The University of Oulu's Alum of the Year 2025 is a distinguished advocate for international higher education and equality
The University of Oulu Association has selected Dr. Baylie Damtie Yeshita, a doctor of space physics and the founder and vice-rector of the Rwandan higher education institution Kepler College, as the University of Oulu’s Alum of the Year 2025.
“This year, we wanted to highlight an individual whose socially significant work has advanced equal educational opportunities and, at the same time, opened doors to international doctoral education,” says the association's chairperson, Eva Maria Raudasoja.
“Damtie’s achievements, especially in promoting international equality in higher education, are remarkable.”
Originally from Ethiopia, Damtie is himself a concrete example of equality and the importance of higher education in transforming societies and changing lives. Damtie emphasizes that education is not just a degree, but a concrete tool for building a good life.
“Some things you believe in today may hold you back. Education is at the core of transformation, and as you learn, your values also evolve. In physics, there is the concept of potential energy. A large quantity of water on a plateau has great potential for electricity generation, but it must be released. People have the same potential,” Damtie explains.
Nordic lessons in leadership
Damtie has studied in Ethiopia and the Nordic countries. He earned his master’s degree from the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø and his doctorate from the University of Oulu in 2004. After completing his doctorate, Damtie worked at the Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory.
His studies in Oulu and the Nordic countries provided a strong foundation for academic leadership and Nordic values, which he has further developed in Africa.
“Under Damtie’s leadership, Bahir Dar University in Ethiopia has grown and become significantly more international, and Kepler College in Rwanda has become a major academic educator. He has opened a pathway to the international job market, enabling more than 2,600 Ethiopian engineers to find employment in Germany and the United States. He founded a medical faculty and a 500-bed teaching hospital in East Africa, making it possible for 6,000 medical students to be trained at the same time. In addition, he has published 50 scientific articles and supervised 22 master’s theses and 7 doctoral dissertations,” says Raudasoja.
Baylie Damtie lives and works in Rwanda as the vice-rector of Kepler College. He will visit Oulu in April 2026, when he will participate in the university’s Alumni Day celebration.