The Council of the Estonian Academy of Arts has approved a new development plan for 2016-2020, which articulates the university’s mission, vision and the most important strategic objectives for the next five years. For the first time, the development plan also lists the Academy’s core values. The new development plan emphasizes the striving of the Estonian Academy of Arts to advance creativity in society and higher education.
For over a century, the Estonian Academy of Arts has helped to enrich the Estonian cultural environment, representing a diverse and living culture where the ability to think independently, creativity and openness are cherished.
“We perceive our role and responsibility in society and continue as a central force for the advancement of visual culture, a place to study for young people with a questing spirit and who want to think for themselves and are open to experimentation. In terms of factual knowledge, young Estonians are quite diligent, but that is not enough. We encourage students to think beyond facts alone; we like them to be analytical and open to new reality,” says rector and academician Mart Kalm.
For the next five years, the Estonian Academy of Arts has set three major strategic goals:
- Operating in the new modern academic building in an interdisciplinary, international and networked manner.
- Contributing to society’s development academically and creatively, and be a student-centred and sustainable teaching and research institution.
- Serving as Estonia’s leading centre of excellence in its primary academic areas of responsibility, and as an internationally recognized centre.
The Academy of Arts is confident that once it moves into the new Rauaniidi building, it will be able to provide a more dynamic synergistic and cooperative ethos essential for students’ learning experience as well as for promoting communication and initiatives by teaching staff and employees.
Academy Rector, academician Mart Kalm, says the university must be able to respond even better to the needs of the developing society:
“We haven’t planned to discontinue the existing curricula, but we will open new and innovative English-language master’s degree programmes that are of a high international calibre. We will also make our research activity more effective and promote an interdisciplinary approach to research that proceeds from societal problems and challenges.”
Among the core values of the Estonian Academy of Arts, articulated for the first time, the Academy places value on the particularities of every member, as the basis for the inception of original, unique artistic work. Also important are professionalism and mastery in the respective specialities, which ensures quality in the intellectual and material environment, as well as analytical thinking and openness, which keep thoughts fresh.