Letter of Motivation

My motivation (to continue) to be a part of the Cumulus Executive Board derives from my
passion for internationalisation. Cumulus is a great network of educators in which
experiences can be shared and in which different cultures can interact and develop an
understanding of cultural differences as well as similarities. Being part of the board gives me
the opportunity to connect people with matching interests.

If given the opportunity to continue to be part of the CEB I would focus on issues to do with
sustainability. Over the past few years, a group of three people, including myself, has been
leading the work of the Sustainability Working Group and the leadership structure has been
unclear. I would like to develop a clear strategy and vision for this working group. In my
capacity as head of the Department of Design at Linnaeus University, I have been making a
significant transformation of all our design educations with a clear focus on sustainability.
This is an experience I can use in developing a vision and strategy for the Sustainability
Working Group with the intention of turning it into a platform for sharing experiences of and
expertise in how to make sustainability an important part of design education. How do we
teach sustainability and how do students involve sustainability in the design process and,
after graduation, in their work as designers?

Within sustainability studies, one often references the three pillars of sustainability; that is,
economic, environmental, and social/cultural sustainability. The Sustainability Working
Group has often been overly focused on the ecological pillar and somewhat negligent of the
other dimensions of sustainability. During the forthcoming period, I would like to make
social/cultural sustainability and questions around intersectionality, diversity and plurality an
important part of the work of the group.

Together with, among others, Robin Turner, Greenside University, South Africa, I am
currently exploring how to make it possible for partners in developing countries to
participate in conferences and in the Cumulus organisation. It is important that we increase
our reach and make it possible for all countries to have a voice in an organisation with global
aspirations.

During my years on the board I have been supporting design schools hosting Cumulus
conferences. My department hosted the Cumulus conference 2013 and I can see how
important this experience has been. In order to support other hosts, I have been working on a
visualisation of the organisation of a conference to make it easier to understand what is
involved in hosting a conference.

Given my passion for people and internationalisation, I hope I continue to have something to
offer as a member of the Cumulus Executive Board.

Växjö, 2015-11-26

Sara Hylten-Cavallius
Head of department of design, Linnaeus University
Member of Cumulus Executive Board, 2013-2016