Central administrator: Someone who can drive digitisation
A vice-chancellor who can drive digitisation at Lund University! That is what Bo Dilton is hoping for. He is a team manager at the LDC service desk and switchboard, which is part of the central administration.
There is a fair degree of separation between the vice-chancellor and Bo Dilton. The information from above trickles down via the IT unit and the management group of the university administration before it reaches his desk, he explains:
“And I think that works well as it is my managers who pass on the information in a way that means I receive the information that I need.”
However, it is the vice-chancellor who decides on the direction for the University and it is important, says Bo Dilton. He believes that the University’s top representative should have a solid academic background, but preferably be someone who has held a position outside of higher education institutions and universities – possibly in the business sector.
“We have a need for external contacts so it would be good to have a vice-chancellor who can find good connections between us and the rest of society. It shouldn’t feel like we are working in a bubble here.”
Bo Dilton would like someone who is able to cooperate and carry out external dialogue broadly. Both nationally and internationally.
On the matter of important areas of development, Bo Dilton emphasises digitisation – in areas big and small.
“Travel-free meetings and digital exams are two examples. And digitisation leads to globalisation and it is vital that we keep up with this development and not end up behind other universities.”
In his office at LDC they are trying to hold meetings via the video conferencing tool Zoom whenever possible, even with people in different places in Lund and Malmö.
“We save a lot of travel time – and it is good for the environment, of course”, says Bo Dilton.
The other future challenge is to continue preserving academic freedom and to counteract all politicisation of education and research.
“There is a disappointing development in other countries and we need to avoid it”, says Bo Dilton.
