Relevance and Value of Universities to Future Society

The IAU 16th General Conference is dedicated to the theme Relevance and Value of Universities to Future Society. It serves as the primary opportunity for Members and beyond to come together to discuss the future of higher education. The conference will be an in-person event at University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland.

Universities are traditional and modern, conservative and progressive, inclusive and exclusive. Universities have no boundaries, they are institutions of tremendous power that transcend geographical, social, and cultural limits. Over centuries of existence, they have adapted to externally imposed regulations, norms and pressures and have been responsive to societal expectations and changes in their environment. Their conceptual space is the global landscape of knowledge and ideas. Even when faced with limited financial resources, universities operate from a position of intellectual abundance. Universities are uniquely placed to propose solutions and develop opportunities. They are called to actively shape the local and global agendas as agents of change.