Ilkka Herlin

In the late 1970s Ilkka Herlin was initially considering the offerings of the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Political Sciences when choosing his major. “Then I was overcome by a strong desire to get to the heart of Finnish history." Ilkka Herlin worked the whole time he was studying, and it was partly for this reason that it took him ten years to graduate with a master’s degree. He completed his doctoral dissertation in three years. The best feeling I had during my years at the University was when I comprehensively delved into contemporary history. Finnish independence and Finland’s development as an independent nation was a very eventful time from a multidisciplinary perspective. Ever since the energy crisis, the scarcity of natural resources has been clear to Ilkka Herlin. A sense that he should take part in some form of social activism became part of Herlin’s worldview while working on his doctoral dissertation. He wanted to work on something through which he could achieve concrete and long-term benefits. Ilkka Herlin thinks that universities are an important element of society. The business world needs universities—the talent and the knowledge.