to set an example to balance. 

Momina: No, definitely. It was actually a good example because when I came here, obviously different culture, different expectations and everything and I noticed that your professors or if you're working, they don't expect you to work or just like be present after the designated hours and it was kind of a change and a huge relief to be honest like 'oh okay I just have to work during these hours or I have to study during a specific time and then it doesn't interfere with the rest of my life with my personal life or my hobbies or like with my friends and everything'. So that was actually a very nice thing that I got to experience here. 

Maija: I'm glad. 

Momina: Okay, moving on. How does the university aim to create an inclusive environment for international students and what do you think are the biggest challenges and opportunities in internationalization of Utu? 

Maija: Well, you mentioned language. Yeah, there you go. It is both a blessing and a curse because versatility, linguistic versatility, is something that we want to treasure. But at the same time it is very tricky to enable people to be heard when the language of administration is Finnish. But of course we can balance with that also and there are tremendous amounts of new and incoming tools to help translations online translations and so on. But of course they are not always the perfect choice for decision making because they need to be very precise wordings and so on. But to me it seems that what we can do is offer more opportunities as to language training. But also perhaps think about the way the curriculum support the possibility of including these language studies because there is only certain amount that you can have in your degree. And we probably need to discuss also with international students that is this something that you feel that is enough as it is or should it be more and also not only more but also is there something different that you need. And this is the conversation that I think we should now start as to see not from my perspective what you need in order to be enabled to contribute your ideas to our decision making but how you see it and I think uh well this is the first time that you and I talk about this and I think we're getting somewhere.

Momina: Yeah. I think so too. Yeah. We did have like some  Finnish courses during our studies and everything and I enjoyed them but yes I do have pointers. I feel like it could definitely be better but it was a great effort. I would say that there are a lot of great initiatives with spoken Finnish with written and everything. So I think I can see the effort that the professors here or the university is putting into those. How does the university do you think involves its students in shaping the policies or initiatives here or is it just like the decisions are made by the academia people or are students involved in those as well? 

Maija: They are. We have documentation as to how to involve students. So it's a policy that you should have student representatives in each working group but in decision making organization there's is the board there are student members two out of six internal board members are students and also in the collegiate there is 10 out of 30 that are students. So student sort of in the formal decision making processes students are all also always guaranteed their share but also I think the main thing is that in working groups figuring out what to promote in the future for the board to decide. Those are the critical points and we have this policy that students need to be included in all of these but at the same time there is the international aspect. Then how do we promote that? Well the administration is in Finnish but all these working groups can be in any language and if you follow politics you probably have noticed that sometimes the best impact is on the working groups. So that you get to say the way you see it and then it transforms into policies at the decision making level. And this is the critical phase as to include a student international or local or whatever into these processes and that is guaranteed in our policies. But then also we meet with the student organization too every month with the directorate and our leaders. So we have a monthly lunch where we can discuss any questions that arise from the student union. So it's not our agenda, it's their agenda and then we can see how we can promote things that they feel that are important. If you think about the scale, there are around 4,000 people working at the university and there are 23,000 students. So in that perspective, your voice needs to be heard because there are so many of you. 

Momina: I agree. But now that's something I was not aware of how like at higher level the decisions do involve students. Yeah. But I felt at university personally like the lower hierarchies and how approachable everyone is. It's so easy to just have discussions and there's this culture of open communication here which I really appreciate. 

Maija: I'm glad and you should bear in mind that when in each faculty the faculty council has student members which are guaranteed. So as I said, I hope you feel like there are no great barriers as to bringing your input because if there are, they need to be a polished because we need to have your message heard. 

Momina: Good to know. Can you share an example where the university's initiatives made like a meaningful impact on student integration or like the wider community because we've talked about the initiatives that the university is doing but have you seen like an impact in like real life of it? 

Maija: Yeah. Well, as I mentioned, the “Kohti hanke”, which had the horrible Finnish name underneath, but that is one, but it's still starting, so we don't know about the impact yet, but I hope it will go as planned. But then you may have heard about Unicom and Unicom+ which are for international students. They have these working packages which include well many things but at the moment they are looking at the transition to working life outside university and trying to locate collaborators who are willing to have training positions for our students and so on but not as an initiative which is very formal but as a mental mindset that's what I do every day. My working hours are spent more or less on trying to figure out how we can do it together with our partners. We have five strategic partners and so many other level of partnerships that how can we enable our partners to see the strength in international students and scholars. And we are looking at ways in which we could employ people so that they would be half here and half in a company at the same time. So nowadays it's so that then you graduate and then you find your business sector for instance. But why not share people because then the business would not have such great obstacles in for instance recruitment and financial burden because small to medium size business is always struggling with these issues. So as to find innovators for them and to have them still work with us would take pressure from the financial burden. But also we would actually learn from the companies so that we could incorporate their thinking into our thinking because I think that we live a little bit occasionally in different worlds. Everyone has their bubble. So I would like our bubbles to integrate and that can't be done without people. People always say that knowledge moves. It doesn't. People move or nothing moves. So this is a great opportunity for our international students and scholars to find a place in between and to be employed by different kinds of organizations simultaneously and by that providing for instance more versatile and more multifocal thinking to both the business and us. But I wouldn't call this initiative in the sense that it's in my mind I'm doing it but it doesn't have a title yet. But eventually maybe it will or maybe it won't as long as it works. As long as it works.

