Susanna Öhman is the final Vice-Chancellor candidate

A total of 11 applications were registered for the position as Vice-Chancellor, one of which was a late application that was accepted. In addition to this, the recruitment agency Source has received several expressions of interest and has also conducted active search work. After interviews, tests and references, the recruitment group decided to let two final candidates go on to the hearings, one of which was Susanna Öhman. The other final candidate withdrew her application, and thus Susanna Öhman goes on to the hearings alone.

“The recruitment group had two good final candidates and decided that both would proceed to the hearings. Now that one of the final candidates has chosen to drop out of the process, we still have an excellent final candidate in Susanna Öhman, who meets our required profile very well”, says Harald Castler, Chairman of the University Governing Board as well as of the recruitment group.

Susanna Öhman is a Professor of Sociology at Mid Sweden University, where she has worked during most of her academic career. Currently she is Head of the Risk and Crisis Research Centre (RCR) and Deputy Head (proprefekt) of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. She is well acquainted with Halmstad University from her time as Dean of the School of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences during the period 2018–2020.

Previously, she has been Pro Vice-Chancellor, Dean, Chairman of the Faculty Board and Head of Department, among other positions at Mid Sweden University. She has also held various external assignments, such as a member of the review group in the Swedish Higher Education Authority’s evaluation of the quality system at Örebro University, member of The Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions (SUHF) working group for refugee issues in higher education and a member of the strategic group for gender mainstreaming in higher education at the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research.

Hearings with staff and students

The hearings with Susanna Öhman will take place on May 9, with one hearing group for teachers, one for other staff and one for students. The teachers’ representatives have been appointed by the Deans and the unions, other staff representatives by the University Director and students by the Student Union. All students and staff are welcome to present their opinions and questions for the hearings to their representatives in each hearing group (see below).

After the hearings, each of the hearing groups will submit a written opinion of the candidate to the recruitment group. At its meeting on May 16, the recruitment group will decide if it wants to propose Susanna Öhman as new Vice-Chancellor to the University Governing Board. On June 9, the University Governing Board will make its decision on who to propose as new Vice-Chancellor to the Government. It is the Government that makes the decision and appoints Vice-Chancellors.

Text: Selma Sedelius