The principal-election for University of Agder is now reaching its last 100 meters. The two candidates left in the race are Sigbjørn Sødal, dean for the Faculty of Social Sciences and School of Business and Law and Frank Reichert, dean for Faculty of Engineering and Science.
With this occasion, Unikum asked them some questions that would allow you to get to know them on a more informal level.
In this interview, we get to meet Frank Reichert, a candidate with many innovative ideas and plans for our university.
01. Where did you study and what was your way to prepare for exams?
– I studied at RWTH Aachen University in Germany. We could buy old exams with sample solutions. That helped a lot. In addition I bought several books to get different descriptions of difficult topics. Once a professor copied a super complex exam challenge from one of my books. That repaid all my investments.
02. If you would have to recommend 3 books to the students, what would those books be?
– Kunsten å være snill – Stefan Einhorn.
– You are not so smart – David McRaney.
– I’m Ozzy – Ozzy Osbourne.
03. What kinds of music do you prefer?
– Any type of music I like.
04. If you could choose a superpower, what would it be?
– The power to heal others.
05. If you would get a 50.000.000 NOK gift for the University, what would be your first investing priority?
– Being best at education… And two espresso machines for our students in Kristiansand and Grimstad, (sorry … But we are in the middle of an election).
06. How did you use to deal with exams stress in your student years?
– Being prepared. And trying to survive!
07. How do you plan to have a better communication with the students at our university and listen better to their needs?
– I normally listen carefully. I feel we need to find new ways of meeting each other and in more informal ways.
08. Can you see a solution for the very low amount of reading places at our university?
– Yes. We need to find creative solutions together to bridge the gap until we have built more space.
09. Name a movie that had an impact on you and why did it have this impact.
– The Bicentennial man – it got me to reflect upon what it means to be human.
10. What is your philosophy towards your work?
– Take it serious and never give up.
11. In 50 words or fewer, describe what skills and knowledge you can bring to a team.
– I’ll just brainstorm: enthusiasm, openness, respect, patience, respect, empathy, curiosity, creativity, energy, team spirit, experience. And maybe some competence in relevant areas.
12. How would your best friend describe you?
– Honest and trustworthy.
13. How do you define success and how do you measure up to your own definition?
– Success. Together with my colleagues working towards a great goal, and feeling amazing achieving it. Well, we had some great successes at the faculty (SFU, SFI, Sørlandslab/MIL) and more great things are coming (CCR, CIEM, HOME)
14. Give us an example when you failed at something. How did you react and how did you overcome failure?
– I once wrote a large project proposal and it was really a lot of work and busy weekends. At the last moment IBM pulled out. The reviews were great but it wasn’t approved due to lack of sufficient industrial participation. It helped to know that is was a good proposal.
I wrote an upgraded proposal with new partners two years later and it was approved as a large European project. It was one of the first ever on mobile Internet in 1996.
15. If you were on an island and could only bring 3 things, what would those be?
– A sailing boat, a GPS receiver and tons of supplies. (I know that is cheating…)
16. What is the funniest thing that has happened to you lately?
– Everyone tells me: “Frank, don’t say “und” all the time, say “og” instead”. And I told them: “I don’t say it often”. In one principal election debate (video recorded) I heard myself saying three times in a row “und, und, und … ” before I continued after a pause. “Und” is such a nice word, but I better drop it. It confuses everyone around me.
17. What are your least favorite things about humanity?
– I wish sometimes people would be more kind to each other.
18. If you could meet a personality from the past, who would that personality be and why?
– Buddha. Why? I can’t tell you before I’ve met him.
19. If you were 80 years old, what would you tell your children?
– Follow your dreams, and don’t hesitate.
20.Any words from your heart for the students?
– You are our future. Please help us to create it.
More information about their future priorities, you can find here:
Sigbjørn Sødal
http://www.uia.no/om-uia/valg-paa-uia/vil-samle-og-bygge
Frank Reichert
http://www.uia.no/om-uia/valg-paa-uia/samle-og-utvikle
We encourage all the students to get informed about the candidates and express their vote!
By: Erika Erdös – Email
Photo: Desirée N. Skalle – Email
