Electric Kleinbus, Part I

Students from the electrical and mechanical engineering and automation technology programmes at SAMK are constructing an electric VW Kleinbus to be displayed in different events. The objectives for the makeover are a sufficient operating range, a decent performance and a satisfactory set of equipment for entertainment purposes in the lounge at the rear of the vehicle.

In the future, you will get in the car with AGORA to read more about the project.

More news in Facebook (in Finnish): Sähkö-Kleinbus SAMK. 

SAMK’s Diploma Supplements internationally accredited

The EU commission has accredited SAMK’s English language graduation documents with the Diploma Supplement Label. This label will certify that all graduates from SAMK get a personal diploma supplement that conforms to European recommendations. The supplement describes the graduate’s studies as well as the level and contents of the degree and also explains the Finnish educational system. Read more >>

New Career and Recruitment Services in SAMK

New Career and Recruitment Services in SAMK will help students and new graduates in all questions relating to worklife and career building. Further info >>

SAMK in figures: exchange periods

188 students from Satakunta University of Applied Sciences participated in the long-duration study or exchange periods of at least three months in 2012.

140 students arrived in SAMK for their long-duration exchange period.

10 teachers made an exchange visit of at least one month. Six teachers arrived in SAMK, and four teachers from our university set off to our partner universities.

Monthly image: Sweet home inside outside

Viljami Heinonen: Sweet home inside outside, 145 x 160 cm, acrylic and spray on a canvas, 2013.

Viljami Heinonen, born in Tampere in 1986, domicile Vesilahti. Heinonen graduated as a Bachelor of Culture and Arts from SAMK in 2012.

“ I like to work with wide surfaces, which I use to create a relaxed and physical approach when painting.  I walk a tightrope between intuition and control. Intuition makes it possible to bring forward the emotional charge, but when the aim is a visually harmonious image reasoning is important, too. I use mostly acrylic colours with paper collage technique and spray paints in my painting. The subjects and content of my work vary depending on the series. In my most recent work I illustrate structures and breakdown, the contrast between order and disorder.”

Education, R&D Activities and Business Operations – It’s in the Faculties

Education, R&D Activities and Business Operations – It’s in the Faculties

EDUCATION

Education is in charge of the steering and strategic management of the education process comprising the entire organisation. The purpose of the education process is to develop the performance, effectiveness and quality of education leading to a degree, as well as to carry out system-level measures and evaluations required by the development activities. The education process is managed by the Vice President.

R&D AND BUSINESS SERVICES

The R&D and Business Services is in charge of the steering and strategic management of research, student-enterprise cooperation, student entrepreneurship, service activities subject to charges, continuing education and business-to-business sales comprising the entire organisation. Operational activities are conducted in the faculties under the direction of the Vice President and the team leaders of the faculties.

FACULTIES

The faculties implement education, R&D activities and business operations.

Welfare

The faculty offers Bachelor’s degrees in Physiotherapy, Human Ageing and Elderly Services, Fine Arts, Rehabilitation Counselling and Planning and Social Services, as well as Master’s degrees in Rehabilitation and Social Services. The Bachelor-level degree programme in Physiotherapy, leading to the Bachelor of Health Care degree, is offered in both Finnish and English.

Health

The faculty offers Bachelor’s degrees in Nursing and Public Health Nursing, as well as Master’s degrees in Health Promotion and Welfare Technology.

Service Business

The faculty comprises the core business areas related to Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration: Economy and Financing, Sales and Marketing, Corporate Communications, Business Law and Public Administration. The Bachelor of Business Administration degree can be completed in English in the field of Innovative Business Services. Studies in Tourism lead to the Bachelor of Hospitality Management degree. A Master’s degree can be completed in the degree programme in Entrepreneurship and Business Management.

Logistics and Maritime Technology

The faculty focuses on International Business, Logistics, Industrial Engineering and Management, Maritime Management, as well as Mechanical and Production Engineering. The faculty offers Bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration, Engineering and Maritime Management, as well as Master’s degree can be completed in the degree programme in Marine Technology. The Bachelor of Business Administration degree can be completed in English in the field of International Business, and the Master of Business Administration degree in English in the field of Entrepreneurship and Business Management.

Energy and Construction

The faculty offers Bachelor’s degrees in Automation Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Construction Engineering and Electrical Engineering, as well as in English in Environmental Engineering. The faculty is in charge of the Energy Research and Competence Center focusing on renewable energies, energy-efficient construction, intelligent automation and electrical engineering.

