Organisation

The Board of Arcada University of Applied Sciences Ltd. is responsible for the administration of the UAS and the appropriate organisation of its operational activities. It also makes sure that the accounting is appropriately organised. The Board is responsible for and supervises the administration of property and investments for the UAS.

The Board’s tasks include steering and supervising the operational management, appointing and dismissing the rector (the managing director), approving and supervising the application of the strategy, approving the principles of risk management and assuring the continuity of the management system. The Board summons the annual general meeting and submits proposals for resolutions, which should be compatible with the Universities Act and the Limited Liability Companies Act, as well as the articles of association.

In all its activities, the Board observes current legislation, the articles of association, Arcada's instructions and the Finnish Corporate Governance Code.

Board Meetings

The Board generally convenes 6-7 times per year. The Board has a quorum when more than half of the members are present. Arcada's rector/managing director presents matters for consideration to board meetings.

Election of Board Members

The UAS Board consists of a minimum of seven and a maximum of nine members. Two members are appointed by the university community, one from among the staff and one from the students.

Remuneration

The remuneration of the members of the board is established during the annual general meeting. Information on remuneration paid to the members of the board is set out in the annual accounts of Arcada University of Applied Sciences Ltd.

The composition of the Board of Arcada University of Applied Sciences Ltd.

• Alexander Bargum (chair) 
• Christa Tigerstedt  
• Maximilian von Renteln  
• Susanna Korpivaara 
• Nina Lindfors  
• Linda Mannila 
• Per Nilsson  
• Sebastian Nyström  
• Anders Portin 

Administrative and HR Director Susanne Homén-Lindberg acts as secretary to the Board.

Arcada has a rector, who simultaneously functions as managing director of Arcada University of Applied Sciences Ltd. The rector is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the UAS, is in charge of the operational activities and is responsible for the management of the university’s property in accordance with current legislation, the articles of association and the Board’s instructions and directives. In all of his or her activities, the rector should act accordingly with the Finnish Corporate Governance Code.

At the rector's disposal is a management group that supports the rector in the management and planning of operational activities. If the rector is unable, the vice rector carries out the rector's duties.

Rector
Mona Forsskåhl

Arcada's management group supports Arcada’s rector in the management and planning of operational activities. Decisions are made by the rector, who is chairperson of the management group.

The members of the management group are:

• Rector, Mona Forsskåhl, chairperson
• Dean, Maria Forss
• Administrative and HR Director, Susanne Homén-Lindberg
• Dean, Carina Kiukas
• Financial Director, Tom Lindström
• Director, Arcada services, Annika Stadius
• Dean, Mark Dougherty

The mission of Arcada’s Quality Council is to ensure that all operations and actions at Arcada keep a high and even standard of quality. The Quality Council monitors and develops Arcada’s quality system, in which quality assurance and quality development are integrated parts in a constantly ongoing quality process.

Arcada’s Quality Council consists of ten to twelve members with broad affiliations within the organisation. This includes one representative from each academy, one representative from the Student Services, one representative from the other units, one to two student representatives and two external members.

The Rector appoints the Quality Council for a three-year term. The student representatives are appointed for a period of one to two years each.

The composition of the quality council

Camilla Wikström-Grotell, Chairperson
Principal Lecturer Niklas Eriksson
Lecturer Rene Herrmann
Principal Lecturer Ira Jeglinsky
Amanuensis Monica Löv
Lecturer Annika Skogster
Head of Sustainable Career Support, Sandra Slotte (Student Services)
Lecturer Minna Lehtola

External members

Councellor of Social Welfare Stefan Mutanen
Educational planner Susanna Taimitarha

Student representatives

Kevin Salwathura
Ronja Forsström
Rickard Rosbäck, Deputy
Axel Lehtinen, Deputy

Board of review

Arcada’s board of review handles matters regarding the review of admission decisions, decisions regarding the loss of the right to study and evaluations of completed courses and accreditation of previous studies or competencies.

The board of review is appointed by the UAS Board.

