The University of Agder is a public university with campuses in Kristiansand and Grimstad, Norway. The institution was established as a university college (høgskole) in 1994 through the merger of the Agder University College and five other colleges, including a technical college and a nursing school, and was granted the status of a full university in 2007. UiA has a shared leadership. The rector, who becomes the head of the university board and bears responsibility for the academic programmes and activities, is elected by the faculty, staff, and students. The university director, by contrast, is the head of administration and is responsible for financial and administrative affairs.