Margot Wallström resigns as the chairman of the University Board on account of taking office as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Vice chairman Lars Ljungälv, also CEO of Sparbanken (a Swedish bank), will replace her.
Photo: Carl-Johan Kullving
Margot Wallström resigns from her position as chairman of the University Board with immediate effect after being appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Social Democrats by Stefan Löfvén’s new government.
“We had agreed before the elections that if she would get a ministerial post she would resign,” says Cecilia Billgren, Head of the University Management.
“Vice chairman, Lars Ljungälv will temporarily replace her and the Drafting Committee starts to look for a new permanent chairman,” she says.
Agreement clear
Vice-Chancellor Per Ericsson tells us that he and Margot Wallström already before the elections had agreed on what would happen in case of a possible ministerial post.
“I wish Margot Wallström good luck with her new charge. She will not discriminate us in favour of anyone else but she is aware of our great injunction with Max IV and ESS,” says Per Eriksson.
“Now we have a problem since we have to find someone that can take her place as soon as possible. The drafting committee has initiated their work of finding one,” he says.
A new chairman before the turn of the year
Former Vice-Chancellor Göran Bexell, County Governor Margareta Pålsson and the student representative Nicolai Slotte, are all in the Drafting Committee. They will pick a candidate and propose it as the new chairman for the government.
“Normally a decision made by the government takes about three-four weeks but the drafting committee will need time to find potential candidates. We hope that a new chairman is chosen before Torbjörn von Schantz enters the position as Vice-Chancellor by the turn of the year,” says Cecilia Billgren.
Will you have an employment award ceremony for Margot Wallström?
“We will probably have some kind of ceremony for her but it depends on Margot Wallström’s schedule,” she says.
Photo: Archive.
Several good ideas
Student representative of the University Board, Cecilia Skoug, never got to have more than two meetings with Margot Wallström. She thinks that the Minister of Foreign Affair has done a good job as a chairman.
“Lund University is a unique organisation and I think that she, as a third party has got acquainted with the organisation very well. She has contributed with several good ideas, says Cecilia Skoug.
The news is not a shock for the board, which during the coming weeks will have to roll up their sleeves and work really hard.
“Of course there will be a lot of new things to get used to since we also have a new Vice-Chancellor taking office at the turn of the year. So the board will have to face a greater responsibility to make sure there is continuity in the work,” says Cecilia Skoug.
Margot Wallström has not been available for a comment.
Text: Axel Vikström and Carl-Johan Kullving
Translation: Mia Söllwander
First published at lundagard.se
