Sandra Borch
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Sandra Konstance Nygård Borch (born 23 April 1988) is a Norwegian politician who served as the minister of research and higher education from 2023 to 2024 until her resignation over the extensive plagiarism in her master's thesis. As minister she had launched a crackdown on students' reuse of their own texts, so-called "self-plagiarism," leading to criticism from many academics who argued that reuse of one's own work is not plagiarism or research misconduct. She previously served as minister of agriculture and food from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Centre Party, she served as the leader of the
Centre Youth The Centre Youth (''Senterungdommen'' or SUL) is the youth organization of the Norwegian Centre Party. Hence, they advocate decentralisation and stress their opposition of the European Union. Since 2022, the organization has been led by Andrine Ha ...
from 2011 to 2013, while simultaneously serving as a deputy MP from her home constituency of
Troms Troms (; ; ; ) is a Counties of Norway, county in northern Norway. It borders Finnmark county to the northeast and Nordland county in the southwest. Norrbotten Län in Sweden is located to the south and further southeast is a shorter border with ...
from 2009 to 2013. She was elected a permanent representative in
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
. In January 2024 it was revealed that significant parts of her master's thesis are plagiarised. She announced her resignation in the evening of 19 January 2024. In March 2024 she lost her degree from the
University of Tromsø The University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway ( Norwegian: ''Universitetet i Tromsø – Norges arktiske universitet''; Northern Sami: ''Romssa universitehta – Norgga árktalaš universitehta'') is a state university in Norway a ...
.


Background and education

She graduated from
Sjøvegan Sjøvegan is the administrative centre of Salangen Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The village is located at the end of the Sagfjorden, a branch of the Salangen (fjord), Salangen fjord. The river Salangselva empties into the fjord at Sjøv ...
high school in 2007 and received a
Master of Jurisprudence Master of Jurisprudence can go by several names including a Master in Law Master of Science in Law, Master's in Legal Studies, Master of Science in Legal Studies, Juris Master, or Master of Studies in Law. Offered within United States The ...
from the
University of Tromsø The University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway ( Norwegian: ''Universitetet i Tromsø – Norges arktiske universitet''; Northern Sami: ''Romssa universitehta – Norgga árktalaš universitehta'') is a state university in Norway a ...
in 2014, which she lost in 2024 due to it being revealed that significant parts of her master's thesis had been plagiarised. She received the grade D in the
ECTS grading scale The ECTS grading scale is a grading system for higher education institutions defined in the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) framework by the European Commission. Since many grading systems co-exist in Europe and, consid ...
. Borch is a native Norwegian speaker, and has said that she has some
Sámi Acronyms * SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft * Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company * South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise ...
ancestry. In 2013 she registered for the Sámi Parliament electoral roll. In 2024 her registration was criticized as inauthentic, in connection with an investigation into "pseudo-Sámi" by the parliament.


Political career


Parliament

Borch was elected a deputy member from Troms for the Centre Party in
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
, and later an ordinary member to the
Storting The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The Unicameralism, unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list propo ...
for the period 2017–2021. In the Storting, she was a member of the
Standing Committee on Energy and the Environment The Standing Committee on Energy and the Environment () is a standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. It is responsible for policies relating to petroleum, energy, hydroelectricity, environmental protection and regional planning Regional p ...
from 2017 to 2021. She was re-elected to the Storting for the period 2021–2025. While being a member of the Støre cabinet between 2021 and 2024, Ivar B. Prestbakmo met in her place. Following her departure as minister, she joined the
Standing Committee on Justice The Standing Committee on Justice () is a standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. It is responsible for policies relating to judicial system, the probation service, the police, persons performing civilian national service, other judicial i ...
.


Party politics

Following
Ola Borten Moe Ola Borten Moe (born 6 June 1976) is a Norwegian politician for the Centre Party. He was an MP for Sør-Trøndelag from 2005 to 2013, and was re-elected in 2021. From 2021 to 2023, he served as Minister of Research and Higher Education. He also ...
's resignation, Borch was floated by the Troms and Nordland branches as a candidate to replace him as deputy leader of the party.


