Færøernes Universitet: Fra Nationsbygning til Nationsbranding

The University of the Faroe Islands is at a crossroads. This article will lead the reader through the early history of Fróðskaparsetur Føroya, it’s transformation from an academy in the 1960’s through its transformation into a university in 1987, the university reform of 2008 and change of Rector in 2019. The article aims to map how Fróðskaparsetur Føroya has gone from having a very strong and successful organisational identity with a focus on nation building and cultural autonomy, to an organisationally weakened and divided institution with no clear common goal. The article points to the economic downturn of the 1990s and the shift from academy to university as being the defining factor for the loss of organisational and institutional identity. In order to make itself relevant in a small society experiencing tremendous growth, it is imperative that the University of the Faroe Islands develops a united organisational identity.