University of Agder

The University of Agder (UiA, Norwegian: Universitetet i Agder), previously Agder University College, has 8500 students and 900 members of faculty and staff. UiA is one of the larger institutions for higher education in Norway.

Agder University College was instituted in 1994 after 6 colleges in Kristiansand, Grimstad and Arendal merged. The university college became Norway's 7th university on September 1, 2007, after the government had granted it status as a university on August 10, 2007.

As of today, the university is split between three campuses; Arendal, Grimstad and Kristiansand, with the latter being the largest.

More details

The University of Agder has five faculties, with the teacher training programmes organized interdisiplinarily. Currently the university offers 175 study programmes, including 20 Master programmes and 7 PhD programmes, in a wide variety of subjects, such as business administration, social sciences, language, culture and litterature, engineering, music and health related courses, as well as several other study programmes. All engineering programmes are currently located in Grimstad, nursing and healthcare programmes are taught both in Arendal and Kristiansand. The remainder of the programmes and courses are taught in Kristiansand. The university is involved in significant international cooperation, and has signed agreements with 170 universities on student and teacher exchange in all parts of the world. The university closely collaborates with business, the public sector and NGOs in the Agder-region. UiA contributes considerably to the economic, social and cultural development of the region.

UiA has a shared leadership. The rector is elected by the students and members of staff and faculty. She is the head of the university board, and is responsible for the academic programmes and activities. The university director is the head of administration, and is responsible for all economic and administrativ affairs.

Agder University College was from the establishment of the college situated in 8 different places in Kristiansand, Grimstad and Arendal, causing inconvenience to both students and staff. In 2001 the activities in Kristiansand were concentrated in new buildings erected on the former Gimlemoen military camp, with the exception of the former music conservatory which is still housed in the centre of Kristiansand. By 2010 also this part of the university will be located on the Gimlemoen campus. In 2005 the university board decided to merge the campuses in Arendal and Grimstad, and to locate the new campus in Grimstad, effective from 2010. The university will thus have two campuses, Campus Kristiansand (approx 6.000 students) and Campus Grimstad (approx 2.500 students) in 2010.

Its web site in English is at http://www.uia.no/en

e-learning

The University of Agder is one of the 14 partners in the UN Global Virtual University.

A press release of 9 September 2002 notes:

Norway grants NOK 15 million (US$2 million) to a new United Nations University branch hosted at UNEP/GRID-Arendal

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the World Summit on Sustainable Development granted NOK 15 million (US$2 million) to the creation of a new United Nations University (UNU) operating unit located at UNEP/GRID-Arendal. This new unit will be responsible for the development of the Global Virtual University (GVU), implemented by a core partnership between UNEP/GRID-Arendal, the Agder University College and the UNU. These core partners will together establish the international network of cooperating universities.

Hans van Ginkel, Rector of the UNU, welcomed the support of the Norwegian Government and stated, "This new initiative will build upon the work of the UNU on the virtual university which has been on-going since 1996. In particular, we see it has a great opportunity to harmonize the use of the best available educational technologies with high-quality course contents from UNEP/GRID and the UNU."

The GVU will offer education for the common future, providing scientific knowledge supporting the prudent management of the environment and helping to map out national and regional pathways to sustainable development. The studies will increase people's sensitivity to, and involvement in, finding solutions for environment and development problems, develop expertise to understand the potential and the limits of the environment, and foster ethical awareness, values and attitudes, and the skills and behaviour needed. The courseware will be developed in a collaborative, global network of academic institutions, and the studies will be on-line and decentralized, with a focus on developing countries.

Ernst Håkon Jahr, the Rector of Agder University College, says: "GVU will expand our already existing international network of universities and improve our capacity in e-Learning."

During the initial phase, the UNU operating unit in Norway and UNEP/GRID-Arendal will establish the GVU and will provide course materials based on their activities. The GVU is planned to grow into a network organization, which will focus on education based on e-Learning and will support and build competencies related to sustainable human development in developing countries through partnerships with cooperating universities and research organizations. New information and communication technologies will be used in order to bridge the digital divide and to deliver up-to-date access to quality learning across wide geographic regions at reasonable costs.

The GVU partnership is supported by the Norwegian Governement, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations University in Tokyo.

UNEP/GRID-Arendal will be the host institution for the UNU branch. Svein Tveitdal, Managing Director of UNEP/GRID-Arendal, says: "The branch will strengthen our institutional network and open a new channel for UN's environmental information to managers and decision makers of tomorrow."

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