Youth league

She was leader of the Troms branch of the Centre Youth from 2007 to 2009, before she became a member of the Centre Youth's central board. She then served as the international relations leader from 2009 to 2010, and organisational deputy leader from 2010 to 2011. In November 2011, she was elected the new leader of the Centre Youth with 85 votes against her opponent Lars Vangen's 80. In October 2012, the Centre Youth asked in a letter to the Centre Party's central board that the party should challenge the leadership style of
Liv Signe Navarsete Liv Signe Navarsete (born 23 October 1958 in Sogndal Municipality) is a Norwegian politician from the Centre Party. She has served as county governor of Vestland county since 2022. She previously served as Minister of Local Government from 2009 ...
after she had become loudly angry at Borch. The background was that Borch had the same day opened for
Ola Borten Moe Ola Borten Moe (born 6 June 1976) is a Norwegian politician for the Centre Party. He was an MP for Sør-Trøndelag from 2005 to 2013, and was re-elected in 2021. From 2021 to 2023, he served as Minister of Research and Higher Education. He also ...
as a possible future leader of the Centre Party. After a debate at a central board meeting five days later, and an unreserved apology from Navarsete, Borch expressed that she had full confidence in her. As leader of the Centre Youth, Borch opened up for a new debate and oil extraction in
Lofoten Lofoten ( , ; ; ) is an archipelago and a Districts of Norway, traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches, and untouched lands. T ...
and
Vesterålen Vesterålen ( , ; ) is a district and archipelago in Nordland county, Norway. It is located just north of Lofoten and west of Harstad. It is the northernmost part of Nordland county. Sortland is the largest town, situated near the center of the a ...
. The proposal was however voted down at the Centre Youth's congress in November 2012. Borch notably took a stand against cyber bullying after she experienced it herself surrounding her height. In a blog post, she expressed disgust with anonymous bullies and called them cowards. She further expressed that cyber bullying had become a big and widespread problem in society, and called for it to be put on the agenda. In September 2013, Borch announced that she would not seek re-election as leader, despite having previously indicated that she wanted to. She cited her reason being that she disagreed with the mother party's business policies. In November, she was succeeded by Erling Laugsand.


Minister of Agriculture and Food

She was appointed minister of agriculture in Støre's Cabinet on 14 October 2021.


2021

In one of her first cases as minister, Borch stopped the sale of the Løken farm in Volbu,
Valdres Valdres () is a traditional district in central, southern Norway, situated between the districts of Gudbrandsdalen and Hallingdal. The region of Valdres consists of the six municipalities of Nord-Aurdal, Sør-Aurdal, Øystre Slidre, Vestre S ...
. Borch stated that the ministry would work together with
Øystre Slidre Øystre Slidre is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Valdres. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of ...
municipality to find a more appropriate ownership and operation of the farm. Borch accused her predecessor,
Olaug Bollestad Olaug Vervik Bollestad (born 4 November 1961) is a Norwegian nurse and politician for the Christian Democratic Party who is a member of Parliament for Rogaland since 2013. She served as the party leader between 2021 and 2024, having been deputy le ...
, to not have dealt with compensation to the agricultural sector properly before the previous government's departure. She notably pointed to the budget priority in the state budget that didn't let of any costs to deal with its problems. She further stated: "But we must also keep in mind that there are many farmers out there who experience great financial insecurity because they have not been invested in the last eight years". On 8 December, she and state secretary Aleksander Øren Heen from the Ministry of the Climate and Environment met with mayors, local representatives and affected traders in surrounding areas of
Hardangervidda Hardangervidda () is a mountain plateau ( Norwegian: ''vidde'') in central southern Norway, covering parts of Vestland, Telemark, and Buskerud counties. It is the largest plateau of its kind in Europe, with a cold year-round alpine climate, and o ...
, affected by a recent wave of scrapie decease. Of the meeting, Borch said: "It is demanding to deal with this serious animal disease. I am therefore pleased that we have had a good meeting with mayors in the Hardangervidda area, local government and other affected traders. It is important for me to listen to their input before the Minister of Climate and the Environment and I soon will decide whether it will be necessary to carry out an extraordinary removal of wild reindeer in the winter of 2021/22". After the government announced that they would be paying parts of the electricity prices for the greenhouse industry, Borch wrote: "The government has decided that the greenhouse industry will be compensated for the higher electricity prices. We have worked for a long time with this and taken the input from the industry very seriously". She later went on to say: "The greenhouse industry is important for the self-sufficiency row in Norway and facilitates more green production. We have worked intensely to get the scheme in place". On 21 December, Borch suggested that food chain companies should end their price war before Christmas, after multiple of their products had seen an increase in prices. She notably stated: "I think it's unusual to wage price war on seasonal goods in the way that the chains still do. We have not seen it as much on pork ribs this year as in previous years, but I really think this is unusual". She also mentioned that she was in "good dialog" with the companies, but also said that they had to set better prices on food they get from farmers. On 27 December, it was announced in a press release that she and minister of fisheries Bjørnar Skjæran would put forward a Storting report addressing animal welfare. In the press release, Borch said: "In the work on the report, we will take a closer look at the development in Norwegian livestock production and all the knowledge we now have about animal welfare. We will consider whether it is necessary to make changes to ensure better regulations". It's been 20 years since last time animal welfare was evaluated. Her and Skjæran's ministries will work together with other relevant ministries in order to present the report in 2024.


