20 20 ANNUAL REPORT EDITORS
Liisa Harjula Kirke Hassinen Tanja Heikkinen Ulla Helimo Kirsi Häkämies Arto Ikonen Anitta Kananen Reetta Mikkola Anu Mustonen Petra Thurén Kati Valpe Iiro Vuori Martta Walker PHOTOGRAPHS
Auli Dahlström Nina Huisman Tarja Jakobsén Anna Kajander Petteri Kivimäki Kristiina Korjonen-Kuusipuro Eerika Koskinen-Koivisto Siiri Koutola Anniina Liimatainen Päivi Lyhykäinen, OAJ Tuukka Luukkonen Martti Minkkinen Ministry of Education and Culture Finnish Defence Forces Hanna Salomäki Suomen Ilmakuva Oy Andre Vandal Mikko Vähäniitty STATISTICS
Helena Maukonen CONCEPT AND DESIGN
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RECTOR’S OVERVIEW
Master’s degree education in technology begins in Jyväskylä The COVID-19 pandemic, which started to spread in Finland at the beginning of March 2020, significantly affected the University. The first coronavirus infection in a Finnish citizen was found on 26 February. At the beginning of March, the University of Jyväskylä launched measures and preparations due to the worsening situation. In Finland, the Emergency Powers Act was invoked for the period from 17 March to 15 June 2020. As a consequence, the University shifted to remote working and teaching. As 2020 progressed, the University continually adjusted to the pandemic situation. On 23 July, the Government changed the Government Decree on University Degrees so that JYU would receive educational responsibility for bachelor’s, master’s, licentiate and doctoral degrees in technology. Building up the new education programme calls for multidisciplinary expertise. The expansion of educational responsibility had been pursued by JYU for about twenty years and is a strategic achievement. Achieving this goal required strong support from the region’s members of parliament, the Chamber of Commerce, the local business network and other key parties. During the year, the University prepared for the audit conducted by the Finnish Education Evaluation Council (FINEEC), and the audit visit took place on 2–3 December 2020. The audit looked at the ways in which the University maintains and develops the quality of its activities. The audit also covered all basic duties of the University: education, research and innovation activities as well as societal interaction. The number of completed degrees increased considerably in 2020. JYU had 174 doctorates (127 in 2019), 1,863 master’s degrees (1,576) and 1,416 bachelor’s degrees (1,235). The number of international peer-reviewed publications increased from the level of previous years and the total number of scientific publications reached a new record. In June, the University commenced cooperation negotiations at the Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius, aiming to balance the Consorti-
um’s financial situation and develop its operations. As a result, the University laid off eight employees of the Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius. The University actively contributes to regional cooperation. The EduFutura Jyväskylä cooperation with JAMK University of Applied Sciences and the Jyväskylä Educational Consortium Gradia became concrete through an extensive joint education offering. In addition, JYU has also actively participated in the strengthening of KEHO, the Central Finland Health and Wellbeing Ecosystem. The experiences of the last year have highlighted how universities provide long-term sustainability in society. People expect a lot from universities, requesting answers and solutions for a range of problems. We want to contribute to ensuring planetary wellbeing, and that contribution begins here at home. Crises and troubles force us to focus on what is essential and leave unnecessary things aside. JYU has a strong foundation of values, and during difficult times these remind us of what is really important.
Yours sincerely, Keijo Hämäläinen RECTOR
