At today’s opening ceremony at Rådhusplassen in Molde, rector Steinar Kristoffersen told the students that that HiMolde has great expectations for them.

But, Kristoffersen noted in his speech, the students have to be willing to put in the necessary effort.

Kristoffersen’s speech:

«State Executive of the County, County and Municipal executives, the town mayor, people of Molde, but of course first and foremost, dear students of Molde University College

Welcome to Molde. Welcome to the city and its region. Welcome to its specialized college in logistics, Molde University College.

We aim to make this day a day you never forget.

We want Molde to become the place that you remember fondly with memories of great experiences as well as academic lessons learned.

We want you to think of Molde as the place where you laid solid the foundations of your future working life.

You came to Molde University College for the primary reason of learning something new, and something worthwhile.

Learning something interesting and useful is always difficult.
It requires hard work. If not, it means that you already knew how to, do it or that everybody else could do it too.

That is not why you are here. We have great expectations for you.

You came to Molde to excel, to be introduced to the unique scholarly capability that you have, and to give it a voice of your own. For this, you have to be willing to put in the necessary effort. You have to make each day count.

Learning something relevant also requires communication with other people.

Communication is not possible without proper sensitivity to other people’s thoughts and their needs.

I promise you that we are going to be open to yours, not just today, but every day!

You have chosen to join an academic institution!  That means being part of a community, one in which people look for recognition. Some even want to be famous.  We encourage both types of ambitions.

But, perhaps most importantly, we all want to be useful to those that depend on us!

Molde University College promises to be relevant.  Like our students, we shall be up-to-date on new developments and global affairs. We shall contribute to constructive discussions and deeply care about what happens outside of our own institution, as well as inside it.

We shall be empathetic and passionate of the agendas that you have chosen to pursue, and we are honored to be the campus that you chose for working towards your future objectives!

Molde University College is going to be very ambitious on your behalf.

That means that we are going to work at least as hard as you do!

We are going to be at least as open-minded as you are. At the same time, we aim to teach you critical thinking.

I would like to emphasize, however, that this is not the same as criticizing other people just because you disagree.

Please understand that our community depends on respecting each other, regardless of research results, opinions, background and the professional choices that we make.

This also extends to your personal space. Academic freedom is without limits, but there are rules.

Expect the unexpected. Reject intolerance and harassment.

The Ministry of Education and Research have challenged all universities to improve our programs and clarify our priorities so that we offer our students only the best quality education.

Molde University College want to do more. We aim to develop the best pedagogical framework in Norway.

We will establish new as well as improve our existing academic programs. Above all, we are going to try always to become better teachers of what you need in order to succeed at Molde University College and beyond.

We are going to listen carefully when you tell us how you experience our contribution to the academic community of which we now belong together.

Please, do not hesitate to knock on my door, if you find no one else that you think can handle your feedback! My job is to support you, even if I do not always agree with you!

Molde University College aims to be your perfect partner for a long-standing, productive and enjoyable academic relation. We hope that you will be ours.

Let us inspire each other.

Welcome to Molde, welcome to the University College, and congratulations.»