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Two professors urge complete university board resignation amid crisis at University of Oulu

Friday 25th 2024 on 17:48 in  
Finland

Two professors from the University of Oulu have suggested that the ongoing administrative crisis at the institution could be resolved if the entire university board resigns. At the end of September, three of the four members of the university board announced their resignation following the announcement of Arto Maaninen as the new rector. This significant mass resignation left only one representative from the faculty, the outgoing rector Jouko Niinimäki, on the board.

On October 14, 2024, Professor Petri Lehenkari from the University of Oulu and Professor Jukka Kekkonen, an emeritus professor at the University of Helsinki, argued that the crisis could be addressed through a complete board resignation. They specifically emphasized the importance of the university senate, which includes representatives from all staff groups in university decision-making.

The resigning members cited personal reasons for their departure. However, this unprecedented group resignation has raised suspicions of protest regarding the rector’s selection. Lehenkari stated that the senate should invite both resigning and remaining board members to clarify the situation, suggesting that there could be other underlying reasons for the resignations.

The professors noted that the senate might analyze the circumstances and potentially express a vote of no confidence in the board, which could lead to its dismissal. According to Lehenkari, the university law supports the senate’s authority to remove the entire board if deemed necessary.

In contrast, the board’s chairman, Mikko Ayub, did not recognize the situation as a crisis and did not have a stance on whether the board should resign. The current rector Niinimäki and incoming rector Maaninen declined to comment on the professors’ statements. Maaninen previously indicated that he prioritizes who will replace the departing board members.

Source 
(via yle.fi)