Kjetil Flatin knighted
Norwegian-American educator honored
NORWAY-AMERICA ASSSOCIATION
Oslo
King Harald V of Norway has appointed Kjetil A. Flatin, former president and secretary general of the Norway-America Association, a Knight 1st Class in the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit.
Flatin received the award for his great commitment and efforts for increased internationalization of higher education and for his work to strengthen the relationship between Norway and emigrated Norwegians all over the world, with a special emphasis on the United States.
The decoration was handed over during an event organized by the Norway-America Association at Villa Grande in Oslo the second week in September.
Photo: Norway-America Association
Kjetil A. Flatin has been appointed Knight 1st Class in the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit by King Harald V of Norway.
Throughout his career, Flatin has worked to promote international cooperation in higher education, both as director of the International Summer School at the University of Oslo (1978-1986) and as director of the Student Association in Oslo (1986-1999). He chaired a government-appointed committee that prepared Norway’s public report 1989: 13, “Learning without boundaries: Reception of foreign students, student exchange, and internationalization of higher education.” Flatin was also the co-founder the European Association for International Education and served as president of the organization 1990-1992.
Flatin was secretary general of the Norway-America Association (NORAM) and the Nordmanns-Forbundet in the period 2001-2004, and also served a period as president of the Nordmanns-Forbundet.
In recent years, Flatin has also continued its volunteer work to promote student exchange and cooperation between Norway and the United States. For NORAM’s 100th anniversary in 2019, Flatin took the initiative to write the anniversary book A journey in our educational history: Norwegian-American academic exchange 1919-2019.
Translated by Lori Ann Reinhall
This article originally appeared in the Oct. 8, 2021, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.
