New leadership at the department

- Thank you for your trust, says Bjørnar. - This will be both an exciting and demanding role over the next four years. The knowledge our department produces and manages is of great value to society beyond the university, and it’s up to all of us to ensure it’s put to good use.

Bjørnar and Lars took over as the new leadership on August 1st, following Marija Slavkovik’s four-year term as head of the department.

- Marija led the department exceptionally well, which makes the transition much smoother for us, adds Bjørnar. 

Big department

The Infomedia department has up to 100 employees and a four-digit number of students. It is the largest department at the Social Science Faculty and provides many different study programs in several buildings around the campus.

- We are committed to ensuring that the department is well-managed and maintains a strong reputation – both within the Faculty of Social Sciences, across the University of Bergen, and in the surrounding community, says Bjørnar.

- The two of us are committed to guiding the department through financially challenging times and supporting our academic community as it evolves alongside the world around us. Fortunately, we have an exceptionally skilled administrative team that will support us every step of the way, notes Lars. 

Societal relevance

Athough the activities of the Infomedia department are highly relevant to society, this may not always be clearly recognized by staff, students, or the broader community. The new leadership aims to strengthen communication around the department’s societal impact and will also introduce new initiatives to support this goal.

Strong internal communication among staff and students is essential in this effort. The leadership is committed to ensuring that everyone in the department is kept informed about important developments.

- Our staff represents a wide range of nationalities and language backgrounds. Fostering a sense of community is essential if we’re to move forward together, explains Tessem. 

- We want to ensure that our website, staff meetings, and other community events are designed to be inclusive for everyone – our academic and administrative staff, PhD candidates, industry-affiliated teachers, and, not least, our students, adds Nyre. 

Pragmatic leadership

As one of the larger departments, Infomedia is highly active across the four core areas of a modern university: research, teaching, dissemination, and innovation. The new leadership aims to support all four areas in a balanced way through its approach to departmental management.

Bjørnar emphasizes that he does not intend to dictate the academic focus of individual researchers or the way teaching and assessment are organized. Instead, his decisions will be guided by what he believes serves the best interests of the department.

– That said, we will have clear views on how our activities can be best managed and communicated. When allocating resources, we’ll take into account academic focus, breadth, and quality, he elaborates.