In total, there were ten applicants for the position. At a meeting today, 15 May, the university’s board agreed that Grande was the best candidate. The decision was made by nine votes to two. The minority voted for Jan Gulliksen as rector.
Grande has served as rector since 15 December last year when Anne Borg chose to resign. If he accepts the position, he will be employed for a fixed term that lasts until 31 July 2029.
Tor Grande comes from Trondheim. He has worked at NTH/NTNU since 1994, and has also been a postdoctoral fellow at Arizona State University in the USA. Since 2021, he has sat in NTNU’s top management team, as vice-rector for research and communication.
Clear and visible
He promises to be a clear and visible rector;
“NTNU has a special responsibility. We have resources and a breadth of expertise that enables us to contribute to solving many of today’s major challenges. Therefore, this is the most exciting management job in the HE sector in Norway, and I thank the board for the trust”, says Grande.
At the same time, the university sector is currently characterized by financial austerity. Grande believes that this requires clear leadership. He believes his solid research experience will be a strength in the role of rector;
“It is crucial that we deliver high-quality research and candidates with a competence that society demands. It then becomes an important task for the rector to make NTNU’s advantages even more visible in arenas where decisions are made both nationally and internationally”, says Grande.
Tough competition for the top job
Chairman of the board at NTNU, Remi Eriksen, emphasizes that there were many well-qualified applicants for the position and stiff competition;
“The interest from strong internal and external applicants says something about the high status NTNU has. For the board, it has been a privilege to be able to choose from such talented candidates. I am confident that in Tor Grande we have found the right captain of the NTNU flagship”, says the chairman.
About 1 percent of Norway’s population are students or employees at NTNU. Norway’s largest university has almost 44,000 students, more than 9,000 employees and a budget this year of NOK 11 billion. NTNU has campuses in Trondheim, Gjøvik and Ålesund.
Contact: Kristin Gjærevoll