The half-term break for the 2024 year of operation is almost upon us, which is probably welcome for most people. How much rest from work there will be and when it will be varies depending on what function you have at KTH. There are activities that are always going on and others that take a more clear break.
In any case, we can pat ourselves and each other on the back encouragingly for doing what we can during the spring semester to provide good conditions for KTH’s education and research now and in the future.
The immediate results of the ongoing development of our campus environments and the preparations for moving from Kista and Södertälje, the efforts to balance our finances, the activities within the Education of the Future programme, the strengthening of our collegial organisation and the development of the University Administration may not be immediately visible. What I do see, however, is a greater awareness that everything is interconnected and that it is possible to lean development on KTH’s new vision and goal document.
I have a personal goal that I will be thinking about a little more this autumn – how can KTH become the smartest authority in the higher education sector? We are subject to countless laws and other regulations, we are given special assignments and we are scrutinised a lot and often. If we manage to handle this in a slightly more thoughtful and smart way, we will save a lot of people’s time and energy in the University Administration. As a nerd on university management in general, it is more of a relaxation than extra work to ponder this on the cliffs of northern Halland.
I wish you all a really nice summer and see you in the autumn!
Kerstin Jacobsson, University Director