Contact:
- seunn.smith-tonnessen@uia.no
- Phone
- +47 38 14 11 12
In consultation with the Rector, the University Director prepares and advises on matters to be dealt with by the Board and is responsible for the implementation of Board resolutions.
The University Director is responsible for the coordination of the administrative and support functions of the University. In carrying out these responsibilities, the University Director works with the directors of the faculties and the administrative divisions, as well as the deans and the rest of the leadership staff, and the university’s other employees.
Smith-Tønnessen received her MBA with specialisation in project management from what is today the School of Business and Law at the University of Agder.
Seunn has served at the University of Agder (and the former Agder University College) since 1995 – first as Faculty Director and Director of Finance and later as Assisting University Director before being appointed the role of University Director in 2015.
Smith-Tønnessen started her career at the University of Bergen as a budget manager at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. In 2003, she became the Director of Agder Research for about six months and is credited with helping in structuring the economy at the research institution. The last years she has been a board member of several research institutions.
During her career, Seunn has been holding a number of key national positions on behalf of the University of Agder. She is currently the leader of the administration unit of Universities Norway, UHR-Administration, and a member of the Directorate for ICT and joint services in higher education and research. She has previously been chair of the board of the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund (Lånekassen) and a board member of Uninett (an organisation that develops and operates the Norwegian national research and education network).
The University Director has been a member of several working groups set up by the Ministry of Education and Research. She served on the expert committee that prepared a proposal for a new funding model for universities and university colleges (2022), and the working group that proposed measures to help facilitate students’ progression and completion during the pandemic (2021), and the working group that reviewed the subsidy scheme for student housing (2019).
Smith-Tønnessen has worked more than 25 years with developing UiA and especially the administration. The administration of UiA is one of the best university administrations in Norway, and several of the current administrative managers at UiA are also holding important national positions.
Seunn Smith-Tønnessen is also a driving force of the ongoing digitalisation process at universities and university colleges in Norway and is a prominent advocate for innovation and digital transformation of universities.