2022

During autumn of 2021, farmers' organisations and the state had agreed on compensation to farmers at due to price increases on fertilizers and other goods. In January 2022, with the agricultural settlement negotiations looming, farmers's organisations asked Borch to take the initiative to start additional negotiations. Borch rejected the proposal, reasoning that additional negotiations had already taken place, and that they had then agreed to return to increased expenses in the agricultural settlement come spring. Borch presented the government electricity farmers' package on 17 January. The package includes that the government will pay for 55% of the bill if the electricity price rises above per kilowatt hour in the morning of December and 80% through January to March. Borch stated: Borch received backlash from the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
and animal welfare organisations after suggesting that the wolf hunting period could be extended beyond the current one between 1 January and 15 February. The Liberals' Ola Elvestuen reacted, saying: "There is no reason to extend the felling period. It is set for 15 February to avoid hunting during the mating and breeding season for wolves. Animal welfare must take precedence over the government's desire to hunt. These are stable flocks in established territories. It does no harm if any wolf is still allowed to live". The animal welfare organisation NOAH, cited: "The Ministry itself has stated that this deadline is set for animal welfare reasons. Then one can not suddenly say that it no longer applies". As a result of the ongoing
Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
, Borch announced a new guarantee of profitability for farmers who want to sow food grains in Norway. She also noted that the consequences for consumers would be the prices. She also opened for that the government and state would take a larger share of the bill for the food - instead of collecting it through increased prices to consumers. This would also be a part of the agricultural settlement. Borch toured farms in
Southern Norway Southern Norway (; lit. "The Southland") is the geographical List of regions of Norway, region (''landsdel'') along the Skagerrak coast of southern Norway. The region is an informal description since it does not have any governmental function ...
to hear farmers' needs in preparations for the agricultural settlement that would start in week 17. She expressed that the settlement negotiations "my most important exam", and went on to say that the government would be contributing to economic safety for farmers. She also expressed sympathy for farmers' concerns. Borch negotiated her first agricultural settlement from late April until 16 May, when she and the
Norwegian Agrarian Association The Norwegian Agrarian Association () is the largest Norwegian interest organization for farmers. It functions both as a labour union and as a trade union. It negotiates with the Norwegian Farmers and Smallholders Union and the Norwegian Minis ...
reached an agreed settlement of . Borch called the settlement "important" and emphasised that it had been important for the government to start a raise of farmers' income, stating: "This signal is important to give to regain optimism in the industry and to make the industry believe that the government wants to invest in them". In early July, Borch encouraged grocery store giants to take their share of the food bill regarding the raise in food prices. She also emphasised that customers shouldn't pay everything themselves and that the giants had an important responsibility at present. In September, she spoke out about the possibility of a Centre Party exit from government and low opinion polling, saying: "It's not good and I understand the frustration out there. At the same time, it has been a demanding time to take over. I also know that it is too easy to say that the crises are the explanation for that, but we know that it has raised political debates that have been demanding to stand in". She further stated that there would be difficult times ahead, noting that the crisis can take much time for individual ministers. With the state budget for 2023 being presented on 6 October, Borch announced that the government would be severing state funding to NOAH, an animal protection organisation. She expressed that it wasn't the government's ambition to nullify NOAH's funding, and added that they were prioritising other member organisations. The organisation's academic director, Siri Martinsen, expressed that the cut in funding seemed like a punishment reaction in response to the organisation rating the Centre Party as the worst party in regards to animal welfare just before the 2021 election, something Borch denied. On 12 December, she met with the Reindeer Management Board to discuss grazing conflicts, loss of reindeer to predators, follow-up to the Fosen verdict, risk of scurvy and changes to the Reindeer Management Act.


