TItta Komssi: Coordinator of the Metropolia Sports Team, Sports Customer Manager, Head of Degree Programme in Physiotherapy and Senior Lecturer

Briefly describe what HyMy Village is and what your role is in its operations HyMy Village (short for Hyvinvointia Myllypurosta, or Wellbeing from Myllypuro) is a people-centered and multidisciplinary learning and development environment where innovations and services are born through inspiring collaboration. This authentic learning environment enables Metropolia students to gain future skills and provides working life with the competent professionals it needs. We offer diverse and affordable wellbeing and healthcare services for everyone – easily and accessibly. At HyMy Village, students practice key professional methods in customer work, individual service design, new service concepts, and innovative development. Our operations are multidisciplinary, and our students also take part in developing the activities. Our services are overseen by supervising teachers, who are professionals in the healthcare field. I work at HyMy Village as a planner, and I’ve been employed at Metropolia for about a year. My role is very versatile, including both operational and strategic tasks. No two days are alike. In short, I coordinate HyMy Village’s activities and services and take part in its development. How are the specific needs of elite athletes considered in HyMy Village, for example from the perspective of services or the learning environment? HyMy Village offers a wide range of services—from head to toe. We can examine clients’ and patients’ situations from a multidisciplinary perspective and offer a variety of services. We recognize that many of our services are particularly beneficial for elite athletes. For example, we have a top-level motion laboratory that conducts walking and running analyses as well as isokinetic muscle strength measurements. From the students’ perspective, HyMy Village is a great learning environment where they have the opportunity to interact with elite athletes and consider their specific needs from the viewpoint of their own field of study. Additionally, one of HyMy Village’s strengths is its ability to provide a genuine and flexible learning environment. When needed, we can create tailored study implementations. Flexibility and customized study modules can help elite athlete students combine their academic studies with high-level athletic goals. You have participated in the HUMKK self-assessment process and audit interviews. What observations or insights did this process reveal? I had never participated in a process like this before, so it was a great opportunity to be involved and to learn something new. I contributed to writing the self-assessment text from the perspective of HyMy Village’s activities. I mapped out what HyMy Village offers to elite athletes from both client and student perspectives. The goal of the self-assessment was to identify our opportunities and think about how we could further develop our operations. Since innovative development is at the core of what we do at HyMy Village, it is essential that we continuously reflect on what HyMy Village could be in the future. Part of the audit process included participating in the audit interview and presenting HyMy Village’s facilities to the audit group during their visit to the Myllypuro campus. A big thank you to the entire Metropolia sports team for the excellent collaboration! Even though I’ve previously known how unique and valuable HyMy Village is, the audit process made visible just how great the work we’re doing really is. We realized that we offer a vast number of services that especially benefit elite athletes. What concrete development actions or good practices emerged during the audit process? The audit process encouraged us to genuinely examine what HyMy Village offers elite athletes, both as clients and students. We were able to list the services available to athletes. Now, HyMy Village is in a much better position to initiate collaboration discussions, and we are more aware of our potential for supporting elite athletes. As a result of this reflection, we also created a section on our website titled “Urheilijan HyMy-kylä” which clearly presents the services we offer from an athletic perspective. This webpage lowers the threshold for elite athletes to contact us. What thoughts or hopes do you have for the development of HyMy Village and the support of athletes in higher education? It would be great if HyMy Village’s collaboration with various sports clubs and athletes became even closer. It is extremely valuable to encounter athletes in as many different ways as possible and thus offer our students excellent learning opportunities. The customization of study modules for athlete students is already possible, but with further development and clear operational models, I believe we can make these customizations a standard part of HyMy Village’s operations and learning environment.

