Editorial: Stefan Kölliker

Central building blocks for the future

It is impossible to look back on the academic year of 2020–21 without focusing on the dominant issue – the pandemic, since the universities were also severely affected by Covid-19. All the actors were constantly forced to find answers to questions which they had never asked before in this way. This required close coordination within the University and with all its stakeholders, as well as a great deal of commitment and flexibility on the part of the University members. I would like to extend my warm thanks to all of them for the spirited and constructive way in which they dealt with this exceptional situation.

Although the pandemic had not been completely overcome by the time this Annual Report went to press, I would like to look ahead with confidence, to a future for which the University of St.Gallen (HSG) has most recently set an important course. With the inauguration of the School of Computer Science (SCS), it stays abreast of the digital transformation and its disruptive effects. The SCS and its courses are a central component of the cantonal education offensive and make a valuable contribution to the fight against the skills shortage.

In the field of medicine, too, HSG provides a new service that enhances St.Gallen as a business location: in Autumn Semester 2020, the first students started their Joint Medical Master’s course, which HSG had established together with the University of Zurich. I wish these pioneers a great deal of success and hope that they will remain in the canton after graduation.

Finally, I am pleased about the adoption of a new, innovative strategy for the basic mission of executive education. HSG may be the leader in this field, but those who stand still will sooner or later be overtaken. This is why the institution should also constantly improve itself in the spirit of lifelong learning. The pandemic and the enforced digitalisation of teaching, in particular, have taught us much that must now be implemented in a profitable fashion. My wish is that HSG will be successful along these lines – also for the benefit of the canton.