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Linn Kristin St?lan

Candidate for the University Board among technical and administrative staff.

Linn Kristin St?lan, Section manager, Section for research and communications, Faculty of Educational Sciences.

Nomidated by:

  • Hanna Karv, Senior Adviser, Faculty Administration, UV
  • Marika Vartun, Administrative Manager, Department of Special Needs Education, UV
  • Kari-Anne Ulfsnes, Adviser, Department of Education, UV
  • Toril Eggen, Adviser, Department of Teacher Education and School Research, UV
  • Camilla Bakke, Senior Executive Officer, Department of Education, UV
  • Kristi Lynette Barcus-S?vareid, Senior Executive Officer, Department of Education, UV
  • Paola L?vland, Senior Executive Officer, Department of Education, UV
  • Shane David Colvin, Senior Engineer, Faculty Administration, UV

Motivation

Linn Kristin St?lan
Linn Kristin St?lan

Together we will fulfill the ambitions of Strategy 2030 and continue to develop the quality of our research, education and communication. I want the employees to have the best possible conditions for achieving this, and that is what motivates me the most about a potential board member position.

Election platform

Some of the headlines for the next period will be new collaborations and alliances nationally and internationally, the realisation of major construction projects and initiatives, new arenas for communicating with society, a new EU framework programme for research and innovation and a new national long-term plan for research and higher education. I also think lessons learned from the pandemic will be a relevant topic. Many tasks await the technical-administrative staff, and here are some topics that I would like to highlight:

Competence and career development

UiO is equivalent to high quality for me, this applies to both academic and administrative activities. Many stakeholders have high expectations, such as governmental agencies, funding bodies, students or businesses. With increased professionalisation, most of us experience that work becomes increasingly complex and regularly requires new skills. Developing UiO as an organisation means developing the employees. UiO should focus on all employees' competence and career development, and comprehensive measures. In addition to courses and training, I would like to see mentoring schemes, internship opportunities (both inside and outside of UiO) and more international exchange for technical-administrative employees.

Good change management processes

In the next period for the board, we will continue to learn new routines and receive more administrative systems through the BOTT collaboration (universities in Bergen, Oslo, Troms? and Trondheim). We will reorganise IT and archive, and we will probably see changes that we do not know about yet. In order to succeed with development projects, we must facilitate good collaboration across levels and disciplines. We must run inclusive and open processes where employees are listened to. That the leaders are competent and exercise good change management processes with clear communication is a success factor.

Life after the pandemic

Plans and strategies are important, but then the pandemic has taught us that we must also be flexible and able to suddenly find new ways for working. Digitalisation has accelerated, especially within teaching. Both students and staff have challenging times during the pandemic, and it will be important to implement both short-term and long-term solutions when we’re going to organise life at the UiO post-corona. How will we facilitate teaching, working from home, travel activities and events in the future? To learn from survey results and other inputs from employees will be important.

Who am I?

I am a sociologist, and throughout my career I’ve worked in research support and communication. After many years in various departments at UiO’s central level, I now work as head of section at the Faculty of Educational Sciences. The section for research and communication is responsible for services within research administration, external funding, PhD and communication.

In addition I have tasks regarding competence development for both researchers and administrative staff. I have held several courses in project management for administrative project managers, and been involved in developing a course for research administrators which are now carried out as a national course by the NARMA (Norwegian network for research administration). I am also part of the course team for UiO's research leader programme starting level (RLP Start), and a member of NARMA's professional team for competence development. I am an experienced project manager and communications advisor for various projects and programmes.

My extensive background means that I know UiO well, and know a lot about the employees' situation at all levels in the university. I have had the opportunity to work on many exciting projects and processes across the UiO, but most of all I appreciate working with skilled and nice people who teach me something every single day.

Background:

  • Section manager, Section for research and communications, Faculty of Educational Sciences
  • Senior communications advisor at the Department of Communications and External Relations, UiO
  • Project leader and senior advisor at the Department of Academic Administration, UiO
  • Senior advisor at the Department of Research Administration, UiO
  • Communications administrator at University of Cambridge 
  • Research administrator at National Institute of Public Health
  • Cand.polit in sociology
Published May 12, 2021 4:12 PM - Last modified Mar. 14, 2022 10:54 AM