NEWS The Swedish National Agency for Higher Education has awarded Umeå Institute of Design as a Centre of Excellence in Higher Education 2008. An international expert panel has evaluated the quality of the education through assessment of a written report and through interviews with students and staff at a site-visit in the autumn of 2008.
"We strive to achieve the highest possible quality of our education in a consistent and conscious manner,” says Tapio Alakörkkö, Head of Department at the Umeå Institute of Design. “This recognition is a result of our highly competent staff with a passionate commitment. This is a proof that we are working in the right direction and it’s an incentive for us to progress further,” he continues.
Last year, the Department of Historical Studies at Umeå University earned the recognition as a Centre of Excellence in Higher Education.
“It is wonderful for Umeå University to once again receive this recognition,” says Åsa Bergenheim, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education at Umeå University. “The Institute of Design is a creative an exciting educational environment, internationally respected and successful, and undoubtedly one of the finest in Europe.”
In addition to the Umeå Institute of Design, the mechanical engineering programme at Chalmers University of Technology also earned the esteemed recognition.
One main factor that the National Agency highlights as excellent at the Umeå Institute of Design is the pedagogic system of combining a permanent in-house teaching staff with practitioners and experts from industry. This gives an excellent balance between scientific research, artistic foundation and practical skills. The expert panel writes: "The highly competent staff works jointly and continuously towards a common goal. This takes the form of a central educational concept grounded in a tangible project in cooperation with industry and supported by highly competent teachers from industry and from the Institute."
For the past two years, Umeå Institute of Design has been selected as one of the best design schools in years by BusinessWeek magazine. They offer a three-year bachelor programme in industrial design and three internationally oriented a specialized master’s programmes in interaction design, transportation design and advanced product design. Students from all over the world are enrolled at the Umeå Institute of Design, currently representing over 25 nationalities.
The objective of the annual award is to act as an incentive for educational units that have already reached a high standard to improve even further. Furthermore, it is also a way of recognising good practice and stimulating the advancement of standards elsewhere.
The complete report on the recognition from the Swedish National Agency of Higher Education.
Further information about the annual award for Centres of Excellence
For further information, contact:Tapio Alakörkkö, Head of Department, Umeå Institute of DesignPhone: +46 (0)90-786 98 35, +46 (0)73-620 51 51
E-mail: Tapio.Alakorkko@dh.umu.se
Bengt Palmgren, Principal, Umeå Institute of DesignPhone: +46 (0)70-341 03 12
E-mail: Bengt.Palmgren@dh.umu.se
Åsa Bergenheim, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Umeå UniversityPhone: +46(0)90-786 79 49
E-mail: aasa.bergenheim@adm.umu.se
Editor: Karin Wikman