Sture Nordh, honorary doctor at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Sture Nordh grew up on a farm in Västerbotten, near Skellefteå, in a family of active members of associations and societies. As a child he listened to discussions in board meetings relating to agriculture, church and politics, in the big farm kitchen. A strong value and guiding principle in the family was the idea that change could only be achieved through uniting with others to take joint action. 

Influenced by his childhood, Sture Nordh was actively involved in the student council as a member and as chairperson.  It seemed natural for him to opt for a social science education, and he was already an active member of the trade union. 

”I knew that irrespective of where I ended up professionally, I would be an active union member, and so I was in my first job as an investigator for Skelleftå municipality.  But soon I got the chance to work full-time for the State Municipal Civil Service Association, SKTF, as it was called then. It was fantastic to work full-time with an area I was passionate about.”

Sture Nordh was President for the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees, TCO, for many years after working at the research institute for work environment and health, at the Ministry of Employment and  the State Municipal Civil Service Association, now renamed Vision.Through his commitment and knowledge Sture Nordh has contributed to supporting research on important work and societal challenges, making these issues visible in the public debate, and to enhancing the interplay between research, education and external cooperation, not least as the chair of Karlstad University board. Sture Nordh has been of great importance to Karlstad University in the way he combined his role as chair with efforts at national and international levels to promote social sustainability and life-long learning. 

”I was really taken by surprise, but I'm very proud and happy. Karlstad University takes issues of life-long learning and external cooperation seriously as well as strong student and teacher influence. The nomination citation says that Karlstad University wants to acknowledge my commitment to improving working life and increasing funding for research in the field. This pleases me because a major sustainability challenge concerns the future of work.”

Sture Nordh sees himself as a bit boring, but also as a persevering person. He likes reading fiction and historically based books and spends a great deal of time at his country house in Roslagen or at the farm in Ragvaldsträsk, which he and his brothers still own.

”There I put on my dungarees and get started on some building or gardening project.”