I’m Jukka Tirri, and I work as a Specialist Expert in Collegiate Sports at the Finnish Olympic Committee’s High-Performance Unit. My role encompasses all aspects of combining sports and education in its many forms. I’m responsible for coordinating international student elite sports competitions (such as the Universiade and FISU World University Championships) and I also serve as the representative of the URA Foundation, which provides study grants for athletes. Since the beginning of 2021, I’ve been leading the Pro-Athlete Higher Education Institution -audit process (HUMKK), which currently forms a significant part of my work. Staying in contact with universities and sports academies, assembling audit teams and working closely with them, writing reports, and compiling newsletters are just a few of the many tasks I’ve had the opportunity to carry out through the HUMKK process—together with other dual career team members and skilled colleagues. Inspired by a Sports Background – A Career in Student Sports Sports have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My earliest sports memories date back to before I started school, but I began official club training at the age of eight with Kajaanin Haka, a local football club in Kajaani. Many other sports have played a role along the way, but football has been my lifelong hobby — I still play it. During my studies, I was actively involved in my student organization and the sports committee at the University of Jyväskylä. I also helped organize several national student sports events. The real spark was ignited in 1996 during the FISU World University Futsal Championship, where I got to know people from the Finnish Student Sports Federation (OLL). One thing led to another, and in the summer of 2000, I started working at OLL as a Sports Secretary. A Versatile Role as a Specialist Expert in Collegiate Sports It’s difficult to describe a typical work week, as my current role is quite varied. Sometimes it involves mainly administrative office work, but events and competitions bring welcome variety. Meeting people during, for example, audits of Pro-Athlete Higher Education Institution, and receiving their feedback, gives me motivation and purpose. Memorable Encounters and Experiences Along the Way At the 2013 Summer Universiade in Kazan, I quite literally bumped into Aleksandr Karelin—a towering figure and three-time Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling—at the entrance to the sports hall. That moment stuck with me. The Universiades have provided countless unforgettable memories of successful moments for Finnish athletes. One of the most memorable for me was the victory of the Finnish women’s 4x100-meter relay team in Bangkok in 2007. Words of Encouragement and Support for Student-Athletes and the HUMKK Community I hope every athlete finds the path that best supports their personal pursuit of excellence in elite sports—and that all their choices are recognized as valuable and respected. Those who succeed in both sports and academics serve as important role models for younger athletes contemplating their future. I encourage student-athletes to take initiative, plan carefully, and make bold decisions in their dual careers. You have a strong support network around you—people who truly want to help and support you in this demanding endeavor. I look forward to the next meeting of the HUMKK network—sharing experiences and best practices in a positive atmosphere. It’s been incredibly encouraging to see the determination and energy with which higher education institutions are developing the structures needed to support dual careers. In Conclusion At this point, it’s easy to say that applying the model of developmental evaluation and the Karvi (Finnish Education Evaluation Centre) audit framework to the Pro-Athlete Higher Education Institution audits has been a successful decision. A big thank you goes out to everyone who encouraged us to take this path, and of course to the Karvi experts, whose support has been immensely valuable.

Metropolia's core activities in learning and business are conducted through 10 different departments, with the School of Rehabilitation and Examination being one of them. This department includes a variety of degrees, both at the bachelor's and master's levels.   My main task as the director of school is to lead the activities of my department in accordance with Metropolia's strategy, with a particular focus on learning activities. As the Director of School of Rehabilitation and Examination, I am responsible for the results, personnel, finances, and quality of the department. In practical terms, this means close cooperation with team and degree coordinators, planners, and lecturers.  I have been working as the Director of School of Rehabilitation and Examination for just over a year. My predecessor also served as Metropolia's representative on Urhea's Board, so this role naturally transitioned to me. As Metropolia's representative, I actively collaborate with Urhea, so it was only natural that I participate in the Pro-Athlete UAS audit process. I am active in sports myself, and my children have also engaged in various sports. A few Finnish championship medals have even landed in my family. Promoting an active lifestyle and supporting elite sports are also personally close to my heart. Heidi Stenberg is the director of school of Rehabilitation and examination and Metropolia's representative on the board of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Sports Academy, Urhea. What is Your Role as Metropolia's Representative on Urhea's Board?  