Silja Bára Ómarsdóttir, Rector of the University of Iceland, sent the following greetings to University students and staff earlier today:
"Dear students and colleagues,
Welcome to a new academic year. Autumn is always a time of change and new beginnings at UI. New students are taking their first steps into higher education, while others are returning to take on new and exciting challenges. We members of staff welcome you with open arms. Together we will continue our work to drive progress in Iceland.
It is incredible to feel the energy at the start of the academic year as the buildings fill with people, ideas and conversations, and the whole campus starts buzzing with life. The University is, above all, a vibrant community of people who want to learn, create, research, teach and make a difference. We ask questions, debate ideas, challenge assumptions and seek answers. This shared mission depends on every one of us doing our part and on the knowledge, experience, curiosity and aspiration that our students and staff contribute every single day.
This is particularly important at a time when technology is playing an ever greater role in our everyday lives. I don’t need to tell you that artificial intelligence has already started to have a major impact on learning, teaching, research and work of all kinds. AI offers incredible opportunities, but these developments also remind us of the importance of independent, critical thinking. We should embrace the potential of new technology to help us, but it must never replace our own judgement.
This academic year also marks also a historic milestone as we launch the new UI University Consortium. We would like to extend a warm welcome to students and staff at UI at Hólar as they join our University community. The University Consortium will create countless exciting opportunities for collaboration and development and I look forward to seeing what we will build together.
This year we will also be shaping the new strategy for UI. This is an exciting project that will affect the future of the University and determine the direction we want to take. Input from across the University community will be essential and I look forward to the conversations ahead.
The start of the academic year is a time of optimism and excitement. I urge you all to make the most of everything the University has to offer, support one another, be curious and engaged and help to make a good University community even better.
I wish you all the best of luck this year and I look forward to working together.
Silja Bára R. Ómarsdóttir
Rector of the University of Iceland"