There’s a service for every student need, promises Kauko Keskisärkkä

“Persistent and proactive. Really smart bunch,” says director Kauko Keskisärkkä of the students at the University of Oulu.

By persistence, he refers to the fact that society is placing students under ever tighter pressure. There are requirements to arrange their own finances and to graduate within a set timeframe. There’s ongoing discussion about the one-study-place rule and charging for a second degree. Students’ career paths are locking in sooner and sooner. At the same time, the general economic climate has made gaining work experience tougher.

Keskisärkkä heads the new Learning Support and Wellbeing Centre at the University of Oulu. It brings together various services aimed at supporting students’ studies or wellbeing: for example, study and career guidance, appointments with study psychologists, the DigiLukiseula screening, and UniMove’s sports services.

Before his current post, Keskisärkkä spent six years as Secretary General of the University of Oulu Student Union. Even then, students’ needs and status were important to him.

“Now I get to tackle and develop the same issues from a new perspective.”

Support for Students and Staff

Student services are open to everyone, but especially benefit those with barriers to learning, such as neurodivergence or dyslexia.

“I encourage everyone to pursue their own dreams. If you’ve made it to university, you can certainly succeed in your studies as well. We’ll arrange support and help you think about adaptations for different needs,” Keskisärkkä says.

The university and Oamk (Oulu University of Applied Sciences) now have five study psychologists in their joint service. One of them supports doctoral researchers in particular. A new, more flexible appointment system for study psychologists will be introduced this autumn.

Career services always experience a spike in demand as summer job hunting approaches. Keskisärkkä suggests seeking advice as early as late autumn to avoid long waits during the busy period.

“We encourage students to profile their own skills as their expertise develops during their studies. Career services can help you think about how to shape your degree into something distinctive.”

The student service path, and especially the experience of the first year, are special development priorities for the new centre.

“It’s important that students are genuinely listened to and engaged with. That’s where we also support staff and especially tutor teachers.”

The centre also organises staff training on student wellbeing and special teaching arrangements.

From Distant Travels to Northern Nature

Intensive leadership work requires balance, and Keskisärkkä finds his in nature, especially with his family in Lapland—Ylläs and even further north. In winter, he enjoys cross-country skiing.

“The main thing is to get outdoors, out of the built environment.”

He also spends time renovating his family’s 1963 house, restoring it stage by stage.

Keskisärkkä was born in Oulu and studied business, majoring in management, at the University of Oulu. During his studies, his future dreams included meaningful work in areas such as change management, human resources management, or international operations.

“I never thought I would work in higher education, but when I reflect those thoughts on the current situation, they come true quite well.”

In his younger years, Keskisärkkä went backpacking and travelling, including several months at a time in Southeast Asia. He also spent a term as an exchange student in Japan.

And when did the man pick up his trademark—the beret perched on his head?

“A friend of mine used to have long hair, as I did. When he left for the army, he gave me his beret. I wore it one summer, and it became a habit. I’ve never really been a cap or beanie person. A beret is a headwear that suits most situations—and it’s never too hot or too cold.”

“I’ve noticed the beret-wearing habit is infectious. When I was on exchange, my exchange friends got themselves berets too, and there are others at the university as well,” Keskisärkkä smiles.