THE UNIVERSITY TOMORROW
In the next years the University needs important changes, which come from two types of reasons. First,
there will be changes in outside environment: research financing system is already being reorganised,
the Higher Education Reform is about to start and at the same time the number of possible student
candidates entering the University is decreasing because of demographical situation. Second, different
problems inside the University have accumulated over the years and, if unsolved, will create unneeded
tensions and become obstacles to further exploitation of the possibilities of the University. One can
mention here, as some examples, the tensions between different disciplines and faculties, balancing
between research and teaching or between the resources dedicated to the academic and support
structures of the University.
The main aim of the leadership of the University for the next years is to pro-actively influence these
changes and maximally use the possibilities they offer. At the same time the stability and harmonious
development of different disciplines needed for efficient everyday operation of the University and
fulfilling its mission must be ensured.
During the next five years the University must become an “academic republic”, creatively networking
different disciplines, being a leader of the important societal processes in Estonia, possesses
excellence for the global research arena and is the best place for self-determination and professional
development of its members.
To achieve this, I will rely on the following principles:
I. Universitas – ”academic republic”, which values and integrates its various disciplines.
1. The strength of the University is in the divergence and collaboration of its different disciplines. The
University consists of various faculties, institutes and other structural units, which are all contributing in
different ways into the research, activities of the national university, teaching and serving the society.
Their quality cannot be evaluated by the same standardised criteria, but all successfully working units
are vital for the University.
Collaboration between different structural units, the synergy and new original ideas coming from that, is
a unique for the University internal resource, the possibilities of which are so far greatly underused.
Networking should be preferred to academic hierarchies, both inside the University as well as in its
international activities.
2. Crossing the borders between disciplines and enhancing their collaboration is an active process, which
needs additional resources. For that we need to both better support the particular areas, but also create
additional financial and legal possibilities. For example, interdisciplinary and inter-university curricula,
research and development projects.
3. The University of Tartu must become much more active partner in communicating with the society,
opinion former and leader of changes, initiator of processes, not only the one reacting to them. Public
opinions formulated by the University are important for the society in all areas, not just in (higher)
education and research.
4. Problems of the units are problems of the whole University and, if needed, the solutions must be
sought for together. For example, the problems of teaching costs of “small courses”, problems coming
from the decrease of earnings from tuition fees, extraordinary costs of non-standard structures or
exploitation costs of new and more expensive buildings.
II. The quality of academic research-based higher education.
5. The University of Tartu is a research university – it is based on the unity of research and teaching.
Over the years, the University has developed excellent research in many areas, which is at top
international frontline. Continuous support to these must now be accompanied by taking also more care
of professional teaching activities and valuing them accordingly.
6. The research or education reform targeting the quality of these activities cannot be created from
outside University, as it has the best competence in these areas. The University must create a
comprehensive quality system for higher education, which can be a guide for Ministry and other
universities.
7. Research and teaching must be more efficiently connected with each other. Young researchers must
be involved in teaching activities since early days of their career. The teaching staff must get time and
conditions for performing successful research. At the same time, the choice of instruments used to
assess and value the creative work of teachers should be considerably widened.
III. Dignified position of members of the University, salary and working conditions.
8. The people who care of their University are its most precious resource. Every member of the
University has the right and obligation to be involved in the processes of decision-making. To achieve it,
the meetings of university governing bodies (Council, Senate, rectorate) with Faculty Councils must
become regular.
9. The academic quality of teachers and researchers is of utmost importance for the development of the
University. The assessment of quality must be based mainly on principal expert evaluations and less on
formal criteria. Together with the increase of academic standards the University must also support the
personal development of its members and shaping their academic advancement. Attention must be paid
on the whole academic career, starting from motivation and certainty of young starting academics and
finishing with dignified conditions of retirement. It is time to consider the employer’s pension scheme.
10. All possible internal and external resources must be mobilised to achieve the levels of salaries as two,
three, or four times of average salary in Estonia for lecturers, assistant professors and professors
respectively.
IV. The best conditions of personal development and self-determination for our students.
11. Demographic situation in Estonia increases the competition for the best student candidates and this
competition will occur – contrary to the one in research – first of all inside Estonia. To increase the
competitiveness the attention should be first of all paid to the quality of our education, but also to the
overall reputation of the University and the quality of living environment. As for the latter, a good
collaboration with Tartu city authorities is self-evident. For all students with bachelor degrees Tartu
should be the first choice for their master studies.
12. Systematic contacts with Estonian young people studying abroad must be established in order to
make Tartu as a natural place for further career after their graduation.
13. The increased share of students participating in the elections of Student Council is an indicator of its
increased importance and value. The Student Body and its leading organisations must be supported by
creating for them working conditions well comparable with those of other universities. The opinions of
students about changes of regulations and laws are very important and desired.
V. Financing
14. The University must more actively speak up at the level of the country in the area of financing
research and higher education, being an active leader of these discussions. The University has plenty of
expertise for defining strategic trends and targets for the whole society.
15. Bringing external resources, both national and international, into the University must be encouraged
by assisting in the formulation of applications and rewarding success.
16. The structures supporting the academic activities of the University must use as much resources as
needed and as little of them as possible. The assessment of this balance is a professional activity based
on expert evaluations and the responsibility for its implementation must be personal. The supporting
structures must undergo periodical international evaluation procedures, similarly to the research
projects and curricula of the University.
17. All university property, including estate property, must be carefully taken care of and developed. At
the same time it should be kept in mind that without dedicated people this property will never create
anything new. Overall shaping and design on the budget must start from the interests of the main
activities of the University – research and teaching – and support them in the most efficient ways.
Toivo Maimets
May 2012