University of Agder - History

History

The idea of a university in the Agder region is not completely new. In his short period as ruler of the union of Denmark–Norway, Johann Friedrich Struensee planned on reforming the University of Copenhagen. He gave Bishop Johann Ernst Gunnerus of Trondheim the task of developing more detailed plans. Gunnerus presented a proposal in 1771 in which he suggested establishing a new university in Norway, and placing it in Kristiansand.

The motives for suggesting Kristiansand as a university town have been debated. Regardless, the idea was soon discarded as planning began for the first Norwegian university. In 1811, a resolution was passed to establish Norway's first university in Christiania (Oslo).

Even without a university in the region, and as the need for better educated employees rose, several smaller colleges were established throughout the Agder region. The first, Kristiansand Teacher Training College was originally founded at Holt, Aust-Agder in 1839, making it one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Norway. It was followed by Arendal College of Nursing (1920), Agder Music Conservatory (1965), Agder Regional College of Technology (1967), Agder Regional College (1969) and Kristiansand College of Nursing (1976).

Agder University College was established by a merger in 1994, when the six public regional colleges in the Agder counties became one institution. The University College received full university accreditation and became the University of Agder on 1 September 2007. In 2009, the University of Agder has approximately 8,000 students, 1000 employees and an annual budget of about 800 million NOK (140 Million Us$).

Today, the process of consolidating the University continues. In 2010 the University's activities in Aust Agder (Grimstad and Arendal) will merge onto UiA's new campus in Televeien in Grimstad, and activities in Kristiansand will be concentrated on the campus at Gimlemoen.