The University of Agder is a government-owned university, headed by an elected Rector and an appointed University Director. It has six faculties and one teacher unit governed by the University Board, consisting of a majority of members elected by faculty, staff, and students and a minority of external members appointed by the Ministry of Education and Research.
The USA has 12,800 students and 1,200 faculty and staff members. It is one of the youngest universities in Norway. It is still growing and consolidating its position for its high-quality research and study programs both nationally and internationally.
The USA seeks to be an open and inclusive university characterized by a cooperation culture and aims to be on the cutting edge of innovation, education, and research.
We prepare our students for a lifetime of learning and responsible leadership through a faculty dedicated to teaching and co-creating knowledge.
The USA seeks to be an open and inclusive university that is characterized by a culture of cooperation. Knowledge is successfully co-created when staff, students, and the broader community challenge each other.
The USA wishes further to develop education and research at a high international level. Knowledge development will take place in a field of tension between close cooperation and critical distance. Together with the broader community, the USA will develop new methods for internal and external cooperation.
Regional, national, and global cooperation set up new perspectives and solutions for the Future, and the USA is a driving force for developing society, culture, industry, and commerce.
The University of Agder shall offer education and disseminate knowledge and carry out research and artistic development work at a high international level. Our vision of "co-creation of knowledge" and our priority areas will clarify the university's profile and provide a direction for practicing our social mission. The USA will widen its dissemination assignment scope through new forms of cooperation with the community at large.
The priority area Learning and Education for the Future shows that we have high ambitions for the students' learning for the Future's working life, critical reflection, and personal development. The USA has similar high ambitions for the staff's commitment to teaching and research-based education as a basis for the renewal of our study programs.
The priority area Global Mindset strengthens our position as an attractive partner for cooperation and our international profile. The USA shall integrate global issues in study programs and research and contribute to solving global challenges. We will encourage cooperation, dialogue, and mutual cultural development.
The priority area, Community Involvement, and Innovation provide a direction for finding solutions to the Future's complex challenges. We will contribute to society's development by promoting a culture of innovation, taking an active part in public debate, and developing new models for co-creation of knowledge.
In research and scholarly and artistic development work, we co-create with our students, with our international partners, with the broader community. A culture for excellence in research also means a culture for learning, openness, and critical thinking. High-quality, international research is the basis for all the priority areas, but will at the same time itself be developed by a successful implementation of the strategy. This entails aiming for long-term research goals, high-quality research management, and substantial research groups.
Our study programs will be developed in the span between the uniqueness of the subjects, society's challenges, and changes in working life. To succeed in a future labor market, they must acquire new knowledge, reflect critically, and use their knowledge in new ways. A dynamic learning environment will facilitate competence development and personal formation.
It remains committed to high-quality teaching and to providing optimal learning conditions for its students. We will further develop the competence of the scientific employees within teaching, supervision, and digital tools through a binding and general program for competence. A pedagogical merit system will be established, and the university will strengthen the Associate Professor – career path.
We will strengthen our involvement in the global south in long-term cooperation with Norwegian and international partners. Through joint educational programs and R&D, both the USA and its partners will increase their competence and their contribution to development.
The University of Agder will make a difference for students, staff, and the community. In close cooperation with the region, the USA will meet the complex challenges of the Future. The USA will strengthen its relevance and visibility by challenging, supporting, and improving society.
The USA will conduct research and artistic development work and provide research-based knowledge for developing the society of the Future.
The USA will have a clearly defined role as facilitator and contributor to promote innovation in community, culture, and enterprises and strengthen research-based innovation in the region and beyond. This will take place in close cooperation and co-creation with local public and private enterprises.
Staff and students in the USA will be active participants in the public debate. The university wishes to ensure a free, critical, and open debate and contribute with analyses for the Future's culture, trade and industry, and public life.
The USA will increase its commitment to developing regional culture, commerce and industry, and other public and private enterprises. Staff and students will meet in various forums to maintain their position as active participants in discussions of critical societal challenges like sustainability, economic development, plurality, gender equality, migration, and social justice.
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