Åbo Akademi University

Åbo Akademi University (Swedish: Åbo Akademi [ˈǒːbʊ akadɛˈmiː], Finland Swedish: [ˈoːbu ɑkɑdeˈmiː]) is the only exclusively Swedish language multi-faculty university in Finland (or anywhere outside Sweden).[1] It is located mainly in Turku (Åbo is the Swedish name of the city) but has also activities in Vaasa. Åbo Akademi should not be confused with the Royal Academy of Åbo, which was founded in 1640, but moved to Helsinki after the Turku fire of 1827 and is today known as the University of Helsinki.

For the historical Åbo Akademi, now known as University of Helsinki, see Royal Academy of Åbo.
Åbo Akademi University
Åbo Akademi
Latin: Academia Aboensis
TypePublic
Established1918
ChancellorCarl G.Gahmberg
RectorMoira von Wright
Administrative staff
1,100
Students5,500
Location
Turku
,
Finland
CampusUrban
ColoursRed and Yellow    
AffiliationsCoimbra Group
Websitewww.abo.fi
The main building at Åbo Akademi University.
Åbo Akademi in Vaasa.
The Seal of Åbo Akademi University.

Åbo Akademi was founded by private donations in 1918 as the third university in Finland, both to let Turku again become a university town and because it was felt that the Swedish language was threatened at the University of Helsinki. The Finnish University of Turku was founded in 1920, also by private donations and for similar reasons. Åbo Akademi was a private institution until 1981, when it was turned into a public institution.

As the only uni-lingually Swedish multi-faculty university in the world outside Sweden and consequently the only one in Finland, Åbo Akademi University is responsible for higher education for a large proportion of the Swedish-speaking population. This role has many implications for education and research as well as for the social environment. As there are few students in most subjects, cooperation between faculties and with other universities is very important.

A minority of students are Finnish speakers who have passed a university entrance Swedish language test. While Turku in itself is bilingual city, the university provides a strong Swedish environment. Most of the students, regardless of original language, will be functionally bilingual when finishing their studies.

Organisation

The university consists of four faculties:

  • Faculty of Arts, Psychology and Theology (located in Turku)
  • Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies (located in Vaasa)
  • Faculty of Science and Engineering (located in Turku, with some activity also in Vaasa)
  • Faculty of Social Sciences, Business and Economics (located in Turku, with some activity also in Vaasa)

In addition, there are several other units and joint programs, such as:

When the university was turned into a public institution the foundation Stiftelsen för Åbo Akademi remained. Besides maintaining many of the university buildings, it is also a significant donor. Because of new legislation regarding higher education, it is planned to turn universities in Finland into semi-private institutions.

Rectors

The following people have served as rectors of Åbo Akademi:[3]

  • 1918–1921: Edvard Westermarck
  • 1921–1929: Severin Johansson
  • 1929–1936: Otto Andersson
  • 1936–1942: Rolf Pipping
  • 1942–1950: Georg Olof Rosenqvist
  • 1950–1957: Lars Erik Taxell
  • 1957–1962: Sven Lindman
  • 1962–1966: Oscar Nikula
  • 1966–1969: Nils Erik Enkvist
  • 1969–1975: Karl-Gustav Fogel
  • 1975–1978: Kurt Nyholm
  • 1978–1982: Bill Widén
  • 1982–1988: Caj-Gunnar Lindström
  • 1988–1997: Bengt Stenlund
  • 1997–2005: Gustav Björkstrand
  • 2006–2014: Jorma Mattinen
  • 2015-2019: Mikko Hupa
  • 2019—: Moira von Wright

See also

References
  1. "About Åbo Akademi University". Åbo Akademi University. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  2. "The Donner institute". Åbo Akademi University. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  3. "Rektorer genom tiderna". Åbo Akademi (in Swedish). Retrieved 2018-09-03.

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