NLH gets university status

Joanna Boddens-Hosang

10 December 2004 – At a festive ceremony on the NLH campus today, the Norwegian Minister of Education and Research, Kristin Clemet, announced that NLH will receive the status of university on 1 January 2005.

Minister Clemet and Rector Knut Hove Foto: Gro Elden

In Norwegian, the new university will be called “Universitet for miljø- og biovitenskap” (translation: “University for Environment and Bio-Sciences”). The official name in English will be Norwegian University of Life Sciences.

While the name “Agricultural University of Norway” has been used in English, the Norwegian name has been “landbrukshøgskole” (literally: agricultural postgraduate college) since 1859. Although NLH has been working as a university, and has always been acknowledged as a university outside Norway, the official status of university in Norway is important for NLH. Moreover, the new name better reflects the University’s wide academic focal areas that include agriculture, forestry and natural resource management. As of January 1st, Norway will then have six universities.

Rector Knut Hove comments: “The university status will encourage us to do our utmost to offer students an even better educational package. This change of status and name confirms the wide scope of our research and educational activities.”

Today’s announcement has a particular coincidence as it falls on the same day as Wangari Maathai receives the Nobel Peace Prize 2004. Maathai holds an Honorary Doctorate at NLH, which she received in 1997.




Updated: 16.12.04
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