Building the future and supporting student well-being featured prominently in the University of Eastern Finland’s Opening Ceremony of the Academic Year 2026–2027.
Rector Tapio Määttä spoke at the University of Eastern Finland’s Opening Ceremony of the Academic Year and encouraged students to find their own sources of inspiration and to create interesting and unexpected combinations from the university’s extensive range of minor subjects.
“I hope that the university will be a place of personal growth for all our students, in addition to offering a pathway to working life. I believe that everyone should always study what genuinely interests them. Motivation and inspiration will carry you far. Surprising combinations of minor subjects can give rise to distinctive expertise that is also valued in working life.”
Määttä said that he himself became interested in futures studies more than three decades ago when he was completing his doctoral studies. Although futures studies did not change the direction of his dissertation, it offered him something more important.
“I adopted a way of thinking that has often proved useful later in life and in my work, both as a researcher and as an academic leader. What stayed with me was an interest and an attitude.”
This autumn, more than 3,700 new Bachelor’s and Master’s degree students are starting their studies at the University of Eastern Finland. Measured by the number of new students, the University of Eastern Finland is the fourth largest in Finland, after the universities of Helsinki and Tampere and Aalto University.
“Our strategy continues to be a university that grows and renews itself. Next year, we will again increase our student intake. I hope that our new students will see our university as a relaxed and approachable academic community, of which students, too, are full members,” Määttä emphasised.
Support is available for student well-being
Rector Tapio Määttä also stressed the importance of student well-being. Increased performance pressures are reflected in students’ experiences of anxiety. Janina Gunnar, Chairperson of the Representative Council of the Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland, shared the Rector’s concern in her own speech.
“Although the student years are varied, they can also be demanding at times. Amid expectations, it is important to be brave enough to be kind to yourself. And you don’t have to tackle everything on your own – help can and should be sought when your own resources are being tested,” Gunnar pointed out.
The student years are about much more than accumulating credits towards a degree.
“Your time at the university offers a unique opportunity to try new things and challenge yourself. As a result, you may acquire skills that your studies alone cannot directly provide. I encourage you to have an open mind and meet new people during your time at the university and, together, to make sure that no one is left alone,” Gunnar said.
For further information, please contact:
Rector Tapio Määttä, University of Eastern Finland, [email protected], tel. +358 50 575 1589
Chairperson Janina Gunnar, Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland, [email protected], tel. +358 44 576 8410