Universities and Cities: fostering creative learning environments

The Role of the UNICA Network

Bologna, September 20, 2013

A. Charon Wauters, Director International Relations, Université de Lausanne, UNICA

Outline

1. The UNICA Network in brief

2. The UNICA Student Conferences as creative learning environments

• Some background

• The Lausanne Student Conference 2014

• The UNICA Green Academic Footprint Network

3. UNICA and the Scholars at Risk Network

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1. The UNICA Network http://www.unica-network.eu/

• 44 members from 33 European capital cities

• 1,800,000 students / 150,000 staff

Present goals:

- Being a platform for sharing good practices and discussing European policy issues of crucial importance to the members

- Taking an active stance in the process of globalization of Higher Education by:– Position papers– Publications– EC-funded projects– Contacts with other Higher Education stakeholders

To reach these goals UNICA has developed:

- Numerous working groups (incl. Students conferences, UGAF, …)

- Partnerships with other networks (SAR, EUA, Coimbra, …)

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2. The UNICA Student Conferences as creative learning environments

Every 2 years since 2000. 10 Students + 1 mentor / City

Aim:

Considered as a ‘compressed ERASMUS’, student conferences are excellent for an exposure to the principles of academic freedom and freedom of expression. They give the students the opportunity to meet, exchange and discuss freely European, Global and Higher Education issues.

• Berlin 2000, The Making of Europe

• London 2002, The Future of Europe

• Amsterdam 2004, University and Diversity in Europe: The Question of Identity

• Paris 2006, University-City-Citizenship

• Warsaw 2008, Let’s Win Europe: Chances and Challenges for Young People

• Rome 2010, Europe through Students’ Eye

• Oslo 2012, The Ideal European University

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2. The Student Conferences

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The Lausanne Conference for 2014

The Team

> 6 UNIL participating students and 2 mentors from the previous Oslo, Rome and Warsaw conferences

> Vice Rector for Research and International Relations

> Director International Relations

> Staff International Relations + 1 Conference Assistant

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The Lausanne Conference 2014 – 2

Proposition and Recommendations of the UNIL Students for the 2014 Conference

> Explain – better - the role of the UNICA network

> Follow-up on the previous conferences to build the 2014 programme

> Have a clear aim to communicate in advance to the participating students

> Make the participating students understand better their role and responsibilities

> Why a declaration? Why an action plan? To be sent to whom? By whom?

> Create a continuity between the students conferences (UNICA students board or UNICA Student conference alumni?)

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The Lausanne Conference 2014 – 3

“Make it happen!”

The UNICA Students’ Action Plan (DRAFT)

- Theme I – Before – Access to higher education• Promotion• Diversity• Accessibility

- Theme II – During – Education within• Learning and Research (interdisciplinarity)• Mobility• Fostering of creative thinking and students voice

- Theme III – After – Outcomes after• Labour market• Role of the university within society• Societal influences on the university

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The Lausanne Conference 2014 – 4

Aims (draft)

1. One general declaration to be presented to all UNICA Rectors at the 2014 General Assembly just after the conference

2. Consolidation of the declaration with a short list of actions to be taken by the UNICA network or the individual UNICA universities

Ex.: the Rome UNICA student conference has given birth to the UNICA Green Academic Footprint Network (ugaf.eu) a visible/concrete outcome of the student conferences

3. Launching of a UNICA students board or a UNICA Student conference alumni network

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The UNICA Green Academic Footprint Network (UGAF)/1

• UGAF is a spin-off of the UNICA students recommendations at the Rome conference

• The participating UNICA universities consider sustainability in campus management, teaching and research as one of their core missions

• Launched by the University of Oslo and presently jointly chaired by the Université Libre de Bruxelles and the Université de Lausanne with a core group composed of Freie Universität Berlin, Universidade de Lisboa, University of Oslo, Università degli studi di Roma Tor Vergata, Tallinn University

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The UNICA Green Academic Footprint Network/2

Activities opened to all UNICA members and beyond

• Exchange of good practice (internal and external)

• Participation to workshops (2014 Brussels: Mobility, 2015 Lausanne: Sustainability in Teaching)

• Training courses (Oslo October 2013: Green IT)

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3. UNICA and the Scholars at Risk Network (SAR)

The Scholars at Risk Network (SAR) http://scholarsatrisk.nyu.edu/“International network of institutions and individuals working to promote academic freedom and to defend the human rights of scholars worldwide.”

