You made the right choice!

There is something special about the start of the autumn semester in Lund. Everyone who comes to Lund to study and everyone who has lived here knows that. When the students return, the city comes alive again after an often quite slow summer!

We can all look forward to things such as meeting and working or studying together during the day – although safely with regard to the coronavirus – and possibly enjoying open-air cafes and restaurants in the evenings. Personally, I am really looking forward to seeing life on the LTH campus again after a meager and depressing spring semester due to the coronavirus. I hope you, dear students, will have a wonderful autumn with many new friends and new experiences!

Last week, when I walked around welcoming international students I was very happy to see that so many of you have found your way to Lund. In the spring, I was worried there would be a significant dropout rate, but this has not happened. This means so much as the international students enrich the Faculty of Engineering (LTH) and Lund as they bring different backgrounds and experiences with them.

In other words, I would like to give you all a warm welcome to LTH. You have come to the right place! In my welcome address, which unfortunately is pre-recorded this year, I try to explain why you have made such an excellent choice.

At LTH – which is part of Lund University – we educate people, build knowledge for the future and work hard to develop society. We create space for brilliant research and inspire creative development of engineering, architecture and design. There are nearly 10 000 students at LTH and our motto, which also represents all the LTH staff and alumni, is:

Together we explore and create – to benefit the world.

As a student at LTH, you will gain a solid education that leads to freedom of choice and good opportunities to participate in and change society. In my meetings with industry, I see that your skills are in high demand. Companies and different organisations often ask me: “Where are the students, when are they coming to see us?”

What do I, as dean of LTH, consider you should think about this autumn?

That, even if you feel young and invincible, you should take care of yourself and others during the coronavirus pandemic. We will of course contribute to a reduced spread of infection and follow the Swedish Public Health Agency’s recommendations.

I also think you should study hard right from the start, and contact LTH's Student- and Career Councelling early on if you find it hard to keep up with your studies.

Moreover, I think you should enjoy Lund and the fact that you have come specifically to LTH – which we rightly call a place for dreams and discoveries.

Viktor Öwall

Dean of LTH

PS 

If you, as a student, do not have the ‘welcome information’ you require, you can contact the programme director for your specific programme or the course director for individual courses.