NEWS The University Board has decided to propose to the Government to appoint Tora Holmberg, current Deputy Vice-Chancellor at of Uppsala University, as the new Vice-Chancellor of Umeå University. "I’m very pleased that the University Board, with the support of the Consultative Assembly, has proposed Tora Holmberg as the new Vice-Chancellor. Tora Holmberg meets all the requirements we have set in the recruitment process in an excellent way," says Anna Ekström, Chair of the Umeå University Board.
Anna Ekström, Chair of the Umeå University Board, and Tora Holmberg, Professor at Uppsala University. Foto: Malin Grönborg
It has been a solid process that began in April with the Board establishing a requirements profile. In the recruitment process, teachers and other employees, union representatives and student representatives had the opportunity to ask their questions at the Hearing Assembly in October . Today, the University Board has decided to propose to the government to appoint Professor Tora Holmberg as Vice-Chancellor of Umeå University.
"Of course, it feels fantastic to be proposed as the new Vice-Chancellor of such a large and prominent university as Umeå University. If the government appoints me, I will take on the task with curiosity and energy," says Tora Holmberg, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Professor of the Department of Sociology, Uppsala University.
As Chair of the University Board, Anna Ekström has also chaired the recruitment committee, which has otherwise consisted of Professor Eva Malmström Jonsson, Professor Sverker Sörlin, Associate Professor Görel Granström, William Nordberg, student, Umeå Student Union of Science and Technology, and Associate Professor Peter Lindström, and representative of the trade unions.
"Our requirements included being able to combine inspiring and strategic academic leadership with the assignment of head of a public authority, but we also emphasised that a vice-chancellor of Umeå University has a special role as it is a comprehensive university in northern Sweden, with all that entails in terms of demands and expectations for talent acquisition and close collaboration with society. With her experience and background at Uppsala University, Tora Holmberg meets these requirements well.”, says Anna Ekström, Chair of the Umeå University Board.
Other areas that were pointed out in particular during the recruitment process were that we are in a time when academic freedom and the university’s autonomy are more important than ever. It is therefore important that we have a vice-chancellor who can stand up for academic freedom and who can defend the University's role in society. It was also emphasized that Umeå University is an Arctic university and an important part of contributing to an educated population that is the cornerstone of a resilient and open society.
"In Tora Holmberg, we have found the qualities we are looking for in a modern leader and vice-chancellor. She has a solid academic background, and her five years as Deputy Vice-Chancellor with program responsibility at Uppsala University have given her good insight into the governance of a large university. We’re convinced that she will build on Vice-Chancellor Hans Adolfsson's way of leading and governing – close to the organisation, with open doors and high ceilings.", says Anna Ekström, Chair of the Umeå University Board.
The appointment of the Vice-Chancellor of Umeå University is made by the Government on the basis of a proposal from the University Board. Learn more about the Vice-Chancellor recruitment process.