Information Technology

The faculty offers Bachelor’s degrees in Information Technology and Business Information Systems, and Master’s degree in Health and Welfare Technology. The faculty provides education in languages, communication and mathematical-scientific subjects. The faculty is in charge of two Research and Competence areas: Welfare Technology and Computational Intelligence.

HIGHER EDUCATION SERVICES

The Higher Education Services comprise centralised services that support the activities of the entire university, including those of the students. They include IT services, student services, services related to open studies, international services, library and information services and centralised project services.

FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

Finance and Administration is in charge of the financial and administrative services of Satakunta University of Applied Sciences. Finance and Administration is in charge of preparing the budget, financial monitoring, reporting and forecasting, preparing essential agreements, personnel administration, real estate, facility and security services, as well as acquisition services and archives management.

 

APPOINTMENTS AS OF 1 JANUARY 2013

President and Managing Director Juha Kämäri, PhD (Agr & For)

Juha Kämäri, PhD and the Managing Director of Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, Ltd, was nominated as the President of Satakunta University of Applied Sciences as of 1 Jan 2013. Kämäri joined SAMK in 2011. Previously he worked as a Research Manager in Finland’s Environmental Administration.

Vice President Anne Pohjus, PhD (Tech)

Ms Pohjus has worked as a Director of Education, Dean and Vice President in the university of applied sciences for the past ten years. She has worked as an engineer in export industry and as a researcher at the university. She has also been teaching throughout her career in higher education.

Vice President, R & D and Business Services, Cimmo Nurmi, PhD (Applied Math)

Mr Nurmi has worked as a Research Director at Satakunta University of Appplied Sciences since 2005.  Earlier he has worked, e.g. as an insurance mathematician and in information technology. Mr Nurmi has also worked as a CEO and a board member in several companies.  His field of research is computational mathematics.

Director of Higher Education Services Jari Iisakkala, LicSc (Admin Sc)

Mr Iisakkala has worked as a Dean at Satakunta University of Applied Sciences since 2007. Previously he worked as a Development Manager in Prizztech Ltd, as a Director of Economic Development and a Planning Officer in Pori City and in teaching and research at the University of Tampere. In addition, he has worked as an entrepreneur in enterprise coaching.

Director of Finance and Administration Tommi Tamminen, MSc (Econ), eMBA

Mr Tamminen is the new Director of Finance and Administration at SAMK, who started in this position in February 2013. He has worked as a Senior Vice President Finance & CFO at Hollming Ltd. He has also worked in managing and expertise positions at DNA, Satakunnan puhelin and Finland’s Euromaster.

Deans of Faculties:

Dean of the Faculty of Welfare Tuula Rouhiainen-Valo, MPolSc

Ms Rouhiainen-Valo has worked in managing positions at SAMK since 1997 and before that in Pori Social Care Institute.  She has been in charge of teaching and managing in social services, rehabilitation and elder care. She has been in charge of development projects and participated in NGO activities. She has also been a member in the development and assessment teams organised by the Finnish ministries.

Dean of the Faculty of Health Eeva-Liisa Moisio, PhD (Educ)

Ms Moisio has worked as a Director of Education and Dean at SAMK since 1997. Before these positions she worked in teaching nursing and health care.

Dean of the Faculty of Service Business Timo Mattila, LLM

Mr Mattila has worked as a teacher in enterprise jurisdiction, senior lecturer and Director of Education at SAMK. He has also worked in jurisdictional tasks in the private and public sector and as an entrepreneur.

Dean of the Faculty of Logistics and Maritime Technology Jaana Vase, MA

Ms Vase has worked in a variety of managerial tasks, e.g. as a Director of Education at SAMK since 1997. She has also held the positions of Director of Adult Education and senior lecturer.

Dean of the Faculty of Energy and Construction Petteri Pulkkinen, PhD (Tech)

Mr Pulkkinen has worked as a principal lecturer and Director of Education at SAMK since 2009. He came to SAMK from Tampere University of Technology, where he worked as a teacher and researcher. His research focused on the optimization of production in process industry.

