Why do you want to join the Board of the University of Oslo?
The University of Oslo should be a leading university, distinguished by excellent research and teaching. We must take the lead in defending human rights, international law, and the conditions necessary for free and independent science, especially in a situation where academic freedom is under pressure. This is a cause I am motivated to support. Therefore, I am standing for re-election to the board.
My key issues
I want to be a responsive, inclusive, and proactive spokesperson for the engagement among UiO staff, focusing on the following issues:
- A proactive defense of academic freedom: In a situation where the US government is directly attacking the autonomy of leading universities and certain politicians at home are using our sector to make populist statements against "the elite," there is a greater need than ever for a proactive defense of academia's right to exist and its relative autonomy.
- Strengthening curiosity-driven basic research: Fundamental curiosity-driven research is crucial for UiO to remain the country's unequivocal best university. Basic research and doctoral education are core activities that must be strengthened.
- An inclusive personnel policy: UiO should maintain an inclusive, predictable, and non-discriminatory personnel policy, ensuring that academic staff have equal access to career development. We must combat the misuse of temporary contracts while allowing for open and international competition for permanent combined positions.
Election platform
UiO should be a leading university, underpinned by outstanding research and teaching. It must take a front-line position in defending human rights, international law, and the conditions necessary for free and independent science, especially in a climate where academic freedom is under threat. This is a mission I am committed to furthering, which is why I am seeking re-election.
The board at UiO, our highest decision-making body, should express strategic and decisive support for the collective ambitions on behalf of scientific inquiry that exist within our academic communities. I will contribute to ensuring that the employee representatives on the Board form a professional and ambitious counterweight to other forces that wish to override us. University democracy is a prerequisite for academic freedom.
My desire is to be a responsive, inclusive, and proactive spokesperson for the commitment among the staff at UiO, with particular emphasis on the following issues:
Academic Freedom
In a situation where the US government is directly attacking the autonomy of leading universities and certain politicians here at home are using our sector to make populist statements against "the elite," a proactive defense of academia's right to exist and its relative autonomy is needed more than ever.
- The rector should continue to be democratically elected.
- Commercial and other special interests must not influence UiO’s strategies or priorities.
- How we safeguard the academic freedom of each individual employee internally at UiO should be included in the curriculum of UiO's leadership courses.
- UiO should advocate for a legal change that reserves two of the four external positions on the board for academic staff (from other institutions in Norway or nearby countries).
- UiO must engage globally in defending science and supporting researchers from countries where academic freedom is threatened and higher education is under attack, including Palestine, Ukraine, and the USA.
Curiosity-driven basic research
Fundamental curiosity-driven research is essential for maintaining UiO’s status as the best university in the country. Basic research and doctoral education are core activities that must be strengthened.
- UiO must work towards ensuring that a larger proportion of research funding in Norway is directed towards basic research.
- UiO must continue its efforts to dismantle administrative and financial barriers to innovative interdisciplinary collaboration within research and teaching.
- As part of demonstrating the importance of research for society, UiO should develop a strategic communication policy that builds systematically on the excellent research communication many employees already achieve individually.
An inclusive personnel and recruitment policy
UiO should be a good place to work. We must promote an inclusive, predictable, and non-discriminatory personnel policy.
- Academic staff should have equal access to career development, while keeping an open and international competition for permanent combined positions.
- Misuse of temporary contracts should be combated. Temporary academic staff should not face discrimination.
- UiO should be a diverse university where the staff better reflects the wider population than they do today.
- We need to increase the participation of international staff in university democracy.
About me
I am a professor of linguistics and communication philosophy at the Faculty of Humanities, and I lead several research projects, including one funded by an ERC Starting Grant. I hold a PhD in linguistics from University College London and have been a visiting researcher at Stanford University.
In the current board, I have represented the academic staff (2021-2025). I am deeply engaged in issues and processes from this board term that will be crucial for UiO moving forward. As a board member, I have learned that it is vital for the employee representatives to collectively possess enough academic weight, proximity to top research and teaching, and policy experience so that attempts to override us from outside and above do not succeed. To adequately represent the full breadth of academic colleagues at UiO, we must also be responsive and seek broad involvement. Therefore, I have prioritised serving as the deputy chair for the local branch of the trade union Forskerforbundet (2020-2027) in parallel with my board work at UiO. I have also previously served as chair of the Young Academy of Norway (2020–2021) and represented temporary academic staff on the UiO board for two terms (2017–2019).
Nominators
- Jorunn ?kland, Centre for Gender Research
- Katerini Storeng, Centre for Development and the Environment
- Kjerstin Aukrust, HF
- Tiril Willumsen, OD
- Hilde Reinertsen, SV
- Andreas F?llesdal, JUS
- Jan Grue, SV
- Tore Wig, SV
- Cathrine Holst, HF
- Eivind Valen, MN
- ?shild Lappegard Hauge, SV
- Anne R?nneberg, OD
- Alix Young Vik, OD
- Andreas Carlson, MN
- Guro Brokke Omland, SV
- Heidi ?stb? Haugen, HF
- Sofie H?gest?l, JUS
- ?ystein Linnebo, HF
- Marte Blikstad-Balas, UV
- Lilja ?vrelid, MN
- Kjersti Lohne, JUS
- Are Skeie Hermansen, SV
- Kristian Gundersen, MN
- Eline Aas, MED
- Nicholas Elwyn Allot, HF
- Hilde Galtung, OD
- Petter Bae Brandt?g, HF
- Jan M. Aronsen, MED
- Jan T. Andersen, MED
- Sigrun M. Moss, SV
- Geir Kjetil Sandve, MN
- Shuo- Wang Qiao, MED
- Frode Lars Jahnsen, MED
- Dag Olav Hessen, MN
- Marianne Fyhn, MN
- Melinka Butenko, MN
- Paul Grini, MN
- Anders Malthe-S?renssen, MN
- Dag T. Truslew Haug, HF
- Kjetill Sigurd Jacobsen, MN
- Crina Damsa, UV
- Timo Roettger, HF
- Anders Ravik Jupsk?s, Center for Research on Extremism
- Elisabeth Schober, SV