We need to be able to think both inside and outside – and without – the box, administrative staff as much as academic. That’s how we serve our society here at home as well as across the globe. And for us who sometimes find it difficult to step out, it may be a good reminder that unwinding is so important that it is mandated by Norwegian law… – it’s part of our job!
Celebrating the academic New-Year, as we have done the past weeks, it has been great to see the corridors at TF fill up again. A big thank-you especially to everyone who has been working hard to prepare such a warm welcome for our new and returning students. Like taking breaks and recharging, celebrating is important too, especially in the midst of the steady stream of challenging developments in the world, with which the news media cover our screens.
Our Role as Academics: Navigating Challenges and Ensuring Freedom
As a university, and in our quest for wisdom, we have a responsibility to nurture and maintain an awareness of all that is happening in the world, and apply our skills, academically and administratively, to move our society forward, to assist in creating a socially sustainable society for us all. Just as our Stragety2030 outline. We are going to return to and work with our Strategy more this semester, especially at our Faculty Seminar later in the fall, looking at what we have accomplished so far and what the next steps may be in terms of goals and implementation. More info on this will come later.
But with political and technical developments happening at the speed of light – and AI permeating most of these trajectories – we must also face the fact that we don’t always know today what kind of solutions tomorrow will require. Our freedom to engage in research and teaching and learning – academic freedom – therefore insists that we allow for both basic research, and research and teaching that is directly aimed at problem solving. This is sometimes forgotten by our politicians, who from time to time suggest that they should be deciding what is important and what is not; what is to be defined as valuable and worthy knowledge, and what is, as some have recently phrased it, only ‘bullshit’ study programs. I’m sure you have all seen the debates raging in the media.
Fostering Inclusivity: Collaborations with Diverse Communities
As we open this new semester, as we prepare ourselves to meet the goals we have set up for ourselves and for our faculty as a whole, let this be a reminder to us all, and for those outside academia, that we not only celebrate the freedom of the academic pursuit; we embody its necessity for a sound society, across and beyond the political spectrum. If we stand up for our academic values, whether they are popular or not, we will serve our society well, including the church, and other religious and non-religious communities. What is good for society at large is also good for these communities, and vice versa, as was obvious, too, when the Norwegian government launched its strategy for “et livssyns?pent samfunn 2025–2030” back in June, and TF was invited to share its experience and expertise.
Before this, a few years ago, TF received funding from the government to work together with the Jewish community providing university education for the study program Shvilim, the Jewish Pathfinders, a program praised by both prime minister and king, and which received the S?nstebypris in 2024. Currently, we are working hard to secure funding for establishing, in cooperation with Muslim communities, a study program to serve Muslim Pathfinders. Here, Nora and Brynjulv have done excellent work, which we hope will yield results. Both programs are designed to counter increasing polarisation, racism, judaeophobia, and islamophobia, and contributing to a democratic, inclusive and socially sustainable society.
Strengthening Our Academic Culture: Theology, Religion, and Sustainability
As many have said before, and repeatedly: The more diversity we can achieve among researchers and students, the better it is for our search for new perspectives and knowledge. Knowledge happens in cooperation; it is relational in its very nature. It is also by definition border-less and therefore both national and international; it is meant for, and grows out of, our ability to cooperate across any perceived boundaries.
In fact, diversity and inclusion may have a very direct positive impact on student life, as found in a Swedish study reported by forskning.no some time ago. The study itself can be found in the Journal of Studies in International Education. It showed that when students from different countries were required to work together, they became less stressed and enjoyed themselves more. And it reduced both academic and social gaps between students. Diversity increases discovery, but conscious and deliberate work on integration is key.
Welcoming New Faculty: Expanding Horizons in Learning
In this, TF has much to celebrate, as we continue to develop our academic culture studying theology and religion across faith communities. No religion is an island; to know one is to know none. We all need one another. And society needs us. The academic study of theology and religion is not a ‘nice to have’ in a university. It is a ‘need to have’ for any society striving for sustainability, socially as well as environmentally. Much of what we do here at the faculty demonstrates this eminently well.
Being a university means, for obvious reasons, constant development and opening of new avenues for learning; such is the nature of the academy. This is true also for TF. As we enter the new academic year, I want, finally, to say a special welcome to Associate Professor Ragnhild B?, whose expertise in material culture, art history, and gender, all focussing on Medieval church history, the period when Norway was Christianised, will add important competence to our faculty. Ragnhild started at TF August 1 and has a cross-appointment between TF and the Museum of Cultural history, which also and uniquely opens up for new forms of both research and teaching. Most welcome in our midst, Ragnhild, we very much look forward to working with you in the years to come!
Looking Ahead: Embracing Challenges and Celebrating Contributions
There is so much more I’d like to say but let me end by repeating how enthusiastic I am about working with you all this new semester, as we dive into the challenges that awaits us. Know that the work you do is essential, now more than ever. Let us celebrate the New Year by seeking new ways of knowing and intensifying our research-based contribution to current debates in our society and worldwide.