Mette Sandoff – new Pro-Vice-Chancellor.

Stepping up to a new position

Mette Sandoff, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Education, will take over as Pro-Vice-Chancellor from Mattias Goksör, who will be stepping down for personal reasons.

AT AN EXTRAORDINARY meeting at the end of August, the University Board decided to appoint Professor Mette Sandoff as Acting Pro-Vice-Chancellor from August 30, 2021, until June 30, 2023. This means that a new deputy vice-chancellor must be appointed, so for a time she will be both Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor.

How come you accepted the position?

– I saw it as a challenge and an opportunity to work in the best interests of the university on a more over-arching level than I could in my position as Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Education. There will be matters that I already follow, but have had no responsibility for, as well as other matters that are completely new to me. A need arose and I think it is important to take responsibility for the university’s operations, and contribute whenever I can.

How long have you known about this?

– I was asked some time ago. Of course I thought about it, but I realised fairly quickly that I wanted to contribute. The situation is still precarious with the pandemic and major changes in pipeline. For instance, new deputy vice-chancellors, major inquiries, a comprehensive reorganisation of the Central University Admi-

Mette Sandoff is new Pro-Vice-Chancellor st the University.

nistration, and the launching of a new climate transition that has created controversy. – I think it is fun to see new people coming in with new ideas and energy to the management team. I look at these changes as an opportunity to come up with something new and to see problems from different perspectives. I am looking forward to this journey of change at the Central University Administration and have high hopes of this leading to something even better.

You are stepping up from your position as deputy vice-chancellor for education, a position that you have held since 2012? How does it feel?

– It has been very stimulating to be Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Education. As I have been there for quite some time, I have had the opportunity to influence and follow many issues, and seen how we have developed our work at the university. Of course, a part of me will miss working so closely with the issues and the people with whom I have worked for so long, but it feels good to move on to new challenges.

What do you think is most important when handing over to a new deputy vice-chancellor for education?

– Continuing to manage and drive the dynamic group that the University Board of education has become, as well as taking on the other duties that the role of deputy vice-chancellor entails. In the short-term, the focus should be on avoiding unnecessary interruptions in the matters that are already underway. At the same time, and in the longer term, it is important to look at things with a fresh pair of eyes and contribute, which should be encouraged. In terms of the actual hand-over, it will need to be adapted to whoever is taking over, that is to the knowledge the person has about the position as a whole.

You are also Professor of Public Administration. What expertise and experience from that field will you bring to the executive management of the University of Gothenburg?

– Research and education within the subject of public administration, which in brief involves studying the public sector, organisation theory and leadership – by now, I have garnered a lot of experience, both in theory and practice. I can contribute this knowledge and benefit from it in an executive role, and it is something that I have tried to make use of in all my previous executive positions as director of studies, head of department, assistant dean and deputy vice-chancellor.

New Deputy Vice-Chancellor for education is Pauli Kortteinen.

Text: Allan Eriksson Photo: Johan Wingborg