"Trust is built by meeting each other"

Relationship building and trust are two key words for the Vice-Chancellor Anders Kottorp. He wants to meet both employees and students and the focus going forward is on being a present leader and visiting meetings and activities within the organisation.

Anders Kottorp moved to Gävle and took over as the University's new rector at the beginning of October.

– I'm starting to get settled in my apartment here now. I've invited the management team for Christmas coffee, so everything really needs to be ready by then, he says with a laugh.

"A lot is unique and new"

In the first few weeks, he has been thrown straight into the thick of things, including an EU GREEN visit to Angers in France, the SUHF Federal Assembly, municipal consultations and several visits to the county administrative board and the castle to meet various managers in the municipality and the region.

– The first time has felt great. I'm very tired in the evenings, but it's a good tiredness! Even though I've worked in academia for a long time and recognize a lot of things, there's a lot that's unique and new here in terms of how we organize ourselves and work in different ways.

"There is a lot of commitment here"

The first period is very much about relationship building, he emphasizes.

– I'm prioritizing getting to know the activities and attending Faculty and departmental meetings. I want to get a feel and a sense of what it looks like. I also have good colleagues who are good at giving feedback.

Just as Anders Kottorp took on his new role as Vice-Chancellor of the University, he attended a meeting in Angers, France, through EU GREEN.

– It was very good to meet the other universities and also to see the great commitment that exists within the University. There are a lot of employees who are involved in different parts and that is extremely positive. This has not been the case at all at other universities where I have worked. There is a bottom-up commitment here that is important to safeguard.

There has also been a lot of networking locally and he reckons he has been invited by the county council and visited the castle three times in the first month.

– It's good to meet different managers in person. I think a lot of it is about personal relationships, even when it comes to leading the University. If you have a good personal relationship, there is trust and then it is possible to handle challenges.

Cares about the University as a whole

The word trust also recurs when he describes how he wants to be as a leader.

– I try to live as I teach and it feels important for me to be available. I want people to have confidence in me as a leader, confidence in me that I care about the University as a whole. And that there will also be an understanding when tough decisions need to be made. Trust is built by meeting each other.

In 2026, he will continue to prioritize regular meetings with key people at the University. Among other things, he will have some meetings with professors.

– I will also meet with our doctoral students before they defend their theses. Doctoral education is important to us as a university.

Wants to get more young people to stay

Issues that he feels are important to work on in the future are the range of education, more externally funded research and a balanced budget. He is also passionate about the question of how to get more young people to stay in Gävleborg.

– How do we get more people between the ages of 18 and 22 to stay in the county? We know that if they apply here and study with us, they are likely to stay. But how do we make that happen? This is about protecting the region and it is important to remember that we are part of a larger system.

Is there anything in particular that has impressed you during the first period?

– I have been struck by the importance of the University in the city and in the county. Many people speak well of the University. In smaller municipalities in Hälsingland we are also of great importance, and that is something that obliges us. We offer a wide range of courses in many areas and it is important that we take the role of the university in the city and in the county seriously.

Text: Anna Sällberg