2023

In January 2023, she pledged to bring the reindeer field's view to the government regarding the Fosen case. She also expressed that the case was an area dispute and furthermore that such issues are difficult to solve. She also expressed that her ministry has good dialogue with the reindeer industry after visiting Fosen herself. In February, she was denied travel to
Svalbard Svalbard ( , ), previously known as Spitsbergen or Spitzbergen, is a Norway, Norwegian archipelago that lies at the convergence of the Arctic Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean. North of continental Europe, mainland Europe, it lies about midway be ...
from
Tromsø Tromsø is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The city is the administrative centre of the municipality as well as the administrative centre of Troms county. The city is located on the is ...
after having forgotten her passport at her ministerial apartment. Per law, it is mandatory to either have a passport or
national identity card National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...
in order to visit Svalbard. Borch admitted to the slip up, while a state secretary was dispatched to retrieve her passport back in Oslo. She was scheduled to visit the
Svalbard Global Seed Vault The Svalbard Global Seed Vault () is a secure backup facility for the world's crop diversity on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen in the remote Arctic Svalbard archipelago. The Seed Vault provides long-term storage for duplicates of seeds fro ...
for its 15th anniversary celebration. Following avalanches in Troms in late March, Borch, along with her colleagues Emilie Enger Mehl and Bjørnar Skjæran, visited the county and inspected the damage. They also met with local officials and rescue services. In May, Borch presented the state and the Norwegian Agrarian Association' agricultural settlement, with an offer of . While the Agrarian Association expressed satisfaction with the settlement, the
Norwegian Farmers and Smallholders Union The Norwegian Farmers and Smallholders Union () is an interest organization for farmers in Norway. It is a labour union and a trade union, founded in 1913, and negotiates with the Norwegian Agrarian Association against the Norwegian Ministry of ...
rejected the settlement and called it "air money which never benefits the farmer and will lead to an increased income gap for the rest of society". The union had not reached a common demand with the Agrarian Association prior to settlement negotiations, resulting in the Agrarian Association negotiating with the state solo. On 4 August, she was succeeded by
Geir Pollestad Geir Pollestad (born 13 August 1978) is a Norwegian solicitor and politician for the Centre Party. He served as the minister of agriculture and food from 2023 to 2025, and has been a member of parliament for Rogaland since 2013. Early life and e ...
upon being appointed minister of research and higher education.


Minister of Research and Higher Education

Borch was appointed minister of research and higher education in August 2023 following
Ola Borten Moe Ola Borten Moe (born 6 June 1976) is a Norwegian politician for the Centre Party. He was an MP for Sør-Trøndelag from 2005 to 2013, and was re-elected in 2021. From 2021 to 2023, he served as Minister of Research and Higher Education. He also ...
's resignation in the wake of a weapons stock scandal.


2023

Shortly after assuming office, Borch joined prime minister
Jonas Gahr Støre Jonas Gahr Støre (; born 25 August 1960) is a Norwegian politician who has served as the prime minister of Norway since 2021. He has been Leader of the Labour Party since 2014. He served under Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg as Minister of ...
in
Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...
to announce the government's green lighting construction for a new campus at the
Norwegian University of Science and Technology The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU; ) is a public university, public research university in Norway and the largest in terms of enrollment. The university's headquarters is located in Trondheim (city), Trondheim, with region ...
. The following month, she and the prime minister announced that the government would invest in research into
artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...
and digital technology. Borch visited the
University of Tromsø The University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway ( Norwegian: ''Universitetet i Tromsø – Norges arktiske universitet''; Northern Sami: ''Romssa universitehta – Norgga árktalaš universitehta'') is a state university in Norway a ...
in October, where she praised their program which aimed to encourage more male students to try health professions. In December, she announced that the Ministry of Education would reject a request from four universities and colleges to remove grade requirements for students applying for the teacher and nurse degrees. The universities and colleges reacted with concern for the declining numbers of applicants in these respective fields.


