Why is the International Summer School important?
The ISS is in activity all year round, not just during the summer. It is a perpetuum mobile, and it serves two main functions. One, teaching Norwegian language during summer, fall, and spring. Two, organizing the 6-week International Summer School every summer.
The result of the combination of these two functions is an institution that is a force for global good and local diversity in a complex world. It is important, as place, as institution. It is important in two main senses: in meaning and in broadness.
It means, for the world, a force for global good. In a difficult world, it is very important to have these institutions like the ISS that builds bridges across divides.
Its importance is broad because people come to the ISS to learn about Norway. The ISS is a way for people to learn Norwegian, where ISS provides a pathway to the Norwegian society, the language, and the people in Oslo. Simultaneously, the ISS is much broader than Norway: students come here for the global perspectives we can provide in an international group. The importance of broadness in learning encompasses the local in global investigation.
I see the ISS as a window, because it faces outward globally as well as inward locally. People are introduced to Norway and the University of Oslo through the ISS, as well as to each other as representatives of different countries and cultures. As the University on a whole is becoming more and more international, the dual function of the ISS becomes increasingly even more important.
The Board and its Vision
Being part of the board is a great privilege. I was invited to the board after my work as Dean of Studies at the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Oslo, where internationalization and student reception were important areas of responsibility. Being so involved with the International Summer School is very rewarding. In addition to board meetings and the formal ceremonies, I enjoy getting to know the students by frequenting student activities such as the Norwegian Language Café.
Our function as board is, as I see it, to be a guiding force and dialogue partner for the ISS. The world is constantly changing, and we always have to reevaluate the role of the ISS in the world, and its options.
As Chairman, I envision two things for the ISS. Firstly, that it continues to be important to ensure renewal of the institution so that we can continue to offer an attractive education for our students. We want to build on and balance the dual focus we have established, where on the one hand students come to Norway and learn about Norwegian language and society, and on the other hand benefit from the global perspectives that come with such an international and diverse student body. The board sees the value in striking a good balance between these two objectives. Secondly, we want to maintain and develop our scholarship strategy in order to make the ISS as accessible to students from around the world as we can.
Finally, as Chairman of the Board, I want the ISS to be more visible at the University. The seasonal rhythm of the Norwegian academic year means that when the ISS is at its most active, there is less activity at campus. Students, staff and professors are on vacation or working elsewhere in the summertime. One way of opening the ISS up to local students has been to offer scholarships to students at the University of Oslo, giving UiO-students a local international experience, and the international students at the ISS a chance to get to know Norwegians, the University, and the culture from a more personal perspective.
The ISS is a very inspiring institution with a long history (75 years anniversary next year!), and being part of it is a humbling experience. I think that the University of Oslo, Norway and the world will need the ISS even more in the world in the future, in a world that is increasingly international and faces great challenges with increased urgency. We need exactly what it provides: learning, cultural exchange, and global engagement for peace and justice.
By Eirik Welo, Associate Professor in Ancient Greek, the Department for Philosophy, Classics, History of Art and Ideas at the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Oslo. Welo is currently the Chairman of the Board of the International Summer School at the University of Oslo, and previously held the position of Dean of Studies at the Faculty of Humanities.