News from the management

New term periods for heads of department

We are currently in the midst of an intensive process to appoint Heads of Department for the upcoming 2025–2028 term. The current heads at IMS and LAPF expressed their continued interest in serving another term earlier this spring and have now undergone evaluation. At the departments of VF, VSB, and BT, recruitment processes for new Heads of Department are underway. Each department appoints representatives who, together with the Dean and an HR specialist, form recruitment groups specific to each department. These groups prepare evaluation surveys—which all staff can respond to anonymously—as well as job postings and organize hearings for new appointments. The evaluations and hearings from department staff are important input for me as Dean in deciding on appointments or extensions.

Following the evaluation, the Head of Department at IMS (Mats Gyllin) has now been appointed for a new term. The evaluation of the LAPF Head of Department is also nearing completion. Before the summer, I hope to be able to announce who will serve as Heads and Deputy Heads of Department at VF, VSB, and BT for the coming term.

Our students and educational programmes

We are pleased to note a modest increase in the number of admitted students for the autumn term, with only a few exceptions among our study programmes. A major initiative is currently underway to review student recruitment and the marketing of our programmes. Lars Johannsson (Acting Head of Department at SoL-La) has been tasked with conducting a comprehensive evaluation to identify how SLU should work with student recruitment. All of us will be involved in and engaged with this important process, which will be presented in September.

A new development this autumn is that the Lantmästare (BSc in Agriculture) programme will now fall under the Landscape/Horticulture Programme Board, something we are looking forward to. Also, don’t forget that on Thursday, 5 June, we will hold our traditional and festive end-of-term celebration for students—both at Campus Alnarp and Campus Ultuna.

SLU’s strategy for 2026–2030

The new SLU strategy is beginning to take shape and will be a revision of the previous one, taking into account the current geopolitical context. The three focus areas from the previous strategy will remain, although with some updates:

1. The next step for sustainable development
2. SLU and the data-driven present and future
3. One SLU – Our SLU

There will be some kind of anchoring process within the organisation, which will be led by Vice-Chancellor Mia. What is essential for all of us is that the strategy feels familiar and useful in our daily work. At the faculty level, we will not create a separate strategy but will instead begin work in autumn 2025 on an LTV operational plan. Each unit will then develop action plans for implementing both the SLU strategy and the faculty’s operational plan.

Faculty’s operational dialogue with the Vice-Chancellor

Every year, the faculty holds operational dialogues with its departments, and similarly, the faculties have annual dialogues with the Vice-Chancellor and university management. During a full-day session with the Vice-Chancellor, we discuss all aspects of the faculty’s operations—from finances, research, and education, to research infrastructure, career development, skills provision, campus development, strategy, and future plans.

Things are going well for our faculty—and that is truly thanks to the excellent and highly appreciated work you all do. This is reflected in our strong results and forward-looking development (which the Vice-Chancellor and university management have also noted and appreciated)—a heartfelt thank you to all of you. Of course, there are areas for improvement, such as the success rate in research grant approvals and expanding our funding base, but we are working on this together and I am confident that we will find solutions.

Our Campus Alnarp

Don’t forget to keep up to date with the ongoing campus development. A new campus plan is taking shape, and progress on the Western Node is roughly on schedule. We continue to explore how to create the best possible work and study environments for both staff and students—whether it concerns labs, teaching spaces, or office and meeting areas.

The spring term is slowly coming to an end

We are already well into May, and everyone is working hard to wrap up various projects and assignments in research, teaching, FOMA, and collaboration in anticipation of summer.

But even during these busy days, don’t forget to take a moment to breathe—and perhaps go for a walk in the Park to enjoy a bit of mental and physical relaxation in our beautiful and lush outdoor surroundings.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful month of May and a beautiful summer.

Best regards,
Christina