The EAIE honours the memory of Past President Bjørn Einar Aas

Bjørn Einar Aas, past President of the EAIE, passed away on 21 January at the age of 69. Bjørn Einar served as the 17th President of the Association in 2008-2010 and also held volunteer positions on the EAIE’s Board, General Council and Conference Programme Committee.

Speaking for the EAIE, current EAIE President Sara López Selga said, "We are deeply saddened by the passing of our former President, and we are very grateful for everything Bjørn Einar did as President, Vice President and volunteer of our organisation. As an association, we continuously build on what our pioneer colleagues and predecessors have done to advance international education and our profession. In keeping with this tradition, we will continue to honour Bjørn Einar’s legacy."  

Bjørn Einar spent two decades of his professional career at the University of Bergen in his home country of Norway, where he dedicated his time to the further internationalisation of the university. His tenure as EAIE President coincided with various challenges and changes within the EAIE and beyond. The period saw the worst of the global financial crisis of the late 2000s, which presented significant challenges for the sector. Within the EAIE itself, he was actively involved in the Association’s work to develop a new set of statutes and a revision to the EAIE’s governance structure, which were finalised in the last year of his two-year term.

He also enthusiastically championed the International Student Mobility Charter. Crafted by an EAIE-led working group of international higher education associations, the Charter calls for institutions, regions and governments to facilitate mobility and seek to guarantee that international students feel protected when studying abroad.  

Past EAIE President Fiona Hunter, whom Bjørn Einar succeeded in the role, recalled, "When I was President in 2006-2008, one of my key goals was to develop stronger strategic thinking and planning at the EAIE. Bjorn Einar was my Vice President, and we spent many hours reflecting on what such processes would look like. Any EAIE meetings we attended always had agendas that were really full, and so our only time to talk was at breakfast.  We called these our ‘porridge meetings’ as we both enjoyed a bowlful of this hearty Scottish fare! I loved his charming wit and sense of humour, his love of cultures, traditions, history and his curiosity for new knowledge. He was passionate about his work, his life, his town, his country. I learnt a lot from him, and I cherish the fond memories of the time we shared together at the EAIE." 

Leonard Engel, EAIE’s Executive Director from 2010 to 2024, noted, "I joined the EAIE during Bjørn Einar’s presidency and had the opportunity to get to know him as a true gentleman, thoroughly enjoying the importance of his role as EAIE President. He steered us through challenges with grace, dignity and humour. He was also a president that made the internal organisation more personable by hosting a big leadership meeting in his hometown, which became an EAIE tradition for a decade."

The EAIE is honoured and grateful to have benefitted from Bjørn Einar’s talent and commitments to the EAIE community and extends its heartfelt condolences to Bjørn Einar’s family, friends and colleagues.

Funeral information and an online registry where friends and colleagues can share reflections can be accessed here.