Almedalen is in full swing. Meeting upon meeting, seminar upon seminar. This week is a wonderful opportunity to make contacts and to tell people about everything we are doing at Uppsala University, as well as to be inspired by others and engage in debate.
Ever since Uppsala University, Campus Gotland was created, being in Almedalen has become a matter of course for many of our staff – as indeed it has for me since becoming Vice-Chancellor. Having access to our own premises gives our University a unique opportunity to create meetings that no other higher education institution can. As a result, together we have organised no fewer than 73 seminars across a wide range of the University’s fields of research – many of them jointly with other stakeholders. So far, all the seminars I have attended have attracted large audiences, and the discussions have been interesting in themselves and well tuned to the curious public.
Between seminars, there have also been exciting discussions with representatives of all kinds of organisations and groups. For many, the conflicts in the world around us are high on the agenda. In the wake of developments in the United States, certain issues seem to attract audiences interested in education policy: academic freedom and the relationship between the universities and the state. The debate in this context also ranges over the role of the higher education sector in democracy and how to ensure the dissemination of knowledge.
I find the days constructive, interesting and important – wide-ranging and rich in meetings. I would like to thank everyone whose efforts to prepare the week have enabled Uppsala University to contribute in a tangible and well-defined way to strengthening our position in society for the sake of democracy. At the same time, let me take this opportunity to wish you all a happy summer.
