“I still want to embed key initiatives at ETH”
On 17 May 2018, Lino Guzzella announced that he would not be seeking a second term as ETH President, preferring to spend the next six months focused on further embedding major initiatives such as ETH+ and improvements in leadership culture.
President Guzzella, your decision not to stand for a second term took everyone by surprise. What reactions have you encountered so far?
Lino Guzzella: I have been especially pleased about all the support I’ve received from so many people at ETH. This response – which has come from all quarters by email, on the phone and in person – fills me with great joy. It shows that what I’d imagined for ETH and the expectations I’ve had for it over the past several years really resonated with many of the people here.
Were there any surprising reactions?
The amount of appreciation from the world of politics is perhaps not exactly surprising, but it certainly can’t be taken for granted, and it made me personally very happy. But the most important thing is how positive people were about ETH as an institution. It’s important for ETH to be able to count on continued support from Swiss politicians, as Switzerland – indeed the world – needs ETH. Our university is key to our nation’s welfare, and I’ve spent the past ten years doing all I can to ensure that the entire country understands just how important ETH is. So I ask Switzerland’s politicians to remain committed to keeping ETH Zurich strong in the future.
What does your decision mean for ETH Zurich? And what does it mean for you personally?
First off, ETH’s success does not depend on who sits in the President’s office, but rather on the commitment of each and every person here, from our technical and administrative staff to our professors. All of them have a part in ensuring ETH does well – and that’s something we can all be justifiably proud of. For me personally, it was the right decision. These past seven years on the Executive Board, four of them as President, have been very demanding. I just wasn’t sure that I could live up to my own expectations of this position for another four years. And then I realised I had a yearning to devote myself entirely to my field once again and return to my passion for teaching and research. I already have quite a few specific ideas in mind – new teaching concepts that I want to try out and research questions I’d like to pursue. I’m really looking forward to it!
We are increasingly seeing reports in the media of problems in the supervision of doctoral students. What are your thoughts on that?
We have been confronted with individual cases of absolutely unacceptable doctoral supervision. I expect all professors to provide their doctoral students with thoughtful supervision that offers them the support they need. Outstanding performance by doctoral students is instrumental to the success of ETH, but they can only achieve that if we make a point of nurturing them and if we all treat each other constructively and with respect. That’s why both I and the entire Executive Board take cases of inadequate supervision of doctoral students very seriously. We’ve been looking into all such cases carefully and thoroughly for some time now, and are taking the necessary measures. We make a point of taking a considered and professional approach, as it is important to proceed with prudence and comply with legal requirements. This takes time, but it’s the only way we can hope to reach fair conclusions and make lasting improvements.
Critical thinking, digitalisation and medicine are strategic initiatives that you were intimately involved in bringing about. ETH+ has got off to a good start and is making headway. Have you decided to focus on anything in particular in your last six months as ETH President?
It’s my goal to dedicate my remaining time as President to further embedding and cementing these major key initiatives, which I launched with the Executive Board. The future-oriented ETH+ project, for instance, has got off to an excellent start: the first wave is about to be evaluated and will then be implemented. A second focus for me is on leadership culture. I still want to achieve tangible improvements on this in the coming months, and I intend to introduce specific measures. A modern leadership culture running through all levels of the organisation should be a matter of course for ETH.
What are you hoping for from your colleagues on the Executive Board, from the professors and from university staff?
I would like all of them to be aware that ETH owes its extraordinary success to the efforts of everyone who belongs to the university, in whatever capacity. We have made huge strides in research, teaching and technology transfer, and we will continue along this path together in the years to come. I am delighted to have the chance to help drive forward the development of this wonderful institution, both as its President until the end of 2018 and thereafter as Professor.