2024

In January, Borch announced that the Ministry of Education would appeal the verdict to the
Supreme Court of Norway The Supreme Court of Norway ( Norwegian Bokmål: ; Norwegian Nynorsk: ; lit. 'Highest Court') is the highest court in the Norwegian judiciary. It was established in 1815 on the basis of section 88 in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Norway, ...
in the case of a student's reuse of their own text, referred to as "self-plagiarism", after the student had won a lawsuit against the government in
Borgarting Court of Appeal The Borgarting Court of Appeal () is one of six intermediate courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Oslo. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Oslo, Buskerud, and parts of Akershus and Østfold. ...
in December 2023. Later that month, media outlets revealed that parts of her master's thesis from ten years prior had been plagiarised, which lead to calls for her resignation. Borch announced her resignation on 19 January. She formally resigned on 23 January and was succeeded by her state secretary, Oddmund Løkensgard Hoel.


Plagiarism affair

In early 2024 it was revealed that significant parts of her master's thesis are
plagiarized Plagiarism is the representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 '' Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of anothe ...
from older master's theses by students at other Norwegian universities, leading to calls for her immediate resignation. ''E24'' documented that at least 20% of the thesis has been plagiarized from six other master's theses. ''
Aftenposten (; ; stylized as in the masthead) is Norway's largest printed newspaper by circulation as well as Norway's newspaper of record. It is based in Oslo. It sold 211,769 daily copies in 2015 (172,029 printed copies according to University of Bergen ...
'' further documented that an additional 10,000 characters were plagiarized from a report commissioned by the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion. Lawyer and expert on intellectual property law Magnus Stray Vyrje said her plagiarism was "as serious as it can get" and that the withdrawal of her degree is a likely outcome. Law professor Terje Einarsen said Borch's degree can be revoked and she can be banned for studying at Norwegian universities for cheating at an exam. As a result of the plagiarism affair she resigned from her political roles in the evening of 19 January 2024. On 14 March, it was announced that her degree would be annulled and Borch stated that she would not object to the verdict.


Other controversy

In 2025, a verdict of the
Norwegian Press Complaints Commission The Norwegian Press Complaints Commission () is a complaint commission of Norwegian Press Association. The members of the commission from are (from July 2012 to July 2014):
, sided with Borch; She had earlier filed a complaint with the commission, in regard to
NRK The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (), commonly known by its initialism NRK, is a Norwegian state-run, government-influenced radio and television public broadcasting company. The NRK broadcasts three national TV channels and thirteen nat ...
's claim that Borch did not qualify as being "Sami enough", to vote in Sami parliamentary elections; Nordkalottfolket (politicical party) also filed a complaint against NRK. Earlier (2024),
NRK The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (), commonly known by its initialism NRK, is a Norwegian state-run, government-influenced radio and television public broadcasting company. The NRK broadcasts three national TV channels and thirteen nat ...
had researchers check if Borch is of Sami ethnicity, to see if she meets criteria for those who should be allowed to vote in elections for Sami Parliament (Norway); The chief of NRK does not agree (as of November) with any of the criticism against that investigation. News outlets that have had articles supporting Borch's continued voting rights, include iFinnmark.no. A 16 November 2024
Aftenposten (; ; stylized as in the masthead) is Norway's largest printed newspaper by circulation as well as Norway's newspaper of record. It is based in Oslo. It sold 211,769 daily copies in 2015 (172,029 printed copies according to University of Bergen ...
article explains in which ways that heinvestigative journalists, have conflicts of interest; One of those is that one of the ancestry-researchers (''slektsforsker''), is a cousin of the partner ('' samboer'') of one of the journalists; Furthermore, part of the controversy is that some are saying that the journalists have not disclosed that they are not impartial r possibly not impartial Borch has called the NRK's investigation, an ''ethnic investigation''. As of Q4 2024, the Sami parliament has not started any process to decide if she should lose any voting privileges.


Personal life

Borch grew up in
Lavangen Municipality or is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tennevoll. Other villages in Lavangen include Fossbakken and Spansdalen (in the inland areas) and Kjeiprød, Røkenes, Låternes ...
. In June 2023, she announced that she had entered a relationship with Peter Paulsen, whom she met when celebrating her brother's birthday before Christmas 2022.


See also

*
Guttenberg plagiarism scandal The Guttenberg plagiarism scandal refers to the German political scandal that led to the resignation of Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg as Federal Ministry of Defence (Germany), Minister of Defence of Germany over the extensive plagiarism found in hi ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Borch, Sandra 1988 births Living people University of Tromsø alumni People with dwarfism Centre Party (Norway) politicians People from Lavangen Ministers of agriculture and food of Norway Women government ministers of Norway 21st-century Norwegian women politicians Women members of the Storting Members of the Storting 2017–2021 Members of the Storting 2021–2025