NEWS Professor and former rector of Umeå School of Business and Economics in Umeå, Anders Söderholm, has been appointed Director-General of the Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ).
“Anders Söderholm has long experience of the higher education sector, which is crucial. UKÄ has an important job ahead not least in introducing a new quality assurance system that should also include research,” says Helene Hellmark Knutsson, Minister for Higher Education and Research, in a press release.
Higher education is the by far greatest sector with 75,000 employees, nearly 400,000 students and an annual turnover of around SEK 67 billion. UKÄ is the national authority responsible for quality evaluation, analysis, statistics and monitoring of Swedish higher education.
Its assignments and responsibilities are also expected to increase. In the latest research policy bill, the Government let on that UKÄ should take responsibility for quality audits of research. UKÄ is also working on implementing a new system for quality assurance of higher education.
“I’m grateful to be entrusted this assignment and am looking forward to an exciting and important post where UKÄ takes responsibility for quality assurances of higher education and research,” says Anders Söderholm.
Anders Söderholm is at present professor in business administration at Mid Sweden University and Secretary-General at the Association of Swedish Higher Education (SUHF). Previously, he has held several managerial positions including Vice-Chancellor of Mid Sweden University and rector of Umeå School of Business and Economics (USBE). The office as Director-General runs from 1 August 2017 until 31 July 2023.
Editor: Anna Lawrence