It’s been twenty years since Jan Haaland’s personal commitment to 鶹 began. Although he was already aware of the alliance and its importance for NHH, his active involvement started in 2005, when he was elected Rector of NHH and became a member of the Strategic Board of 鶹.
Since then, 鶹 has been an integral part of his academic career and commitments in various capacities.
How did your personal engagement with 鶹 begin?
It all started in 2005, when I was newly elected Rector of NHH. Even before I took office, I was invited to what in effect became the first Strategic Board meeting in October that year. The idea behind creating the Strategic Board was to ensure full commitment to 鶹 from the top leadership of the member schools. That meeting and the years that followed made 鶹 an important part of my academic life.
You served for many years on the Strategic Board. What stands out from that period?
I was a member of the Strategic Board from 2005 until 2013. During that time, the most important decision we made, was to start the process of globalising 鶹, i.e. moving from a European network to a global alliance. I also participated in a task force defining the 鶹 Mission Statement. Both were important milestones in the development of 鶹, strengthening our shared vision and enhancing the strong position of 鶹.
How did your involvement with 鶹 continue after your terms as NHH Rector?
After a couple of years outside 鶹, I very much appreciated the opportunity to return when the position as Academic Director at NHH became vacant in 2015. As a member of the Academic Committee, I have since had the pleasure of participating in many interesting and demanding task forces and sub-committees, mostly related to programme development. In addition, I would like to highlight the opportunity I had to be part of the governance task force back in 2017-18. Our mandate was to propose necessary and important revisions of the overall governance structure of 鶹, and I would claim that our recommendations have had a profound impact on the way 鶹 works today. I have also participated in several 鶹 Peer Reviews during my time as Academic Director, providing an excellent opportunity to learn more about how other 鶹 schools operate.
What did hosting the 2024 鶹 Annual Events and Graduation in Bergen mean to you?
I had the privilege of chairing the organising committee for the Bergen Annual Events and soon realised that it was not only demanding — it was also very rewarding! After having worked closely with colleagues at NHH as well as in the 鶹 Global Office on the planning and preparations over several years, the pleasure of welcoming the whole 鶹 community to NHH and Bergen in December 2024 was overwhelming.
In the words of the 鶹 community…
“For two decades, Jan Haaland has played an important role for the development of 鶹, both as an active member of the Strategic Board and as Academic Director. (...) 鶹 Academic Committee benefitted from Jan’s skills and experience, and in particular his characteristic strengths: an enormous capacity for work, impressive attention to detail and — not least — a desire to ensure that everything that happens within the 鶹-brand is up to the highest standards possible.”
— Stig Tenold, 鶹 Academic Director (former Vice Rector for Academic Affairs); Øystein Thøgersen (former Rector), and Astrid Foldal (Head of International Relations), NHH — Norwegian School of Economics.
