According to the Development plan for Education and University Research
issued by the Government for 1995-2000, all institutions of higher education
are evaluated once by the end of the period. In 1996, three Eastern Finland
universities, Lappeenranta University of Technology, University of Kuopio and
University of Joensuu, set up a joint steering group to formulate the
guidelines and to monitor the evaluation of their regional engagement. The
role of the Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council was to act as an
advisory body in the self-evaluation process.
At the same time the Council appointed an external evaluation group, Peer
Review Team. It consisted of the chairman, Professor Urban Dahllöf, a
Swedish researcher on evaluation and regional issues in higher education.
Professor John Goddard, a senior university manager and researcher in the
field of regional development. Professor Ilkka Virtanen, a former rector with
knowledge of Finnish universities especially management and financial issues.
These three members of the Peer Review Team visited all the three
universities. The core group was accompanied by a university-specific
specialist, who visited the university in question and participated in most
of the meetings of the Team. Professor Chris O'Brien, an expert in
engineering and management, visited Lappeenranta University of Technology.
Professor Jussi Huttunen, Director General of the National Public Health
Institute and with a research background in medical sciences, was mainly
responsible for the evaluation of University of Kuopio. Dr Ola Román
from the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education, participated in the
evaluation of University of Joensuu. The Council recruited Project Secretary,
M.Ed. Anne Vähäpassi, who accompanied the Team during the site
visits and edited the report.
The Council is grateful to the Team, which has carried out the task in a
very ambitious and professional way. The members have shown commitment to
the evaluation as such and concern about the regional development issues
throughout the Finnish higher education sector. Since this evaluation is the
first one to review the regional role of universities, it also sets up a
frame of reference, which most probably will be utilised in future
evaluations.
Kauko Hämäläinen, Secretary General and Anna-Maija Liuhanen, Senior Advisor