Erkki Pystynen was the first rector to build his academic career at the University of Tampere and its predecessor, the School of Social Sciences. Pystynen specialised in municipal policy and had been appointed professor in the field in 1972.

Major matters that kept the rector busy in the mid-1970s included a degree reform, the status of the departments offering Bachelor-level education as well as the building of two new faculties – the Faculties of Medicine and Education – and integrating them into university cooperation.

In the parliamentary election of autumn 1975, Pystynen was elected member of Parliament, and his term as rector ended after only one year. Pystynen’s career as a member of Parliament lasted until 1991, a total of approximately 16 years, during which time he served as speaker of Parliament from 1983 to 1987.