Members of the board of review 2021–2023:
Senior Lecturer Maria Bäck
(deputy: Senior Lecturer Nanna Engebretsen)

Principal Lecturer Niklas Eriksson
(deputy: Senior Lecturer Linda Puukko)

Senior Lecturer Ingmar Sigfrids
(deputy: Senior Lecturer Linnéa von Hedenberg-Löfman)

Senior Lecturer Jari Savolainen
(deputy: Senior Lecturer Pernilla Stenbäck)

Senior Lecturer Rene Herrmann
(deputy: Senior Lecturer Kim Rancken)

Student Amanda Samelin
(deputy: Student Ida Flemmich)

The university’s General Counsel Anna Härmä presents matters for consideration to board meetings.

The Cooperation committee

Arcada's cooperation committee acts as a cooperation body between employer and employees. The cooperation committee's task is to contribute to the development of operational activities and working conditions within Arcada.

The employer is represented by Arcada's rector and/or vice rector as well as the administrative and HR Director, who acts as the chairperson for the cooperation committee. The deans also have the right to attend.

The employees are represented by representatives from Arcada’s two staff groups, the teaching and administrative staff. The teaching staff is represented by union representatives and/or a co-operation ombudsman. The occupational safety representative also has the right to attend.

Members of the Cooperations committee
Chairperson: Administrative and HR Director Susanne Homén-Lindberg

Delegates of the employer:
Rector Mona Forsskåhl
Administrative and HR Director Susanna Homén-Lindberg

Delegates of the employees:
Kim Rancken, Managing trustee
Jan Nyberg, Trustee
Pernilla Stenbäck, Trustee
Krister Karlström, Trustee
Maria Bäck, Occupational Safety Representative

Secretary: Leading Legal Counsel Anna Härmä

The occupational safety commission

The occupational safety commission deals with questions concerning occupational safety and equality issues.

Members of the occupational safety commission:
Chairperson: Administrative and HR Director Susanne Homén-Lindberg
Occupational Safety Representative Anu Nyberg
Vice Occupational Safety Representative Maria Bäck
Vice Occupational Safety Representative Mikael Karmano
Head of Security David Sjöberg

Representatives of the occupational health service participates if needed.

Secretary: Leading Legal Counsel Anna Härmä

Arcada's plan for equality and equal treatment

The activities at Arcada are based on equality between the sexes and we are striving for ethical and social diversity. We recognise the equal value of all people and wish to promote equal treatment, stand against all manner of discrimination and xenophobia. Equality at Arcada means creating a good learning environment and workplace, where students and staff experience purpose, joy and community in their work and desire to develop the activities and themselves.

An organisation as large as Arcada is by law obligated to produce an equality plan. The plan is based on the Law of Equality between women and men (1986/609) and the Non-Discrimination Act (2014/1325). The plan concerns both personnel and students at Arcada.

Arcada's rector leads and is responsible for the operational activities and represents the UAS in the external communication and community relations.

The rectorate works with operational management and follow-up as well as overall strategy issues with the aim of developing Arcada's operational activities.

Rector and CEO

Mona Forsskåhl

Arcada offers vocationally oriented higher education and engages in research and development to ensure the availability of a Swedish-speaking workforce and contribute to a vital bilingualism. The research and development activities are an integrated part of the education and are focused on strategically selected profile fields, where research and development take place in teaching teams lead by a principal lecturer. Research and development are conducted in in networks of research institutes and other universities nationally and internationally.

Arcada's educational and research activities are organised into three academies:

• Graduate school and research
• School of Business and Healthcare
• School of Engineering, Culture and Wellbeing

Each academy is headed by a dean.

Languages unit

The Languages unit is responsible for teaching language and communication skills at Arcada. In addition, the unit offers language support for Arcada's students and employees and is responsible for the evaluation of student competence in the domestic languages ​required by public employees by law.

The teachers participate actively, nationally and internationally, in language teacher collaboration and various development projects regarding teaching and evaluation.

Organisationally, the language unit belongs to the School of Business and Healthcare.

Continuing education

Arcada also offers continuing education opportunities in the form of courses, specialisation studies, simulation-based learning and open UAS courses. Continuing education is administrated by the School of Business and Healthcare.

