Sailing through the fjords

June 2, 2010
Our last morning in Bodø led us to the local college, Høgsloken i Bodø/ Bodø University. Home to 5,500 students, this local college is known for its business school, nursing program and adjacent police academy. Our host for the morning is Peter Glanfield, the Internasjonal rådgiver and Internasjonalt kontor (International Affairs Ambassador). His job is to work with the international students visiting Bodø University, market and brand the program to attract new students and for the past 12 years, help the accreditation process so the college can became a full-fledged university. This dream is in fact ready to be a reality as Bodø University is scheduled to receive accreditations later this year and will then be renamed Universitet i Nordland. The accreditation process is particularly important to allow the University to make independent decisions. Prior to becoming a University, the college can only offer the programs and classes that the state government allows. As a University, they can expand their programming and offer a variety of tracks from Bachelor to PhD options and thus attract a greater number of students to the area.

During our tour of the campus, Peter explained that the schooling here in Norway is a typical European format of three years of college for your Bachelor degree, followed by 2-3 years of additional studies depending on your specialization. Bodø University has four main departments: business, health, social studies and fishery. However, Bodø continues to face the challenge of depopulation with family sizes going down to an average of 1.8 these days and that number continues to drop. The students that are going to college have their pick from other Norwegian Universities including Tromsø and Oslo. Therefore, the challenge for Bodø University is to find a way to continue growing and since they cannot keep their local students here, they have decided to focus on the international aspect instead. Both local and international students do not have to pay a tuition to go to the University. International students must show a balance of 89,000 NOK (about $15,000) in their bank account with their application in order to be accepted to the University and cleared for their visa. This is to guarantee that they have the funds for housing during the school year. Most of the international students currently at Bodø University are from Russia, some of Scandinavia and just recently, some East Asian students have been finding their way to Bodø.

One interesting department at the University is the professional research lab. Faculty can transfer into this department when they want to take a break from teaching and focus solely on their research. They can then switch back to their respective departments and continue teaching when they are ready. As in the United States, government funding for the University is dependent on the amount of published work by graduate students and faculty members. However, individual faculty members cannot receive or apply for grant money on their own. While there is no tenure here in Norway, there is an implied tenure since faculty cannot be terminated unless there is valid cause and for the most part, once you work at the University, you stay there until you want to leave.

In the afternoon, we packed our bags and had some downtime with our host families before getting ready to board the evening ship, Gamle Salten, for a cruise down the fjord. Several of our host families and the incoming Fauske Rotary Club members joined us for this trip. The Gamle Salten has been sailing for 50 years, originally along the coast line linking people and industry together. It is still one of the few ships maintained in its original condition. As soon as you step inside the boat, the first thing you notice is the mahogany wood, leather and brass. The ship is separated into two compartments, first and second class. There is a top deck to take in the sights and cabins below for those interested in staying advantage of the overnight accommodations. One of the crew members took us through the ship, showing us the different rooms, dining halls and the engine. For most of the night, however, we enjoyed our hosts’ company and the live music band. After pulling back into the dock at 10 pm, we said our goodbyes to Bodø and headed to Fauske, which is about an hour south.