February, and the light is finally returning!

February is when SLU closes the books for the previous year. For our faculty, the 2022 results are looking good. The departments have increased their turnover and this is reflected in the annual report; however, because of the pandemic, it has taken longer than expected for the volume to increase.

A successful faculty

At the Faculty of Forest Sciences, turnover increased from SEK 834 million in 2021 to SEK 871 million last year. Income from commissioned work increased by 15 million and grants by 24 million. Other income has increased by 2 million. Direct government funding is over budget at 21 million. Income from commissioned work is over budget by 32 million, and grants are over budget by 25 million. This is proof that our staff have been successful in applying for external funding and commissions. In total, income was 81 million more than budgeted. The pandemic affected our ability to recruit staff in 2021 and 2022; this meant that the number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) at the end of 2022 was 608.2, a reduction of 5.7 compared to the end of 2021. However, we have several recruitments in progress and expect to have a significantly higher number of staff at the end of 2023.

I’m also glad to see that the number of students on our courses and programmes continues to grow. We now admit students to our Bachelor’s programmes on four campuses. Around 100 new students started in Alnarp, Umeå and Uppsala, and another 50 in Skinnskatteberg. Since 2018, we have continued to see a growing number of students at both Bachelor’s and Master’s level.

One SLU for the new programme structure

The new structure with Bachelor’s programmes on four campuses and Master's programmes on three presents both a challenge and an opportunity when it comes to making students feel at home, at SLU and at the faculty. To tackle this challenge, the faculty board has decided to set aside funds for annual student meet-ups, arranged by the faculty, and to make Ola Lindroos, vice dean for undergraduate studies, responsible for them. Ola is proposing to rotate the meet-up, covering all four campuses during a 4-year period. To make long-term planning easier, this will be done according to a rota. Preliminary dates are Umeå 2023, Skinnskatteberg 2024, Alnarp 2025 and Uppsala 2026. The purpose is for all students to take part at least once during their time as undergraduate students. Taking part in more meet-ups is an advantage as it will allow students to get to know all of SLU, strengthen the sense of community and enable them to visit all four campuses where the Faculty of Forest Sciences has a presence. For me as dean, the purpose is to create a sense of community for forest students regardless of their home campus. Or to quote Ola Lindroos, “one SLU for the new programme structure”.

Hope to see you around this jubilee year,

Göran Ericsson, dean, Faculty of Forest Sciences