Harald Niklasson
Professor of economics
Harald Niklasson studied mathematics and economics in Lund and wrote his licentiate thesis on labour market policy. In the late 1960s, he was employed as a senior lecturer at what was then Lund University’s Växjö branch. When Växjö University College was granted university status in 1999, he became a professor of economics.
The year is 1996. At a coffee break at Växjö University College, someone mentions the Red Cross refugee guides. This sparks an interest in Harald Niklasson, senior lecturer in economics, and he decides to engage in the Red Cross initiative.
– There I met a refugee who had studied at the university in Prishtina in Kosovo. Through him, I received a letter a few weeks later from this professor, Skender Berisha, who was outraged by the treatment that Albanian students and teaching staff were being subjected to at the university.
– They had been excluded from the official University of Pristina by the regime in Belgrade. As a result, they had decided to run their own parallel shadow university, and he thought I should come and have a look.
The underground university
Not long after, Harald receives an invitation to a wedding in Kosovo, which gives him the opportunity to obtain the necessary visa.
– I marched into the Yugoslav embassy, and it went well. Throughout, I was worried I’d get questions about the wedding, but I never did.
Once in Pristina, Harald spends a week observing the activities at the underground university.
– Teaching was conducted in private, primitive, unheated premises like garages, basements, and warehouse buildings. The students sat close together wearing overcoats because it was a harsh winter.
Harald himself gives lectures on the EU and EMU.
– It was a strange experience, and I was deeply disturbed by how the Albanian students and teaching staff had been treated. Naturally, I started thinking about what I could do to help them.
Once back in Sweden, Harald gets to work. He applies for and receives a grant from the Swedish Institute to host seven students in Växjö.
– I guess I hoped that this could be the beginning of something more long term. Which, indeed, it turned out to be.
But the project soon runs into problems. When the students have arrived in Sweden, a full-scale war breaks out in Kosovo. Three of the students can’t go back, since they don’t know where their families are.
– The others went back around Christmas. Later, I found out that they and their relatives had been driven out of the country and ended up in refugee camps.
Returning to Kosovo
Thanks to an additional grant from the Swedish Institute, the three who remain are able to study at the master’s level, and then return to Kosovo after the NATO bombing campaign in 1999. And it doesn’t take long before Harald himself returns to Kosovo.
– I thought we should revive the collaboration in agreement with the UN, which had taken over Kosovo. The underground university had now gained recognition, and I met with representatives of the university and signed a cooperation agreement.
Harald secures funding from both Swedish and international sources – including Albanian refugees in Sweden – so that the university can continue hosting students in Växjö.
– One of our supporters was George Soros and his Open Society Foundations. He’s one of the richest people in the world. I thought he could help out a bit. He thought so too, Harald says with a laugh.
The collaboration takes off
In 2002, Harald comes into contact with Professor Iraj Hashi at Staffordshire University in England. Iraj Hashi is in the process of developing what’s known as a Tempus project to foster collaboration between universities in the EU and the one in Pristina and he has heard about Harald’s pioneering work. What had by then become Växjö University becomes part of the project.
Harald and others assist in developing teaching and methods for study and assessment at a university that has suffered greatly from isolation. They create new programmes, expand exchanges, and work on business development.
In the years that follow, a significant number of students from Kosovo come to Växjö to study at the master’s and doctoral levels. Teachers from Pristina spend time in Växjö, and vice versa.
I find the greatest satisfaction in knowing that this work has meant a lot to a number of young students. That’s what matters.
Concerned about the situation
The collaboration between Linnaeus University and the University of Pristina continues to this day. It has meant a great deal to Kosovo over the years, but Harald is concerned. Not about the university, but about the situation in the country.
– I was in Kosovo last year and met with representatives of the university. They’re very worried, since young people would rather leave the country.
The way Harald sees it, the problem is Kosovo’s uncertain status.
– The euphoria following the declaration of independence in 2008 has been replaced by a kind of resignation. It is difficult to foster dynamic economic development in a country whose future status remains uncertain.
Alumni in the government
During the interview, Harald Niklasson returns to several individuals who have been instrumental in Kosovo’s development. Many of them studied in Växjö. One such person is Rozeta Hajdari, minister for industry, entrepreneurship, and trade in the current government. She earned a 60-credit master’s degree in business and economics in 2001 and speaks with great gratitude about the collaboration and its importance for both herself and Kosovo.
– Many of us who’ve returned to Kosovo work in higher education, lead public institutions, and run businesses.
Two examples are Ahmet Shala, who became minister of finance, and Besim Beqaj, who became minister of innovation and entrepreneurship.
– In 1997, when no one visited us, Harald came to Pristina and met with us under difficult circumstances. I will always be grateful to Harald, who loves our people so much, and I hope our society won’t forget what he’s done”, says Rozeta Hajdari.
A complete surprise
A testament to the impact he has had on the University of Pristina came when Harald returned to Kosovo last year, despite renewed unrest in the country.
– I was made an honorary member of a university in Peja, which was formerly the Faculty of Economics at the University of Pristina. It came as a complete surprise, and I was deeply grateful because it’s a fantastic honour!
Harald has visited Kosovo more than ten times; he has had disputes and other incidents at the border, but not once has he feared for his life. He’s not one to blow his own trumpet.
– I find the greatest satisfaction in knowing that this work has meant a lot to a number of young students. That’s what matters. It’s also been a very important part of my life.
The great mystery in life
Harald describes himself as a “country lad” from the forests northeast of Växjö, who had the opportunity to study in Lund. He has devoted his entire career to teaching and researching economics. At 84 years old, he remains an engaged and passionate man.
– I guess engagement is, in some way, related to the question ‘What gets you out of bed in the morning?’ I mean, to me, that’s the great mystery in life – this will to live, the fact that it’s so strong that you genuinely want to do things. Then you’re always on the lookout for things to do that feel meaningful and interesting. And then that’s what happens.