Arcada services works to support students' study, career, and life management skills. The unit offers support through individual counselling on campus or online. Arcada services is also responsible for the library and information activities.

The unit consist of three smaller teams:

Working life cooperation and career support

• centralised sustainable career support for students and alumni with a focus on skills needed in future studies and working life
• responsible for Arcada's data collection and analysis of the national surveys AVOP at graduation and Career Monitoring five years after graduation
• in charge of developing Arcada's SIMHE-services

Counselling and student wellbeing

• individual counselling and support
• special educational support
• psychologist services
• Arcada's contact person to FSHS (Finnish Student Health Service)
• student representative in issues related to wellbeing

Library and information services

The library offers user-friendly and web-based library and information services for Arcada's students and staff, but the library is also open to the public. The library's central activities are customer service, maintenance of the collections, development of information competence, the electronic services, statistical follow-up and key figures, as well as cooperation with other actors.

The main tasks of Arcada’s communications include maintaining and developing the UAS’s brand, making the UAS an inspiring environment for students and co-workers and through communicational means support the UAS in reaching its operational targets. The unit is responsible for offering a good infrastructure and tools for communicational work and has a co-ordinating, supportive and advisory role in questions regarding communications.

The unit also includes campus services, which work to ensure that Arcada's building is a functioning, pleasant and safe study and work environment for students, employees and guests. The campus team also handles event and rental services and is responsible for student and customer service as well as the telephone switchboard.

The main tasks are:

• Planning of Arcada’s communications
• Maintaining and developing the UAS’s identity, image and profile
• Marketing and student recruitment
• Contacts and relations with media
• Events and conferences
• Contacts and relations with alumni
• Coordinating and developing Arcada’s fundraising
• Facilitating internal communication with co-workers and students
• Advise and support in questions regarding communications

The unit is responsible for Arcada’s finances, IT structure and student and staff mobility. Within the unit three smaller teams operate.

Finance and quality

This team manages the financial control and financial follow-up at Arcada. The main tasks include:

• Annual reports and Budgeting
• Salaries
• Project Accounting
• Quality System
• Data analysis, reporting and follow-ups of the strategic goals.

IT

IT is an administrative service unit that serves the entire organisation. The unit is responsible for the operation and strategic development of Arcada's IT environment. The unit takes care of IT-related issues and supports both students and staff in these matters.

The tasks include:

• User accounts
• Hardware and other equipment
• Software
• Network and web-based communication
• Registers and information systems
• Data protection and information security
• Internal and external services and integrations between them
• AV services
• Telephony

Mobility

Arcada has a wide network of partner universities around the world. The mobility team works with student and staff mobility and supports both incoming and outgoing students and staff in the exchange processes. The unit collaborates with the degree programmes and our international partners to create interesting exchange opportunities all over the world.

With the help of well-thought-out processes and structures, the HR and administration unit creates the conditions for Arcada’s operations to function smoothly and professionally. Arcada's student affairs and admission services belong to this unit.

HR and administration

The unit works for an active and strategic supply of skills in a health-promoting work environment, which creates the conditions for a work career where employees feel job satisfaction and can take responsibility for their own work well-being.

The main tasks include:

• To prepare and implement decisions by the rector or collegial administrative bodies and assist the rector in the organisational development work
• Responsibility for the general administration and to further develop structures and processes
• To offer legal advice and support to the units
• Responsibility for Arcada's employer tasks and HR functions, including recruitment processes and salaries
• To offer tools, advice and support for managers in personnel matters
• Create paths for skills and career development
• Offer health-promoting activities for employees to support work well-being
• Responsible for occupational safety and to act as a contact link to occupational health care
• Follow up on gender equality work at the university

Student affairs and admissions services

Student affairs provide information to and serve the degree students. Arcada's study coordinators help students with, among other things, registration for the academic year, study certificates and study extracts, application for accreditation or degree certificates. Student affairs also serve our alumni in matters concerning transcripts and certificates.

The admissions services provide service and information to all applicants and potential applicants to degree programmes at Arcada. The admissions services also manage the administration associated with applications and admissions. The team implements the statutory official responsibilities incumbent on universities of applied sciences.