At 25, Arcada is an international, competitive UAS

Jan-Erik Krusberg, director of strategic planning at Arcada, has spent almost his entire working career at universities of applied sciences. He retired on February 1^st 2022 after 43 years in UAS education. He started out at Hanken School of Economics and joined Arcada in 1998. Since then, he has taken up the appointments of prefect, vice rector, head of development, development director and now, director of strategic planning.

Krusberg, in other words, was there almost from the beginning. Today, he can proudly say that Arcada has developed into a proper university of applied sciences, one that not only provides technical vocational degree programmes but is also a noteworthy research stakeholder.

– One of the biggest changes compared to the mid 1990’s is the RDI, that is, the part of Arcada where the focus is on research, development and innovation. In the beginning, there was no such thing as RDI on the agenda – a university of applied sciences was not expected to engage in those areas, says Krusberg.

The environment today is quite different: RDI is a very important part of the financing model and something a UAS is expected to embrace. The RDI activities must reach a sufficient extent and adding the master level was a factor in achieving this, says Krusberg.

A supporter of a bilingual society and globalisation

When asked his opinion on Arcada’s role in the Finnish UAS sector, Krusberg mentions two points of departure: the language aspect and Arcada’s location in the metropolitan area. The first point raises the question “is there a need for Swedish-language universities of applied sciences”? According to Krusberg, the answer is yes.

– I think we need institutions that support a bilingual society, universities of applied sciences, for instance. In practise, we have to be trilingual anyway, and work in Swedish, Finnish and English. Our premise is that we need to strengthen the Swedish-language institutions of our country in order to have a stronger bilingual Finland, says Krusberg.

Originally, Arcada’s name was Arcada – Nylands svenska yrkeshögskola (in English: Arcada – Swedish language university of applied sciences of Uusimaa). The reasoning was that universities of applied sciences should have a strong regional link and “serve” a particular region. Arcada was the first UAS to use their own name in order to distance themselves from the, in Krusberg’s opinion, overly strong regional emphasis. In 2004 Arcada relocated several different units in Helsinki to the Arabianranta address. Krusberg points out the great importance of the decision to concentrate operations to one campus. In this, too, Arcada was a pioneer among Finnish universities of applied sciences.

– After the move, we were the only UAS with everything on a single campus. Having the lectures in physical proximity gave rise to more cooperation, new thinking and new opportunities. This provided the basis for our interdisciplinary approach, which is the main issue when examining RDI. We asked the question “How can we take advantage of our competence across the borders?” In the professions, this is a great advantage, says Krusberg.

Today, more than 50 nationalities are found on the Arcada campus and our tuition fee earnings exceed half a million euros annually.

The relocation to Arabianranta had other benefits, too. Arcada’s campus is located in Helsinki, which is very important in order to attract international students. A strong international focus is another area where Arcada has been a pioneer among universities of applied sciences.

– We were the first to offer degree programmes in English in several different areas and the first to attract significant numbers of international students, including students from countries outside the EU. Today, more than 50 nationalities are found on the Arcada campus and our tuition fee earnings exceed half a million euros annually.

Arcada at 50 – a cooperating UAS with a strong technological competence

Arcada is a relatively small UAS with several degree programmes. Arcada has a social function in the language area – in Finland there is a need for Swedish-language education in the sectors where Swedish is particularly important, such as the health care and culture sectors. The small size is something of a double-edged sword, however. On one hand it facilitates the interdisciplinary approach and provides flexibility, but on the other hand it means some degree programmes remain confined and isolated. Cooperation is essential, if Arcada is to keep up with national and international competition.

– The closer our internal cooperation, the better our prospects of maintaining the number of degree programmes. In order to maintain our relevance and visibility in the future, we need to emphasise that which makes us unique to an even greater extent and also to expand our contacts with other higher education institutions even more. We mustn’t try to do everything ourselves.

Krusberg foresees a great reset in the global UAS sector. Arcada must be at the top of their game in research, at least in Europe. The focus should be on the important global issues, such as the various aspects of the climate question.

It is also increasingly important that Arcada offers education that is accessible regardless of the geographical origins of students. Whether we are stricken by a pandemic or not, there is always a need to improve accessibility. There must be different ways of providing education.

– We must keep the focus on student-centred education. Students have individual wishes concerning the how and where to complete their studies.

We must harness modern technology as a competitive tool while maintaining our pedagogic quality.

In Krusberg’s opinion, the question is to what extent we can employ the available technology. The location itself, the campus, is important, but not as important as it used to be.

– We will see increased “back office” activities, that is, the digital support that teachers and students require. We must harness modern technology as a competitive tool while maintaining our pedagogic quality.

Krusberg points out, however, that distance learning can’t replace everything. The pandemic will have a huge impact on the students of today. There has to be both social proximity and the alternative to participate online. This is where Arcada’s modest size is an advantage. The fact remains, however: Arcada needs to have the courage to develop RDI operations in order to remain at the cutting edge in 25 years.

– A significant number of teachers should hold PhDs in order for Arcada to maintain a high level of research. We also have to improve our capacity to deliver flexible education and to increase those volumes. It will be even more important than delivering a certain number of degrees, even though that will still be important, too. Also, the degrees must be made more comprehensive.

All in all, Krusberg is pleased with developments so far and envisions a bright future for Arcada.

– 25 years later, nobody asks the universities of applied sciences to justify themselves. Arcada has become an international and competitive UAS.

Timeline

• In the mid-1990’s, the first Finnish universities of applied sciences were established.
• In 1996 Arcada University of Applied Sciences, a Swedish-language UAS, was established.
• In 1998 Arcada was granted a concession as a full university of applied sciences.
• In 2004 all Arcada units moved together to one campus at Arabianranta, Helsinki. At the same time Arcada began a student housing building project on campus, with more than 600 completed units as of 2021.
• In 2021 Arcada turned 25, which will be celebrated through the Arcada 25 campaign over the 2021–2022 academic year.