"Dancers in the world"

The spring semester is drawing to a close, and two very special occasions are just around the corner. First, the farewell to the students who have been part of life here at SLU over the past year. Then, after the summer, the welcome to a new cohort of students who will fill our campuses with energy, anticipation and dreams for the future.

Recently, I met someone who works in education at Balettakademin (the Ballet Academy). She spoke about her students – remarkably dedicated young people who train hard every day, despite knowing that very few of them will ultimately make a living as professional dancers. Yet they make the most of every moment of their education and carry a deep passion for their subject.

It made me reflect on who it is that we are really educating. For us at SLU, the answer is in many ways self-evident. We have a clear societal mission and provide education in fields where there is a strong demand for expertise. Our sectors need well-qualified professionals, and society depends on the knowledge that our graduates bring into working life. At the same time, like many other universities, we face challenges where some programmes attract fewer students than labour market needs would suggest. In such times, it is easy for discussions about education to focus almost entirely on student numbers, workforce supply, application rates and employability. And, of course, all of these things matter. But amid those discussions, I sometimes think that we risk overlooking something else.

The woman from Balettakademin expressed it so beautifully. She said that there is something valuable in simply knowing that there are “dancers in the world” – people who may never become professional dancers, yet still carry something of dance with them throughout their lives: the discipline, the means of expression, the passion. Perhaps the same is true of our own programmes. We do not only educate agronomists, economists or environmental scientists. We educate people who take their perspectives, their curiosity and their critical thinking out into the world.

This was also confirmed by an alumni survey that we recently conducted within the NJ Faculty. When former students were asked to describe the most important things they had gained from their education, the vast majority highlighted transferable skills: the ability to manage and analyse large amounts of information, to think broadly and see the bigger picture, and to communicate effectively both in writing and orally.

The alumni survey forms part of a broader and extensive review of the faculty’s educational portfolio. The aim is to use our resources wisely, make the best use of our expertise and develop attractive programmes that meet future needs. This work is both important and necessary.

And perhaps it is precisely in times of change, when pressures come from many directions at once, that we need to remind ourselves of the deeper value of education. Our mission is not only to meet the needs of the labour market, but also to contribute to a society with more thoughtful, reflective and engaged people. As we now bid farewell to this year’s students and prepare to welcome new ones, perhaps that is what we should carry with us: our own “dancers in the world”.

With that, on behalf of the Faculty, I would like to thank everyone for their valuable contributions to our undergraduate and postgraduate education, both large and small, and wish you all a wonderful summer.

Ida Kollberg, Vice Dean NJ Faculty
Responsible for First- and Second cycle Education