Pro-Rector ?se Gornitzka?s speech at the opening of the International Summer School 2025:
Your Excellencies, dear international students, esteemed guests,
Welcome to the University Aula and the opening of the International Summer School 2025.
Situated in the heart of the capital, between Parliament and the Royal Palace – and with the National Theatre next door – the University Aula symbolises the significant role that academia, knowledge, and culture play in society. Here, we celebrate; here, we discuss and debate; and here, we engage with societal issues that are important to us all. We like to think that only significant events take place in this space.
I wish you could see what I see from this podium. I see you – your faces filled with great expectations – mingling with the hall and its beautiful paintings. Beautiful minds in a beautiful room.
Our Aula is a global space. On this stage, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded from 1947 to 1989. Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, and Martin Luther King have all addressed pressing global issues from this very platform.
So, what better place to inaugurate the 2025 edition of the International Summer School? Thank you for choosing us; it is truly an honor.
As I stand here today, I feel a sense of coming full circle. Visiting the International Summer School was one of my first duties as a new Vice-Rector back in 2017. Today marks my final speech before the current Rectorate hands over the reins to the new Rectorate on 1 August.
Since its inception in 1947, the International Summer School has aimed to create a forum for international understanding and dialogue across conflicts and national borders. In 1947, Europe was in ruins, and the scars of war were felt across the globe. Society was fractured, and nature suffered as a consequence of war. Over the years, the International Summer School has witnessed the Cold War, the climate crisis, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and rapid technological change. Recent global events and crises only emphasise the need for institutions like the International Summer School.
Approximately 35,000 students from over 150 countries have participated in the International Summer School (ISS) since its inception. This year, we welcome 500 students from about 60 different countries – 500 students who will gain new perspectives, knowledge, friendships, and networks. The experiences you have in the coming weeks will impact how you view life and the paths you choose, both personally and professionally.
We must not underestimate the importance of enabling people from diverse national, ethnic, cultural, political, and religious backgrounds to live and learn together in new contexts. By engaging with one another in real life, we open our minds in countless ways. This interaction also holds democratic value, as one core aspect of democracies is enabling us to live together and make collective decisions despite our differing interests and perspectives.
Thus, it is vital for international cooperation: to build trust, acceptance, and mutual understanding. We need more international collaboration to address the many challenges facing the global community. Currently, the list of problems far exceeds the list of solutions, covering issues such as climate change, biodiversity crises, conflicts, hunger, and migration. We must partner with individuals and institutions beyond our own countries and continents. In today’s turbulent geopolitical landscape, this is more critical than ever. Withdrawing behind national borders is not a viable option.
To facilitate the exchange of people, ideas, and knowledge, borders must be permeable. This applies equally to the knowledge required to navigate disruptive technological changes – changes that occur faster than one can say "ChatGPT."
The University of Oslo requires international research and student exchange. Oslo needs it. Norway needs it. The world needs it. A diversity of people, thoughts, and perspectives enriches education, strengthens research and innovation, and adds depth to dissemination. For some of you, the weeks spent at the International Summer School will mark the beginning of a new chapter in your lives – living and working in Oslo. A special welcome to you.
Dear students at this year's International Summer School: You are part of a long and proud tradition of educational and cultural exchange. The ISS has connected students, faculty, staff, donors, and other partners over the years.
When students and researchers come here, they bring ideas from one context to another – which is why it is crucial for us to protect the close dialogue that internationalization fosters. This, however, requires something from you in return. During the next few weeks, you may encounter perspectives that challenge your own experiences. Please be open – listen and engage. And keep your intellectual curiosity alive!
Various studies show that cross-border students develop so-called “transversal skills” – including increased tolerance, confidence, problem-solving abilities, curiosity, and decisiveness – through international exchange.
We aim for this to be an arena where our students cultivate deeper insights, understanding, and empathy, as well as increased knowledge about our interconnected world.
Academic cooperation ignites creativity, fosters understanding, and builds trust across national borders and cultural divides. This places a significant responsibility on universities as institutions. We must create spaces for dialogue and ensure that freedom of speech is upheld on our campus.
Universities should be engaging, trust-building, be critically truth-seeking. In our turbulent age, these three words – engagement, trust, and truth – are intertwined, and we are in dire need of all three.
To summarise, the goal of your stay here is to come together to study, interact, forge new friendships, and grow both personally and professionally. We encourage you to bring new knowledge and experiences back to your respective communities. And who knows – maybe you will return here as students or researchers. There are many opportunities for that here at UiO.
I wish you all a wonderful time!
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