From 11 to 22 May, students at the University Centre of the Westfjords took a closer look at tourism, leisure and everyday life in small coastal communities through the course Coastal Communities in an Era of Leisure and Tourism.

With Háskólahátíð we celebrate the graduation of students from the master’s programmes at the University Centre of the Westfjords, as well as the graduation of distance learning students in the Westfjords.

Time flies – like when your kids grow up too fast, when you go down a rabbit hole on the internet, or when you are the new director of the University Centre of the Westfjords. It is unbelievable that one month has gone by since I took over April 1st. There has been a lot to do, many exciting tasks both big and small: for example learning how long it takes to change passwords, or deciding how exactly one should inherit 20 years of files, information, and experience. I am very thankful for all the good folks around me who have helped during this transition time.

We are very excited to share a new published paper that is very close to our hearts. The paper, called “Higher Education as Coastal Community Development: Lessons Learned From the University Centre of the Westfjords, Iceland”, published in the journal “Ocean and Society” is a reflection on the 20 year experience of UW as a rural coastal community educational instition.

Students in the course Navigation, Shipping and Offshore Activities in the Arctic recently took their learning out of the classroom and onto the water during a boating field trip in Ísafjarðardjúp. The excursion offered hands-on insight into navigation in the European Arctic and Icelandic waters, connecting course theory with real-world maritime practice.