Just back from a fantastic trip to Denmark and Sweden—where the sunlight just doesn’t quit nowadays. The Copenhagen Business School hosted a research in management education Unconference, which is a structure that is, well, unstructured! People get together organically—there are no formal presenters and no set agenda. Group discussions move toward topics of mutual interest and engagement, and research agendas and partners are emergent. It was amazing with great energy. My Journal of Management Education Co-Editor Jeanie Forray and I teamed up with editors from other business journals that publish work in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL) domain to promote that kind of scholarship.
Joining us, from left: Ken Brown from Academy of Management Learning & Education, me and Jeanie Forray, Vijay Kannan from DSI Journal of Innovative Education, and Eugene Sadler-Smith from Management Learning.
SOTL editors at the Copenhagen Business School
Fifty-one participants from 15 countries were present, asking interesting questions about research to be done. We are all looking forward to receiving manuscripts at our respective journals that are results of the Unconference spirit of creative innovation.
The second part of the journey was in Stockholm, where I met up with a bunch of Gusties. Meeting us at the train station was the indefatigable Sabina Koij, who was visiting chaplain at Gustavus during the 2012-2013 academic year. How wonderful it was to catch up with her (all good at the Cathedral where she works), husband Mattias (still playing the keyboards with vigor) and her family (her four kids have grown several feet, it seems, among them!). I also had lunch with Elin Ahldén ’99 who recently left Ericsson after almost a decade to join a small corporate communication firm as part of their management team. What a transition!
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- Elin Ahlden ’99 outside Herman’s restaurant in Stockholm
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- Sabina & Aron Koij
The Koijs are a wonderful touch point for students and faculty heading over to Stockholm, and I am so thankful I was able to see them again. Nate Paulsen ’15 and Lindsay Rothschiller ’15 are in Stockholm on internships this summer, and they are soaking it all in. One of the highlights was all of us joined for a genuine American Fourth of July celebration at the Koijs—complete with hamburgers, Sabina’s homemade coleslaw, and a singing of the Star Spangled Banner to Mattias’ accompaniment.
The whole crowd at Koijs house on the 4th of July
Lots of Gusties packed into a very short visit, and once again I am humbled by the commitment of Gustavus alumni and supporters everywhere toward our students. The open invitations, open homes, and networking available to our students is truly special.