University values

Our mission is to create new knowledge and educate future talents. At the same time we must renew ourselves; we take care of our skills, create new ways to do things and update methods of teaching. We wish new ideas welcome and see possibilities in change, since thinking critically helps question old practises. Sharing knowledge and enabling innovations is important to us. We encourage students and colleagues to think open-mindedly, to do things for the first time and, when needed, to learn from their mistakes.

We act in responsible way towards the community, all people, and the environment. We understand the ethical rules of research and share knowledge openly to the whole society. Our students get a high-quality education in an atmosphere where they can reach their full academic potential. We encourage everyone to take responsibility and debate in a constructive way. We treat people equally and support wellbeing of the community. The research conducted at the university finds solutions to sustainable use of natural resources, and also in our own operations we make ecologically responsible choices.

Multidisciplinarity and different forms of cooperation are strengths of our international university community. Every employee has something valuable to share as an expert of his/her own field or profession. Students coming from different backgrounds create a rich learning community where cooperation skills are learned alongside academic skills. We appreciate our alumni as a valued part of the community. We actively build partnerships on an international, national and local level. Our campuses create possibilities for learning together and cooperating with different people and institutions in a forthright way.

The formulation of values is based on an on-line brainstorming session held in April with about 550 participants connected with the university: students, staff, alumni, and representatives of the University's Board of Directors. Those taking part in the session were asked to define sources of pride for the future, to prioritise the ideas of other respondents, and finally to consider different ways to achieve the goals.