Gunnar Bovim begins work as Rector at NTNU

A tour of NTNU's major campuses with new rector Gunnar Bovim, as he comments on the main issues facing NTNU in the near future. His priorities include improving the way the university educates its students, promoting a vibrant campus life after 5 p.m., and calling for more academic staff to communicate their findings to the general public.

"We should not just think small thoughts. Our task is to create knowledge for a better world, a world that our grandchildren can be proud of," Bovim says.

Øya campus, with St.Olav Trondheim University Hospital and NTNU's Faculty of Medicine

On Thursday 1 August, Gunnar Bovim was formally installed as the new rector at NTNU. First we asked him about his immediate impression of the university, some eight years after he left his position as Dean of NTNU's Faculty of Medicine.

"Thanks for the warm reception,"said Bovim. "I'm really looking forward to get started, and have been preparing for this day these last months. I've been visiting many of NTNU's exciting research communities, and [I have] seen that NTNU has really changed. NTNU is developing in a very positive way, and I'm proud of having the opportunity to be a part of NTNU's progress in the coming years."

NTNU's Faculty of Medicine, where Bovim was previously Dean, is renowned for its high quality research. Two of the four new centres of excellence are connected to this Faculty, and they also have a fine record of applying to projects in the European Research Area system.  What can other research communities at NTNU learn from their success?

"I think all research communities at NTNU may draw on each other's experience,"said Bovim. "There is quality both at the Faculty of Medicine and at NTNU's other faculties.  We may learn a lot from those at the front of their fields.  In addition to learning from each other within NTNU we must also pay serious attention to  the scientific world outside our university.  I think we may expect some major initiatives. We should therefore be prepared to establish new groups with the aim of attaining an international standard in all of NTNU's disciplines. I look forward to being involved in such a process."

St. Olav Trondheim University Hospital, which is the new Norwegian Knowledge Centre for Health Services, is likely to play an important role In NTNU's strategic area Health, Welfare and Technology.

"In total the buildings for health care services at Øya encompass some 200 000 square meters,"said Bovim. "One quarter of that area – some 50 000 square meters – is for research and education at NTNU. This puts NTNU in a fantastically privileged position, ranking us foremost amongst universities in Northern Europe. It gives us both academic possibilities and societal duties."

Dragvoll campus

The humanities and social sciences departments are located in the central walkway at the Dragvoll campous. Rector Bovim intends to travel across NTNU's campuses in Trondheim with is new, blue electric car.

"Some people say that the NTNU of today has two campuses," said Bovim. "The reality is that NTNU's departments are spread across locations all over Trondheim – making it truly a "university city"." Under a new "campus project", the Ministry of Education and Research will investigate how NTNU's need for additional space should be taken care of in the near future, said Bovim. "It is therefore our task to contribute to the project's quality by bringing forward at an early stage all relevant facts and viewpoints, providing the best possible basis for the final decisions."

But many at the campus say they do not feel at home in a university focused on science and technology, meaning that creating a sense of unity on campus could be a challenge.

"I am really enthusiastic about NTNU's present vision and strategy,"said Bovim. "The main task is "Knowledge for a better world". That is a very tangible concept, and I'm really concerned about not degrading it in any way. Some say that we are a small university in the periphery. That is totally wrong. We at NTNU have a true potential and a vision to contribute with solid knowledge for a better world. This requires a concerted effort from all of the disciplines within NTNU's wide range of competence."

Laboratories for Marine Technology at Tyholt

At these laboratories, NTNUs is cooperating closely with research organisations SINTEF and MARINTEK to build an Ocean Space Centre.

This is a "Highly exciting and ambitious project, which we truly hope to bring about,"said Bovim. While he cannot promise that it will be completed in the next few years, he is optimistic about the collaboration with SINTEF.   "There are many fields where this cooperation is highly visible,"he said. "We may be rightly proud of this cooperation, and it is definitely something to develop further."

University Museum at Kalvskinnet campus

The NTNU University Museum acts as a channel for science communication to the general public. "To have scientists enthusiastically communicate the findings and questions central to their research is a major part of the university's main tasks,"said Bovim. "Some concentrate this communication only to the scientists in their own field, which of course is important.  But I'm also seriously concerned about engaging the general public in this communication.  It is clearly a part of our societal duty to disseminate our knowledge to the general public. I hope we can promote this activity, both as a response to direct questions, but also through our own initiatives presenting our findings to society as a whole."

Gløshaugen campus

This part of the campus recently played host to the enrollment ceremony of 7.000 new NTNU students. Bovim considers it a "privilege" that so many young people choose to spend "their prime years"attending the university. "I intend to encourage them to stick to the enthusiasm they have when coming here,"he said. "We will help them to retain that enthusiasm and educate them to become people with a purpose in life".

In previous interview, Bovim indicated that NTNU rested too much on previous successes and had an insufficient capacity for renewal, but he says this was not meant as a criticism, "As NTNU has many fine qualities. It is, however, important for NTNU as a university to be forever engaged in improvement and development.  We have to be at the forefront regarding what study programmes we provide and the accompanying educational methods. We must attract those young persons that will be entrusted with bringing the nation into the future."

As part of his strategy, Bovim has said he wants a campus where the lights do not go out after five p.m. "A real campus shall encompass innovative learning, coffee bars, arenas for discussions, maybe a literary society, and places for informal meetings between academic staff and students,"said Bovim. "This might make the campus a vibrant place to be, a place where you want to come also in your off-time, a place where the lights are still on after five p.m."

"Our task is, as previously stated, knowledge for a better world," said Bovim. "A world that our grandchildren might be proud of. Those that come after us will hopefully admit that we made some right choices.  One factor is creating scientific communities that gain international standing. Another one is offering high quality study programmes that really attract students.  A third factor is convincing business and industry that cooperating with NTNU will truly benefit their progress. Those are "large stones" that yet have to be given a more concrete form. But I'm now just beginning my term as rector, engaging in a dialogue with the staff and students at NTNU how to proceed in these matters. This is a job I truly look forward to."