Martin, Michaela (eng.)
Mar 24th, 2011 by Charlotte Haug
Michaela (IIEP) writes:
At the occasion of your 70th birthday, I would like to extend to you my sincere congratulation and my very best wishes . The occasion of your birthday stirs up fond memories of the joint organization of so many Policy Forums. And I particularly remember our first encounter. This was at the Governing Board session, and during the working group session, I was nervously presenting the findings of my study on university-enterprise partnerships when you came in ….the new IIEP Director ! This did of course not reduce my nervousness. And the next day, we had a discussion of how to disseminate the findings of the study, possible in a new IIEP activity : the POLICY FORUMS were born.
I have of course so many more memories of the multiple opportunities we have had to work together. They all are very unique and have left a definite impact.
What else can I say…perhaps only to use your own words : keep up your very good spirits, Gudmund !
Michaela is unique: Imaginative, hardworking, and dedicated – always on track and always on time. Indeed she is the mother of the Policy Forums at IIEP, and the associated reports that came out of them.
And then there is Michaela’s generosity: She has in joint work given me credit for more than is my due. She at the same time could lift the quality of the joint publication and lift the spirits of the joint work. And with lots of humor – she leans forward when she laughs, which she does even in the most stressful situations. She enhanced my knowledge in several areas, such as university-industry linkages or accreditation systems.
So when a big or difficult undertaking was to be organized at IIEP, it was always easy to turn to Michaela – even if it usually meant that she would be the one who had to do the hard work.
Perhaps there are some other stories from the Policy Forums to tell?