student

2021-12-21

Christmas Greetings from the President

JU, December 2021

2021 is coming to a close, a year that has been marked by the Corona pandemic but also by the joy of gradually and responsibly returning to our campus environment during the autumn and meeting beyond our computer screens. During the autumn, we were visited and had the opportunity of presenting our university to both the King and Queen of Sweden, and also Minister Matilda Ernkrans, giving them an insight into Jönköping University’s education and research, and talk about how the pandemic has affected studies, teaching and research at JU.

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At the start of the autumn term, JU received 3,100 new students, of which almost 600 come from countries other than Sweden. The latest international student satisfaction survey shows that our international students rank student life, our campus, and our teaching well above the European average. We also note that JU is ranked as one of the 25 best-performing universities around the world, in terms of student mobility.

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During 2021, JU has been noticed both nationally and internationally. We are happy with the awards that show our high quality of education, our outstanding research achievements, and our collaboration skills.

The Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) gave the green light for JU’s quality system for education, a proof that we maintain very high quality in our courses and programmes at all schools.

During the year, the School of Health and Welfare’s work placement (Swe: VFU) was ranked as the best in Sweden by The Swedish Association of Health Professionals.

This year, media and communication research at the School of Education and Communication listed for the first time in the prestigious Shanghai ranking, which ranks research at higher education institutions around the world in various subjects.

The School of Engineering was awarded the “Engaged University” accreditation by the international organization ACEEU (Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities). Very impressive.

Jönköping International Business School (JIBS) has received renewed accreditation from the international organization AACSB.

JIBS has also, for the first time, secured a place on the Financial Times’ prestigious top-100 list of master’s programmes at business schools. An incredible feat considering that there are almost 15,000 business schools in the world. A few weeks ago, the news came that JIBS has also made it onto the list of the best business schools in Europe as a whole. A fantastic achievement!

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The need for increased research is something that has been prioritized by both JU and the state, and JU has been successful in a number of important research applications. On 17 December this year, the Knowledge Foundation announced a major investment in JU by granting SEK 52 million to projects within the research and education environment SPARK.

During the year, the Knowledge Foundation also granted SEK 12 million to the research project “System for leadership development.” A project that brings together researchers from all four schools and is conducted in close collaboration with the business community.

In June, it was announced that the Swedish Research Council would grant SEK 39 million in funds to the new national and prestigious graduate school “Culturally Empowering Education through Language and Literature” that is placed at JU. The graduate school aims to build research capacity to prepare the next generation of teachers to teach for the diversity of the Swedish school.

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Christmas is almost here, and I would think that most of us will welcome it with joy. It is time to take some well-deserved rest. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to extend a big thank you to everyone within JU who, in one way or another, has been involved and contributed during the year. If you have not yet had time to buy all your Christmas presents, I can recommend the newly launched Ikea armchair Uppburen, which JTH students have been involved in developing – a present in the spirit of collaboration.

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I wish you a nice Christmas weekend with the opportunity for recovery. Personally, I plan to take a few laps in the dog and sled tracks if the winter weather allows.

A warm welcome back to JU 2022. A year that we sincerely hope will be a year where we can continue to meet on our beautiful campus.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,

Agneta

Campusområdet på vintern med snötäcke