On Monday 6th October 2014, General Secretary Espen Stedje at “Foreningen Norden”, together with Olemic Thommesen, in his role as Chair, hosted a reception in Oslo as a prelude to the 20th anniversary of our College. This was a fine way of bringing together different stake holders within Nordic co-operation; for the College, it was an opportunity to express our gratitude to representatives of all countries and also to initiate dialogue about the road ahead. Fortuitously, the reception was held on the date of Thor Heyerdahl’s centenary anniversary.
The ambassadors from Denmark (Torben Brylle), Sweden (Axel Wernhoff) and Finland (Erik Lundberg) were all present. Iceland was represented with Embassy Counsellor Elín Rósa Sigurðardóttir. Anne Sofie Bjelland, Special Advisor on Nordic Affairs in the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, was there, together with Secretariat Leader Vibeke Greni from the Norwegian Parliament delegation to the Nordic Council.
Our Chair, Tove Veierød, gave an introduction to the College, followed by an address by Rektor Richard Lamont on Thor Heyerdahl and his vision of a Nordic college – please click here to access the speech. Director of Development Arne Osland presented on recent and future developments at the College. After the lunch, an open invitation to visit the College was given the embassies to connect with our students and staff during their posting as ambassadors to Norway.
Coming up to the end of our teenage years, we will continuously look for relevant ways of combining the Nordic and the global perspectives in our educational operation – also for the next 20 years!