Dean of the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology, Ari-Pekka Kainu, MSc

Mr Kainu has been working at SAMK since 2004. He has been a project leader in several R&D projects, a Development Director in Technology and Maritime Management. Before he was appointed as a Dean he worked as the Head of Enterprise Accelerator. He has also worked as a Human Resources Consultant and Training Manager in Nokia Mobile Phones and as a Development Manager in Nokia Ventures.

New Organisation at SAMK in 2013: Better Results through Change

The organisation of Satakunta University of Applied Sciences changed at the beginning of 2013. The old faculties based on specific fields of study were replaced by a matrix organization. There are six new faculties and the education and R&D processes permeate all the functions in these faculties. In addition, services provided for communities and enterprises will be renewed thoroughly.

Several social and political changes related to education contributed to the need for a new organization. A succinct explanation for this change is given by the President–Managing Director Juha Kämäri: “We need to be prepared for future challenges”.

A new financial model for universities of applied sciences, which will be effective in 2014, emphasizes the profitability of  R&D and teaching. In practice this means that students should complete their degrees in a standard period and they should study an adequate number of credits each year. In addition, the profitability of R&D activities will affect financing more prominently, even though the profitability of teaching still has the most important role.

“It is in everybody’s interest to enhance the efficiency of these functions. The students get involved in their work tasks earlier and it becomes easier for them to find a job. Close co-operation between SAMK and the employers produces more competent employees than ever” Kämäri concludes.

New Faculties at SAMK

In the matrix organization each new faculty carries our research and development and provides services for enterprises. Teaching has its own Vice President and the development and innovation activities and business services are co-ordinated by the Vice President in R&D.

The new faculties improve and enhance the old functions and create new innovations. As a result, expertise and the top competences become more prominent and visible. Even Ministry of Education and Culture expects stronger profiles from the universities of applied sciences.

The new faculties are: Welfare, Health, Service Business, Logistics and Maritime Technology, Energy and Construction and Information Technology. Each faculty has a Dean and it is further divided into teams. The Continuing Education Centre no longer exists as a separate unit but its functions are carried out within the new faculties and co-ordinated within enterprise services. Kämäri promises that SAMK can react to the needs of the enterprises faster and each initiative and contact will get a response.

SAMK as a Reformer of the Economic Life

Functions related to R&D and enterprise services are enhanced and reformulated in the process of the organization change.  Cimmo Nurmi is in charge of these functions. He has crystal clear views of the future co-operation functions at SAMK: “We have a central role in the development of the economic life and the public sector in this area. We provide product and service development to support growth and change. Also, we have the latest knowledge and technology, which can be used to improve the competitiveness and international functions of enterprises.” Partnership agreements are an important tool in this work, since they enable long-term collaboration.

Nurmi illustrates his visions: “Future functions could include e.g., research projects, product and service development concepts, customized training for the staff and long-term degree programmes. Another interesting possibility is provided by slow recruitment of the staff. In practice this means that the staff is employed on the basis of the practice and thesis studies. “

However, even short-term commissions are welcome. These could include a variety of marketing and customer satisfaction inquiries, internationalization surveys, development of organization communication, organization of events and art projects.

Why should an enterprise choose SAMK as their partner? “We are easily accessible and we have a rapid response time from an idea into its implementation. Also, we have a lot of expertise and resources and we are an organization known to complete their commissions appropriately. We have completed over a thousand projects with different enterprises during the past ten years. How about that for a reference?” Nurmi emphasizes.

Energy and Design for All

SAMK has developed a profile as a research conducting university of applied sciences and we want to maintain this profile. According to Nurmi basic research is the task of science universities, so there is no competition. “We concentrate on the product and service development within industry and the public sector.  The aim is to produce possibilities for commercialization and other benefits. Our choices are based on the statistical facts which demonstrate that the area of Pori is the third most versatile area in the country. The processing industry in Satakunta has the best employment figures and the investments in industry take the third place in the country. There is also capital and a strong tradition for the development of welfare in Satakunta.

On the basis of above mentioned facts SAMK has chosen four prominent areas in R&D which will be focused on, i.e. renewable energy, design for all, welfare technology and computational mathematics. “We are also prepared to take responsibility for the settings developing around these areas at national level.  It is self-evident that we co-operate with Finnish and international higher education institutions and research centres. However, we do not want to exclude other areas of research. The aim is to promote functions in other important areas in Satakunta as well, e.g. in maritime technology.

