The Opening Ceremony of the Academic Year 2022–2023 of the University of Eastern Finland was held on 8 September on the Kuopio Campus, as well as online.
In his opening address, Rector Jukka Mönkkönen of the University of Eastern Finland addressed some of the major global challenges faced in the early 2020s: the increased and global risk of war, the coronavirus pandemic, and climate change. According to Mönkkönen, strengthening multilateralism, inclusion and democracy are key means of responding to these challenges.
“And this is not only the responsibility of political leaders and governments, but of all actors in society.”
He pointed out that through their educational mission, universities have a special responsibility for fostering democratic culture and the autonomy of science.
Mönkkönen noted that science and science communication play an important role in this work. Researchers must find ways to change existing models in order to strengthen equality and to provide increasingly large groups of people access to research-based knowledge.
“Science should listen to all and include everyone in the dialogue. We must tolerate the fact that our world view remains incomplete, and we must respect the limits of our knowledge. In other words, we must have a democratic mindset.”
University cities have a strong appeal
Higher education in Kuopio began nearly 50 years ago to date, and in Joensuu a few years earlier. Mönkkönen noted that universities are a strong pull factor for the cities they are located in.
“It is the university’s mission to ensure that our education is of a high standard and that we broadly train experts of different fields for society's needs. At our university, this mission is taken seriously, and we have increased our student intake more than most universities in Finland.”
With the introduction of Master’s level education in technology to the university’s offering next year, the University of Eastern Finland will have nearly all major fields of study in its selection. Mönkkönen pointed out that there is a need to create jobs that keep university graduates in their campus cities.
“Here, a major role is of course played by the cities’ activities to boost business and economic vitality, which we can jointly build and strengthen.”
Free and independent thinking must be part of science
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Creative Director and Journalist Jani Halme noted that the skill of narration is one of the most important skills in people’s lives. Many virtues of scientific research are also identical to the fundamentals of narration.
“You are trying a reach a goal – preferably a major one – and antagonists are everywhere around you. There will be feelings of inadequacy, trouble with time and money, and perhaps even colleagues who seem out to get you.”
According to Halme, academic work is also congruent with the basic definition of charisma included in a narrative, i.e., freedom.
“People must have the possibility to think and act as freely, independently and unconstrainedly as possible. To challenge the current narrative, and public opinion. Sometimes – quite often actually – people must also be free to make mistakes, even major ones.”
Halme encourages the scientific community to strive towards the very core of the narrative, i.e., the exception, and at the same time to appreciate the diversity found in every human being.
“Sadly however, the most interesting part of ourselves and our activities is often the one we have tried to hide at some point, worried about what others might think about that particular characteristic or mindset or dream.”
A sense of community in the everyday life plays an important role
The Student Union’s address at the opening ceremony was delivered by Chair of the Student Union’s Executive Board, Sami Tanskanen. According to him, there is an increasing need for a sense of community in the everyday life at the university.
“Actually, one the few challenges is that although it does not require much from us, it requires something from each of us. Building a community is something that cannot be delegated.”
Tanskanen pointed out that a sense of community in the everyday life is not just about politely acknowledging each other’s existence, but it essentially involves appreciating the experiences, backgrounds and views of other members of the academic community.
“We here at the university have what it takes to achieve this. A sense of community in the everyday life, encounters between different people and the exchange of everyday experiences play a major role in the university’s activities. We all can promote these things through small, everyday actions both physically on campus, as well as online.”
Jukka Mönkkönen's speech (the PDF file is both in Finnish and in English)