Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Sprach- und literaturwissenschaftliche Fakultät - Nordeuropa-Institut

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin | Sprach- und literaturwissenschaftliche Fakultät | Nordeuropa-Institut | TERMINE | SoSe 2017 | The past, present and future of the University of Iceland - Prof. Jón Atli Benediktsson

The past, present and future of the University of Iceland - Prof. Jón Atli Benediktsson

Prof. Dr. Jón Atli Benediktsson is the rector of the University of Iceland (Háskoli Íslands) and Professor for Electrical and Computer Engeneering. He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Perdue University, Indiana, USA. He has been the rector of HÍ since 2015.
  • The past, present and future of the University of Iceland - Prof. Jón Atli Benediktsson
  • 2017-05-02T18:00:00+02:00
  • 2017-05-02T20:00:00+02:00
  • Prof. Dr. Jón Atli Benediktsson is the rector of the University of Iceland (Háskoli Íslands) and Professor for Electrical and Computer Engeneering. He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Perdue University, Indiana, USA. He has been the rector of HÍ since 2015.
  • Was Öffentliche Veranstaltung Henrik-Steffens-Vorlesung
  • Wann 02.05.2017 von 18:00 bis 20:00
  • iCal

The past, present and future of the University of Iceland – Prof. Jón Atli Benediktsson

Prof. Dr. Jón Atli Benediktsson
is the rector of the University of Iceland (Háskoli Íslands) and Professor for Electrical and Computer Engeneering. He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Perdue University, Indiana, USA. He has been the rector of HÍ since 2015.
Der Vortrag wird auf Englisch gehalten.
By Dagný Reykjalín (University of Iceland) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The history of the University of Iceland is inextricably linked to the history of the Icelandic nation in the 20 th and 21 st centuries. When the University was established in 1911, Iceland was an impoverished nation of farmers and fishermen and that first year there were only 45 students, including one woman, and a very limited selection of subjects on offer. The foundation of the University of Iceland was an important factor in the Icelanders' struggle for independence, which was achieved in 1944, and the development of the University over the last decades has been simply incredible. 

Today, the University of Iceland is a comprehensive research university with around 13,000 students, including 1,200 international students, and a majority of the student population are women. By educating people to pursue diverse careers and producing internationally renowned scientists and academics, the University of Iceland has played a huge part in the fact that today Iceland is one of the most prosperous nations in the world with strong healthcare and education systems, a healthy democratic tradition and a culture that draws accolades from far beyond the borders of the country.

The population, though, is only around 330,000 and Icelandic speakers would be considered one of the smallest linguistic communities in the world. The digital revolution and rapid technological advances present a huge challenge for the Icelandic language and a great deal of responsibility falls on the University of Iceland, as the most significant centre of learning and research in Icelandic in the world.