Rector Hildén: Serious claims concerning Uniarts Helsinki’s recruitment practices are being looked into
On 14 September, the journal Tieteessä tapahtuu published a column by Docent Taina Saarikivi that presented serious claims concerning discrepancies in the process of recruiting a professor of sound design as well as critical views on Uniarts Helsinki and its research.
We have been developing and standardising the recruitment processes of our academies starting from 2018. It is important that the university now reviews the accusations that Saarikivi has brought against us openly and honestly and that, if deemed necessary, we make corrections.
The column also brings up questions about the status of research within our university and about how the Code of Conduct is reflected on our actual operations. As a young university that has a strong basis in tradition, these questions are of vital value to us. I hope that the claims made in the column activate an internal discussion on the development of our university. That is why we will be organising an event later this autumn where members of the university community have the chance to chat, present questions and hear about other people’s observations that we can use in the development of our recruitment practices.
Our vice rector responsible for research, Jaana Erkkilä-Hill, has written an opinion piece about how discussion on research motivates us to gain increasingly better results. The text was published today on our website, and it responds to the criticism that Saarikivi shared about Uniarts Helsinki’s research.
Kaarlo Hildén
Rector
Uniarts Helsinki