Momina: Yeah. Talking about you said something about how everyone remains in their bubble and I want to talk more about the skills needed to integrate successfully. We have talked about language of course it's up there. 

Maija: Yes. 

Momina: So what skills do you think apart from language are necessary for internationals who come here especially as students that might help them to integrate into the society better? 

Maija: Yeah. Well I don't know if it's a skill but it's a way of life the networking. Because of course that demands a certain amount of language skills and a broader cultural understanding for both parties about the differences and similarities that the core humanity and then the way in which we think about the world coming from different places which I find enriching but it's sometimes a clash also but at the same time I think that we should since the private sector is probably the most sort of inviting for students and international students. I think that what we need is to build skills and expertise and also the spirit of thinking in sort of business-like manner like entrepreneurship. We are building this kind of a pathway for students now currently thinking about the services needed for them to have the skill set to be eligible for high ranking R&D work outside the university and this is something that we are currently doing. So from that path we will see what skills we can now already say that we are developing and which skills are lacking and we have a sort of a versatile group for thinking this. So it's not just me because then it would not look like much. It could be one perspective that's it. So it's a multiperspective and then we can locate the sort of missing points if there are any. And I think that in two years time you will see how that looks like but then you are graduated already and you will miss this opportunity but I hope you'll find others.

Momina: Maybe I'll stick around. 

Maija: Good. That is one thing. This is something that we also need to pay attention to that people who actually come here to study that if they have academic ambition that we can actually pinpoint and locate the people with the sort of research mental mindset and we need that kind of attitude here. 

Momina: I love hearing that because I think I'm just getting into research as well. 

Maija: Good. 

Momina: And I think the university without me even being like realizing how they did it. But when I started like my master's thesis and everything I was like oh okay so the university for the entire first year of my studies here has been preparing me for this for the mind mindset shift that comes with it how the university supports you not just academically but like overall as a student. So I think they're doing something good. 

Maija: I'm glad to hear that.

Momina: Any advice that you would like to give to international students specifically navigating their university life and how you think they can make the most of their time here at the university? 

Maija: Well, enjoy. I know I probably should be saying that study hard and so on and so forth, but actually take advantage of all the student activities because they do have tremendous potential for having entertainment for everyone. And it is this entertainment and this community building that actually results in you being a member of this wonderful community of our students and graduates and alumni. And that will then help you to enjoy this time. But also please do talk to our staff as much as you feel comfortable in the sense that if there are any questions that or ideas then I think that speaking out loud about the things that sort of strike you as odd for instance or things that you think that we should do differently regarding integration or even such smaller issues as in educational planning, you just speak up and I think that will probably give you a more rewarding experience of your time here if you feel that you can actually say out loud. Of course, it doesn't change the policies every time, but occasionally it does and at least then we'll know what we should be thinking of. But I love the TYY people because they are so much fun and at the same time they are the ones who will decide later whether I will ever have a pension. So they are the decision makers of tomorrow and they are the business partners for tomorrow and you should link with them as strongly as you can and then enjoy Turku the river banks and the culture and go to a hockey game. 

Momina: And sauna.

Maija: I go to sauna every night so I don't know how I forgot that. Do you like sauna? 

Momina: Yes, I had like a traditional one here and I was like, you know what, I get it. With the November weather and everything, I feel like it's a must. 

Maija: It's a must. 

Momina: And I wasn't even surprised when I learned that Finland has the most saunas like per person. I was like yeah that makes sense. Actually, I get where you get the concept of sisu now like okay sauna. 

Maija: Well, if you experience November here and have a sauna, then you know why we need to have sisu. 

Momina: Yeah, definitely. I know. Yeah, I understand.

Maija: These are hard times, but then you have to integrate with the student community and the university community and then you will find some light in the darkness also. 

Momina: Definitely. Well, I actually do like the dark here. 

Maija: You do? 

Momina: Yeah. It's not as bad if I keep taking on vitamin D and like supplements and sauna. 

Maija: Oh, I didn't even remember to take my D vitamin this morning, but thank you for reminding me. Yeah, there are some must-haves for Finland.

Momina: I feel like the student communities, just the general atmosphere to be honest of Turku makes it bearable the November and December time. It makes it much better. Otherwise, I think it would be a bit gloomy, gloomier. 

Maija: Yeah. Well, it rains and it's dark when you go to work and the same when you go home. But at least there is some indoor lighting which is good. As long as we have electricity here, then things are nice. 

Momina: In today's episode, we explored the University of Turku's leadership vision. The university's long-term strategy and its commitment to making it a more inclusive environment for all students, not just the international students. And we discussed student engagement and the role of community in shaping the university's experience. And for the audience, do remember that the university's initiatives and services are designed to help you. So stay informed, get involved, as you said. Talk to the people in charge if you ever have a problem, if you ever have any opinions that you want to share or you want your voice to be heard and make the most of your time at UTU. So, thank you so much Maija for being here for having this wonderful conversation here with us. I'm sure you're very busy and thank you to the audience for listening. 

Maija: Thank you for having me and I'm never too busy for this kind of a treat. This was lovely. Thank you so much. 

Momina: It was lovely. So, thank you for tuning in to FINN-ISH: Tales of Integration season 2. We hope this brought you some clarity and a reminder that you're never alone when you're navigating this journey as an international student. And before we wrap up, a quick announcement. Our next meet and integrate event will take place on 13th of February at Mercatori. A great opportunity to connect, to network, to make friends, and feel more at home here. So, take care, stay connected, and we'll see you in the next episode.

[Outro Music]