JYU Staff Week 2026 highlighted wellbeing, collaboration and new opportunities
The week’s programme included expert presentations, workshops and hands-on sessions. The programme explored, among other topics, student mobility management, the promotion of interdisciplinary and impactful wellbeing research, and the planning and development of joint and double degree programmes. Participants also had the opportunity to share good practices from their home universities with one another.
Wellbeing at the centre of the week
The week’s programme offered diverse perspectives on both administrative and academic themes. In the interviews, wellbeing emerged as one of the most memorable themes of the week. Participants paid particular attention to how visibly wellbeing is present in everyday life at the University of Jyväskylä.
James Messo Raude, who works as an Associate Professor at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, considered the wellbeing programme one of the most interesting parts of the week. According to him, the wellbeing-related practices offered concrete ideas for developing his own university.
At our home university, signs of burnout and mental health challenges are evident among both staff and students. I strongly believe that by embracing the wellness concepts discussed this week, we can better manage stress levels and support the wellbeing of our academic community.
Similar observations were made by Nika Tomšič, who works in the international office of the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Maribor, particularly with outgoing mobility. Tomšič found the week useful from the perspective of her own work, especially in terms of student support and the development of Erasmus processes.
I was impressed by how strongly the University of Jyväskylä focuses on the wellbeing of both students and staff. The university is also actively developing its ways of working and aims to better meet students’ needs. In my own work, I would like to reflect on how the practices presented during the week could be applied, for example, in Erasmus processes and student support.
Glorja Demika also found the programme focusing on wellbeing particularly valuable. Demika, who works at Albanian University as a coordinator for specialization studies in oral surgery and orthodontics, said that wellbeing-related practices are already used to some extent in her own work, for example in supporting students and patients. However, these practices are not yet an official part of the university’s operating models in the same way.
When I arrived here and the programme began, I immediately thought of a colleague to whom I would like to recommend participating in JYU Staff Week.
Networking and new ideas
The Staff Week offered participants the opportunity to build new connections and consider future international collaboration. Craig Tokuno, Professor at Brock University and Chair of the Department of Kinesiology, participated in the track focusing on joint and double degree programmes. For him, the week provided an opportunity to discuss cooperation initiatives with University of Jyväskylä staff, particularly in the fields of sport, health and wellbeing.
The week gave me a valuable opportunity to discuss possible future collaboration with JYU colleagues, especially around joint and double degree programmes. We are still at an early stage, but it has been useful to meet people, exchange ideas and learn from other institutions’ experiences.
Overall, JYU Staff Week 2026 appeared to participants as an event where bringing together experts from different fields and higher education contexts offered an opportunity to compare practices, share experiences and find new perspectives on their own work. The week provided new contacts, concrete ideas and a strong sense that wellbeing is an essential part of a sustainable and well-functioning university community.
