Theme: University for the future
A vision for 2030: What will the life expectancy for European citizens be? How will Europeans live in twenty years’ time and which health and social risks will we then face? Which are the implications of this vision for academic teaching and research today? What should our graduates have to offer to meet the European and global demands for knowledge and innovation in 2030 and beyond?
Through our actions today we contribute to our future and more importantly to the future of new generations. In a way universities represent the future; in their teaching of young people and their contribution to innovation. Which paradoxes in society can we foresee in 2030 and how should universities respond now?
Yet, it is difficult to predict the future. Forecasts and future scenarios are often extensions of what we already know, mere rhetorics. Unexpected events beyond our imagination can occur tomorrow or even now. In addition to academic rigor, creativity and imagination are essential to try to understand what lies ahead.
In the programme on the occasion of the opening of the acadmic year 2010-2011 this theme was explored from several perspectives. The morning seminar focused upon academic reflection. Jointly with other participants visitors shared their visions for 2030 and the implications for research and teaching today. The opening ceremony in the afternoon had a more creative dimension.
