UW receives a generous gift from Þorsteinn Jóhannesson and Margrét Hreinsdóttir
The University Centre of the Westfjords (UW) received a generous gift at a recent open house event held in Vestrahús. The gift is an 86” screen called the Maxhub XBoard MTR, which combines a meeting display, Teams Rooms video conferencing equipment, a whiteboard, and wireless connectivity into one device. The donation comes from Þorsteinn Jóhannesson and his wife, Margrét Hreinsdóttir. Þorsteinn Jóhannesson is well known in Ísafjörður as the former chief physician at the regional hospital for nearly 30 years. He has also been active in municipal affairs and, most notably, played a key role in the founding of UW, with his company, Skurðlæknirinn ehf., being one of its founding members.
Astrid Fehling, UW’s Administrative Director, notes that keeping up with modern advancements and staying connected to the outside world can be challenging for a small university-level institution in a rural area. "We are extremely grateful for all the support and trust that enable us to provide students and teachers with a high-quality learning environment," says Astrid. "This device will be immensely useful for upcoming thesis defenses in April, in classes, for guest lectures, and for virtual meetings, for example, with our colleagues at the University of Akureyri. We are very excited to explore its capabilities and deeply appreciate this generous gift," she adds.
Þorsteinn served as the chair of UW’s Representative Council from its founding until 2014, a full 10 out of the institution’s 20 years—amounting to 50% of all meetings—and was involved in key strategic decisions from the outset. The chair of the Representative Council is not a board member but attends board meetings. It is worth noting that the position of chair, like all board positions at UW, has always been unpaid. This contribution of expertise and experience over the years has been invaluable to UW, and receiving such a significant gift from a former council chair in honor of the 20th anniversary is especially meaningful—particularly as it is something UW would not have been able to acquire on its own.
UW extends its heartfelt thanks to Þorsteinn and Margrét for their generous donation.