Opening of the academic year: TUT remains on solid footing despite global financial crisis

In their speeches both President Markku Kivikoski and Chairman of the TUT Foundation’s Board Tero Ojanperä expressed confidence in the University’s continued success in the midst of approaching reforms and turbulent global economy.

From the beginning of 2013 onwards, Tampere University of Technology will comprise four faculties and 20 departments or units. The number of faculties will be reduced by one and the number of departments by two. In the previous structural reform in 2008, the former 10 departments were transformed into five faculties. The number of former institutes, which are now called departments, was nearly halved. The current reorganization is based on the results of the international Research Assessment Exercise that was completed at the University last year.

"The goals of the reorganization are to place all professorships and research groups in their natural operating environments to achieve greater synergy and to promote collaboration across departmental boundaries and build internationally competitive units”, stated President Markku Kivikoski in his speech at the opening of the academic year.

In addition to structural reorganization, several strategic development measures are currently underway at TUT, geared towards increasing the quality of research to meet international standards of excellence and raise the University’s global presence.

“Our challenge is to strike a balance between increasing the quality of TUT’s scientific activities and not only maintaining but strengthening our diverse collaboration with industry and business. Ever since its establishment, the University has been a sought-after collaboration partner for companies and we are confident of maintaining our reputation as such.”

TUT has also launched a degree reform and a project to develop student admission practices. From 2013 onwards, the University will offer twelve broad subject areas that Finnish students choose from when applying for admission and six Finnish-language bachelor’s programmes. The purpose of the reform is to increase the alternatives available to students, enable easier transfer between major subjects and help first-year students get off to a good start.

Kivikoski says that it should be borne in mind that Finnish universities are still in a state of flux due to the reform of the Universities Act and calls for patience from stakeholders, collaboration partners and the university community and a long-term commitment to investments in education, science and innovations from the Finnish state.

“Long-term investments would be extremely important in the current financial climate. Vibrant universities have a direct impact on the future well-being of our society”, say President Markku Kivikoski and Chairman of the TUT Foundation’s Board Tero Ojanperä.

Ojanperä adds that despite the global financial crisis and reforms affecting universities and their operating environments there are some truths that never change.

“The common denominators of success are vision, dedication and perseverance. TUT has had the courage to take a stand, believe in its vision and strengths and make long-term plans. These qualities have laid the foundation for a bright future ahead.

Further information:
Tampere University of Technology,
President Markku Kivikoski, tel. +358 40 849 0094, ">markku.kivikoski@tut.fi