> An international network • Over 270 institutions in 34 countries• Partner networks national or international

> Two-part mission• To protect threatened scholars• To promote academic freedom and human rights of higher education

communities.

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The Scholars at Risks network/2

> Protection activities• Emergency interventions (e.g. protective relocation & “hosting”)• Advice and referrals• Scholars in prison

> Promotion activities• SAR Speaker Series & conferences • Workshops and trainings• Monitoring & advocacy projects (e.g. Global network of monitors, SAR

Academic Freedom Advocacy Team)

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The Scholars at Risks network/3

Why are scholars attacked?

> To silence dissent and control the quality and flow of information in society, as a means to controlling the society itself.

• Content-based attacks

- When ideas, information and opinions are perceived by authorities as threatening, individual scholars are particularly vulnerable. Such scholars are labeled--explicitly or implicitly--as 'suspect,' 'disloyal,' 'dissident,' 'dangerous,' or 'enemy' of the state, society, faith, family, culture, etc.

• Status-based attacks

- Because of their education, frequent travel and social status, scholars also often suffer exemplar attacks -- as a means of sending a message to other members of the society.

> Source of attacks may be political, governmental, military, police, paramilitary, terrorist, criminal, business, religious and more

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The Scholars at Risks network/4

> Over 1900 requests for assistance from scholars in 122 countries (since 2000)

> Over 320 member institutions in 35 countries, 9 partner networks/SAR sections

> SAR has assisted 400+ scholars with temporary academic visits & 700+ with other services

> SAR places 50+ scholars annually & provides advice, referrals, counselling & other services to 75-100

> SAR monitors attacks in 50+ countries

> Over 1,000 have participated in workshops, trainings, conferences to promote academic freedom

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The Scholars at Risks network/5

SAR has partner networks, national and international

They:• Coordinate SAR-related activities • Represent their country, region or network in the wider, international SAR Network

They vary in size, structure, activities and local vs. SAR international role.• CARA-SAR UK Universities Network (co-organized with CARA)(2006) • Israel SAR Network (co-organized with Arcadia)(2006)• Grupo 9 de Universidades, Spain (co-organized with Grupo 9)(2008)• African Academic Freedom Network (co-organized with NEAR) (2008) • Arab Society for Academic Freedom (co-organized with NEAR) (2008)• Scholars at Risk, Irish Section (co-organized with Universities Ireland)(2009)• UAF-Scholars at Risk Network, Netherlands (co-organized with UAF)(2009)• Scholars at Risk, Norway Section (2011)

• UNICA (2011)

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UNICA and the Scholars at Risks network/1

UNICA as a network, joined SAR in 2011 and since then has:

• Provided a platform for sharing information about SAR activities, including scholars seeking hosts and calls for participation in SAR prevention projects

• Invited SAR Executive Director Europe to participate in a UNICA meeting in Lausanne in May 2012 on “Universities Engaging in Promoting Academic Freedom” with the participation of a SAR Scholar hosted by the University of Lausanne

• Co-hosted a Workshop on “Academic freedom in Europe and outside Europe” with SAR and the Freie Universität Berlin, in Berlin in March 2013

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UNICA and the Scholars at Risks network/2

• Helped to raise the profile of SAR work in Europe by:

• Facilitating meetings between SAR and other European networks

• Informing the EU Commissioner for Education on SAR activities

• Facilitated the participation of some of its members to the network

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UNICA and the Scholars at Risks network/3

UNICA Individual Partnerships in SAR

Individual partnerships of 10 UNICA members with different types of involvement (hosting scholars, organizing conferences, developing national SAR networks, etc.):

• University of Oslo (since 2001) • King’s College London (since 2006)• University of Amsterdam (since 2007)• University College Dublin (since 2008)• Université de Lausanne (since 2010)• University of Zagreb (since 2010)• Freie Universität Berlin (since 2011)• Vrije Universiteit Brussels (since 2012)• University of Vilnius (since 2012)• Stockholm University (since 2013)

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Conclusions

1. By bringing together the variety of universities of European capital cities, UNICA plays an important role regarding the link between Universities, students, societies and cities

2. UNICA contributes to a creative learning environment by at least 3 actions that foster and develop:

- Student involvement in intercultural exchanges and action planning

- Promotion of sustainability in campus life, teaching and research

- Promotion of academic freedom as a prerequisite in the learning environment.

UNICA as a network is able to reach goals and have an impact that could not be attained as largely by individual institutions!

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