Author: Hanna Valtokivi
Translation: Tuija Huokkola

An alumna’s letter: The Bachelor’s Thesis – A Way to Europe

Depression opened a new door in my life.  The rehabilitation process kindled a spark of interest in mental health work. I started to complete all my written assignments on mental health rehabilitation and my enthusiasm gave a boost to my studies in social services.

During my studies project leader Kaarina Latostenmaa gave a lecture on a project called Työmieli for our class. The aim of the project was to enhance the employers’ readiness to employ mental health rehabilitees. They needed students who were willing to carry out their bachelor’s thesis in the project. This was exactly what I had needed, an idea for my bachelor’s thesis on a plate. I had been contemplating on the topic for a long time, and it was immediately clear that I would write my thesis on employing mental health rehabilitees. Having considered the alternatives, I decided to concentrate on the employers’ perspective of employing the rehabilitees, since it had not been studied very much before.

The co-operation with the project members started and I was chosen as an expert member with experience into the counselling group. The co-operative agencies in the thesis process consisted of local branches of trade and traffic as well as the environment centre and jobcentre. I interviewed 120 employers in Satakunta. Most of them had a positive attitude towards employing mental health rehabilitees. The employers thought that information and support have a significant role in employing the rehabilitees. As a result,   a counselling model for employers was developed on the basis of the Työmieli project.

The results and unique target group raised national interest. The project members and I were invited into a variety of occasions, where we introduced the project and the results. When the Työmieli project ended, information of the results was distributed through Mood For Work project.

In November 2012 we travelled to an international conference on psychosocial rehabilitation, WAPR, in Milan. The main results of my bachelor’s thesis were presented at the congress. After the presentation a Canadian professional proposed a symposium on the topic. In addition, psychiatrists from India and Sri Lanka told they were interested in the project, the thesis and my own rehabilitation process. The presentation of the results to national and international networks resulted in the continuation of the project and it is still running in the form of a counselling model for the employers. This model was partly based on the results of my thesis. My thesis was an important piece in the puzzle, which took its way to the world.

Niina Laitinen, Bachelor of Social Services and Health Care

Caption: The writer at the international conference on psychosocial rehabilitation, WAPR, in Milan in November 2012

Translation by Tuija Huokkola, SAMK.

AGORA – LET’S MEET AT THE MARKET PLACE

The English version of Agora is now part of Agora on-line.

I’m writing in the role of an editor to Agora for the first time. I’m really excited about working with this publication – not only the current topics but all the topics this year. In fact, I’ve already been thinking about the topics for next year. There are so many things to share and I enjoy compiling Agora together with other people. This is my passion!

Agora discusses present-day actions, everyday things taking place in teaching, research and development, co-operation with other institutions of higher education, the employment market and other relevant agencies. In my view, Agora is a publication which calls for and communicates expertise, diversity and bravery, sometimes in a profound way – sometimes light-heartedly. Although Agora needs plenty of planning, we still want to be present in this moment, awake and prepared for rapid, new decisions. Things are moving fast.

The word Agora is a market place in Greek, an open place for meetings and doing business. The aim of Agora is to give information, but we also want to listen to our readers. The on-line version of Agora is taking its first steps and all ideas for its development are welcome. So, what are you interested in reading about? If you want to give feedback or ideas for articles, you are welcome to send them to agora(at)samk.fi

Twin-Sticks Exercise – Shared Feelings of Joy and Success

The Twin-Sticks innovation was inspired by senior lecturer Tarja Javanainen-Levonen’s idea during the course of didactics in physical education at SAMK in 2010. Physiotherapy student Niina Mäkelä, whose background is in professional dance education, got interested in  the idea and developed it further in her bachelor’s thesis. The Twin-Stick exercise method is a new way of utilizing simple and cheap gymnastic sticks in exercising or even in dancing with a partner. This activity can be carried out in recreational settings as a group activity, but it can also be presented in a more intimate rehabilitative setting. The emphasis is on social interaction and reciprocal movement. Intensive co-operation between the student and the teacher resulted in the launch of this exercise method in an innovative workshop in a European conference in Ireland 2012. The innovation received positive feedback from EUCAPA12 conference participants and national networks and its dissemination will continue.

For further information, please, have a look at the Inclusion Club article and the video.

On the right Niina Mäkelä, on the left Tarja Javanainen-Levonen. Photo by Mikko Tornivuori.