Role and objectives

Staff

History

Location and facilities

Management and administration

Internal quality management programme

Procedural regulations

Location and facilities

Hólar is beautifully located in the valley Hjaltadalur in the Skagafjörður district of the mid-northern part of Iceland. The nearest town is Sauðárkrókur (32 km). Hólar is 322 km from Reykjavík and 133 km from Akureyri. Skagafjörður is a farming district, renowned for horse breeding and training, history, heritage tourism and it´s tradition of choirs.

While the main campus of Hólar University College is at Hólar in Hjaltadalur, the school also has a facility in the town of Saudárkrókur.

Hólar in Hjaltadalur is one of the Icelandic nation’s principal historical, cultural, and ecclesiastical sites. The main Hólar farmstead is some 15,000 hectares in size and is one of Iceland’s largest estates. At Hólar, there is a cathedral, which is the seat of the suffragan bishop of the Hólar diocese. Also, at Hólar, there are a primary school and a pre-school, the office of the equine veterinarian officer, the district office of the Soil Conservation Service of Iceland, and the Centre for the History of the Icelandic Horse. Most of the students and employees of Hólar University College and other institutions located at Hólar live in the area with their families, forming a community of roughly 160. Hólar is a popular destination for travellers, and tourist services are operated there. Approximately 20,000 guests come to Hólar each year.

The community at Hólar has grown in tandem with the growth of Hólar University College. The ecclesiastical site, community and farm-land at Hólar is operated by Hólar University College, whose objective is to maintain the dignity and sanctity of the site. To that end, an ambitious environmental policy has been set.

Facilities for academic instruction
At Hólar, academic instruction takes place in the main building of the campus, which contains three classrooms. It is possible to open the walls between classrooms and create a 60-seat lecture hall. In Saudárkrókur, there are two classrooms. It is also possible to create a lecture hall seating just over 100.

Facilities for practical instruction and research
Hólar University College has built up excellent facilities for practical instruction and research.

All of the facilities of the Department of Equine Science are comparable to the best in Iceland. There are three riding arenas in the vicinity of the campus. The oldest of these is 800 m2 and is adjacent to the College’s oldest stable. Thrárhöll is a fully equipped 1,545 m2 arena with a grandstand, and Brúnastadir, the newest Equine Science facility, is 800 m2 in size.
There is also a racetrack and some 100 hectares of cultivated fields and grazing land near the stables. Furthermore, the College owns thousands of hectares of other grazing land. In the vicinity of the campus are three stables with accommodation for over 300 horses. Also in the area is a veterinary facility, where it is possible to carry out most examinations and surgical operations on horses. Hólar University College breeds horses that are used in its work. Breeding activities have increased along with the growing scope of the Universities instruction and research. Hólar University College owns roughly 120 horses, 40 of which are specially trained instructional horses.

Hólar University College’s facilities for research in aquaculture and aquatic biology are excellent. At Hólar, there is an aquaculture research centre that is used for Arctic charr breeding and related research. In Saudárkrókur, Hólar University College has developed state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities in a newly renovated 1,500 m2 building. The building is owned by the company FISK Seafood, which has invested considerable capital in the renovations. On the lower floor is a specially designed aquaculture and research facility where, for example, the temperature and salinity of the water can be controlled. In the aquaculture centre are 180 30-litre aquaculture vats for the study of small juveniles, 27 one-m3 cultivation vats, 15 two-m3 cultivation vats, and four 8-m3 cultivation vats, as well as hatching chutes and various types of cages for use in observing fish behaviour. In addition, the University has various kinds of outfitting for the observation of wild fish stocks.

