A new calendar year always feels like a fresh start. Here at the university, the new year heralds the publication of the annual report for the previous year. At the time of writing, the report for the 2023 financial year is not completely ready, but still indicates a certain deficit. At the end of last year, the Ekonomi i balans project, which aimed to balance the university’s budget, also came to a close. It goes without saying that we had hoped to achieve our goal, but in light of the many challenges beyond our control that have arisen in recent years – rent increases and inflation, to name just two – I am pleased with the outcome. I know that all our departments and administrative divisions really did their utmost to achieve a balanced budget, and with a turnover as large as that of Stockholm University, a perfect balance cannot be achieved every year – so an almost-balanced budget is good enough! The best thing about the project is that the concept of a balanced budget has now become a matter of course for everyone. That sets us up for balanced financial development in the future. At the same time, it is quite clear that we must now ease some of our austerity measures, not least when it comes to doctoral student positions. To maintain our strong research environments in both our focus areas, we need to recruit a fresh crop of doctoral students who will breathe new life into the university body. To balance out our spending to this end, we must remain vigilant about savings opportunities in other areas.
The start of 2024 also means a new financial year, with all the opportunities and challenges that entails. Stockholm University has already added several new faces to its management team, in the form of two new deputy vice presidents (of Human Science and Science, respectively) who have already gotten a firm handle on their assignments. We are also all looking forward to the outcome of the ongoing process of recruiting a new president. Although our new leader won’t take office until 1 February 2025, their selection must be completed by no later than September, when the term of office of the current University Board expires. As far as I’m concerned, this means I have almost exactly one year left as President of Stockholm University. Of course, this is not the time to launch any major new strategic ventures – I will leave that to my successor. Still, I must continue to shoulder my responsibilities as President of Stockholm University and head of a public authority, with all that entails in terms of following up and developing our existing activities, until my very last day on the job. I look forward to my final year as President!
This text is written by President Astrid Söderbergh Widding. It appears in the section “Words from the Management”, in which members of the university’s management team take turns to write about topical issues. The section appears in News for staff which is distributed to the entirety of the University staff.