Urhea's board consisting of representatives from sports federations, secondary schools, universities, and cities, among others. In addition, the board includes various athlete, support service, and expert members. Metropolia is one of Urhea's seven university partners and one of the founding members of the Urhea Foundation. Collaboration with Urhea is very important for Metropolia.  Urhea's mission is to enable success in sports and dual careers through close cooperation with network partners. Urhea's board meets regularly several times a year, and as Metropolia's representative, I bring the university's perspectives to the board meetings. The representative role emphasizes strategic cooperation, i.e., how Metropolia, as Urhea's university partner, can support Urhea in succeeding in its strategy. Another important task in this role is to ensure the flow of information so that Metropolia's Urhea actors and sports team are informed about the issues discussed in the board. Collaboration with Urhea also involves participating in various events, which either I or other Urhea actors, such as Urhea Customer Manager Titta Komssi or Study Counselor Paula Lindqvist, attend.  How is the Combination of Elite Sports and Higher Education Promoted in Different Departments?  Elite athletes have been identified as an important customer group at Metropolia, and as a university of applied sciences, we are committed to supporting athlete students' opportunities for dual careers. The combination of elite sports and higher education is promoted in various ways within the departments. Promoting dual careers for athlete students requires cooperation both within Metropolia and externally. I communicate about the "Athlete Metropolia" concept to other directors of schools in our joint meetings. Another example of internal cooperation is the athlete student pathways built for different competence areas, which have been facilitated by experts in continuous learning. Many of Metropolia's experts are involved in this internal cooperation.  In addition, personal study plans (HOPS) for students include various ways for athlete students to complete their studies, allowing them to choose the options that best support their sports careers. These include online studies and the recognition and accreditation of prior learning (AHOT). In addition to HOPS, tutors and study counselors assist athlete students in scheduling their studies. It is crucial for athlete students to highlight their athlete status so that Metropolia can implement the elite athlete process.  What New Insights has the Pro-Athlete UAS Audit Process Brought to the Cooperation Between Metropolia and the Sports Academy?  The audit process is still ongoing, but the work done so far has emphasized the importance of broader cooperation with partners. Our task at the university of applied sciences is to train new professionals to meet the needs of the changing workforce and to build educational pathways that align with the Ministry of Education and Culture's Vision for Higher Education and Research 2030.  Creating and maintaining cooperation structures is extremely important, and the Pro-Athlete UAS audit process has reinforced this idea. Metropolia has several business and organizational partners, with designated customer managers from Metropolia's staff working with them. The appointment of a customer manager demonstrates our commitment and investment in cooperation, which we hope will be as smooth as possible for all parties involved. Collaboration with Urhea is not only the responsibility of the customer manager but also involves a sufficiently broad group of actors to ensure that the cooperation progresses as planned. Systematic and organized cooperation is needed, and for this purpose, Metropolia has assembled a sports team from its staff and the student organization METKA. The sports team's task is to advance development processes and identify areas for improvement in Metropolia's operations.  The audit process currently involves a self-assessment, where we examine Metropolia's activities and practices to enable dual careers for athlete students. In the next phase of the audit, an external group will interview Metropolia's staff and students regarding these practices. It is very important to conduct such audits because they provide us with insights and data on how we can better support athlete students and enable dual careers.  What Message do You Want to Convey about the University's Pro-Athlete Sports Activities and the Significance of the Audit?  The Pro-Athlete UAS audit highlights the importance of elite sports - I believe elite sports have a significant impact on national identity. Watching sports competitions and seeing Finns succeed in sports brings great experiences to many. The 2024 Paris Olympics provided me with such experiences. Although the media portrayed Finnish Olympic success as weak, there were also successes. I closely followed dressage, where Finns performed excellently. It was thrilling to watch the competitions - I lived through the competition. Elite sports can provide us with wonderful, shared memories. Sports have been a part of my life since childhood through my father, and watching many sports competitions has left a strong, emotional memory. I still vividly remember how the whole family watched Finnish elite athletes' performances in both individual and team sports on TV with excitement during my childhood.  At Metropolia, we have the privilege of playing a significant role in supporting elite athletes. We are part of a larger whole - we can help ensure that Finnish elite sports thrive. The audit is an important tool for us to examine our own activities and further develop the support for athlete students and the enabling of dual careers at Metropolia.