"I'm proud to work here"

Anna-Sara Fagerholm describes the years she has worked at Mid Sweden University as fun, educational and challenging, simply the perfect combination to stay stimulated:
"In addition, I have incredibly nice colleagues, I am proud to belong to this context with wise and socially engaged colleagues. 

Step into academia

Although she has been employed for 20 years, her relationship with the university goes back further than that. It was here that she received her undergraduate education, by first studying communication science and then graphic design. After some time at Sida in Stockholm, she came back to do a feasibility study for a new education that Kristina Brink had initiated – graphic design with a focus on packaging design. And that's the way it is," she says.
"In connection with that, I was asked if I wanted to work as a research assistant and then if I wanted to substitute in graphic design when the new programme started. It's a time that I remember very well, it was very revolutionary and exciting for me to take that step into academia. Shortly thereafter, I became a permanent employee.

A dynamic university

Over the past few years, a lot has happened at universities, in the form of reorganisations and other changes. However, these have almost exclusively been good and contributed to development, according to Anna-Sara.
"All the new things have brought with them new insights and experiences, which has helped us not to stagnate. My experience is that from the very beginning we have been a brave, flexible and up-to-date university that keeps up with social debates and changes. I feel that we do not have a lot of old ancestry and ideals to live up to, which means that we are still a dynamic university. 

With a passion for design research

For Anna-Sara's own part, her time at the university has meant that she has gradually moved her main tasks from working as a teacher to becoming more research-oriented. This summer, she graduated with a licentiate degree and is now a doctoral student in design through a collaboration with Lund University. The main dealer is Per-Olof Hedvall, professor of Design at Mid Sweden University.
"It's fun to meet the students and to link education with research. It's very rewarding and I feel that I've found the right place. We have a close-knit team that works well together. At every annual celebration, Christmas party or when I visit the cafeteria and meet colleagues, I feel proud to be part of the knowledge production that exists here. That's a big part of why I enjoy it so much," she says.

Designing a sustainable society

At the moment, her research is broadly about the design we encounter in everyday life and how it can be designed for as many people as possible, whether it is environments, products or systems. Through funding from Nordea's travel grant, she has recently visited Kamikatsu, which is Japan's first municipality to implement "zero waste" as a strategy for reducing waste.
"It's very exciting, this type of solution must be designed so that everyone can take part in them, then it is not just possible to design based on the norm. So in the field study, I have done interviews and photo documentation on site. It was interesting to learn how they work together to achieve the goal of zero waste. This concept assumes that everyone is involved – municipal residents, municipal leaders and companies. It is based a lot on pedagogy, making sustainable choices visible in everyday life and finding solutions together. 

Finally, what will you be doing in another 20 years?

"Then I work here and am a professor of design. We will have built up a strong and solid design research. I will also have been in Tokyo for a year and combined teaching with research. Admittedly, I'll be almost retired in 20 years, but I want to continue working and dedicate myself to what I think is fun. And I will do art exhibitions and run a gallery on the side, which I do now too. It's really fun and gives many nice meetings with people.