Hólar also has very good facilities for practical instruction and research related to tourism studies, in particular culture, history and archaeology. Hólar in Hjaltadalur is one of Iceland’s most sacred sites and is one of the capitals of Iceland’s ecclesiastical and cultural history. Hólar has been home to a manor farm for 900 years and, as such, contains a large number of relics. Over the past six years, systematic archaeological excavation has taken place at Hólar, and a wide variety of information on the living conditions of the past has been revealed as a result. In particular, the Hólar printing house is worth mentioning.
At Hólar the natural surroundings, particularly the nearby forests, have been useful for teaching courses related to nature-based tourism, nature-based tour guidance, and the creation and maintenance of hiking trails.
Hólar is well situated for instruction and research in connection with a wide range of recreational activities related to nature and culture. Tröllaskagi is an excellent hiking and outdoor recreation area, riding and horse-based tourism have strong roots in Skagafjördur, and museums and exhibitions play an important role as a magnet for travellers. Close collaboration with tourism operators in the district strengthens and supports the instruction and adds to the diversity of practical teaching.

Library
In the main building of Hólar University College is a library with some 3,500 titles. Vital library and information centre facilities are very important for the University´s operations, and further development of such a centre is planned for the next few years. The library employs a library scientist with an MLIS degree, as well as a library assistant. Accessible in the library are scholarly journals in the fields of the University’s specialisation; these are purchased by subscription. Furthermore, the library is a participant in a project centering on national access to electronic databases and periodicals, a service that is used extensively by students and faculty alike. In the fall of 2007 the Hólar University College library will become a member of Gegnir, the national library network. The library contains a reading room for students and is open daily until 22:00.

Computer facilities
Hólar University College has excellent computer facilities for students and employees, both at Hólar and in Saudárkrókur. The computer lab in the main building at Hólar is available to students daily until 22:00. The main building is equipped with a wireless network. Employees can connect to the network in their offices, and students can do so in the reading room. In the student housing facilities, students can connect to the Internet, and almost all employee residences at Hólar are Internet-connected, either via cable or via wireless network. Students have printer access in the computer lab, and they can also ask the library staff to print in colour or burn compact discs for them. Students can connect to the Internet at the Universities facilities in Saudárkrókur, where there is a small computer lab.

Special facilities for students
Students have access to a wide range of facilities for recreation time and studies outside their conventional classroom hours. Some of these are joint facilities that are also accessible to other Hólar residents. In the main building at Hólar, students have access to a coffee room that can seat 20-25 persons at a time. Students in the Department of Equine Science also have access to a coffee room in the stables. The Hólar University College student union has had access to an office for its activities. In the library, there is a reading and group work facility for students, where 10-15 students can work at one time. Graduate students have the use of a desk and bookshelves where they can work on their own computers, in addition to having access to all of the other principal services: printers, photocopiers, etc.

Special facilities for faculty
Each faculty at Hólar University College has an office, either at Hólar or in Saudárkrókur, where he or she has access to an Internet-connected computer and other necessary equipment. It is common that faculty share offices, though academic employees in administrative positions have private offices. The University plans to increase the number of offices, both at Hólar and in Saudárkrókur. In the main building at Hólar is an employee coffee room for 10-15 people.

Joint facilities for students and faculty
At Hólar, there is a cafeteria for 120 persons. The cafeteria is operated by the company Gestir og Gangandi ehf., and students and employees can purchase lunch there. Employees’ meals are partially subsidised by Hólar University College. In the Saudárkrókur facility there is a large dining room with a kitchen for students and employees; furthermore, the College has negotiated with a local restaurant for the provision of mid-day meals, like at Hólar.

Residence facilities
The campus at Hólar in Hjaltadalur has excellent residential housing, both for individuals and for families.There has been substantial build-up of student living quarters and . In the fall of 2007, the student housing facilities available for rent will include 30 single rooms, 31 two-room apartments, 9 three-room apartments, and 8 four-room apartments. The University also owns 6 five-room apartments that are most often rented as single rooms. In addition to these housing facilities, the University owns residential houses and apartments that are rented to employees. In the planning stage is a residential community where people will be able to build their own homes. The University also has at its disposal accommodation used for guests and short-term students.

Outdoor activities and sports

In the area are wonderful opportunities for outdoor activities. There are hiking paths in Hólaskógur forest, so it is easy to walk, jog, or go cross-country skiing, and there are various longer trails in the area. There are also an athletic building, a pool, a hot tub, and a steam bath at Hólar.

At Hólar are a primary school and a pre-school.

General Information

Aquaculture
and Fish Biology

Equine Science

Rural Tourism

Collaborators